"I'll see you tomorrow!" Kat called as I walked to my bus.
"See ya!" I called back. The bus lot was filled with kids, staff and, yes, busses. I dashed for mine, hoping that there was a window seat left.
The problem with this county was that there were some busses where kids get their own seats, like my friend Sarah's, and then there are the busses where there are three or sometimes four to a seat, like mine. If you wanted to get a good seat, you had to get on early. No time for idle chitchat.
Lucky for me, there was one open seat in the middle of the bus. I settled down happily, pulling out my phone and headphones. I dove into my music, determined to zone out the voices around me. I didn't really like most of the people on here. Some were my classmates, and I'd known them since middle school, so it's not like I had anything against them. They just had a tendency to be loud and annoying.
After I'd plugged in, I opened my book. I read until we started moving. For some reason, it's hard for me to focus on a book in a moving vehicle. It's not like I get headaches like some people do, but I tend to sink into my own world. I think my mind wonders too much.
For instance, as soon as I closed my book, I started thinking about it. This wasn't nearly the first time I'd read this series, but it was so great it deserved to be reread. Again and again and again. I wished that I could live in that world. It already felt like home to me more than my real home did.
I stared out the window as we made our way towards our first stop, daydreaming about what it would be like to live there. In fact, I was so out of it, I didn't notice the giant white truck headed towards us. I didn't hear the screams above my music. Only too late did I realize what was going on. I yanked my ear buds out and clutched my book to me. I didn't know what to do other than curl up as best I could, putting my backpack in my lap like that could somehow protect me. Then, with a jerk, the truck slammed into us. On my side. I clutched the seat in front of me like so many other kids were doing. The girl next to me was screaming. She sounded so scared I moved myself so I was facing the window, blocking her from it. if anything, I'd take the full force blow.
I couldn't tell if I screamed or not. Before I could process anything, the truck slammed into us again and my vision went black.
I was slow waking. I couldn't remember much. I was so groggy. I could hear whispers around me but…that didn't make any sense. Why would there be whispers?
I could tell that I was on a stone floor. It was really uncomfortable. I forced myself to open my eyes. There was a blue sky above me, a gentle wind blowing. I could smell food, and my stomach grumbled. I hadn't had anything to eat today.
Slowly, I sat up, propping myself up on my elbows. I rubbed my head. It hurt. A lot. That wasn't good.
It was then when I noticed that there were hundreds of eyes staring at me. They all looked confused. I frowned. Where was I? I was sure I didn't know these people.
It looked like they were in the middle of a meal. There were dozens of tables, each with a lot of kids at it, though I noticed that there was one empty, and a few occupied by only one or two people.
"Who are you?" a girl asked from a nearby table, seeming to be the first one to speak.
My head tilted to the side. Oh God, why couldn't I remember my name? I felt a moment of panic before it finally came to me. I cleared my throat. "Um, Liz," I answered.
"Why are you lying in the middle of our pavilion?" a boy from a different table asked.
I sat up a little more. "I…I don't know."
Just then, a man in a wheelchair rolled over. He bent down and helped me up. "Liz," he said gently, "do you mind telling us what exactly you're doing here?" he asked.
I studied him, sure I've seen him before. He had a whisky beard, and a tweed jacket. He looked like a teacher. But there was something about his eyes, how they were kind but concerned, and also a bit confused. He seemed so familiar.
Finally, I shook my head. "I don't know. I…" I tried to remember the last thing before I'd blacked out. When my mind came up blank, I panicked. "I can't remember the last thing that happened before I passed out," I said, starting to shake. Where was I? Why was I here? How did I get here? Who are these people, and why do some of them look so familiar?
The man in the wheelchair squeezed my hand. "My dear, can you tell me anything about yourself? Can you remember anything?"
I tried to think. What did I remember? "My name is Liz," I said slowly. "Short for Elizabeth. But…I don't like being called that," I frowned. "I'm the youngest in my family. I have an older brother. He's…" I racked my brain. "He's eighteen. I'm fifteen, a sophomore."
The man nodded, clearly thinking this through. "What is your brother's name?" he asked.
I thought. Oh my God, why did I have to think? I should know my own brother's name! It just wasn't there.
I shook my head. "I can't remember. I can't remember my parent's name either. Or my friends. Or the name of my school, or where I live," panic started to seep into my voice.
"Hey," a girl said, walking over. "It's okay. Chiron, why don't I take her to the Big House?" she asked.
Oh. My. God. Chiron. Big House. This couldn't be.
If either of them noticed my slight intake of breath or the quickly masked recognition, they didn't show it. "You're right Annabeth. I'll be right over, dear, hopefully with some help."
All I could do was nod. I tried to keep my face blank, but I'd never been a very good actress. At least, I don't think I was.
Annabeth lead me out of the pavilion. She was just as described. She looked about seventeen, blond with seriously intense gray eyes. Right now, though, they showed only kindness. "I'm Annabeth," she said once we were out of ear shot of the pavilion. I could hear a murmur go up as we left.
I ressited the urge to say I know. "Wh..Where am I? How'd I get here?" I asked. I needed conformation on the first question, the second one was serious.
"Well, how you got here, I don't know. You just kind of appeared in the middle of the pavilion." Annabeth said. She was obviously avoiding the first question. I didn't push her.
She led me to the big house, which was almost as I had pictured it. There were a few details that were different, but other than that it was the same as in my head. Annabeth led me inside and sat me in the living room. Seymour growled in the corner, but I pretended not to notice.
A moment later, Chiron wheeled himself in. two kids walked in behind him, both boys. "Liz, this is Nico and Clovis. I think they may be able to help."
I nodded to them politely. It seemed to come naturally that, despite that I was freaking out, I still had to be polite. Guess I was raised that way.
Clovis's eyes were drooping, his hair messy. He looked ready to take a nap. Nico, though, looked curious. A bit distant, but not nearly as much as he'd been at the end of the last book. That made me feel a little better. At the moment these feelings about these people were the only things I was sure about.
"Now Liz," Chiron said. "I need you to trust us, okay?" he asked.
I looked at all of them. Normally, I don't think I'd trust strangers, but these people didn't feel like strangers. I felt like I knew them all pretty well. Well…maybe not Clovis, but at least I know him a little. I knew I couldn't show that I knew, them, though. I didn't want to freak anyone out more than they were probably trying not to freak me out.
But the only thing I could remember clearly were ten books that meant everything to me. and here the characters of the books were standing in front of me, flesh and blood. I remembered every detail clearly, and I knew that if I couldn't trust the people standing in front of me, then I couldn't trust anybody.
Slowly, I nodded.
Chiron looked surprised, like he hadn't expected me to put my trust in them so easily, but it felt right, somehow. Like I'd done it before and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Chiron nodded to Clovis. Without a word, Clovis stepped towards me and put two fingers to my forehead. I passed out. Again.