A/N: This is a collaboration story written by JasonGraceless and Annabeth from hermione-and-annabeth. This story is posted on hermione-and-annabeth, but please go check out JasonGraceless's stories!
There are two main characters in this story: Rissa and Lanie. The Rissa chapters are written by me, and the Lanie chapters by JasonGraceless.
Thank you for stopping to read this A/N! We hope you enjoy the story!
Chapter: Prologue
POV: Rissa
- 1938-
"Daddy, why do I have to go here?" little Celeste asked her father as she stood outside the doors of a fancy-looking hotel and casino.
"Because, Cel, your mother wanted you to come here after your sixth birthday," Her father replied, trying to look strong and comfortable about the situation, but you could tell by the look in his eyes that he was really going to miss his daughter.
"But I don't want to leave my friends!" Celeste wailed.
Celeste made a list in her head of what she would leave all of her friends if she died in this weird building. Charlotte can have my prettiest dress. Marilyn can have my doll Ruth. Edith can have my doll Bernice. Charles and Donald can have my books...
"You can make new friends Cel," Her father tried to tell her.
Celeste broke into tears and her father gave her a hug.
"I'm going to miss you daddy," Celeste sobbed onto her dad's shoulder.
Although Celeste couldn't see it, a tear rolled down her father's cheek and he said quietly,
"I'll miss you to Cellie."
Her father let go of her and waved goodbye. Celeste bravely walked into the fancy building and was lead by an employee to her hotel room and they gave her a game card. Celeste skipped to the game room and found a game about animals. She had always loved animals, so she decided to play that game. She played that game so long and so many times that she lost track of time. Celeste was stuck in the Lotus Casino.
-2007- (SEVENTY YEARS LATER)
"C'mon Celeste, it's time to leave," said a man who looked an awful lot like her father. In another world, he could have been her father. But there are some things you just know sometimes, and right now, one of them was that this man was not her father.
Her daddy never called her Celeste, either. It was always Cel or Cellie.
"Noooooooooo!" Celeste cried, "I don't want to leave! I've only been here for a week!"
"It's time to go," the man declared sternly.
The man dragged her out of the casino and put her in his car. He handed her a sandwich and an apple. She hadn't even realized she was hungry, until now that she was outside. When was the last time she had eaten? But she didn't want to eat anything from a stranger, so she threw it out the car window. The man simply smirked. "Have it your way."
She ignored him.
Was this really the same place she had been dropped off? The outside looked so, so different…
The man handed her a water bottle. "Drink this unless you want to faint of dehydration."
Celeste hesitated. She was achingly thirsty. Should she trust him?
Finally, her resolve broke, and she downed the whole bottle in two gulps.
Bad, bad, bad idea.
She went out like a light.
When she woke up, she was in a bedroom, a dormitory actually, and there was a girl her age standing over her, peering at her wide eyes.
"Finally, I thought you'd never wake up!"
"Who are you and where am I?" Celeste asked groggily as she sat up. She didn't remember anything except basic facts about herself. What had happened?
"I'm Lanie Brett. My name is actually Elaine, but that's a dumb name. We're at Yancy Academy for Troubled Students. Your father told us you have ADHD and dyslexia, so you're here. We still don't know who you are, though." Elaine said, grinning.
"I'm Celeste Amarissa London," Celeste said quickly, but her head was spinning.
"Celeste? Seriously? That's so old-fashioned." Lanie thought for a second. "Amarissa, did you say? I'll call you Rissa," she said, grinning.
By some unspoken bond, the two of them had already become best friends.