I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING AT ALL! The only thing I own is Marie. All credit goes to the amazing Rick Riordan
(Marie POV)
Marie Morales was not what you'd call an average teenager. She was tall and awkward for sure, but there was something odd about her. She always got in trouble. The term Troubled kid seemed to fit her right. At least, that's what the therapist said. Marie couldn't go to school weeks without being sent to the principal's office. She was honestly surprised that she'd made it all the way to June without getting expelled. See, this public school she went to now, was the only one that would take her. This was her 7th school in seven years. Lucily her criminal record would disappear by the time she turned 18, so she only had two more years until a fresh-ish start. She was seriously ADD. she couldn't go five minutes without drumming her fingers on the desk or kicking her feet back and forth. Sometimes it got so distracting that she was asked to leave the classroom.
Another thing was her hair. It was always an ocean-y blue-green. It could never be dyed, if it was cut it grew back within a week, and it was the reason she had never stayed more than three months at any catholic/private schools. It was unreasonably curly, yet surprisingly easy to brush.
As the clouds rumbled over the town, Marie stepped off the bus followed by jeers and cruel laughs. The kids all called her "sea monster" because of her hair. It was almost the last day of school and the kids still hated her. She couldn't blame them, she hated herself. She walked down the sidewalk as slowly as she could. She walked to the front door and stopped when her hand was on the door knob. She took a deep breath and walked in. her mother, Tanya, was sitting on the couch, drinking whiskey and smoking a cigarette. Marie tried not to look at her as she passed. "Why are you such a curse?" her mother said.
Marie continued to walk. Her mother stood up with surprising speed. She grabbed the baseball bat she kept at her side. CRACK! The bat made a sound like lightning as Marie hit the hardwood floor. "You did something stupid again."
The majority of the beatings Marie were because of something that she got in trouble for at school. Other times it was because her mom was was pissed at her for no reason. But, that seemed to be all the time.
"I got a call from your principal today. She said that you were "causing trouble." said she'd have kicked you out if your grades weren't so good."
She hit her again. She didn't use the bat this time, she used her hands. But they were just as powerful. They were rough and solid like two cement blocks. One hit could make you want to cry. (which is something Marie did quite often).
"What did you do?!" her mom screamed in her face.
Marie curled up on the floor with her hands over her head like she was waiting for a bomb to explode. Tears streamed down her face. "I didn't do anything I swear!" she shouted over the sounds of her cries.
"Bullshit!" her mom screamed. She hit Marie again.
Marie really hadn't done anything. At least, not on purpose. She went to school as she always did. She sat in the back of the class, spoke only when spoken to, and finished all her work 30 minutes before anyone else. She sat by herself at lunch, which she didn't mind. All seemed normal. Then, two of the girls who had bullied her all year walked over, looking for trouble. Their names were Sherry Thomas and Lindsay Lou Gahls. They usually made fun of the baggy clothes she wore (to cover up her scars, cuts, and bruises.) or the fact that her hair was blue. But today, it seemed like more than them picking on her.
"Hey skank." sherry said.
"Hello, Sherry." Marie heaved a sigh.
"So you think you can steal my man and get away with it?" sherry growled.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Ted saw you walking by today. I was trying to talk to him but he just kept on watching you walk. He said that he likes watching you from behind. Maybe your clothes aren't as baggy as you think."
This always made Marie feel uncomfortable. Guys always hit on her because of how her body looked. That was another reason why she wore such baggy clothes.
"Sorry. I'll try to be less noticeable."
"He broke up with me you know. He said that you made him realize what he really wants." her voice was dangerous now.
"He plans on asking you out after lunch." Lindsay Lou said
"Shut up Lins." Sherry said in an annoyed voice.
"Sorry Sherry." lindsay lou said quietly and hid behind Sherry.
Almost every boy had asked Marie out. And she turned everyone of them down. They all wanted the same thing: her body. She hated being eye candy.
"It's hardly my fault that your boyfriend is bored with you." Marie wished she hadn't said that. She tried so hard to stay out of troubles, but she had the unfortunate luck of acting on impulse. It's part of her being ADD.
Because of her comment, Sherry lunged at Marie. Moving out of the way quickly, Marie dodged Sherry's attack and Sherry fell face first into a plate of spaghetti. This only made Sherry angrier. She growled with fury and lunged at her again. Marie had been in her fair share of fights she she knew how to handle herself. She avoided offense and stuck with defense. That way, she wouldn't get in trouble. She was merely just defending herself. But it never worked out in her favor. Before she knew it, the whole cafeteria was chanting Fight! Fight! Fight!
It wasn't long until a teacher had to break it up. And so she once again found herself in the principal's office. She tried to tell the truth about what really happened, but it just seemed that every word she said made the principal want to believe Sherry even more. And so once again she found herself in another bad situation. She was sure she would have been expelled if it wasn't so close to the end of the year.
Her mom was still beating her with the bat. "Your principal said you hit that poor Sherry Thomas girl. What did that poor girl ever do to you?"
"Sherry Thomas is a skank who is nothing but a bitch to me, she started the fight not me!"
"Why the fuck would she do that?"
"Because her boyfriend broke up with her after i walked past them in the hallway."
Marie's mom hit her again. "See. you're always doing something. Always. You ruined this family!"
"You ruined this family with your drinking and drug problems!"
Damn impulse. Marie's mom got a murderous look in her eyes. She raised the bat again and struck Marie in the arm. "The fuck did you just say?! You think i ruined this family? You have been a curse on me ever since you were born! You're the reason why I can't get decent work! You're the reason this family has such a bad rep!"
Marie crumbled under the blow. Tears didn't even have time to dry because new ones reformed.
Her mom sat back down and picked up her bottle of whiskey. Marie stood up. She was bruised, broken, and had a look of fear and fury in her eyes. She limped out to the kitchen passing her sister who was sitting at the table. Marie walked out without an idea of where she would go. She thought about the basketball court. She'd go there whenever things weren't good.
She made up her mind.
She picked up a basketball from the the yard and left. The court was empty as usual. She didn't know why people didn't come here. She began to dribble. The sounds echoed off the pavement like footfall down a long hallway. With every bounce she got more and more angry and hateful. Bounce. She hated the kids at her school for never letting her feel like a person. Bounce. She hated the principal for never believing her when things were bad. Bounce. She hated her mother for being an abusive, unloving monster. Bounce. She hated herself for being the way she was.
She shot the ball and it made a perfect swoosh as it went through the net. It was so perfect it didn't even touch the rim. With every spiteful thought she shot the ball and scored. She would have been on the basketball team, but no one would let her. Shot after shot she took. Shot after shot she made. Each with the perfect swish. Then, she remembered someone else she hated. Someone she hadn't thought of in years: Her father.
She now remembered a time long ago, her mother was good then. But her father left, and things got bad. Her head flooded with questions. How could her dad leave? Why did he leave? Who was he? She was filled with such anger and abandonment. She ran with lightning speed, leapt into the air and dunked the ball. The impact was so powerful that it broke the net and shook the earth. Where did that burst of strength come from? How long would it last?
In the distance she heard people shouting in reaction to what happened. How many people had heard it? She didn't want people to follow the sound to the court. If they found it, she wouldn't be able to come here anymore to blow off steam. She wanted to run, but she didn't know where. She just knew that she couldn't stay. Something inside her was calling, no that wasn't the right word. Urging, beckoning, pulling her inner soul to the most ancient place in her deep memory: the beach. Besides the court, the beach was the only place that she ever felt safe. Luckily, the beach was only two blocks away.
She took off her beat up black converse and into the cool sand. She wriggled her toes, letting the dampness of the early evening sand spread over her feet. Marie took a deep breath and felt a wave of nostalgia was over her. It's been a while, old friend. Sounds of laughter were in the air. Children ran around while the mother and father lounged on a picnic blanket. They seemed so happy, so perfect. She wondered if her family had ever been like that. Picnic blankets, wicker baskets, swimmy diapers, and ice cream cones. Marie took a deep breath and walked down to the water.
People looking at her from behind would see her tall figure and curly ocean blue hair glistening in the sunset and think she was a goddess. But if they saw her face, they'd see a broken girl who cries herself to sleep every night. A girl who can't look people in the eye. But looking at the sea, she thought of her father. She had a sudden flashback, a faint memory, like looking through a keyhole. Of her, her mom, and her dad on the beach with a checkered blanket and wicker basket. They weren't sad, they were happy. They were laughing together like nothing else in the world mattered.
Then, her anger boiled up again. Though it wasn't just anger; abandonment was mixed in as well. Silently Marie sobbed. She missed and resented her father at the same time. She wanted to see him again, but she got the feeling that if she did- she'd try to kill him. Wrapped up in her own family issues, Marie didn't notice that a humongous wave was forming. When she finally did notice it, it was near impact. Everyone ran off the beach in a hurry but Marie stayed behind to make sure everyone is safe. She herded children out of the water and made them run ahead of her to ensure their safety.
Once they were all ahead of her, she ran. She was running alongside a little girl. Suddenly, they child tripped and landed face-first in the sand. As the child cried out in pain, Marie - almost falling over - ran back to make sure she was okay.
"Are you alright? What's wrong?" Marie asked.
"My-my ankle… I think it's b-broken." the girl's ankle was twisted in ways a limb should never be twisted.
Marie had to think. She had barely a minute before the wave would crush her. She didn't have time to hoist the girl on to her shoulder and walk her down the beach. She had to act fast.
"Do you trust me?" Marie said with an air of panic.
"Please help me!" the little girl pleaded.
"Do you trust me?"
Hesitant, the girl nodded slowly.
Marie felt the same surge of strength that she had at the court. She grabbed the injured child by that back to the shirt, and threw her across the beach where everyone was watching intently. The girl's family caught her.
Marie had barely a second to turn around before the wave slammed into her. The wave seemed to stay in breaking position. She was being tossed around in the water like a rag doll and was writhing all over. While her brain was getting all mixed up Marie still had consciousness. Unaware of what she was doing, she stuck her arms out on either side and the water stopped, almost as if she was controlling it. When her brain was back to normal and she could see straight again, she saw what was happening. The even weirder thing was that she could breathe. She put her arms down and the water followed; she put her foot down and stared at her hands. "How did I-?"
She took a step forward and everyone moved back in fear. Parents shielded their children from her. Wind began to blow fiercely. Thunder rumbled and rain began to fall softly. Looking at everyone's faces she saw horror, fear and hate. Marie's mind went blank. She had no idea what had just happened; the only thing she could think to do was run. She didn't go straight home of course, that would be stupid. She walked around town for a few hours until the sky was completely dark.
Street lights and porch lamps glowed brightly through the darkness. Marie jumped up each step. If she was right, and she often was, it was now 9 o'clock which meant her mother would now be passed out on the couch and her sister was fast asleep upstairs. Slowly Marie opened the door to her dark house. She stepped onto the landing when she heard a sound behind her. Clink. The lamp turned on and Marie turned around to see who was there. Her mother was sitting there in her usual attire: dirty bunny slippers, a holey t-shirt beer stained shorts, and a ratty bathrobe. With her eyes narrowed, Marie's mother glared at her. "You got any idea what time it is?" she said.
"It's 9 o'clock. But you would know that if you weren't too high to see." Marie had enough awfulness to last one day and was not.
"What did you just say?" Tanya said in a murderous voice that was barely above a whisper. In seconds Tanya had leapt from her chair and had wrapped her hand around Marie's neck. "Say it again! Say it!"
"Crackhead" marie choked
Maries mother threw her onto the ground and began to beat her with all of her fury. Marie felt new tears roll down her face and quietly took the beating.
When her mother finally relented, she sat back down in her chair and picked up her bottle of whiskey. Marie slumped up the stairs and walked down the hall to her room. All the lights were off and the moonlight was streaming in through the blinds. Her bed was messy and the blankets were all shoved against the wall. Despite herroom being as mess, she knew where everything was. She walked over to a small cabinet beside her bed that held all of her medical supplies. She took out the bandages and neosporin and sat on the edge of her bed. She was still crying as she wrapped a bandage around her arms and ribs. This was the third time this week she had to put herself back together and she was finally fed up. She couldn't take the abuse anymore and wanted it to stop. There was only one way she could escape the pain and be okay. It was an awful thing to even consider, but she was already broken, how much more broken could she get without dying? There wasn't much she had to do, her injuries were pretty bad. She laid down on her bed and shut her eyes, waiting for the darkness to consume her.
For an hour she let herself slowly begin to fade away. Her bruises ached and her cuts bled. Her head was pounding as she waited for death to take her away. What's taking so long? She thought to herself. She didn't think it would take her so long to die, she thought it would be a quick stop breathing and I'm gone type of thing. A second idea flowed into her head. An idea she had considered in the past but was unable to act on it. She sat up and moved across the room to where she kept her backpacks. She picked the sturdiest and largest one and took two steps across the room to her clothes and began to pack frantically. In the locker where she kept her medical supplies she also kept food and water (her mom was never able to provide food and often forgot to feed her kids so Marie kept a stash of food and water hidden in her room). In addition to food and water Marie tossed in spare bandages and a jagged nail filer (she's not taking the risk of being attacked in the middle of the night)
Looking at her work, Marie noticed a picture of her and her sister Connie. Connie was not the daughter of Marie's father. She was the daughter of some other man whom her mother had met one night at a club. Connie had just turned 11 years old and was not nearly as broken as Marie. She got her fair share of beatings, but not nearly as much as Marie. Connie was the only person who ever told Marie that things were going to be okay, and when Connie told her something, she believed it. Marie walked over to her desk and took out a piece of paper. She thought that if she was going to leave, she should at least let her sister know why.
Connie,
By the time you read this I will have left. I don't know where
I am going but I know that I just have to. If i stay in this house
Much longer I could possibly die. The abuse is just too much for
Any person to take and I hope you won't hate me for leaving you here alone.
I'm sorry, but it's for the best. I'll try to write to you and let you know
Where I am when I can, and if I found a safe place to stay.
I love you, my dear sister, remember that and be strong.
~Marie
She swung her bag back over her shoulder and took one last look around the room. This was it. She would leave this house and never come back. She picked up the note and walked out of room where she would once cower against the walls and cry. She placed a hand on the picture of her and her sister.
