Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos
Chapter 94 - 93 The Space Between Trust And Truth

Chapter 94: Chapter 93 The Space Between Trust And Truth

Luke walked her out of the camp. "Don’t worry, I will write to you when she is free."

Olivia’s gaze softened. "Okay, thank you... take good care of yourself."

"Of course I will," he said, lifting his weight to the other leg.

Olivia’s eyes followed his movements, a guilty pain tugged her chest. "Thank you for today, see you soon." She walked at him.

Luke reluctantly waved back at her, watching her retreating frame.

Olivia bit her lower lip. ’Why wasn’t he fully healed all this while?’ She sighed.

Her attributes for attracting both good and evil seemed to be attracting one hundred percent evil. She wished he could get better again.

She hasn’t seen Tyler and Liam. She hopes they are both okay.

She sighed again. Who would have thought that Henrik and Bella would stop her from meeting Diana? If she had dragged it longer, then she would have drawn the attention of teachers. And getting caught would have led to her getting punished.

The students from the academy are not allowed free entry to the camp.

Olivia’s footsteps echoed through the gravel-lined path, her senses tingling with unease. Someone was following her.

She didn’t turn around immediately. Instead, she picked up her pace, weaving between stone walls and overgrown hedges, silently leading her pursuer into the old garden trails behind the academy. Her boots crunched against fallen leaves as she slipped into a narrow alley between two tall hedges, her breath steady. She waited.

The footsteps soon followed.

The moment he turned the corner, Olivia stepped out, grabbing the front of his shirt and slamming him against the wall. "You’ve got a lot of nerve..."

Her words caught. ’Lucian.’ Her voice echoed in her head.

His expression was calm, too calm, like he hadn’t just been caught creeping behind her like a shadow. "You really ambushed me?" he said, one brow raised.

"You were following me."

"I wasn’t," he replied casually. "I just happened to be walking the same direction."

"Oh really?" she snapped, not letting go. "Then why were you hiding your footsteps?"

Lucian didn’t answer immediately. He just stared at her, his grey eyes unreadable, quiet. Too quiet. Olivia felt the tightness in her chest grow stronger. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and suddenly, her fingers felt too hot on his shirt.

She dropped her hands and took a step back.

"Why are you really here?" she asked, voice low now, not sharp, but not gentle either.

"I told you. I was walking the same way."

"You expect me to believe that?"

Lucian’s jaw twitched, and for a second, something flickered in his eyes. Not his usual coldness, but something softer.

"No," he admitted. "I came to see you."

Olivia blinked, taken off guard.

"I saw you leave the camp," he added, glancing down briefly. "I just... I don’t know. I thought maybe we could talk."

"About what?"

"Diana."

Olivia stilled.

"And me," he added, his voice almost a whisper.

She looked away, biting her cheek. "You’re asking the wrong person," she muttered.

"I don’t think I am." He stepped closer.

But she instinctively stepped back.

"Lucian," she warned, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I’m not here to fight," he said quickly. "I just..." He hesitated, then ran a hand through his hair. " I just want to know more about her."

His mind was going crazy from all this mystery. He needed to find every single details about Diana and why she looked so familiar... why she looked at him with fear?Olivia was the only person he believe had the answer.

But Olivia did not answer.

"I feel like I’ve seen her before, and the way she was looking at me, it was like she also knew me."

His voice cracked, he didn’t know why he felt disturbed over Diana’s identity.

"I thought maybe... you could help me."

"Why me?" she asked, finally turning to face him again.

Lucian looked straight at her. "Because... because you are a friend to her," his voice lowered.

Olivia scoffed. His reasons made her blood boil. How could she help him? He is not even willing to tell the truth. How can they work together if they don’t trust one another?

She had sense that he wanted information about Diana, but she wasn’t sure why he really needed it. Diana had warned her about him, maybe he is doing all this to silent her, who knows?

"I’m not sure I can help you," she admitted. "I am not that close with her. And by the I have a lot of things going on in my life, I’m trying to keep my head above the water." She didn’t know she said the last words.

"Then we could find a way out together. Two heads are better than one," he said softly.

Olivia’s breath hitched. Was he trying to annoy her to death? He shouldn’t give her hope, when he knew he wasn’t going to be truthful with her. As nice as those words were, it did nothing but to rub her in the wrong way.

She hated him sometimes—for making her feel things she didn’t want to feel, for standing so close, for looking at her like she mattered more than anything else in the world. She hated that she couldn’t bring herself to walk away.

"You shouldn’t say things like that," she whispered, barely holding herself together. Her heart throbbed in her chest.

"Why not?"

"Because it makes it harder to stay away." Her eyes clouded with the emotions she tried to keep at bay. Why does she always feel this unexplainable connection with him?

Lucian reached for her hand, but she pulled back.

"I can’t—Lucian, I can’t think clearly around you," she said. "One minute you’re cold, the next you’re... this. And I don’t know what to do with any of it."

"I’m trying," he said. "I don’t know how to be a perfect man. But for you, I’ll try."

Olivia looked away again. "Don’t try for me. Try for yourself."

Silence fell between them like a curtain. Not heavy, but not light either. Just there, like something unfinished.

"I don’t trust you," Olivia whispered finally.

Lucian nodded slowly. "That’s fair." He smiled sadly, the wind brushing past them, slightly ruffling their hair.

"But I don’t hate you either." She looked at him with longing. She clenched her fist so tight that her knuckles turned white. Why was she feeling this way? This wasn’t her. Or was there something wrong with her?

The thought crashed into her mind like a wave off the ocean shore.