The Watcher

13. Olivia

I was enjoying a deep dreamless sleep when my body lurched awake. I couldn't say why I woke up, but I knew it was sudden. It was still dark outside, and even darker still in the living room, now the window was boarded up. I looked around me, trying to figure out why I'd stirred.

My eyes took a while to adjust to the dark, but as they did, I saw everything was exactly as I'd left it. From the scattered cushions to the discarded wine bottle.

I thought maybe Nightmare had made a noise when she returned, but I could see her curled up on the opposite end of the sofa. From the slow rhythmic sound of her breath, she was sleeping, and she had been for a while.

I knew I should get up off the sofa and go to my bed, but my heavy lids and foggy head thought otherwise. Instead, I grabbed one of the discarded cushions and shoved it under my head, feeling the soft velvet caress my cheek as I let myself drift back to sleep.

I was halfway to Dream Town when something stopped me. A niggling voice in the back of my mind that told me to wake up and pay attention.

Above the soft rush of city traffic in the distance, I could hear the faint rumble of a car outside in the back lane. If it was any other night, I might not have thought much of it, but the residual uneasiness from the burglary and Book Boy meant the anomaly piqued my interest. No one really drove down there except for the bin men, or the odd van when people were moving.

Heaving myself up from the sofa, I headed towards the spare bedroom beside the living room. It was a dumping ground for all the things I had no place for in the rest of the flat, so I rarely spent any time in it. Despite its diminutive size, it had a wonderfully large sash window, like the one that had been smashed in the living room. It was the ideal place to spy from now as it looked out onto the yard.

From my position behind the cheap voile curtains, I had a perfect view of the steps that ran along the back wall of the yard and up to Book Boy's balcony. I saw the white glow of headlights bouncing off the back lane behind the gate.

The soft slam of a car door sounded through the sleepy silence outside. I stood as still as I could as I saw Book Boy's back gate open. The fence that divided our two yards was just low enough for me to see two figures enter.

I watched silently as a petite blonde girl walked side by side with a taller man. I could hardly see them through the fence, but from the way his head lolled to the side, I guessed they'd gotten a taxi back from a night out. Too drunk to face the walk back.

I hadn't seen what Olivia looked like, but Gina had said she was blonde and good looking, so my eyes followed their figures as they headed towards the metal stairs. Whether it was the influence of the robbery or the confrontation I'd had with Book Boy, I was curious to see what she looked like.

They had their backs to me as they started to climb up the metal stairs. The guy had cropped hair, almost sandy blonde, although it was hard to tell in the moonlight. He was obviously drunk because his head drooped forward.