Ghost of the Past

[Olivia Chance]

"No my family isn't powerful at all. But my brother? He's gotten into a lot of trouble. The police want to put him away for something. But they don't realize that they're never going to find something on him. He's too good at what he does." There was no pride in her voice. If he was put behind bars, he wouldn't be able to get her. But there was no way in hell that she was going to contribute to putting him there. Because one day he might get out. And that day would scare her to death. Then Selina suggested meditation and Olivia sighed, nodding.

"I think you're right. I'm hopeless currently. So what's the best way to do this?"

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina listened to Olivia speak of her brother and frowned, wanting to offer some sort of condolence but unsure of what it was she could really say. “Perhaps one day he’ll get in too deep and have no way to save himself,” she offered. Selina then nodded once more and sat down on the ground with her legs crossed in front of her. “The first thing you should do for meditation is find a comfortable position,” she instructed lightly. “Doesn’t have to be anything specific.”

[Olivia Chance]

"I think instead of wishing him ill, I need to focus on moving on myself. For all his shortcomings, my brother's pretty smart. I could be waiting a while if I wait for him to mess up." She sighed. Then she heard the other girl mention that any comfortable position was good and Olivia nodded with a small smile, crouching to the mat before sitting down with her legs splayed in front of her. Hey, it was comfy and her legs wouldn't fall asleep. That should never be underestimated for its ability to distract.

"What's next?"

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina merely nodded to Olivia, as she understood the feeling of wanting to move on, but she also had a tendency to wish extreme violence on those who had harmed her. For her, vengeful thoughts were just another part of the healing process. She’d probably hate those men for the rest of her life, and she was perfectly ok with that. If she ended up moving to a point where she could be indifferent to them, she’d be ok with that too, but forgiveness was totally and completely out of the question.

    “Alright, next make sure your back is straight so that you can breathe easier, and focus on each individual breath. Some count their breaths, some merely focus on the sensation of breathing. It depends on what you’re most comfortable with.”

[Olivia Chance]

Olivia straightened her back. She started breathing right, counting. But then her mind just went blank. There was nothing going through it. She just wasn't thinking at all. A peaceful smile came upon her face. Then an image of Connor jumped into her brain and she screamed, getting up and scrambling into a corner of the room. She shook, her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms pulling them in. He eyes were shut as tightly as they could physically be.

"Connor...don't hurt me don't hurt me don'thurtmedon'thurtme pleasepleaseplease don't hurt me Connor."

[Selina Taylor]

Selina was startled when Olivia ran to the corner and curled up in the fetal position. She got up and walked over to her, "Connor isn't here," she said calmly as she knelt down next to Olivia. This girl needed counseling and quick, but Selina was afraid of what would happen should she leave Olivia alone. "Olivia, listen to me. Hold on the ice I give you and then tell me where you are right now," she commanded softly, staying far enough away that Olivia wouldn't feel threatened. Selina called over a piece of ice and slid it gently across the floor to Olivia, forming it into a rod that Olivia could easily grasp.

Selina would try to ground the girl as much as she possibly could in this reality before taking her straight to Vesper.

[Olivia Chance]

Through the darkness, she heard a voice. She still saw Connor's face, but there was a calmer voice too.

"Who-?" It was a whisper. Tears ran down her face, but she registered the words and tentatively grasped the ice rod. The moment she touched it, she flinched automatically. But the hit never came. Connor hadn't hit her for reaching out. Maybe...Connor wasn't there? Olivia opened her eyes slowly and cautiously, looking from side to side slowly. She was still shaking and crying, but Connor wasn't there. She'd lost touch with reality again.

"Connor...isn't here."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina often found focusing on the physical reality around her helped to ground her and helped her to focus on something other than the distant past. "Olivia, Connor isn't here. You're in the training room. I'm Selina. We just met," she offered calmly. The physical feeling of the ice in her hand often helped to shock Selina back into reality as well, and she hoped it would help Olivia here.

    When Olivia seemed to be coming around, Selina nodded, "That's right. Connor can't reach you here," she reaffirmed. "You're at Bellefonte Academy in the middle of Montana," she added with a grin. 

[Olivia Chance]

"Bellefonte...I'm safe." Her breathing slowed down and her muscles relaxed. She was still shaking from the experience, but it wasn't as bad.

"I...I need to get help don't I?"

[Selina Taylor]

Selina nodded, "Yes, you're safe," she agreed, her voice remaining calm and soothing. "Come on, let's get you to Ms. Vesper Bae. I have a feeling she'll be able to help." Selina didn't trust the woman, but she seemed level headed and like she could handle this sort of pain with an appropriate amount of empathy and kindness.

Selina gently offered her hand to Olivia to help the girl stand.

[Olivia Chance]

Olivia was in shock. She was pretty much guaranteed to agree to anything at this point. But she didn't know this Bae person. Granted, she hadn't known Selina either before all this, but she understood. There was no guarantee with a new person. She hesitantly accepted Selina's hand.

"I...I don't really know." She was reluctant, but she supposed if Selina thought it might help...

"I guess?"

[Selina Taylor]

Selina helped pull Olivia to her feet, "Bae is trained for this type of thing. I think she'll be able to help you much more than I will," she admitted honestly. "Besides, she seems empathetic enough," she added with a smile. 

"I think you'd benefit a lot from getting to know her," Selina offered as she started to lead the way out of the gym.