Prologue
Olivia, or Liv, as she insisted upon being called, was in her late 20s and was working as an attorney at a high powered firm in New York. She had everything a young woman could want: she was successful at her firm and was being trained for partnership, she was fit and beautiful, and had a doting fiancé who championed her at every turn. But Liv also had a dark secret that she stowed away in the annals of her memory. You see, Liv was a high school bully to a girl named Penelope for the better part of a year. She was merciless and cruel, but being a bully, it did not phase her.
Liv then moved away from that school because of her dad's job, moving from California to Connecticut and it seems that's all it took for Liv to turn over a new leaf. She became much more benevolent, studious, and excelled in all manner of things from high school through law school. She had left the past behind. However, a funny thing about the past is that it sometimes comes back to haunt us -and torment us- when we least expect and where our story begins.
Chapter 1
It was a cool end of summer day and Liv had finished work at a reasonable hour and had gone for a long run in Central Park. She was not training for a particular race, but loved staying in shape and loved how running made her feel. She often ran alone and kept a low profile. She hated how other women paraded themselves around the park with bright or flamboyant running kits, or worse, skimpy kits designed not for purpose but simply to show off and attract the male gaze. Liv was judgmental in this respect.
Liv found herself somewhat of an outlier. She was objectively beautiful. She was petite at 5'1, long light brown hair right now tied in a tight pony tail, though she was somewhat pale, she was properly endowed - not too much, not too little, just right. However she hated flaunting herself and abhorred anything overly feminine. Perhaps it was a way of coping with work or trying to excel in a male dominated field. Or maybe it was from having two older brothers who she often looked up to and often sought to compete with in all things. More often than not, she found herself most at ease in sweats, slacks, or comfortable baggy clothing. At work, she dressed neutrally, often in suits and would not be caught dead in a pencil skirt. Not that she wouldn't dress the part when required, but wearing a dress or skirt still felt foreign to her. Mark often would jibe her about having to wear a wedding dress soon - she would push him away before saying "knock it off" and "it will be the last time you see me wear something like that." Mark would push lovingly and "fights" like this would often end up with them enjoying an evening under their sheets.
On this day in particular Liv wore black leggings and a maroon tshirt and her jet black Nikes. She planned to meet Mark for a drink after her run as it seemed like a great way to wind down a nice Friday evening. Usually she would run home first to change into something more comfortable but she was running late and decided she would meet Mark at their favorite bar down the street from their apartment. It was a no fuss bar and it took all comers.
The time was around 6pm and Liv was usually prompt while Mark was often running a few minutes behind (to put in generously). Liv arrived and got a table for two and ordered herself a glass of pinot noir. While she sipped, she checked her phone for emails and responded to some text messages. She had texted Mark that she arrived at the bar, but he didn't respond. He was usually a much more responsive texter than he was a punctual person.
Liv relaxed and she made her way through her drink. Work was demanding and she was often on client calls or advising on deals. But she was relieved that her clients and coworkers seemed to take the hint that it was a summer Friday and that emails could wait until Monday.
Liv was still wondering where Mark was as she finished her first glass. Maybe he got caught up with work too. Mark was also a successful attorney in his own right. He was a few years older than Liv and was almost up for partner. Liv assumed something from work got busy. With that, she ordered a second glass and started reading the news on her phone to pass the time.
While reading, however, Liv noticed out of the corner of her eye a peculiar figure. There was a woman about her age wearing a short and airy pink floral dress and white heels. The woman almost danced over to Liv's table. Liv was a little confused as this person seemed to not fit in at the bar here, to say nothing of the fact that Liv would not be caught dead wearing something like that. This woman basically looked like Sabrina Carpenter.
The woman bounded over to Liv and said in a bubbly voice, "Hi! I know this is strange, but are you by chance Liv Cooper from Marin, California?" Liv was a little surprised as this person did not look familiar to her at all, but she answered, "Yes I am Liv Cooper. I can't say you look familiar, do we know each other?" The woman smiled and said, "Lovely! And yes, we do know each other and I'm excited to get to know you even better!" Liv was even more confused but before she realized it, the woman had already sat down at Liv's table, reached across, and gave Liv's right ear a firm tug.
Chapter 2
Liv yelped a little bit at this, but soon realized something odd had happened. Liv started to feel woozy and unsettled, while also feeling somewhat trapped in her chair. All she could muster in a lone monotone was, "what did you do to me, something in my drink?" The woman giggled (a sound Liv hated) and said only, "No, nothing is wrong with your drink, but it seems like my tug is having the proper effect!" Liv was even more confused and now alarmed, she said under even more strained words, "Who are you, what did you do to me?"
The woman then said, "Great, seems like things are going well. Happy to explain! You see Liv, my name is Penelope Froome. What I did was a literal magic trick of sorts. I learned a few years ago that I can place anyone under my complete and total control indefinitely and all I have to do is give their ear a little tug like I did to yours!" She giggled again.
Liv sat there, unable to speak and no one around seemed to suspect anything. Penelope went on, "You obviously don't remember me but I remember you and I've thought about you for years now. Do you recall what you did to me in high school? To be honest, you made my life utter hell." With this new information, Liv, still in a haze, responded, "Penelope....i am so sorry for what I did to you." Before she could go on, Penelope interrupted and said, "you see, I don't think you are. You seemed to have moved on from it and you never tried to make amends." Liv tried to speak up again but Penelope shushed her. To Liv's surprise, her mouth clamped down and she did not say a word.
Penelope interjected, "See this is what I can do to you now. It's really simple and, to put it clearly, you're at my mercy - not that you ever extended any mercy to me. But it's okay, by the end of this we're going to be best friends!"
Penelope continued as Liv sat by blankly, "Liv, here is my first order for you. You will listen to me intently and will act like we are two friends catching up. You will hang on my every word." With that, Liv felt her body relax into a posture where she had her elbows leaning on the table and looking at Penelope eager and excited to hear what she would say next. Penelope then said, "excellent, now that I have your full attention let's see. Where to begin. Ah yes, in 9th grade we were in gym class. You see, I was a little heavier then. Nothing too bad or abnormal, but just enough for a girl like you to pounce on. We ran the mile for class and you lapped me. As you did, you yelled out, 'porpoise Penelope is too slow!' Everyone erupted in laughter and the nickname stuck. I was unable to escape that name for years."
Liv looked on smiling, nodding as if she was hearing exciting news from her long lost friend and not someone who was being reminded of the worst version of herself. Internally, she was in shock. These memories came flooding back. She could not escape and tried to yell. Would Mark know where she was, why wasn't he here?
Penelope went on, "there are plenty of other examples. I wore a baggy brown sweater one day and you, creative as always, just called me a walrus. Other kids joined in on this and kept making up names. By then though, you moved across the country. Leaving me like a bomber leaves a destroyed city in its wake." Liv kept nodding and saying things like "go on."
