***Takes place during "Battle of the Labyrinth"

***This is a sort of a prequel to a character I created in my version of "The House of Hades". This story will make sense, even if you don't read my spinoff. This is my second fanfiction. Enjoy!

Maybe it was an illusion. Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe she just dozed off...excuses, excuses. Leila had been trying to convince herself with lies for twelve years now. It hadn't worked. But she felt sure that she had seen a man, well above seven feet tall, prowling around the supermarket. She was terrified; she had told an employee, but of course, he didn't believe her. No one ever did.

Was Leila a troubled kid? Yeah. You could say that.

Don't be so pessimistic. It's too early in the morning, she chided herself. But she couldn't help thinking about the five different schools she'd gotten herself kicked out of. Leila nervously pulled on a sweatshirt, and brushed her long, tangled black hair as she prepared for her first day of seventh grade at MLK Middle School.

In her pocket, she fingered the pocketknife that her mom had given her for her twelfth birthday. It was a strange gift to give to a pre-teen, but Leila was grateful. She felt like she needed the protection. One of the blades was an ordinary silver color, but the other had a weird bronze tinge to it. Only for emergencies, her mother had warned her. Leila never knew what "emergency" called for a bronze pocketknife, but she decided against questioning the gift.

"Leila!" hollered her mom from downstairs. "First day of school!"

"Coming!" she yelled back. She peered out of her window, gazing at the Bay Area hills which surrounded her house for a moment, before dashing downstairs. She gulped down her breakfast, and wiped her mouth.

Her mom chuckled at her haste, and playfully shoved her daughter off the chair. "Go. And good luck, sweetie."

I'll need it. Leila thought as she opened her front door. She walked towards the intersection, so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice a tall guy bump her arm. She whipped around, and as she recognized him, she said accusingly, "Keaton! You scared me!"

Keaton's gray eyes flashed with amusement. "Hey, Leila. Care to walk to MLK with me?"

"No way. I thought you were staying at the other middle school!"

"I couldn't just ditch my best friend, right?"

Leila shoved his arm playfully, saying, "Thanks for being there for me, Wise Guy." She had given Keaton that nickname because he had managed to get straight A's ever since preschool, even though he had ADHD, like Leila.

"So, what's your plan?" he asked in a low voice.

"Plan for what?" Leila asked confusedly.

"For blowing up this school, obviously!"

"Keaton!"

He wisely stayed silent, until he stopped abruptly near the front of the school.

"Hey, they're hurting that guy!" he said, his eyes narrowing. Leila turned to where he was looking, and saw a gang of eighth graders beating up another student.

"Cut it out!" she said sharply, running towards them. She had a special hatred for bullies.

Suddenly, she felt Keaton grasp her arm. "Leila, don't be so rash. Remember last time?" She impatiently shook him off and rushed to the poor student's aid.

Leila kicked her way through the gang, stomping on a couple of foots, until the boys scattered. "Hey, are you okay?" she said worriedly.

"Yeah." the guy said, holding his bleeding nose. The guy was wearing a beanie covering his curly brown hair, and his forehead was covered in acne. Around his neck hung a necklace which had colorful beads strung on it. It was pretty hot outside, but he was wearing jeans and sneakers.

The guy scrambled to his feet, brushing off his shirt, and said, "I'm Sage. Thanks for helping me."

"I'm Leila."

Sage studied her face for a few moments, and his eyes widened...in fear? Recognition?

"What?" Leila said, self-conscious.

"Nothing." he muttered, "You just look like someone I know."

"Who?" asked Keaton curiously, who had decided to join the party.

Sage's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head as his eyes darted from Keaton to Leila. "Oh, n-no one," he stammered, "just a guy I know from summer camp."

Leila and Keaton exchanged looks. Strange. "Do you need any more help?" Keaton said.

"Naw. I'm just heading towards the middle school." Sage said, pointing towards MLK.

"Great! You can come with us, then." Leila said, before Keaton could stop her.

"Y-you guys are in seventh grade?" Sage asked.

She nodded, saying, "What about you?"

She was guessing eighth grade, at the very least, but to her surprise, Sage said seventh too. That was weird. He looked like he could be in high school.

She forged ahead, leaving Keaton and Sage to follow her. "Let's go get tortured!" she said enthusiastically.

*Two months later*

"Sage, I can't believe how fast you ate that enchilada."

"What? I was hungry!"

"Yeah, after eating two muffins and three apples? Sure."

Leila, Keaton, and Sage sat on a bench outside, eating their lunches. Leila felt like she couldn't be happier. Her two best buddies were sitting next to her, the lunch was actually edible, and not a single freakish thing had happened to her this semester. Yet.

"You know that off-limits area in the back of the school? The one that's been under construction for like, a year?" Leila asked.

"Yeah." the guys said together.

"Well, I heard there's a trapdoor underneath all the construction stuff. Should we check it out?"

"No way!" Sage said, sweat appearing on his forehead. "I heard that place is haunted."

"Aww, I didn't know you were one to be scared of the paranormal, Sage." Keaton teased.

Sage was a horrible liar. Leila could tell that something else bothered him about that place, and she was determined to find out.

After a pause, Sage asked uncertainly, "Leila? You know your mom?"

Leila blinked in surprise at the rapid change of subject. Then, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Sage, I know my mom."

He blushed. "You know that's not what I meant. I mean, is she divorced?"

Leila felt her heart being squeezed with an iron fist. She studied her apple for a while, then threw it at the crowd of pigeons which had gathered at their feet.

She never married. My dad didn't have the guts to marry her once he found out that she was expecting. Never saw my father, and I've never wanted to."

"After an awkward pause, Keaton added, "Same here. I never knew my mom. I never saw her, and she never kept in touch with me."

Sage seemed to be lost in thought.

"Earth to Sage, Earth to Sage." Keaton joked, punching him on the arm.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Anyway, I've gotta run to the bathroom."

"Again?" Leila teased.

Sage's face colored. "I'll see you guys later," he said, and he trotted off - with that weird limp he had - to the facilities.

Keaton grunted. "That kid's weird." he murmured.

"He's our friend."

"Yeah, he's great and nice and all, but there's something about him..."

"I know. But I can't put my finger on it."