Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series or any songs, names, or places that belong to anyone else.
AN: Hello, everyone. Some of you may know me from my Transformers or Twilight/Vampire Diaries stories. Some of you may not know me at all. Either way I hope everyone likes this.
Title: Waiting For the End
Main Pairings: Percy/Apollo, Percy/Hermes, Percy/Ares, Percy/Dionysus, Percy/Hephaestus, Percy/Luke
Other Pairings: Silena/Beckendorf, Annabeth/?, Grover/Juniper, Clarisse/Chris, Zeus/Hera, Poseidon/Athena, Thalia/Nico, Hades/Persephone
Warnings: Language, violence, sexual themes. Set in pre-Lightening Thief all the way to my versions of the Heroes of Olympus, some Hera and Aphrodite and stereotype bashing. Fem! Percy. Powerful! Percy. Demi-titan! Sally.
Chapter 1: The Daughter of Poseidon
Once upon a time, there was a little alarm clock. It was not a special alarm clock, not at all. It was plain black with red numbers and a fairly loud alarm. It was a young alarm clock. It was an innocent alarm clock. It was-
SMASH!
It was a dead alarm clock.
A hand slowly slithered back under the warm covers for refuge. Why did she have to get up today? Oh yeah, the eighth grade class field trip. Damn it, she was out of fake doctor's notes, too. If only she hadn't used the 'female problems' note to cut gym last Tuesday. A mop of black hair popped out from the covers, eyes closed with a little bit of sleep crust in the corners.
Seph Jackson sat up on her bed, the blue comforter pooling at her waist as she stretched her arms above her head, sighing when the resounding crack reached her ears. Damn if that didn't feel good. She actually felt like going back to sleep . . .
A knock sounded at her door and Seph groaned as she tiredly stumbled over to see who the hell was bothering her at seven in the morning. She opened up the door to reveal the dorm advisor, Melissa something, and grumpily asked, "What do you want?"
The redhead ignored the younger girl's tone and gave her a smile that was way too happy for someone to use at the current time. "I'm reminding all of the eighth graders that the bus for your field trip leaves at seven-thirty. Have fun!"
Seph just stared at her until the redhead left.
"Note to self: find out what she smokes," she mumbled, stepping back as she shut the door.
The fourteen-year old let out a yawn as she shuffled over to her bathroom, thankful that Yancy Academy provided students with their own personal bathrooms. Not having a roommate to share with was a plus as well, Seph guessed as she started stripping down. Yancy Academy was a school for quote 'Special Needs Children', but anyone with half a brain knew that it was a school for troublemakers. Sure there were some kids that had actual problems, she herself having dyslexia and ADHD, but most were just spoiled kids who were sent there by their rich parents in hopes of straightening them out.
Seph was quick in her shower, almost falling asleep again as the hot water coursed over her. Her morning shower was just something you didn't mess with. It could make her feel better than any form of chocolate out there. A few minutes later she was brushing her hair, wincing when she would snag a small tangle every now and again.
She strolled out of the bathroom and went to the dresser to pick out her clothes. After a few seconds of consideration, she decided on her black Jack Skellington shirt and a pair of black jeans.
Having deemed herself complete the fourteen-year old girl pulled on her steel-toed boots, picked up her Black Sabbath backpack and high-tailed it out the door. Damn, she really didn't want to go on the stupid field trip. To be perfectly honest she'd rather take a detention then go, but that would mean leaving Grover to fend for himself.
In case you didn't know, Grover was her best and only friend at Yancy Academy. There would boys that she would go visit in the other dorms, but they weren't friends. That was strictly professional. No she wasn't a drug dealer. Fun and happy stuff, like games and candy, were banned at Yancy Academy. It would interfere with their 'becoming outstanding citizens of the community' and would distract them from learning. That didn't stop Seph, though. She made a good business off the rich kids.
Seph made it to the bus with five minutes to spare. Her piercing sea green eyes scammed the crowd, trying to spot her friend. One of the students moved a little and she saw a familiar mop of dark brown hair. "Grover!"
The boy jumped at the sudden call of his name. Grover Underwood was a short boy for his age, but he was one of the only ones with stubble and hair on his arms. Sadly though, he was crippled and had a voice that cracked when he talked, making most think of him as an easy target. Many at Yancy Academy found it hard to believe that he was friends with Seph. Grover was shy and timid, but he had somehow wormed his way into the Ice Queen's heart.
Seph came up to stand in front of her friend. Grover gave her a nervous smile.
"Hey, Seph," he said.
The taller teen gave him a nod and after a couple of seconds, a small smile. She had only known Grover for a few months, but he was like a little brother to her. He was the first person (besides her mother) to look past her tough persona. The two chatted as they waited for their turn to board the bus. Seph climbed the steps and saw that her history teacher, Mr. Brunner, was sitting off to the side in his wheelchair.
"Hello, Seph," he greeted her in a friendly tone. "How are you this morning?"
If it were any other teacher, Seph would say she would rather drink battery acid than to be there, but she respected Mr. Brunner. He was the first teacher she had ever liked and she wasn't about to upset him after all the strings he pulled to get the field trip for them.
"It's nice, Mr. Brunner," she replied politely. He gave her a smile before going back to the book he had been reading. Seph and Grover took an empty bench about half-way down the bus. They continued with their conversation comfortably, at least until Seph saw a blond board the bus.
"Shit," she groaned, not caring if the goody two-shoes heard her. She had been hoping the other girl would be on another other bus, but the world didn't seem to be in tune with her wants.
The girl coming their way was Ashley York, the daughter of a whiplash attorney. Ashley was the queen of Yancy Academy, with her dyed platinum-blond hair, her lightly tanned skin, and her ice blue eyes. Ever since the two girls had met, the petite blonde hated Seph. It was an understatement saying that the feeling was mutual.
But what Seph found ironic was how Ashley had gotten into Yancy Academy. Despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, little Ashley thought it would be fun to steal a three-hundred dollar jacket at Saks. Needless to say, she got busted. From what Seph had heard, the blonde had been given two choices: Yancy Academy or juvie.
'But of course she couldn't have gone to juvie,' A voice in Seph's mind snarked. 'After all, the butch girls there would just love to break her pretty little face.'
The blonde girl paused in front of them and smiled, showing off her perfectly bleached teeth.
"Hey, Jackson," Ashley smiled, but it looked more like a sneer. "I'm surprised they let you come. You're usually wasting away in detention."
"Yeah I'm here," Seph replied coolly. "You can move along now, preppy bitch."
Ashley's face flushed in anger, vaguely reminding Seph of a tomato. Grover looked between the two girls nervously. He really didn't want to see the cat fight that was sure to break out if Ashley didn't move along. The rich girl opened her mouth to spit out a retort, but one of the kids waiting behind her shoved her so she would move. The blonde scowled, knowing for the moment that she had lost before taking an empty seat a couple rows behind them. After everyone settled down, the bus pulled away from the school.
It was about a twelve minute drive to the museum and Ashley York had come up with the perfect revenge during this time, gossiping loudly to one of her friends. She talked about almost everything Seph loathed and despised; fashion, boys, and Britney Spears.
"We can make it look like an accident," Seph tried to reason with Grover. "We'll wear gloves so no one knows it was us."
"What do you mean by 'us'? You're the one who would snap her neck."
"But you'd help me hide her body in the baseball field," Seph stated. "I'll kill her. You'll get to clean up the crime scene."
"Why do I get stuck with the dirty work?" Grover grumbled. "I don't exactly like her either . . ."
Seph hummed in agreement as Ashley gabbed about a boy who had asked her out last week.
"I can so see Steven as boy-toy material," Ashley's friend was listening intently, as if the world would end if she missed anything.
Seph felt her hand itch to grab the knife she kept hidden in her boot just so she could end this torture.
"Just a few more minutes," Grover whispered to her. Seph looked torn, but eventually let go of the handle with a sigh.
"Fine. But if she starts talking about Justin Bieber, make sure my cellmate isn't too grabby."
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Seph couldn't say she found the tour very interesting. The only reason she paid the slightest attention was because Mr. Brunner was the guide. They went through several different galleries from different civilizations. The Egyptian hieroglyphics had caught her eye, but they didn't stay in that section for too long.
They went through pottery and large statues and a bathroom where Seph was positive a couple was engaging in sex. She gave the door a revolted grimace, wondering who in hell thought it would be fun to screw in a museum.
Mr. Brunner stopped in front of a stone column known as a stele. He went on explaining how a stele was a term for a grave marker, and a few students actually looked interested in what he was saying. Seph, on the other hand, was barely listening. She knew what a stele was. She knew what most of the things in the Greek and Roman section were and what the pictures represented. Subjects like math and reading may have caused her problems, but history and science was like a picnic for her. Getting to know how to blow things up fit her psychopathic personality (as Grover so affectionately called it) and she had always had a knack for dates.
She rolled her eyes at a pair of girls who were giggling about a chubbier classmate of theirs before shooting them a glare. That gained her Mrs. Dodds attention.
Mrs. Dodds was, in Seph's ever so humble opinion, Satan's bitch. She was a math teacher from somewhere in George who always wore this black leather jacket that Seph had fallen in love with. Why a fifty-year old woman wore it though, she had no clue. Mrs. Dodds had come to their algebra 1 class almost halfway through the year, after the last teacher needed a straightjacket. So Seph may have put another student's pet boa in her desk. How was she supposed to know Barry would try to bite?
From the first day she started, Mrs. Dodds was Ashley York's slave. She treated the blonde girl like she was the best thing to walk the planet, which did nothing for the girl's ego. If Seph didn't know that Ashley had a boyfriend for each day of the week, she'd say they had a thing going on. But honestly, she would bet her bottom dollar that they were in cahoots on new ways to torture her.
One time, after she had spent a whole fucking Saturday cleaning the cafeteria after the Great Food Battle of Third Grade, she told Grover exactly what she thought about Mrs. Dodds. After he started breathing again, he got this thoughtful look on his face, and said, "You're about half-right."
Mr. Brunner continued his speech.
After finally having enough of Ashley's bragging over hooking up with Nathan Lox from eleventh grade, Seph turned around and growled, "Will you just shut the fuck up already?"
She was a bit louder than intended.
Everyone fell silent, the first time that whole day. Mr. Brunner paused mid-sentence and looked at her.
"Did you want to say something, Miss Jackson?"
Seph kept her eyes on him, refusing to show any signs of being embarrassed. She said, "I don't, Mr. Brunner."
The older man didn't look away as he nodded towards a picture on the stele. "Would you care to tell us what this picture means?"
She looked to where he nodded and immediately recognized. "That's Kronos eating his children."
"Correct," Mr. Brunner laid his hands in his lap. "And why did he do this?"
"Kronos was the Titan King, and he didn't trust his children because he feared they would overthrow him like he did to his own father. Kronos ate the oldest five, but his wife, Rhea, hid the youngest, Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. When Zeus grew up, he tricked Kronos into throwing up his brothers and sisters-"
"Gross!" one of the girls behind her gagged.
Seph rolled her eyes, and continued. "The children he ate declared vengeance and there was a war between the gods and the titans. The gods won, and the titans were given their own separate prisons or punishments."
Some of the kids were giggling behind her and one muttered, "Geek."
A quick glare from Seph shut them up.
Ashley York snorted quietly behind her. "Why do we even need to know this? It's not like we'll ever use it in life."
"That's a good question, Miss York. Care to answer, Miss Jackson?"
Seph shrugged.
"You never really know," she said. "The gods and the titans could be real. For all we know, this all could have actually happened.
Mr. Brunner examined her for a moment, as if he were looking for some answer to a riddle before nodding his head in acceptance. "Very thoughtful, Miss Jackson. Full credit."
The wheelchair-bound man explained how Zeus rescued his siblings, making most of the girls cringe before announcing it was time for lunch.
The class split into their little cliques; all the girls, minus Seph, looking like they were going to hurl if they heard one more word come out of Mr. Brunner's mouth, and the boys were goofing off by trying to imitate the story, hurling sound effects and all. Grover and Seph were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Miss Jackson."
Seph didn't know what he wanted, she had gotten his questions right, but she told Grover to go on ahead. She turned around to face Mr. Brunner. "Yes, Mr. Brunner?"
Mr. Brunner had a curious look in his brown eyes, once again looking at her as if she were a problem to figure out.
"How did you come up with an answer to my question?" he finally asked.
Seph did a nonchalant one-shoulder shrug. "My mom always told me to be open-minded. I honestly think there could be gods and titans and other mythical creatures out there," trying to lighten the serious look from his eyes, she joked, "I just hope the vampires aren't like Twilight's."
It worked. Mr. Brunner's eyes were sparkling with amusement. "I shall agree with you on that, Miss Jackson. I have never been fond of that particular series."
He shooed her off so she could go eat with Grover.
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Seph looked up at the sky. It was dark and bleak, with clouds almost as black as her hair. Gray lining peeked through to separate the clouds. It looked cool, Seph decided. She had always had a liking for the darker beauty in life. Storms were her favorite. She wished she'd brought her camera with her, she mused, watching the clouds swirl. But even if she missed this shot, she knew that there would be more. They'd been having the weirdest weather in New York history since Christmas. She honestly wouldn't have been surprised if it wasn't a hurricane starting to blow in.
Nobody else was paying attention to the weather. Most of the guys were talking about every teen boy's favorite things; sports and boobs. Ashley York was making out with some guy from another school that was also there on a field trip, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds had a blind eye. Seph let out a snort when she saw a pigeon drop one on the unsuspecting Ashley's shoes. The blond didn't seem to notice. Having a hand up your shirt did that to you, she guessed.
Seph and Grover sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. In the time that Grover had gotten to know Seph Jackson, he realized that she liked her privacy. She didn't like big gossipy groups that would sooner turn on you than a starving man seeing you with the last slice of pizza.
"So what did Mr. Brunner want? Did he give you detention?" Grover asked as they spread out their lunch. His nose twitched a little when he caught the scent of her homemade blue cookies. Maybe he could sneak one past her . . .
"He just wanted to know how I answered his question," Seph said, cracking her knuckles.
"Ah," Grover hummed. "So I have to tell the fifth grade to hold off on their food war, huh? They'll be disappointed."
Seph laughed, a rarity for those who didn't really know her, and even then it was hard to catch her making the sound. Grover smiled when she started laughing, but a full-blown grin came forth when she also gave him a couple of cookies. She really was a good friend.
The fourteen-year old girl leaned back, letting her fingers skim across the water in the fountain. Her thoughts quickly drifted to her mother, something that happened often when she was bored. She wondered if she couldn't slip away for a moment, knowing she could pop in and give her mom a quick hug before coming back with maybe a couple minutes to spare. She missed her mom, having not seen her since Christmas.
She knew her mom would be more than happy to see her, but that she'd reprimand her for sneaking away. After that it would be back to Yancy after a quick hug and kiss and a reminder that Algebra wasn't as hard as it seemed. She would argue that she did try hard as her mother would giggle and hail down a cab.
Seph glanced over at Mr. Brunner, noticing how he had basically turned himself into a café table with the umbrella hovering over him and with the book he was reading. She felt amused when she saw that he was reading the first Hunger Games book.
"That's what I'm getting with the money I've saved up," Seph proclaimed to Grover, eyeing the wheelchair. "Get it a nice sized engine, and we can chase Ashley around campus while we eat candy and drink Monsters."
Grover shook his head disbelievingly. Seph knew that he agreed with the idea. "You are horrible."
Seph grinned maniacally as she poked her school provided lunch. Grover snorted.
"Why do you always do that?" he asked.
Seph gave him a look.
"Grover, you and I both know that the lunch ladies put alien pods in some of the meals," she stated. "I have to poke it. To make sure it won't attack."
Grover rolled his eyes and took a bite out of his cookie, only to choke on it when Ashley York popped up out of nowhere. She had a bottle-blond friend on either side of and they laughed when she spilled her half-empty water bottle in Grover's lap.
"Oopsies." She batted her caked eyes at Seph. Her friends giggled behind her, but to Seph it sounded more like pigs squealing.
The brunette's hands clenched, trying not to punch the blonde's face in. Her anger management counselor would give her the bullshit, "Control your temper. Don't let it control you." Gimmick a million times. But this time it wasn't going to work. Fire filled her veins and she saw red.
Sadly, she couldn't remember touching the blonde, but there she was with her ass in the fountain. Ashley was screaming bloody murder, raving about how her new designer top was ruined. Mrs. Dodds was next to them in a flash.
"What is going on here, girls?"
The blonde glared at Seph, her hair damp, her clothes ruined, and her mascara running down her face. She pointed a manicured finger. "Persephone pushed me!"
Seph didn't care that there was a teacher present. She was more than ready to climb in that fountain and knock Ashley out. She absolutely hated when people used her full name. But she didn't get the chance to. Mrs. Dodds coddled Ashley, saying how she would make sure that Seph would pay for the dry cleaning and that she would be duly punished, etc. Then she turned to Seph. There was an odd emotion in the old woman's eyes, something that Seph would label as victorious.
"Honey," Mrs. Dodds started.
"Yeah, yeah," Seph sighed, already feeling a headache coming on. "I have to clean up the school cafeteria for a month."
It was out of her mouth for a second before she realized it was a mistake.
"Follow me, honey," Mrs. Dodds said. Her tone was sweet, but Seph could sense the malice behind it.
"No!" Grover squeaked. "Seph didn't do anything. I was the one who pushed her."
Seph stared at him with slightly wide eyes. She couldn't believe he was trying to cover for her. Despite how he would reluctantly join in with bashing the woman, Mrs. Dodds scared the hell out of Grover.
Mrs. Dodds gave him a sharp glare, making him flinch back at the evil look.
"Mr. Underwood, I have a hard time believing that," she said.
"But I-"
"Stay here, or else."
Grover looked at Seph with wide afraid eyes. She was pretty sure she could see his knees trembling from the couple of feet she stood away from him.
"I'll be okay, Gro," she assured him. "At least you tried, dude."
"Honey," Mrs. Dodds simpered. "Come here."
Ashley York smirked, making her look like an evil demented clown.
Seph's glare was fierce enough to make the other girl flinch back. The raven smirked lazily before turning back to Mrs. Dodds, only to find that she wasn't there. She was tapping her foot at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at Seph to hurry it up. The teen blinked. How the hell did she get up there so fast?
Damn it, she hated when moments like that happened. Those few critical seconds that she would lose when she wasn't paying attention, or when she got too angry to see straight. Her counselor had told her it was a part of how the ADHD affected her brain. She wasn't so sure about that. Ms. Keaton was a too bit fruity in her mind. The woman acted as if she were dealing with a naive three-year old, not a teenage girl with ADHD and dyslexia.
She strolled up the steps to Mrs. Dodds.
Halfway up the steps, Seph got a chill. She glanced over her shoulder at Grover. He looked too pale for her liking, his shooting eyes between her and Mr. Brunner, like he was praying for Mr. Brunner to notice the two females.
She looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had vanished. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.
'Fuck,' Seph thought. 'She's going to make me buy a new shirt for that bitch. There goes my new combat boots.'
Oh how wrong she was.
Seph was led further and further into the museum. By the time she caught up with the math teacher (how the hell did a little old lady walk so fast?), they were back in the Greek and Roman section. The teen couldn't help but notice the lack of people.
Mrs. Dodds was standing in front of a marble frieze of the Greek gods, her lip curled and a growl in her throat. All that was missing was the flashlight under her chin so shadows would cast over her face. Even without it, Seph was annoyed. The whole intimidation tactic the old woman tried using was weak in her mind. She had seen plenty of things that were scarier than Mrs. Dodds. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, the Human Centipede, Gabe without a shirt on. That last one was scary as hell.
"You've been a naughty little girl, honey," Mrs. Dodds said.
Seph raised an eyebrow. Naughty little girl? When had she fallen into a bad porno flick? She kept silent.
Mrs. Dodds crossed her arms across her saggy chest. "How did you manage to do it?"
Her eyes were glowing with a malevolent fire, but Seph wasn't afraid. If the teacher tried anything, she'd knock her out before she could say dentures. She didn't care if it did get her booted out of school.
"Do what?" she asked boredly. She would take Ashley's bitching over this stupid confrontation any time.
The floor rumbled as a loud crash of thunder rang through the gallery.
"You know what, Persephone Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. Seph felt her eye twitch. Did she mention that she absolutely hated it when someone used her full name? "Just return it to me and I will make your end quick."
Seph wished she could laugh. The only thing she could think about was that the teachers must've found out about her illegal business selling video games and candy to boys at school. Or maybe they realized that she was the one to put the firecrackers in the teachers' toilets. No matter which way it went, at least it was fun while it lasted.
"Your answer?" Mrs. Dodds said ominously.
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, lady," Seph said bluntly. Screw Mrs. Dodds. She wasn't about to let this bitch try and make her feel like she was stupid.
"Then your fate has been sealed!"
The next thing Seph knew, she was looking at Jeeper's Creepers body double. While most girls and even boys would be wetting their pants and/or passing out, Seph felt like jumping up and down. She had been right! Out of every teen in America, she was the only one to get it right! Her math teacher wasn't human.
But it didn't stop at that, to her immense joy.
Mr. Brunner came wheeling in, holding a plain black velvet choker in his hand.
'Now all we need is Mr. Arnez dressed like the Men in Black and this will be the most badass prank ever,' she thought giddily, almost missing Mr. Brunner's yell at her to catch the choker.
Seph blinked once and smoothly ducked Mrs. Dodds outstretched talons, snatching the choker out of the air nonchalantly. Only, it wasn't a choker anymore. As soon as it hit her hand, it had turned into a black-bladed sword with a silver hilt and a misty sea green pearl at the end. She took note that it was one of the model swords that Mr. Brunner brought on tournament day.
Mrs. Dodds spun in mid-air to face her with a killer look in her eyes.
Seph scowled back, readjusting the sword in her hands. She had never used a sword before. When she would get into street fights, she'd do hand-to-hand brawls or use her knife. If it wasn't for the feeling of total balance in her hand, she had a feeling the sword would have clattered to the floor.
Mrs. Dodds howled, "Die, honey!"
She flew at the teen.
Seph waited patiently for her to get close enough, and thrust it towards her math teacher.
The black blade pierced the teacher's chest, right where her heart would be, and the Jeeper's wannabe let out a pained shriek. Then, if Seph hadn't been surprised enough that morning, Mrs. Dodds was dissolving like a kids vitamin when it hits their tongue. She watched with immense fascination as the teacher slowly ceased to exist. Soon enough there was nothing left of Mrs. Dodds.
Seph watched the spot for a few seconds, as if not believing what just happened before slowly looking around her. There was no sign of anyone else in the gallery.
She looked down.
The badass sword was gone. The black velvet choker was in her hand.
Seph blinked a few times, trying to wonder who the hell snuck drugs into her lunch. She looked down at the choker and cautiously poked it with a free finger. It remained a choker.
Had all of the movies and video games she'd been selling finally affected her head?
She cautiously walked back outside.
It was raining full on by then, the droplets looking to be the size of a nickel.
Grover was shivering where she left him, a museum map was held above his head, but it was too soggy to provide any protection by then. Ashley York was sniveling to her friends, who coddled her as if she had just lost the Miss Universe contest, not just being pushed into a fountain. When she saw Seph, all traces of tears went away. She said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr beat your ass black and blue.
Seph was confused. "Who?"
"Our math teacher, weirdo!"
Seph blinked for what seemed the millionth time in the past fifteen minutes. She couldn't ever remember a Mrs. Kerr at Yancy Academy, not even for the other grades. She waited for Ashley to yell, 'Sike!'
The blond snorted before continuing with her friends. Normally the other team would have persisted, but she was too damned baffled to do it.
Seph walked over to Grover and asked who Mrs. Kerr was.
He bit his lip before jabbing a thumb towards the bus where a petite blond was smoking a cigarette.
He said, "You know, our math teacher?"
Seph didn't miss the hesitation. Nor did she miss the way his eyes were roaming everyone but on her face.
"I'm not joking around, Gro," she told him. "I'm being serious here."
Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning crackled ominously. Grover jumped with a whimper, his eyes slamming shut as he quaked with fear. Seph gave him a worried look.
She saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.
She went over to him.
He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, is that the necklace you said you saw earlier? Thank you for giving it to me instead of keeping it for yourself, Miss Jackson. That was very responsible of you. I'll make sure it gets to the museum's lost and found box."
Seph had no idea what to say, she just handed it over. She actually hadn't realized she'd still been holding it.
"Mr. Brunner," she said warily. "Who's the blonde woman by the bus?"
He turned his head toward where she said. When he looked back to her, his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "That's Mrs. Kerr, your math teacher."
"What about Mrs. Dodds?" she tried tripping him up. Even as she said it, she had a gut feeling that he wasn't going to say something she liked.
Mr. Brunner looked highly worried by then. "Seph, we do not have a Mrs. Dodds on our trip. I actually cannot recollect ever meeting a Mrs. Dodds. Are you alright, my dear?"
Seph watched him closely. She did not see any signs of faltering or any hints of him trying to trick her.
"Yeah," she whispered dazedly. "My mistake."
More lightning zipped across the sky.
She went to board the bus.
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AN: Here's chapter one! I know I stuck pretty close to the original book, but it's a bit hard not to when it's the beginning. This is by far the longest chapter I have ever written so far, and I am so sorry if there are any grammar problems.
Review and tell me how you liked it!