Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO, Ricky does.
I ran my hand through my long red-black hair, and looked out over the park below me. I didn't want to go home just yet, but Mom would be expecting me. She wouldn't last to long alone with Mike, the a-hole he was. I jumped down from my perch at the top of tree in the middle of the small park. I began walking towards the small neighborhood near it.
I walked through the streets, until I reached the run-down apartment buildings. I walked up the stairs, my hands deep in my pockets, and into the small apartment that my mother rented out for us. My mom was a beautiful woman, and the hardest working person I know. She works endless hours at the base, only to come home to this crappy hole in the wall, and have to deal with Mike treating her like a servant, and constantly cussing her out for the smallest mistake.
"Mom?" I call as I walk in the door. I heard a drunken grunt, but no other response. She wasn't home yet, so I had some time to make this place look like only a medium sized group of pigs lived here. I ran to the back of the house, and into my room. I gathered my cleaning supplies, which I had to keep hidden so that Mike doesn't smoke them. I started with the main hall, and quickly cleaned the small apartment. I heard the door open, and quietly close, and I knew my mother was home. I hid my supplies and went to greet her.
"Hi, sweetie," my mother said, hiding the exhaustion from me as best she could, but I always know.
"Mary! Get me my god damn beer!" Mike's voice demanded from the cramped living room, where he was playing blackjack with his buddies. I growled quietly at him, but Mom sent me a warning look. I took a deep breath, but I could feel my hair standing up at the back of my neck.
"Coming, dear," she called, grabbing a beer from the fridge. She walked it out to him, and he snatched it away. I bared my teeth, but turned away, and stomped off to my room. I dropped myself onto my bed, and stared out my window at the crisp, clear blue sky out my window. I loved the sky here, I think of it as my best friend. It always seemed to reflect my mood, cloudy when I was sad, and sunny when I was happy.
I heard a loud smack! coming from the living room, and a lot of yelling. I heard my mom whimper, and another smack. I pulled out a bag from my closet, and stuffed all of my important items in. I dashed across the hall to my mom and Mike's room, and began to pack a bag for her. I got it all in, and pulled it back into my room. I put both bags on my back, and climbed out my window. I popped open the trunk, and threw the bags in. I dashed back to my window, and climbed back up.
I knew that we would be able to leave in about an hour, when Mike and his friends were passed out drunk. I patiently waited in my room, until I could no longer hear the terrible laughter from them. I quietly slipped down the hall, and saw my mother sitting at the kitchen table, holding a cup of coffee in her hands. She heard me enter, and turned to look at me.
"Come on, Mom," I whispered, holding out my hand, "we're getting out of here." She looked confused, but put down her cup. She took my hand, and stood up. I lead her toward the front door, and she begins to understand. She grabs her shoes that were sitting by the door. Once outside, we ran for the car. I pulled myself into the driver side, and the second Mom is in the car, I take off.
I drove through the town, and brought us out. We drove until I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. We had driven from our small California town to another small town at the base of a small range of hills in Colorado. I took my money and went in to rent a room at the small motel. I came back, grabbed the bags, and helped my tired mother to the room. I lied down on my bed, and listened to the gentle breathing of my mother. I slowly drifted off to sleep...
I shot up in bed, still shaking from my nightmare. I climbed out of bed, still in my clothes, and wrote a note to my mother, telling her where I was if she were to wake up. I walked out of the motel, and to the small hills. I laid down on my back, looking at the slowly lightening sky. I lost myself, looking at the clouds, the sky still reflecting my mood. I thought about the nightmare, where I stood, watching as two people, a boy and a girl, died, overwhelmed by an army of monsters. The boy was blonde, and had shocking blue eyes and a small scar over his lip, while the girl was punk, sharing the same eyes.
A sharp clang brought me back to reality. I jumped up, and ran over to where I heard the noise. I hid behind the crest of the hill, and peeked over the top. I saw two people, one blonde, one with black hair. They held swords, and were fighting. The way they moved, I knew they were sparring. Then they turned.
I gasped. They were the two people from my dream. The girl must have heard me, because she stopped fighting and turned towards me. I knew running would be useless, so I stood and walked towards them, hands deep in my pockets. The boy stood in a defensive stance, but the girl relaxed her position, and put away her sword.
"Hello," she said.
"Hey," I replied. The boy flashed the girl a look, uncertain of what she was doing.
"Thalia?" he asked, his voice sounding like he was questioning her sanity.
"Chill, Jason," she snapped. He shut his mouth, and relaxed his stance just a little bit. "What's your name?" she asked me.
"Isabelle," I said, looking at the sword in Jason's hands warily.
"Nice to finally meet you. I'm Thalia, and this is my brother, Jason," she said.
"Wait, 'finally'? What do you mean?" I asked.
"Oh. Um, just a dream I had. With you in it."
"Are you serious? Because I had a dream about you two," I said. Thalia looked over to Jason.
"Let's get you back to camp. Go to where ever you live, and grab you bags," Thalia said.
"Um, I don't think so."
"You don't have a choice, you need to come with us," she said, grabbing me by the arm and leading me back to the town. "Leave a note for your mom or dad."
"Why did you say 'or' instead of and?" I asked.
"I'll explain on the road. Now go get your things!" she ordered. I ducked into the motel, and grabbed my things. As I was writing the note to my mother, explaining what happened, she woke up.
"Isabelle? Where are you going?" she asked groggily.
"I'm not sure. A couple of people said that I need to go with them. They knew I only had one parent, and said that I needed to go to a camp with them," I said.
"Oh. Darn, I thought I would have longer with you. Come here, honey," she said, opening her arms. I ran into them. She held out her cell phone to me. "Keep this off for about a month, then switch it on only once in a while. I'll call you when I've found us a home. Be safe," she said, putting it in my hand. "The charger is in my bag."
I ran over and grabbed the charger, shoving it into my pocket. "I love you, Mom. Be safe," I said.
"I love you too, sweetheart. Stay safe," she replied, tears in her voice. I went out to the pair outside.
Let's go," I growled. I looked back at the motel, tears in my eyes.
Hey! Thanks a ton for reading my first story! I worked really hard on it. I just love the name Isabelle! But, anyway, tell me what you think, you know take the mouse, move it over just a bit, until you over the 'Review this Chapter' button, click on it, and write a sweet little note about how much you loved, or hated, this chapter. Then, if you don't flame, you can join all of us Camp Half-Bloodainians at camp fire, where the Apollo kids will lead us in song and you can snuggle up with your PJatO crush! Gratci! (That be Italian for 'thank you')
~Kyle~