As she walks in, she feels the tension. It's thick enough to cut through with a knife. Her eyebrows furrow at the glances all the room's occupants shoot her way. She swallows. Her mom, Deborah; her father, Zack; Uncle Chris, and Alex, sit, perched on their own respective furniture. Her mother clutches a trio of books in her trembling, strained, white knuckled hands.
Uh oh.
"Am I in trouble?"
Pierce's mom blinks. "Um... I don't know yet, honey." Zack and Deborah exchange glances warily.
Uncle Chris speaks up. "Look, Piercey, we got these books in the mail, with a note and no return address."
Pierce can't fathom what they're thinking. "So? Maybe someone just wanted to suggest good books to you," she replies nonchalantly, dropping onto the azure cushioned chair on the other side of the living room from her mom. It seems like the simplest explanation, so why was her family questioning it? "What did the note say?" she continues, as an afterthought.
Alex held up a off-white piece of crumpled paper. "Dear everyone, assemble Deborah and Zack Oliveria, Chris Cabrero, and Alex Cabrero in the living room and wait for Pierce to come home. We felt that the kindest approach to this situation, as well as the solution to many deaths and illegal acts is to present you with these trio of books to read and prevent in the future. Now, don't get us wrong: We feel that Pierce should fall in love with who she falls in love with in the future, but we'd rather she did it with less casualties. Once Pierce is here, another will come and read with you. These books are about the future, although up until the cemetery scene has already happened. And we're sorry, Pierce, for stirring up your life, but it's better this way. Thank you for reading! ~the Fates," he recited. All look at her pointedly. Pierce cowers under their gazes.
"Look," she starts, but her parents have other ideas.
"Pierce, do you have anything you'd like to share with us?" they chirp in unison. Pierce gazes around warily.
"Well, I think it'll be explained anyway." She slumps back in her chair with a defeated look in her eye.
"Who are the Fates anyway?" Alex stares at her, questioningly.
With a cool rush of air, the front door swung open, and there stood, in all his power, John Hayden, with a determined expression. Golden skin gleaming in the light glimmering through the window curtains, and untamed unruly dark hair curling upward, and all that jazz. Pierce froze up. "Hello Pierce," he greets, and ducks his head politely at the rest.
"How do you know Pierce?" Deborah inquires. Her alarms are blaring inside her head. Red alert! Death metal goth head! Knows Pierce! Red alert!
"We've run into each other several times." John smiles. "I'm John, by the way."
They nod, seemingly accepting this as a suitable answer. "Anyway, here's the summary on the inside flap..." her mom begins.
After the accident, 17 year old Pierce tries to start over. But even after moving to a new town and starting a new school, he still keeps showing up — always when she least expects him, but exactly when she needs him most.
He's psychic, muses Alex.
One thing she knows for certain: John Hayden may be irresistible, but he's no angel.
Pierce scoffs under her breath. "Lord knows that's true."
John shakes his head dismissively. At least she mentioned he is irresistible. His ego boosts a few notches and swells a few sizes. Pierce's parents eye them suspiciously. John is seated closest to Pierce's arm chair.
"Is that you?" Uncle Chris wonders, chin jerking in John's general direction.
"No spoilers," Pierce decides.
But if Pierce lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself spending all of eternity in the one place to which she swore she'd never return . . . .
. . . his world: The Underworld.
"You must really hate his place to think of it as the land of the dead!"
John visibly flinches at that. Of course she hated it there. He bristles.
"You have no idea, Alex," Pierce replies, wrinkling her nose at the thought.
"Still have nothing you'd like to share with us?" Zack peers at his daughter. Pierce shakes her head, brown hair flying like a shampoo commercial, repeating her previous statement to that question earlier on. No, it'll be explained later. "Like why you've been to his place?"
"I didn't have a choice," she states fervently.
"You kidnapped Piercey?" Uncle Chris jumps up from the sofa, aghast, his hands balling into fists. His eyes gleam maliciously. He looks like he's about to punch something... or someone.
"No," John says, bemused, in his light accent. "Never. She just ended up there." Pierce nods furiously in agreement.
"And left as soon as possible," she adds.
He turns his head so she can't see his hurt expression. Why doesn't she like him? "Indeed. That too."
"Okay. Who wants to start the first chapter?" Alex asks.
"Me, I guess," Pierce volunteers. She's handed the first book, and she feels the shiny cover, gazing at a picture she doesn't remember posing for. She's laying on dirt, in the dark, with a gorgeous, simple white dress on, and her arm outstretched. Her necklace is part of the golden font of the capital 'A' in Abandon.
I really wanted to try this out. I've never done a reading the books before and wanted to do something new.
Just so you know-my Twi/PJO fic is on my priority list, so this won't be updated regularly.
This is set after maybe chapter three.
OKAY? 'kay? KK.
BTW, if there's anywhere I can copy paste the chapters_tell me because I hate writing them out.
Love you.