Fiction over Reality

[Poppy Lockwood]

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| Tagged: Olivia Chance |

Poppy Lockwood smiled at the librarian sitting at the front desk as she entered. She returned a couple of comics and DVDs her little brother had borrowed a few weeks ago. Her parents took him here at least twice a month to encourage him to read, which worked. On that particular day, they were busy so Poppy had the pleasure to spend her evening going out of the school compounds to return some items before it was overdue. Lucky her.

After the books were returned, she decided to linger for a bit. Whatever time the library shut, she was confident she had a few hours to browse. She might as well anyway, seeing as how she traveled this far already. Poppy rarely visited the Kalispell Library. The academy's library usually had what she needed and wanted. "Aha! There we are." Making her way through the aisles, she stopped at the fiction section. "Oh sorry, I didn't know anyone was here..." she said when she saw a girl on the floor engrossed in a book.

[Olivia Chance]

"God dammit don't you dare die on me." She was reading through, but she was sick of not knowing if the character was going to die or not. She skipped to the end, read it, and then came back.

"No...a funeral...no no no you still don't die. I won't allow you to." And then she heard a voice and looked up.

"Oh no it's perfectly alright. My comfiest position just happens to be in the aisle. Feel free to step around me if you need something. I know the fiction section is the best section in here." The academy's library was better for science but she wasn't a student anymore.

[Poppy Lockwood]

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She was uncertain if the girl was being sarcastic or not, but decided not to read too much into it. Was it more often to meet rude people rather than nicer and toleratable ones in a library? "I agree. I've always preferred fiction above everything else." She scanned some of the titles. "There is some joy in reading about people I only see in my head." Frankly, it was the creativity of authors that made her fell in love with books in the first place. She was in awe of the worlds they had created and the events that played out.

"I mean, non-fiction is great. At least some of them, I hope. It's real and all. But I just think that despite the fact the characters are merely works of fiction, they still felt real...to me." Poppy smiled to herself then as she took a book off the shelf. "Sorry, I'm sure you want to get back to your book." After reading the synopsis, she spoke again. "I mean, I'd hate it too if someone interrupts my reading. Like, hello, I'm trying to read here!" Blood rushed to her cheeks when she realized it. "...and you're reading, I'm talking. Okay, just gonna shut up now."

[Olivia Chance]

"I used to read tons of non-fiction, but now I mostly read fiction. There's a lot that can be told about the author through the worlds they decide to create. Plus, if you're going to read and enter a whole new world, then it would be cooler if it was completely different than what we already have." The girl kept going on about bothering Olivia and Olivia smiled and shook her head.

"No, honestly you're helping the main character in my book live longer. I just checked and apparently she dies at the end of the scene I'm reading I think...so...the longer I don't read the longer she keeps living...that sounds crazy doesn't it? Whatever it's the best way to describe it." She grinned and looked up.

"Don't suppose you'd want to talk huh? I just got back into town and I haven't exactly connected with my old friends at all yet. So kind of have no one to talk to." Olivia shrugged.

"I'm Olivia by the way."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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Smiling in relief, Poppy was glad the girl liked her rambling and company. She nodded at what Olivia said and agreed. Reading was a way of travelling and what better was there than to travel to non existing places? Fiction books helped to expand the mind in ways that only words could.

Poppy stared down at her from where she stood. "I feel the same way! Sometimes it isn't just characters. It is also the book itself. Like if that is the last book and all the adventures, the heartache and the bittersweet memories, if all of those are going to end, I'm going to take my time thank you very much." She placed the book she held back onto the shelf. Then, sat down beside Olivia on the floor. "You know, they may die or they may not. And even though if the book does end, everything you've felt is still alive. Still 'here'. But that is no excuse to kill of a very loveable character. I am still not over Finnick Odair's death." She let out a frustrated sigh. It may have been years since she had read it, but the feels were still fresh.

"Poppy," she introduced herself. "So what brings you back to Kalispell, Olivia?"

[Olivia Chance]

Poppy had already made it clear she was energetic about books. It was nice to see, Olivia had to admit. She'd haunted any library within a certain vicinity when she was a teen, so seeing someone doing the same warmed her heart a bit. Poppy asked her what brought her back to Kalispell and Olivia sighed.

"Unfortunately I apparently don't come back unless something drastic happens. I was travelling abroad and I received a call that a friend of mine had died. So I came back. Now I'm kind of waiting for the arrangements to be made and then...yeah. I'd forgotten the things I loved in this town so I'm staying I guess." She shrugged.

"What brings you to the library other than books?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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"Oh man, that is tough. You have my condolences. Damn. If I've learnt anything, death and grief doesn't affect people the same way. Though I am glad you are not planning to commit suicide or drowning your sorrows in a bottle of vodka." There goes her unfiltered mouth again. Never knew Never thought if the things she said were appropriate or not. Careless Poppy. "Don't mind me. So, Olivia, did something bad happened--before you left here. It sounded like you weren't planning to return at all...until you got the call."

"Well on this fateful day, I was tasked to return some comics and DVDs my brother borrowed. I go to the academy, Bellefonte. So usually I'd get my books at the library there. Less time consuming. But there are times when I'd go to look at hot librarian asistants." Poppy began to feel at ease around the girl. "Or to pull pranks," she said and winked. Making herself comfortable, she stretched her legs out and leaned against a bookshelf.

Then she realized what she said. I go to the academy, Bellefonte. Mutants may be known to the world, but not everyone had came face-to-face with one. Moreover, there was no telling how one would react towards it. Looking at Olivia, her face betrayed nothing. Poppy was certain she had heard her mention the school, but Olivia did not run away screaming. This only piqued her curiosity. "So are you staying here long? Any relatives?"

[Olivia Chance]

Olivia sighed when Poppy asked if something bad had happened.

"Not really. I mean, in general my life was a mess and my emotions were everywhere, but I just started travelling because...I needed to see beyond my own four walls, you know?" She shrugged. And then Poppy mentioned the academy library and the librarian assistants and Olivia chuckled.

"Dunno how it's changed since I was gone, but yes I remember admiring some of the librarian assistants myself." Of course they'd kind of been girls, but she wasn't going to mention that.

"As for pranks...well I may have gotten my prom date to power a giant neon sign attached to his suit..." She laughed remembering when she'd seen Martin show up like that. Her face darkened slightly when the girl mentioned relatives. She took a deep breath like therapy had taught her, calmed herself down within a short amount of time and answered.

"No. No relatives around here thank God. I never want to see my family again. As far as I'm concerned, my family is the friends I made at Bellefonte in my years there. That's the only family I need. And subsequently why I keep returning to Montana despite myself." She gave a weak smile, still remembering her brother slightly despite her best efforts. But it had been years since she'd seen him, so some of the panic associated with his memory had subsided and turned into a dull sort of pain.

[Poppy Lockwood]

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"I get it," she said when the girl talked about travelling. "I've never travelled far, but I want to. One day...hopefully. While we do travel in books, I know it isn't the same. Sometimes you just want to be there there you know. Breathing the air and all. They two are different, but equally great." Poppy shrugged. She thought of taking a year off to see the world before going to college. Like what some do. But travelling alone did not appeal to her. "Say, where have you been to?"

"Ha! It sounds like you had a very memorable prom night." She began to feel at ease when Olivia mentioned she too attended the academy. There was a hint of bitterness as she spoke of her family. Poppy was curious but the girl did not offer any information about it so she did not pry. This was odd for her since she did not have many friends and was quite close to her family. But she understood what Olivia was saying. "Friends are good. The saying blood is thicker than water...family is more than just the people who gave life to you. It is those that have cared, raised and loved you."

[Olivia Chance]

"Umm...I went to England for a while. Travelled Europe. Went to Japan. Various places that interested me basically." She laughed when Poppy said about the memorable prom night.

"You could say that. He was my boyfriend at the end of the night." Never mind that she'd left not too long afterwards. Then she heard Poppy mention blood is thicker than water and she smiled.

"Actually the original saying means what you just said. The original saying was 'ties formed by blood covenant are thicker than water of the womb'. So basically friendship's stronger than family." Interesting fact of the day she guessed.

[Poppy Lockwood]

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She was amazed at how much and how far Olivia had travelled. She had her heart in it and did what she wanted. "You have certainly went places." Poppy had not known the saying was derived from another. "Wow, you learn something new everyday!"

She remembered Olivia mentioned a boyfriend. "So did you and your boyfriend travelled together then? Or is he not the type to leave the comfort of his homeland?" Poppy chuckled. She wondered what it was like to see new places with someone she could tolerate liked. Without waiting for a reply, she continued.

"In most stories, usually the protagonist would travel somewhere and may or may not meet a cute love interest...or learn something deep and meaningful." She shook her head. "I mean nothing wrong with that and it'd be great if it happened in real life. But I wonder how it would feel like...to be somewhere different but still having something with you not different." Even if she did not experience it, but if there was a book similar to it, she would read it.

[Olivia Chance]

"I discover things on my own. He probably would've travelled with me had I asked, but I didn't ask. I needed to be on my own...which understandably may have made him not look at me very favourably. I don't know I haven't talked with him since. I suppose I might find out if I run into him. But he's probably still stuck on campus or something. Probably did something stupid with his powers or something." She shrugged.

"That's another thing I wanted to do. While my powers were behaving I wanted to go to remote spots and learn new ways of controlling them. Kind of learn from the world's experience on the matters. The Earth adapts in wonderful new ways to avoid the destructive nature we humans have, so I figured I might be able to do the same. Which sounds good in theory but it didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped." She laughed and shrugged again.

"Love and not wanting to be apart from them is for some people, but not me."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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It was easy for Poppy to like the girl. She did what she wanted and dammed the consequences. Poppy admired a person who could stand their own ground. From Olivia's words, it seemed like she and her boyfriend's relationship ended on a sour note. Which was expected to happen if one decided to take off without leaving a single trace behind. The relationship sounded like a story. It reminded her of multiple fanfictions she had read and Poppy just wanted to flip to the last page to know the ending. But this was not a book. This was real and she respected it to move on to another topic.

"So what is your power?" She wanted to feed her curiosity. "And how did it all go wrong?" She imagined Olivia going to remote places to train.

High up in the mountains where a girl met a guru who was a fanatic of meditation. While in training to be the next avatar, members of an organization attacked and killed the guru. It turned out, they were after something the guru had hid from the world. Then, with some twisted and complicated riddle, Olivia was entrusted to find it before the attackers do. So she set off around the world to find it--

Poppy's imagination stopped when Olivia spoke.

[Olivia Chance]

"I'm a water manipulator. I may or may not have created an iceberg...which made people quite nervous around me. Then again, I also tried to create an oasis in the desert and discovered there is really not enough water there. I also discovered that when I don't have water to drink, my water manipulation is a bit less effective." She rubbed the back of her neck.

"The desert nomads didn't quite know what to think of the white girl who couldn't seem to do anything right." She laughed thinking of their faces as they regarded her.

"I may have nearly lost a camel..." She chuckled.

"So what's your power?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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Olivia's story was quite...something. Her imagination was no where close to it. Way, way, way far off. But that was Poppy for you. The girl who read books and had wild imaginations. It seemed to her that Olivia too liked to have fun with her power. It was given to us, so why not make the best of it? "Oh my, how did you managed that?!" With lack of knowledge on camels, she thought, "Is it because of its similar color to the desert?"

"Well, I am a gravity manipulator." She started her reply. "Basically I can make things...you, me float. So that's cool. It's fun if you're trying to prank someone. After I graduated high school, I spent the day making people's things float. You should see them scrambling to reach for it!" Poppy had a good laugh out of it. "They were like, oh no, come back. It was hilarious to see them try to reach out for it, cause that thing just went higher and higher."