Chapter 1: My Life Changes Forever
I was sitting on the couch on a Sunday night, the birds chirping-
Ah, who am I kidding?
-with the horns honking, the building lights seeping through the curtains, and my oxygen tank's rumbling. I had the blanket pulled up to my waist, a popcorn bowl on my lap, and a very interesting 6-part documentary on the ancient Greeks playing on our tiny TV. I was sitting in my own small cave of darkness, and I was happy. But what'd be the story in that? So, listen up. This is where my life changes. Forever.
"Hey Percy?"
I should probably introduce myself first. Hello, my name is Percy Jackson and I am 17 years old. I live in a 2 room apartment in New York we can barely afford. My lungs don't work because my asthma tired them out. I live with my mum. Before I go on, I'd like you to know a simple fact: good people have the rottenest luck. Like my mum, for instance. She works, like, 3 jobs a day just to pay my medical bills. She got stuck with a horrible man (don't know where my dad is), whom I shall call 'Smelly Gabe'. He beat her sometimes, and I didn't even know. It makes me angry just to think about him laying a hand on my mother. Thank god, I finally convinced her to call the cops on that...thing. I try to be the best son I can be, you know, easy to take care of. But my asthma problem, crap lungs, and dyslexia really don't help with anything.
Okay, back to the life-altering-story.
"Yeah?" I reach for the control and click the PAUSE button. It stops at a naked statue of Hercules. I hope my mum doesn't notice.
"You know how I'm always telling you to get out more?"
Mum and I always have this chat. She insists that I should "be out there" with "more teenagers", or "Grover at least." Grover is my hippie-environmentalist friend. He's always at protests to protect the wilderness and stop animal abuse. I met him at my elementary school in 6th grade, before I had to go home school. He's basically my only friend.
"Yes...?"
"Okay. I'll get it out..." She takes a deep breath. "I signed you up as a volunteer at the local library."
I wasn't expecting that.
"What?" I turn around in the couch to face her. She has a goofy smile on her face, which makes me want to laugh.
"It's a great opportunity to meet new friends. And also leave the house." She raises her hands up, like when a police man tells you to, so he could see you clearly. "It won't interfere with school, since you do it at night anyway. Its only 2 blocks away, too, so you can walk."
"Bad lungs? Ring a bell?"
I don't use my sucky lungs as an excuse, but desperate times come for desperate measures.
"It's good for you. The exercise will help."
"Dyslexia?"
"Shelf picture books."
I realize then how futile it'll be to convince my mom to get me out of it. She has formed a rebound for every excuse i can come up with.
I let some air out of my cheeks and plop back down on the sofa. "Fine. When do I start?"
"Tomorrow at 8."
I hear some dishes clatter on the sink, and I know the conversation is over.
I let out a groan and press play on the TV.
***
I'm not a morning person. Every day, after I get up, I have to clean my nubbins off and then stick 'em up my nose again. I have to check how much oxygen is left in my tank, and make sure i have enough for the day. If i'm running out, mum has to come and switch it. She's the only one who knows how.
"Ready?"
I wipe some syrup from my mouth and nod. We just had blue pancakes for breakfast, and syrup is hard to control. I guess you're wondering why i just ate blue pancakes. Well, my ex-stepfather once told my mom that blue food doesn't exist. My mother, being the rebel she is, started cooking and dyeing the food blue. It became kind of a tradition now.
So anyway, i stand up from the table and take, 4 steps away, my plate to the sink. I wash my hands in the sink, dry them off on the white towel now caked with blue food dye.
"Alright."
I follow my mom out the door, still kind of sleepy, and press the elevator button right across our door. It slides open with a DING!
And down we go.
***
The library is a 2-story gray building with a million windows. As soon as the sliding doors open, you can see the 'Common Room', where you sit with books and read in plush little seats. To the left is the great expanse where all the books are and the spiral staircase that lead up towards MORE books. To the right is where the offices and librarians are. Upstairs is the exact same: left=books, in the middle, desks, and to the right is the kids books.
I should've been amazed about the whole thing, except that as soon as I arrived, I headed straight for the sofa and fell asleep. When I woke up, there was a blonde girl in front of me, tapping her foot impatiently. She seemed to be studying me.
"You drool in your sleep."
"Oh...?"
I wipe the saliva from the corner of my face and sit up. The girl has curly blonde hair pulled into a ponytail with a red ribbon tied at the base. She's tan, but not TOO tan. She is wearing a loose, white long-sleeved shirt (its 90 degrees out there!) and black jeans. The perfect image of a stereo-typical California girl, except her eyes are light gray, like the New York sky in the morning.
She's beautiful, but threatening.
"I'm guessing you are Percy Jackson. Mr. D wants to see you." And just like that she turns around and walks away, her hips swaying unintentionally. I fix my nubbins and stand up. I head towards the offices, hoping my oxygen's tank isn't interrupting anyone. The floor, I realize, has book titles and drawings of them. Kids, I suppose, are the artists.
I lean into the counter and ring the bell.
"Well. There's the hobo." A scraggly man with a Hawaiian shirt pops out of the doors in the back. He has weird hair that pops out at random places. The shirt, I reckon, is a few sizes too small. A can of Diet Coke is in his hands.
"Hello..err..Sir." I give a small wave and wait for him to reply. He rolls his eyes.
"Hello, Peter Johnson."
"Percy Jackson, Sir."
"Whatever." He waves his hand dismissively. "Annabeth!"
"Yes?" A blonde head pops out of the door.
"Take this kid and give him a tour of the library, then teach him the jobs there are. Don't bother me, unless he's dying."
Then, when he thinks i can't hear, he mutters, "Let's hope."
Annabeth disappears behind the door, then appears again. She jumps over the counter with great agility.
"Hi." She glares at me, as if the memory of me drooling is all she sees.
"Hi." I reply.
Then she starts walking towards the common room again. I try my best to hurry, except I have to tow my oxygen tank in wheels wherever I go.
"Common Room." She points to the very inviting room, then heads towards the books. Plenty of adults stare as we hurry past the bookshelves of Sci-Fi. Then we pass the Spanish. We stop at the staircase.
"Books, stairs."
She starts running up the steps. By now, my lungs burn. I feel tired and I can barely breathe.
"Annabeth." I wheeze. She stops, raises her eyebrows at me. "Slower." I sound like an old man.
"Oh my god."
I sit at the base of the stairway and she sits down beside me. Se starts tapping her foot; massaging her temple.
"Have you got ADD?" I choke out.
"No." She scrunches up her nose. "Just...not in the mood."
Her hand slips into her pocket, where a creamy, weathered paper rests. There's words written on there, but I don't ask. I fumble with my oxygen tank and then place it on my lap. So far, so good. I got a good wink in those seats, so I am well-rested. Mr. D seems...interesting. I still have to assess Annabeth.
"Sorry...If I'm being rude or anything..I just had a rough night." She looks away.
For the first time, I can inspect her up close. I can see red puffy eyes, which meant she cried. There's also a spot of blood on her sleeve.
"It's okay." I finally say to break the silence.
"Ready?" She says, but this time its more subtle and soft. I nod, stand, cradle my oxygen tank in my arms, and follow her up the narrow staircase.
***
"Plenty of jobs, not many workers."
We are sitting in a very secluded place Annabeth shared with me. Apparently, there is a small room by the children's books play area where they keep puppets and crafts. Although its empty, it's still small. If I lay down, the room is as long as I am. But I cannot stand, so I have to be sitting. I can kneel, though. It also has air conditioner, which I find neat.
"You mean it's only the two of us?"
"Yep. So." She brushes some hair from my face, like a mom would, then sighs. "There is shelving," she lifts her index finger, "which means you put books back where they belong. There's cleaning they play area. Ummm...helping people in general...book orders...puppet duty-"
"What's that one?"
"You put on plays for the kids. Then we have story time...I think that's it."
"Woah."
"So..What days are you volunteering?"
"Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. From 8 to 6."
"Story and theatre days are Wednesdays and Fridays at 11. Book orders, shelving, cleaning, and helping...thats daily."
"Do we split the duty?"
"I'm in charge of the things that need a brain."
"Hey!"
She laughs, the first time I hear her laugh. And its beautiful. I reckon i'll never forget it.
"Kidding. I do book orders though. We can do story time and theatre together...shelving is all the time. We can clean together at the end, to make it faster."
I nod in agreement.
"Who comes on Tuesdays?"
"Me. I'm here every day."
This doesn't surprise me, for some reason.
"So you like books?"
She laughs, "Yes, yes I do. I like any books. I love learning."
"I hate books, personally."
She looks offended. "What? Why?"
"I've got dyslexia. So it's a torture."
"If you don't mind me asking...why do you need that tank?"
I've never had a conversation this long with a girl before, unless she's yelling at me while dunking my head in the toilet. Ah, memories.
"I had asthma since I was a baby. It kind of affected my lungs. Tired them out. I reckon they might shrivel up if they don't get help."
She gives me a small smile.
"Shrivel up. Like a raisin." She coughs to hide a laugh.
"Except I'd die. So now I carry this guy everywhere." I pat my tank.
"Your only friend, I suppose."
I try to put on an angry face.
"Yes."
She bursts out laughing and, a minute later, so do I.
***
The clock said 5:45, but I swear it was frozen. I let out a little huff, then shove a toy into the play box. That was the last one.
"Is the clock frozen?" Annabeth says from across the room.
"I know, right?" I shout in reply.
I stand up, wincing as my back straightens up. I look over at Annabeth, who is laying on the floor and looking at the ceiling. I drop the sack of toys on the floor, grab my oxygen tank, and head over to her. I lay beside her.
"Wanna' play a game?"
"Depends." I lay my oxygen tank beside me.
"I'll play a song on my IPod and you try to guess it."
Sounds fun. "Okay."
She takes a white IPod from her back pocket and slips out the tangled earphones. She's quick to fix it. Annabeth places one earphone in my ear, the other in hers.
There is a guitar, a tambourine. Some yells. It's a guy.
"I've been trying to do it right
I've been living a lonely life
I've been sleeping here instead
I've been sleeping in my bed,
I've been sleeping in my bed
So show me family
All the blood that I would bleed
I don't know where I belong
I don't know where I went wrong
But I can write a song."
Annabeth pauses it. "Did you guess it?"
"Ho Hey by the Lumineers."
"Sweet."
She presses the little arrows for next.
Guitars. Okay, a lot of guitar. soft guitar. A woman's voice.
"Come with me my love Do you remember when we met Come with me Do you remember when we met
To the sea, the sea of love
I want to tell you
How much I love you
Thats the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you
How much I love you
To the sea, of love
Thats the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you
How much I love you..
Annabeth pauses it.
"Don't know. It's nice though."
"Sea of Love by Catpower."
"Are you hipster or something?"
"What?" She laughs her sweet, melodious laugh and brushes some hair from her forehead.
"Never heard of this music."
"I like sad and depressing music."
Oh.
"Maybe I could find some and play it for you." I suggest. She nods and presses play on the next song.
"So lately, been wondering If I could, then I would And maybe I'll work out If a great wave shall fall
Who will be there to take my place
When I'm gone, you'll need love
To light the shadows on your face
If a great wave shall fall
It would fall upon us all
And between the sand and stone
Could you make it on your own?
I'll go wherever you will go
Way up high or down low
I'll go wherever you will go
A way to make it back some day
Towards you, to guide you
Through the darkest of your days
It would fall upon us all
Well I hope there's someone out there
Who can bring me back to you..
"Depressing." I say, and she smiles.
"Alright! Pancho and Annabeth. Your free. Get out of here before I shoot you." Mr. D shouts.
***
"I'll see you tomorrow, then. Sorry..Wednesday."
"Yeah."
A car appears on the curb and honks. A guy rolls down the window. He was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He looked tall and muscular, just from sitting down I could tell. He had short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. The only thing weird about him was a thick white scar on his face. He waved at Annabeth, and she just about blushed.
"Your boyfriend?" I ask her.
She blushes even harder. "Luke? N-no. No. A friend. Longtime friend."
"It was pleasure meeting you." I give her a quick hug.
"See you."
Definitely, I thought.