Octavia closed the large wooden door, took off her silk slippers, and sat on the bed. It was only 7pm, but she already had dinner: a small vegetable medley she had prepared herself. For an unknown reason, Dana was nowhere to be seen, and the manor’s cook was with her parents, at yet another important dinner.

She looked through the window, admiring the gardens. If there was one thing she adored about this place, it was the exterior decoration: the flowers, the fruit trees, the marble statues… Sometimes, when she felt down, she would go there and sit under one of the big stone arches, covered with flowers shining with morning dew. She would spend almost an hour there, alone yes, but this used to be the only occasion when she enjoyed being alone.
Then came boarding school, and this was taken away from her as well. The facility didn’t allow the students to wander around the garden or the small forest behind the track field. But there was no time to try anyway.

She gazed through the thick glass, observing the red colour the sunset was giving the pines on the horizon. She also noticed a security guard near the back entrance. Several robberies had been reported in town during the last few months, and Octavia’s mother had insisted to hire a couple of watchmen… just to make sure.

She laid down on her blanket, the back of her head landing on the large pillows, and her black hair flowing through every wrinkle of the white sheets. The room was completely quiet, and the warm air she was feeling on her skin encouraged her to close her eyes, surrounding herself in a familiar darkness.

When she opened her eyes, she quickly looked at the small alarm clock on her table. Was it Sunday morning already?

“No. Thank God no. I’ve only slept thirty minutes.”

Only thirty minutes, yes, but her limbs felt heavy and her brain tired. She let her eyes adjust to the light of the lamps, and looked around her bedroom. Her gaze stopped on one of her desk’s drawers. She got up, opened the drawer and took out a medium-sized cardboard box. This was the only safe place in her room, the only spot where even her parents wouldn’t look for any hidden objects. She opened the little red cover, and looked at the box’s content: it was filled with childish drawings, little necklaces made of plastic pearls, and old photographs. These were from another time. The time when she was young enough not to suffer from her family’s oppression.

She shuffled through the pictures and jewelry, and grabbed a small piece of blue plastic. She had figured it would be the perfect place to keep the phone Vinyl gave her away from her parents’s surveillance.

She sat back on her bed, leaving the phone on her pillow. She thought about her three friends: where they were, what they were doing… without her… Should she have acted against her parents’s rules? No, never. Well, she already had… but this was not the same thing. There was nothing to be gloomy about: this was just a typical weekend… But also the first two days she would spend alone.

“But if I had the chance to go back on my decision, would I? Would I?...”

She stopped to pinch herself. This question would lead her nowhere…

“They’re already gone anyway… They must be arriving at the event as of as I speak…”

Suddenly, the screen of the phone she had just took out started to illuminate, as a little icon indicated her of a new message. She reached for the pillow to drag both the latter and the phone to her. The cellist was slightly surprised as she saw the name of Vinyl displaying on the white background:

Hey Tavi, we’re coming 2 pick u up in 10m! Prepare ur best party outfit!

It took a few seconds for Octavia to adjust to her friend’s syntax, but once this was out of the way, the only presence left in her brain was sheer incomprehension. What exactly did this mean?

“This obviously a joke from the others… But it’s unusual of them to act so… mean. Are they making fun of me not being with them?”

Suddenly, her ear twitched as she heard a knock on the door. She quickly threw the phone in her bag, and as she was realizing how bad of a hiding place this was, Dana entered the bedroom.

“Dana! It’s just you! I haven’t seen you anywhere today!”

The old woman was looking a bit pale, in between worry and panicked. She was walking at a fast pace, and arrived in front of Octavia, putting her hand on the young girl’s shoulder.

“Sorry dear, I’ve been busy with a lot of things today… How are you?”

“I’m fine… I guess… I can’t help but think about Vinyl, Lyra and Bon-Bon.”

“You say that like it is a bad thing.”

“Well, it might be! What if they think that because I didn’t come to this party, I don’t want their friendship?”

“I can guarantee you that won’t happen.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’re going to this party with your friends, dear.”

Octavia was confused, to say the least. It was now the second time she heard that she was going to attend tonight’s party. While it was most likely a joke of some sort, what were the odds for Vinyl and Dana to have the exact same idea at the same time?

“Wait, Dana… I’m afraid I don’t understand: what’s happening? What do you mean?”

“We don’t have much time dear, your friends will come to pick you up in a few, if the guard notices them, it’ll be too late! We have to hurry: here, put your shoes on.”

“What?” A disoriented Octavia asked, grabbing the pair of black Oxfords, “What do you mean “pick me up”? They are attending Pinkie Pie’s party!”

“Listen to me, Octavia.” The old woman said, putting her hands on both of the girl’s shoulders, “Do you want to go to this event? If you had the opportunity, would you go?”

“Well… I want to go, yes, I really do. But I also do not desire to go against my parents’s orders. Why do you ask this so suddenly?”

The old maid did not move a muscle, staring at the evening light through the window, as if she was trying to evade the question.

“Dana, what’s going on? You’re starting to scare me…”

“Shhh, calm down dear. You’ll get a proper explanation in a few. For now, you’ll have to trust me and come along, alright?”

Octavia had no idea what to do. What in the heavens was going on? Why was Dana talking about Vinyl and the others like they knew each others? And most importantly, where did she want Octavia and her to go?
She had many questions, yes, but she trusted Dana. Probably more than anyone else in the world. The old woman would never try anything that could harm her whatsoever. And this, all of this, whatever it was, was most likely no exception.

“A… Alright Dana. Let’s get going…”

“I know you’re scared sweetie, don’t worry, it’s going to be okay. Here, take this. Now let’s get going.”

Octavia grabbed the small handbag the maid gave her, and the two of them exited the bedroom, with Dana locking the door with the master key only she and Octavia’s parents had.

“So… Where are we going Dana?”

“Outside, in the gardens.”

“What? At this hour? But I can’t be there! And what if the guard sees me?!”

“We are taking the kitchen door. Also, that young man should be on his break right now.”

As they were talking, they got down the smaller stairs situated on the other side of the hallway. The two women then crossed a laundry room, and arrived at their destination.
The manor’s kitchen were huge. A thirty feet prep table was situated in the center of the room, surrounded by all sorts or ovens, fridges, dishwashers and shelves. Ancient copper cookware were hanging on the stone walls, and two gigantic chandeliers were hung eight feet above their heads.
The maid took great care in turning no light on, closing every door behind her and making the least amount of noise she could. She was obviously anxious, but a touch of curiosity and thrill could be perceived in her eyes. She and Octavia finally reached the small wooden door leading to the gardens. It was mostly used to take out the trash, and almost every staff member had access to it. Dana turned the key, and grabbed the doorknob to take a peek outside. She quickly went back inside and close the door as quietly as possible.

“Shoot! He is still here! Why in the heavens is he not on break?!”

“You sure this is here Vinyl?”

The DJ didn’t look at her friend on the back seat: she was way too busy looking around for Octavia’s presence.

“Lyra, I think this house corresponds pretty well with Octavia. She should arrive any second now!”

“Yeah, if she decides to come. I’m still not sure calling one of her maids was such a great idea! What if she told the folks? Bam! We’d have the whole CPD on our asses for intrusion!”

“...”

“I know we didn’t enter the property Vinyl! But Tavi’s dad doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who lets people lurking around his place!”

“Hey! Hey girls!” Bon-Bon exclaimed, eyes against the binoculars she had brought, “I can see someone moving behind this small door!”

“You have X-ray vision now?”

“It’s a windowed door, Lyra.”

“Fair enough.”

“It has to be Octavia! Why doesn’t she come… Oh wait! There’s a guard outside!”

“A guard? Shit, I told you this guys liked to keep his private property private.”

“He doesn’t look like he’s going to move any time soon. What should we do?”

“Shit, that’s unexpected. How are we supposed to make this guy move AND not notice us?”

Vinyl’s eyes suddenly lightened, as she just had a new step to add to their ongoing stream of bad ideas.

Carbon Fiber was in good shape. He had taken his ten minutes break a bit earlier this evening, and the hot coco, along with the warmth of the manor’s kitchen, had made him forget about the cold air of the night. Now he had two hours left, until the other guy came to take over. This job was pretty tranquil: he was provided with room and board, and the overall experience wasn’t as stressful as he thought it would be: most of his days consisted of sitting on a small black stool under the porch, back against the wall, and watching out for visitors, should they be authorized or not. But they had very little trouble around here. Heck, now that he was thinking about it, he never had had any problems or seen any intruder.

“Yeah I own this beat! You can call me the-”

He stood up quickly to look in the direction of the forest behind the fence. What was that? Music? Sounded pretty funky, definitely not from the manor. It was close enough so he could hear it, so whoever was listening to this was most likely trespassing at the moment. Great! Finally something to spice up the evening! Was he going to go for the nice guard style, or the angry guard style? The latter was definitely the funniest, but you never know when you’re going to meet some dude working for the mayor or something, just taking a piss in the bushes.

“Felon on bass, getting hoarse at the mic-”

Screw it, he was just going with his guts. Easier and cooler. With a bit of luck, it was a pretty girl. Maybe he could get her number. But that would require the "good guard" approach. Oh well.

He grabbed his phone, keys and flashlight he had left on the little wooden table, and walked towards the source of the music. He felt the cold wind slipping under his jacket, making his back shiver. He turned on the flashlight, illuminating the dark gardens with the artificial yellow light. As he got closer, he realized that the troublemaker had parked his car in the dirt road a few feet behind the fence. There, was also located a small gate the gardeners used to chop wood for the living room fireplace. It wasn’t opened, thank lord. But the car was still in private property, and being on the right side of the fence wasn’t going to change anything. He stopped in front of the black steel bars, and waved his arms towards the windshield.

“Hey! Hey you! Hey!”

…

No answer. What the hell was that? Did some jerk parked his car there and went… Where would anyone go at this hour? There was nothing around the manor, only acres of woods and rock quarries. He took out his keys, searched for the black piece of metal supposed to open the small gate. Once he finally opened the door, he reached the car and directed his light towards the driver’s window. The vehicle was absolutely empty, except for several cans of energy drinks, magazines, and a duffel bag filled with what looked like electronic devices. On the passenger seat was a cell phone, obviously the source of the music, which had now stopped, as if it was waiting for him to show up.

“What the hell is going on…”

He didn’t get much time to think, as he felt a light tap on his shoulder, from behind his back.

“HOLY MOTHER OF-”

He turned around as fast as he could, hitting his toes against one of the car’s wheels, taking out his weapon, before realizing he didn’t have any. The owner didn’t want to take risks.

But what, or rather who, he found facing him was not what he expected.

It was a teenage girl, probably around eighteen, tall, slim, blue hair and white skin, with an uncommonly huge headset covering her ears. She had a can of soda in one hand, and her phone in the other. She didn’t look as lost as he was, although his scream had probably surprised her quite a bit.

“Who… Who the hell are you? This is a private property! You have nothing to do here!”

“...”

“Is this your car?”

“...”

“Answer me!”

Carbon Fiber was angry: he shouldn’t have lost focus like that. And who knew what this girl wanted. She was obviously not a friend of the owners. Not really their style…
He then realized that she was slightly moving her head back and forth, as if she was listening to…

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?!” He said, taking the headphones of the young girl’s ears and placing them on top of the car. “What are you doing here?!”

The girl’s next move left him quite speechless: instead of answering, or even looking at him for that matter, she simply took out a pen and paper, and started writing a few lines, not stopping once to look at the man facing her.

“You piece of-”

Before he could finish, he got handed to him a small notebook, with the previously mentioned words filling the white paper. Despite the smoke coming out of his ears and nose, he took a few seconds to read what the intruder had written:

Howdy dude,
Got a problem with my car, it was making a weird noise and I didn’t want it to blow up in my face, so I just kinda stopped here.
You think you could help me check whatever is making that sound? Thanks.
PS: I’m mute, yours truly.

Oh.

Oh.

Okay then. That was new.

“Is he gone yet?”

“Nope.”

“And now?”

“It’s been one second, Lyra.”

“...”

“...”

“Is he gone now?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“No! I will tell you when he is!”

“Not that I don’t like hiding in the bushes with you, Bon-Bon. I mean, it has kind of a Daring Doo vibe to it. Once the mission is over, will we go bang in a five-star hotel?”

The other girl shook her head, chuckling at her friend’s joke. Vinyl had been gone for about two to three minutes now, she should have found the perfect spot.

“You sure about Vinyl’s plan? Sounds a bit like the first twenty minutes of a crappy romantic movie to me…”

“We only need a few minutes, Lyra. Just the time for Octavia to cross the garden and to get out.”

“And how exactly do you plan on getting her out? I don’t think climbing fences is one of the classes taught in boarding schools, and if we could open the entrance gate, we proooobably would have done that already.”

“I have this covered. I think.”

“What? So you have a plan? Why does nobody tell me anything?”

Bon-Bon took a break from observing the guard to look at the lint-haired girl sitting next to her. She looked genuinely disappointed at the moment. It was the first time she had seen Lyra in such a mood. She took a leaf out of the lyrist’s hair, smiling at her.

“I’m sorry Lyra… I guess I’m just a bit anxious with everything that happened lately… and that is happening as we speak. I just… I just want everyone to have a good time, including Octavia. And that is why we must take her with us tonight.”

“Yeah, yeah you’re right girl. Sorry. I get it.”

“So, want to know my plan?”

“Hell yeah!”

“Okay, so-”

Suddenly, the two girls noticed a sound of metal against metal: the guard had just picked up his keys and flashlight, and had started moving in the direction of what was most likely the place Vinyl had chosen for her little distraction.

“I guess you’ll have to see for yourself! Hand me the bag!”

“What?”

“The bag, the one next to you.”

“Oh, here.”

“Thanks.” The pianist said, rummaging through the materials she had brought, finally taking out the climbing rope. “Here, hold this.”

“What are you planning to do with this?” Lyra asked, receiving the opened bag right on her face.

“Uhm… What people do with climbing ropes?”

“It’s a metal fence, not a climbing wall!”

“Samy same.”

“With spikes at the end!”

“Gotta watch out for these.”

“You’re not really thinking about climbing this, are you?”

“Are you?”

“Fuck no!”

“Then I’ll do it.”

“What? No!”

“Yes. And before you ask, you have to stay on this side so that you can catch Octavia.”

“You mean when you throw her from atop the fence…?”

“Yes.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“Oh well.” Bon-Bon said, tightening the black rope around her waist and making a noose on the remaining end, throwing it in the air until it tightened itself around one of the spikes, eight feet above the ground.

“Wait! You didn’t even check if the dude was far away enough!”

“Is he?”

“Uhm… I can see his light in the back of the gardens, I think we’re good.”

“Cool. I’ll be going then. Don’t worry Lyra, it’s not like you can’t see me right through the fence.”

“Maybe… Maybe, but this is soooo risky…”

“More than crashing a car in a scrapyard, with Vinyl still in it?”

“Fair point. By the way, did you know I took a video? I should show it to you one-”

“Lyra, now is not a good time!”

“Right! Stay safe!”

“I will.” Bon-Bon answered, hugging he friend before grabbing the rope with both her hands, and placing her feet against bars which, luckily, were large enough to allow a certain stability.
Carefully measuring every step she took, not going too fast and risking to fall, and not going too slow and wasting time. As she was raising from the ground, she could feel Lyra’s gaze, as well as a few drops of sweat going down her forehead.

“Calm down… No need to get anxious. There’s no difference between this and middle school’s climbing class. Except this is illegal. And dangerous. And you don’t have any safety equipment.”

This might have been a bad idea.

“C’mon dude, you’re almost there!” Lyra whispered, trying to hide her obvious concern about the current situation.

“Okay, okay, here you go.”

In a final push on her legs, she managed to grab the spike she had attached the noose to, pulling herself up and crouching on top of the fence, each foot between two pieces of pointy metal.

“Good job girl! Lyra complimented as loud as their mission’s stealth allowed her.

Bon-Bon Then turned around, turning her back to the manor. She took out a descender out of her pocket, placed it on the rope, and started going down on the other side of the fence. The adrenaline had calmed down in her body, and she almost felt like they had completed the mission. She slowly got closer to the ground, before finally feeling the ground under her feet again.

“Hey there, beautiful.”

She looked in front of her, and saw Lyra’s face on the other side of the bushes, facing her with an awkward, but relieved, smile.

“And I’m okay! See, Lyra? Easy!”

“Yeah, didn’t even break a sweat here. Okay, now…”

She grabbed her phone and typed a few words, quickly putting it back in her pocket to avoid anyone seeing the screen’s light.

“Cool, I told Octavia she could come out now. She should arrive any second now!”

“What is it, dear?”

“It’s a message from Bon-Bon… The person who called you… Vinyl managed to distract the guard… Heavens, I hope she’s alright… Apparently, Bon-Bon and Lyra are waiting for me… right outside?”

“Let’s see…” Dana said, opening the kitchen door, “The guard is gone, yes, god knows how. Oh, and I think I can see your friend! She’s… Is she on our side of the fence?”

“What? How did she-”

“Octavia, listen to me: there’s probably not much time before this young man comes back, so you will have to get to your friend on your own. Promise me one thing.”

“Yes, Dana?”

“Enjoy your night. Enjoy your life. Don’t hold back, you’re not in boarding school anymore. If this has to be the first time you taste the sweetness of being young, have the best time you could ever have. And if these persons are only half as trustworthy and kind as you told me, you sure have nothing to fear…”

Before the young girl could answer, she was given a warm hug by the old maid, followed by a kiss on the cheek.

“No go, get to your friends, they’re waiting for you!”

And for the first time in her life, Octavia ran to her friends, without a second thought, without any worry or anxiety in her mind. She saw Bon-Bon, waiting for her near the fence, and she smiled, smiled at her friends who were here for her, despite everything that got in their way.

“Bon-Bon! It’s really you!” She said, jumping in her friend’s arms. She then quickly got face-to-face with the pianist, an expression of anxiety painted on her face:

“What in the heavens are you doing here? If my parents find out…”

“They won’t, Octavia. Don’t worry.”

“What about the guard who was posted there?”

“Vinyl is distracting him.”

“Vinyl? Is she here as well?”

“Of course, and so is Lyra!”

“Heya babe!”

“Oh my gosh! You scared me! Hello Lyra.”

Octavia paused to realize what was exactly happening, and a small tear rolled down her cheek:

“You all came here for me…”

“Of course we did! But now’s not the time for emotions, we’ve gotta get out of there!

“How… How are you planning on doing that? And how did you even pass the fence, for that matter?”

Then she noticed the rope hanging from one of the spikes.

“Oh dear.”

“I know, right?” Lyra shrugged. “And now it’s your time to give it a try!”

“What?! No, no, no… I would never do that! That sounds way too dangerous, we will find another way, I’m certain!”

“There really is no time, Octavia.” Bon-Bon answered, putting her hand on the cellist’s shoulder. “Hey. Do you trust us?”

“Of course I do…”

“Then put that rope around your waist, we don’t have much time, since as you may know, Vinyl hasn’t planned on killing the guard.”

“Oh my, I certainly hope not…”

“Just… Don’t worry, okay? It’s just like climbing trees.”

“I’ve never climbed trees before.”

“...Okay, you’re up! Get on my shoulders, it’ll be at least four feet less to go!”

“Oh lord…” Octavia mumbled, standing with little assurance on her friend’s shoulders, holding the rope tight. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it.”

“Of course you will! Plus, Lyra will be here to catch you when you’ll jump!”

“When I what?!”

“That went well.”

“Well?! Lyra, I’ve almost had a heart attack!”

“Chill out Octavia! You’re alright, and it was fun, right?”

“Fun wouldn’t exactly be the first qualifier that comes to my mind. Thanks for catching me, Lyra.”

“Of course! Here, Bon-Bon, why did you bring a selfie stick?”

“To be able to take the rope off the spike before we leave. Leaving it there would be the stupidest mistake.”

“Neat.”

“So, what are we going to do now? Where is Vinyl? I hope she’s okay…”

“Chill out, Octavia, Vinyl is a-okay I’m sure!”

As Lyra pronounced these words, the three girls heard the distinct sound of tires on the nearby dirt road. Bon-Bon grabbed the bag, took Octavia’s hand, all the three of them joined with Vinyl, who had just gotten out of her car to greet her friends.

“Vinyl! Octavia yelled, coming face-to-face with the DJ. I was so scared, I…”

Before she could finish, the blue-haired girl gave her a warm hug, her chin leaning against Octavia’s neck, and her hands holding the cellist tight.

“So, Vinyl, we accomplished our part of the mission, how did it go for you?”

Vinyl took out a few pieces of paper she had apparently already written:

I’ll tell you on the way.
Now let’s move.
This is gonna be a night to remember.

Author's Notes:

Hello again everyone!

Like always, it's been f*cking forever!
I won't lie to you, I haven't been writing at all these past weeks because... I didn't want to. Well, not that I didn't want to write, I just always felt like there was something else to do, better than writing.
I finally got super motivated to finish this chapter, and I really really hoped you liked it! As you cann see, it it more than twice as long as what I usually write o/
I'm truly sorry for the delay, and I hope you still enjoy reading "Silent Love" (despite the... controversial last chapter...)

Love y'all.

Bisous,

Saga.