Cooped

Ollie felt blind. Out of the loop, and she hated feeling blind.

Ollie couldn’t even rankle Josephine Maria Ziegler for cooping them up. Even if Ollie reckoned she’d deserved some rankling after vexing time getting her here.

Still, the Professor had requested them to stay inside the hideout, not her. Ollie hated disappointing the Professor.

He’d asked, and she, Alessia, and Timothy had obliged.

Mostly without murmuring.

A day had turned into weeks, and Ollie itched to get out and do something. Instead, she leaned against the Professor’s chair.

The man sat situated at the edge of the lab, Eagerness and weariness tugged him forward in his chair as he watched with fingers steepled Josephine’s newest attempt… at something.

The black smoke billowing shortly spoke to her results. That, and the Professor smacking his leg frustrated.

Ollie sighed loud enough to yank his attention. “I figure, it’s time to give up.” She shrugged.

“We can’t give up.” He gestured to Josephine palm open. “If she can’t figure–”

“Whoa now.” Ollie held up her hands placating the Professor. “I dun mean Josephine. Just the confinement. Because if we don’t Timothy is gonna resort to cooking beans again.” She grinned wryly. “None of us want that.”

The Professor smiled tiredly in return. “No, we don’t want that.” He turned back to Josphine and gnawed his lip. “Perhaps if you all can cause distractions while she works…”

She smacked the back of his chair and grinned. “Distracting I’m good at.”