Author's note: Everything in Xinyue's perspective is in Chinese, so when someone was speaking English, it would be random letters/not making sense words at first. Sorry if I suck at translating.
Also, this story starts about three months before The Last Olympian, Please tell me your thoughts or questions!
Oh and hopefully I'll remember to post this: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON ORELSE IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND!
And yes I speak Chinese, since I finally figured out how to renew chapters, I'ma gonna introduce some words in Chinese, and DoubleDimension thought Xinyue means new moon, it could, but in this story its: 馨悦, a more complicated meaning for family and cheerfulness. And no, its not my name, it my friend's name I'm using. Yes I got her permission.
Oh, and author's notes are in bold.
1. Xinyue: Strange things
Hi! My name is Li Xinyue, I just boarded the fourteen hours long flight from the Shanghai Airport to the O'hare in Chicago (Yes I did my research), and the one word that describes my feelings right now is: miserable.
You see, I had a PERFECT 12 years of life before it all gotten thrown away when my mother visited me a month ago...or maybe not, but its a life most would wish for. I had perfection, fame, respect, talent, everything!
...one months ago...
"XINYUE YOU GREW SO MUCH I CANT BELIEVE IT YOU ARE ALMOST A HEAD TALLER THAN WHEN I LAST VISITED!" My mother screamed on top of her lungs while I waited in the crowded airport.
No need to be so surprised... last time she visited was five years ago... And no, I am short for my age, my ignorant mother just didn't realize a twelve year old's head shouldn't be lower than her mother's shoulder.
Don't get me wrong, I loved my mother, her name is Alisi, which she changed from Jinyi when she got her English name, Alice, 15 years ago.
One word to describe my mother? Cheerful, she could lift anyone's spirit up, though sometimes its embarrassing when I remember that this happy-go-lucky person is actually my mother. I mean, she seems like an eight year old! Don't let that fool you though, my mother is good at everything.
As I get crushed into a hug, I noticed something's not right. My usually cheerful mother is a LOT less cheerful than before. I know it sounds weird, but usually she's cheerful to the point of exploding. Maybe she also had a weird encounter like me...
...around an hour ago...
While I was waiting in line for the United States of America arrivals - jeez why can't they make the name shorter?, I saw a pale boy riding a giant monster dog right into me. I swear he appeared out of thin air! I can't believe the airport security won't let my razor blade (for drawing and self defense) through but let this huge war machine charge through the metal detectors! Maybe its because no part of a dog is made of metal, but the guards really should think better before they act!
The boy looks confused at the signs clearly stated signs around him, shouted "OUTSIDE M LOVE ENGLISH TEA N AUNT OW FOLLOW!" (外M爱英茶N娜OW跟, or wai m ai in cha N ah ow gen, basically its "Why am I in China again" morphed into sounds that Xinyue misunderstood as Chinese) in VERY accented and not making sense Chinese. He sounded frustrated. Being the perfect student council president I am, I had to go ask him if he needs help. He looks around my age, if he is going to transfer into my school, I have leave a good impression right? I mean, I don't want any more troublemakers than what I already have to handle.
"Oi! You don't ride giant dogs into airports!" I walked up to the boy, putting a mask of authority.
The boy looks confused, maybe he can't understand Chinese properly, "Sorry?" Why is he apologizing? Oh wait, its also a form of saying "can you please speak in what ever language I speak?"
Since Chinese is the most commonly spoken language in the world, I tried my luck with English - hey I never learned Spanish! - "Do you speak English?" I asked the boy.
He looked confused, if he speak Spanish, I don't care. I was just about to try my luck with French - hopefully not - when he started laughing. Obviously laughing at my accent.
HOW DARE HE LAUGH AT MY ENGLISH?! I WAS THE BEST IN MY SCHOOL! I glared at him until he stopped.
"you don read mom be err an nee thing" (its actually "you don't remember anything") He said in a weird voice, while snapping his fingers, creating weird white mist, and disappeared. What did he say to me? I can't understand American English very well since I learned proper kind in school.
...hour later, back to present/where we left off...
I was wrapped in my thoughts about the weird boy until I remembered the not so cheerful mother that is still standing next to me.
"What's wrong mother?" I asked her,
"um... nothing much..." She said, looking like A LOT of things are bothering her.
Even though my mother is perfect in almost everything, (cooking, piano, zheng instrument, violin, oil painting, sketching, computer graphics, academics etc.) she is definitely horrible at lying and figuring out lies.
I let the lie slip, after all, my mother has everything to worry about, she haven't come back to China for 5 years of course she's going to be worried about the new Shanghai surrounding her.
"So hows school?" Mother asked me, changing the subject
"Class president for the seventh year running" I smiled at her, yup, I have been class president since first grade and still top of the class, even if that grouped me out of my classmates.
"YAY I'M SO PROUD OF YOU XINYUE!" Yup, this is my mother, as smart as she is, she is twice as innocent.
"But the seventh year is not over yet, so we can't say you will continue being class president..." My mother began...
When did she get so pessimistic? Mother always looked in the bright side of things. A thought formed in my head, a even older memory...
"Mommy! Huggie!" I screamed on the top of my lungs when I was in second grade, and My mom had came back from America for the second time.
"XINYUE YOU ARE ADORABLE! I'M SURE YOUR CRE- I MEAN FATHER WOULD BE VERY PROUD OF YOU!"
"My father?"
"Yes, he had gone away because he is busy..."
"Like you?"
"Yes he is in America, but not quite, you will meet him by your thirteenth birthday kay?"
"Why when I'm thirteen? I want to see him now!"
"Um...It's not safe..."
"Why?"
"I wan't you to see him after things calmed down and the war is over..."
"What war?"
"I don't know..."
"Are you just trying to impress me?"
My mother smiled and walked towards my grandparents.
My thirteenth birthday is on September 11th, the exact date of the 911 event, I always found that to be ironic, four and a half months away.
"XINYUE I NEVER KNEW YOU MADE THE PAPERS!?" My mother exclaimed half excited, but with a little horrified expression on her face for some reason...
Didn't I mention my life used to be perfect? The paper has a picture from a week ago after I won the district watercolor competition.
"Yes mom, I won 1st place in the piano competition in our district, and 3rd place for violin. I also won the district watercolor competition, badminton competition, and dancing competition. Also, my class won the city's award for having the top grades."
These should not have surprised my mother, she won those contests in her day too...
" I NEVER KNEW THEY WOULD MAKE THE PAPERS!"
I rolled my eyes, "Of course they'll make the papers, and some are on TV too."
Mother's eyes widened, but she quickly hid it with: "THAT'S WONDERFUL!" that has the meaning of "THAT'S HORRIBLE" screaming out at me.
Something is definitely wrong...lets test my theory...
"Mom should I take the test to be in the top boarding high school in Shanghai? I am able to skip another grade by now. Its also a wonderful school except for I can't leave the school once I enter."
"NO!"
Yup, theory proven, just to make sure...
"Why not?"
"Um... do you want to come with me to America?"
I already know what she was going to say, but just having my worst nightmare being said is a lot different than theory, I hid my disappointment.
"When?"
"Right after your grandparents agree!"
Wait, didn't they say visa takes about two months to get approved?
As if reading my mind, my mom told me: "Sorry for keeping it from you Xinyue, but you are an American citizen."
THAT'S WHY THE STUPID TOP MIDDLE SCHOOL WON'T ACCEPT ME! Why can't she tell me sooner so I could apply the correct paperworks for that school?
Wait...this means I have to live in America from now on.
"Shouldn't I finish my seventh grade year first?"
"No Xinyue, I'm sorry, but its wisest for you to go as soon as possible."
Does her response have anything to do with what just happened? But she couldn't have seen the weird boy!
As we were driven back to our home, my mother and grandparents are having a heated conversation in their home dialect - the chirpy, loud, weird sounding Shanghai talk, which I still can't say correctly.
The best way to have a secret conversation while yelling at each other: speak in a dialect no one knows.
But I did catch somethings in their convos though...
"...its not safe..."
"...wasted efforts..."
"...we'll all die..."
"ARGH WHY CANT WE TAKE LESSONS ON DIALECTS OF CHINA OTHER THAN ENGLISH?!"
Wait did I just shout that out loud?
So I was confused the whole time I HATE BEING CONFUSED! Until all three of my guardians came with the decision that I will go to America.
Here I am waiting for three hours and finally got on the plane - WHY THEY SO SLOW?! - and missing the time I wasted/am going to waste. Hopefully America would be better than I think.
Hi its Rina tan! (I have a habit of changing the last sound of my name)
Hope you like this, "The Lightning Thief" was the first English book I had ever read and improved my english - A LOT - so I had to thank Rick Riordan for that, even if I read it 5 years ago (right after I came to America, and thought Apollo was a pineapple) Please tell me if you like it! Or ask me questions and give me suggestions on what you think will happen.
For the rest of the story, it is mainly edited by my Beta reader named Ivy, I'm really grateful that I get to work on this story with her.