One Last Adventure Chapter 1
The bright light from my cased phone shone, it's luminance rippled in the pages of my hardbound book. Glistening tears roll down my cheek, and I can't help but feel empty inside. I took in slow, deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Staring at the distance, my eyes flutter revealing the powerful emotion I feel. A heavy weight starts to grow in my chest, getting more painful by the second. I can almost feel myself trembling. Trembling from the fear of letting go, the fear of saying goodbye, the fear of them leaving me.
All of these things collapsed on top of me, surging me with this feelings. All because I...
...Have finished reading the 'Blood of Olympus'.
My eyes flickered open to the sound of my alarm blaring in my room. Groaning, I slowly got up and yawned.
I stood and walked to my bedroom window, the soles of my feet lightly tapping the carpeted floor. Opening the curtains, I squinted as I let the light flood in. I had to blink rapidly in order for my eyes to adjust from the brightness.
The smell of pancakes and maple syrup filled the air, summoning me to go downstairs. Mouth watering, I sprinted to the dining room.
"Hey Quinn! Morning, I made your favourite!" My loving mother said to me in a very cheerful manner.
"Mom, every type of food is my favourite. Especially if they are good, or if you made them. Or if they are simply food." I shot in reply.
"Honey, what's with your eyes today?"
I didn't know I cried that much last night. Who knew that the last book of the PJO series would be so bad, that the puffiness of my eyes would increase to a maximum? Well, I did of course. I took a seat on the dining table as I replied back.
"Err... Nothing mom, just finished reading that book you bought me yesterday."
"Oh.." My mom simply nodded. She's been there before, I inherited my fangirl, bookworm-ish characteristics from her.
I dug in the pancakes. They were so warm and fluffy, like heaven in a plate. It was bursting with tart flavour, with creamy whipped cream, maple syrup, and homemade berry preserves. Each bite was a bomb load of sweet and succulent goodness, almost making me cry from joy. Within minutes I had already finished my plate.
"Was it good?" My mom said, and there was no need of reply. I merely nodded, and that simply sufficed.
Mom started to clean up as I stood up and stretched.
"Oh, and dear. I would like to remind you of the Smiths visit for the week, they'll be arriving this afternoon so please get ready."
My eyes widened in excitement. "Yes mom! And, thanks for the meal!" was all that came out before I rushed to my bedroom.
The door clicked shut, and I sighed. I can't believe it, Penny is coming for a visit!
Penny, my favourite cousin whom I only met online. She lives in South East Asia, which is far from Cambridge, London. We accidentally met in a group in Facebook, designed for PJO fans, and only found out of our blood relationship a few months ago. When we met, we immediately became close friends, being in the same fandom. We simply discovered being cousins when mom walked in my room during my Skype call with her. She seemed to have faintly recognized mom. She said that she had seen her in her grandmother's pictures. Ever since that revelation, we were like two peas in pod.
This Christmas season, she is coming for a visit. I almost forgotten about it, being caught up in reading BoO. I'm one of the people who received the book late since I was too busy catching up with the other books. Penny's got it worse. Since she has had some trouble in school, her strict mom told her to stop reading BoO and can only continue after Christmas. She has only started a few chapters.
I laughed too hard once she told me about it. Social websites are our only way of communicating with each other. And now, I'm finally going to meet her in person!
The moment I heard the knock on the main door, I stood up and immediately rushed down the stairs. Just as I was on my fifth step, I saw a girl standing at the bottom. She was in the right, looking up at me.
Dark ebony hair, with slightly copper skin. She was wearing a blue hooded sweater, and dark jeans. Her features were slightly interracial, she looked some-what Asian, but also some-what American. She had almond shaped eyes, the color of chocolate, along with a round face. She gave the impression that she looked normal, but could actually hide the fact that she was absolutely extraordinary. Looking at her, my confidence almost faltered. Almost, because Penny was seriously pretty.
"Penny?" I croaked.
"Quinn!"
We practically ran towards each other like life-long friends who haven't seen each other for centuries. Our bodies crashed onto each other as we hugged tightly.
"Nice to finally see you!" Penny breathed. Her accent had a twinge of American, very different from mine.
"Come on, I'll show you around." I said.
After we ate dinner, we went to my room and unpacked Penny's bag. When mom suggested that Penny would sleep in my room during her stay, we both agreed in a heartbeat. Mom and Aunt Sophie (Penny's mother) simply looked at each other and laughed, as if they expected our reaction.
When we were finished, we sat in my bed, looked at each other, and laughed.
"Man, I still can't believe that you're actually here!" I said.
"I know right? And it's kinda good to be somewhere else rather than home." Penny said as she laid her back on the bed, I did the same, and we simply stared at the ceiling.
"Yeah.. Somewhere else," I gestured an arch to symbolize a rainbow. "Like a far away land, with nobody else but you, me, and our favourite characters having great adventures, flying away with the wind."
Her eyes widened for a millisecond, looking like she choked on something.
"Uh.. Y-yeah.. just like that." Penny tried a smile, but failed miserably.
"Are you okay? Did something happen between you and Gian?" I sang loudly.
She put both of her hands on my mouth, and whispered. "Shh.. Dude, no. I don't think Seaweed Brain has an idea about that.. "
She detached her hands.
"Seaweed Brain? So that's his new nick name? And you're supposedly Wise girl?"
"Oh, puhlease! Don't even remind me about Percabeth!"
We giggled a bit, and then she became silent.
"Hey Quinn, do you believe that the human mind is brilliant? And that we could confuse a dream from reality?" Penny said, almost with seriousness in her tone.
I wondered a bit. Hmm, well, there was this movie about how a human's mental strength would become powerful if we would use more than 10% of it.. so maybe..
"Well, yes." I said.
She breathed in and out, "Well, let me tell you something..."
She started talking something about the human mind's brilliance being true, and that going to a different land is very much possible. I almost laughed in front of her, but before I did, something happened.
The walls of my bedroom disappeared into thin air, along with my door, window, and everything that came with it. When it disappeared, a new bedroom came into shape, one full of tools and wires and not enough space for a living person to be sleeping in. I was actually surprised when someone was sleeping in this room.
Penny whistled, "I've gotten better at this...!"
I was too shocked to even move, speak, blink, or breathe.
Penny told me a story of her adventure. About how she ended up being sucked into a book. Sounds crazy right? I thought the same thing. As she told me her story, I saw it in my own eyes, as if I was stepping into a movie created by my second cousin. I saw her dream with grandma, her adventure with the Seven demigods in the Heroes of Olympus series, and basically watched The House of Hades in real-time.
I bet my whole expression was between the lines of: Uhh.. what just happened?
When she finished, she said: "Well, how was it? You were actually the first person to be told of my story. And just like what grandma explained, I can do it because of our blood connection. Quinn? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Well of course I do! Who wouldn't? Many questions buzzed around in my mind.
Is it possible for me to do that?! Why did this even happen? How did this even start? Why is it in this bloodline? What made her tell me? Can I try doing anything like this? When did this even happen? Why am I so hungry all of a sudden?
As questions like these, kept on going on in my mind, I only said two words: "Nico's hot."
Penny blinked. She opened her mouth to say something, but cut her off.
"It's getting late, I think I should go get a shower." I muttered.
"Wait, you shower at night?" Penny asked.
"I like to sleep fresh." I suddenly blurted as I was making my way towards the bathroom door.
I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding as the bathroom door clicked shut. My back rested on the smooth surface of the door. Maybe I should leave, and go far away from here. This is too much and too crazy to bear.
...but what about Penny? What about your family?... A voice in my mind said.
Stupid voice! Maybe I was right all along, I should get a shower. If not, then I should take a bath.
Warm, bubbly, jasmine scented water filled the tub. The water level rose as I stepped into the bath. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the scent of my floral soap calm my nerves. Wait... this isn't my usual soap. It smells familiar.. like...
Scenes suddenly flashed behind my eyelids. Scenes that I always encounter, scenes that I always have feared, scenes that haunted me up until this moment. No, no, no, no, no. No. No! Not this! Not again!
Blood, it was splattered across a beige carpeted floor, one I have grown used to. A small flicker, then two wrinkly-lifeless hands appeared, with fingers intertwined with each other, wedding rings, shining. The shine from the rings turned into a flash. Emotionless grey eyes. An orange cat, licking it's paw, not noticing the pool of blood almost reaching its feet. A thick-skinned hand, clutching a horrid, bloodied knife.
I used my hand to stifle a scream. My pulse started to quicken, and so did my breathing. Tears prickled my eyes. I got out of the bathtub and grabbed my towel. I started drying myself, and ended up rubbing my towel on one spot of my body, rapidly. My arms started to tremble, an earthquake rising, in my whole body. I took deeper breaths, paced around, two, three times.
And, just as sudden as it happened, it ended.
I took my light blue robe, and wrapped it around myself. I imagined the cloth hugging me from behind, as I let my hands go through the sleeves. I started to compose myself.
I have to be calm, I have to be brave, I have to fight it. I can fight it.
My pale, and petite hands gripped the crystal doorknob. As I turned it, I was welcomed with darkness.
What the...?
"Penny?" My fragile voice echoed.
I took a step into the darkness, and immediately regretted it.
I was falling, falling into an abyss deeper and darker, and a whole lot scarier than Tartarus. (or how I imagined it to be) I screamed, and wailed, but it couldn't be heard because of the howling and cackling that echoed around me. I flailed as I fell, and prayed that I would be missed.
I then felt gravity shifting. I wasn't falling anymore. I was being pulled. It felt like an unknown force lassoed an invisible rope, and started to pull with unimaginable strength.
I almost felt like giving up, thinking that I should have died that day, that it should have been me.
But then, I saw a bright light, and felt my body collide with something else. Someone else. The last thing I saw was dark, raven-like hair before I fell out of consciousness.
Hey guys! I'm still alive and well! Even though there's a typhoon going on here.. :/
As you can see, I tried making the stuff longer.. I also would like to announce that each chapter would be posted once a week.. Mkay?