FALLEN ─ marvel

VI. Optimistic For The Future

Chapter Six
Olivia

"So you really don't know your actual name?" Stevie asks Jo as we walk through the forest together.

Jo shakes her head, prompting Zy to tell her: "I think Josephine is a really pretty name."

Jo nods in agreement. "Me too."

"Are you excited to start school?" I ask her, helping her step over a fallen tree branch.

Jo shrugs. "I don't know, I've never been."

"Neither have I," Zy admits. "As prince I can't go to school, but my aunt Shuri teaches me, she's the best. I think you'll like it, learning is fun."

"Stevie and I go to school, it's really nice, with great teachers and great kids. It will be a little hard at first, but you'll get the hang of it." I assure her.

"So you'll be with me?" Jo asks hopefully.

I nod, smiling at my new cousin. "We'll be with you the whole time."

Stevie suddenly picks up speed as we make it to the treehouse, his lanky figure flailing around as he runs towards the ladder leading up to it. He bounces in anticipation and impatience as he waits for the rest of us to reach him, whining: "You guys are so slow, hurry up!"

"Stop being annoying." I tell him.

Stevie scrunches his face up and gives me a mocking expression, replying: "You're annoying."

"You can't throw my insult back at me."

"Watch me, butt face."

We finally reach Steve, and before I begin climbing up the ladder, I thwack him on the forehead, smiling to myself as he groans in pain. Steve rubs his head as he climbs up next, then Zy helps Jo up the ladder before he climbs up himself.

Our family made us this treehouse when I was Jo's age, and its been a clubhouse for us ever since. We come here every single day to talk, to sleep, to listen to music, to watch movies, or just about anything. It's a pretty big tree house, filled with bean bags, a small table with a tv, a radio on the floor next to the table, and posters covering nearly every inch of the wall. A lot of the posters are from Stevie's favorite horror movies, there's one of Brendon Urie, Stevie's favorite singer, one of the Beatles, my favorite band, and the other posters are from random science fiction movies Zy is obsessed with. They're such nerds.

With all of us now inside, Steve brings out the small vile of blue paint and a paint brush, handing it to Jo. She looks at the two items confused, so I gesture to the ceiling: "Look up."

The ceiling of the treehouse is completely bear except for one phrase painted in blue paint: this treehouse belongs to Olivia, Steve, and Zy'aire. Jo stares at the phrase and begins to smile, clarifying our intention: "You want me to paint my name?"

We all nod, with Zy replying: "This is your treehouse now too, we wanted to make it official."

Jo stands up and tries to reach the ceiling but can't, so Zy, who is pretty tall, bends down and tells her to climb onto his shoulders. Jo jumps onto him and wraps her legs around his shoulders, finally able to reach once Zy'aire stands up. She opens up the paint and balances it on his head, painting 'and Jo' next to Zy's name, so now the phrase reads: this treehouse belongs to Olivia, Steve, and Zy'aire and Jo. She grabs onto the paint again and gets off of Zy, handing the two back to Steve.