Olivia Sparks

Three hours later, the group finally arrived at the base camp. Maxen and Olivia thanked everyone, exchanging handshakes and hugs for a fantastic day trip up in the mountains. By the camp's office, a man in his sixties stood waiting for them.  While the lovers went ahead towards the office, Yana stayed outside and did her homework, distributing solar-powered light bulbs for the locals. Meanwhile, inside the base camp, Maxen and Olivia, trailed by Jack, followed the man donned in a white lab coat. They soon found themselves inside a room filled with caged animals. "Welcome to Nisia's Wildlife Conservation Society." The old man turned to face them, lifting his arms in a wingspan. Olivia's eyes scanned the room and saw cages after cages of injured animals. Her heart squeezed, her eyes watered. She didn't wait for Maxen to give her a tour as her foot had a mind of its own, taking her along the perimeter of the room. She greeted every animal that she passed by, either tapping the glass cages or palming them. But what made her stop on her track was an eagle with bandaged wings. Looking up, a slow smile formed on her face, her eyes twinkled with stars that guided Maxen on what he should do next. "Dokie, can we borrow this guy? We can get him a bigger space to recuperate. Let him fly in my backyard." The vet smiled. "As you wish, Your Highness. It would be better for Aqui to get a bigger space to train its wings." With that, he took a Post-It and handed it to Maxen. "Please stick this to the cage so my team would know which one to transport later." Handing the Post-It notepad to Olivia, shock painted Maxen's face when the Post-it note was almost empty when Olivia stuck one leaf after another at all the cages she would pass by and he hadn't even blinked yet! He followed Olivia like a shadow but took a step back upon seeing where his baby's eyes were trained. "Can we also borrow him? He doesn't look like it bites." Maxen scratched the skin above his eyebrow. How could he say no to Olivia who looked like a kid opening presents on Christmas day? "But baby… Yes, it won't bite us… but it will surely swallow us whole." Glancing back inside the cage, a lemon cheesecake python slithered inside. Looking past Maxen, Olivia inquired on the vet, "It won't swallow us, right? Doc?" The vet smiled, bobbing his head. "Yes, yes. Don't forget to feed it once or twice a day so it won't escape and look for food." And with that, the Post-It's last leaf was left sticking on the glass cage. Olivia happily skipped out of the base camp with Maxen walking a step behind her. Looking back to how many cages got a tag from Olivia, he hoped that the truck he requested earlier was big enough to accommodate it all. Upon reaching their car, Maxen held the door open for Olivia, who gave him a peck on the cheek before getting inside the cabin. "Happy? We have to move in Notios so you can see them every day," he said, blasting the a/c for Olivia. "And try not to get attached to them because… they have to go back to the wild at one point." He heard her reply 'okay' but was surprised when she straddled herself on his l.a.p. She wiped the sweat on his face and neck with laser-sharp focus.  He should feel elated, but something about Olivia taking charge was akin to an omen; good or bad, he was yet found out. "I was thinking…" she trailed off, grinning from ear to ear, hypnotic enough for Maxen to say yes to each word she would utter. "Maybe we could find a place where injured animals can stay and roam. Not a zoo, okay? A jungle perhaps?" Maxen scoffed, remembering Ollie's story. He didn't know he too would end up just like his brother. Squeezing her h.i.p.s, he pinned her closer to him; her giggles a soft chime to his ears. "How about we buy a mountain for you to fill with all your pets?"   "Really? That would be awesome." He pinched her nose, and the two shared a laugh. For a brief second, their gazes met, and an invisible force pulled them together. The two were in the midst of a passionate exchange of kisses when Uncle Jin opened the driver's seat door, startling the two. "Sorry, Ms. Lin. Sorry, Your Highness." Uncle Jin bowed in apology, closing the door in a hurry. And once the door was closed, the two went back to business until their scents rubbed off to each other. On their way back to the metro, Olivia saw a passing plane in the sky. She heaved a sigh, remembering her gal pal Emily.  When Maxen saw what she was looking at, he probed, "Why didn't you drop her off at the airport?" Olivia pouted, sighing again. "Well, she said she didn't want us to go with her or she might just cry and never leave." "That makes sense." "How about Wyatt? Heard from him yet?" She turned to face Maxen who shrugged. "I haven't seen him. Haven't heard from him. It's better that way." "I was thinking how he infected Emily." "Baby? Stop. Please. Don't go down that path." "What? I'm curious." Maxen took a sharp breath. Here they go again. What would start as someone else's story would spiral down to Maxen and his old forgotten flings.  "It makes sense," Olivia trailed off, sipping water from her water bottle. She offered it to Maxen who accepted it, emptying it for her. "He got Xandra pregnant, so it means he likes it raw and what happened to Emily is just a ticking time bomb." Nodding his head, Maxen couldn't help but agree to her words. It didn't even occur to him because he didn't even bother to think about it. However, the next words out of Olivia's mouth was something he didn't expect to hear. "Maybe he fcked someone in the a.s.s."