Piper woke up to sweaty palms and a knot in her throat. She hugged her body in attempt to hide the desperate tears that escaped her eyes as her mind couldn't help but relive the moment of her death. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breath as the first droplets of water collided with the bus' roof.
You're riding a bus, She reassured herself everything is alright.
Ha!
Piper balled her fists in exasperation and frowned angrily. She was determined to not let her host win the battle, and putting up with her annoying presence was the first step to be taken. She was mad at her for not─
Dying? The host guessed mockingly I've already died. Didn't you pay attention last night, beauty queen?
"Attention, passengers," the driver said "This bus is arriving at the Mill Center Station in shortly, please make sure to not forget any of your bags"
Piper looked outside the window and into the rainy background. The bus station she was arriving to, as the driver had previously announced, appeared to be completely empty. There weren't any more buses arriving at the same station at the time she hopped off the one she'd been traveling in, and it appeared no one was either inside or outside the bus station besides a couple black-clothed souls holding business looking suitcases. Seekers. A sudden fear ran a chill up her spine. She shook such irrational thoughts of her mind and started to walk herself out the bus station and into the street.
She had clearly underestimated the tiny droplets of rain that had started to collide against the bus window before. It was raging outside. Thunder shook the sky and wide rivers had already formed by the sidewalks and the edges of the street she was about to walk down. She heaved a sigh and checked her surroundings. After a hard time trying to decipher any opened building through the heavy mist, she spotted a lone building with the word Diner in fluorescent italic handwritten-like style by the corner of the street. It looked old, with its damaged cobblestone roof and brick walls, but it promised a warm environment and tasty food.
Piper clutched her bag against her chest and ran for it.
A small voice that had nothing to do with her host warned her to slow it down, but she didn't listen. She was delighted with the humid air in her lungs and the cold droplets of rain kissing her hair. Her mind was in complete silence and Piper somehow knew her host liked this feeling.
As incredible as it was, she agreed with her.
She fastened her pace and laughed as she felt her feet slip, but was glad to had finally reached the entrance to the Diner. The moment she pulled the door opened her sense of smell was delighted with the strong scent of roast beef and French fries. Piper closed her eyes and saw brighter images of people laughing around a fire at night, roasting beef and holding glass bottles to their lips as they talked. It was over pretty soon, but Piper smiled at the stolen memory.
"Oh, hi!" a young feminine voice greeted her and snapped her back to reality.
Piper's eyes opened, alarmed, but relaxed at the sight of the bright smile on a young dark-skinned woman's face, stretching a hand to her. She shook it twice and nodded. "Hi"
"Welcome to Donna's place, my name is Soft Summer Air, and I will be serving you today. You can call me Summer, if you'd like" she said closing the door behind Piper "are you waiting for someone else?"
"I'm Piper" she introduced herself as she took off her coat. "And no, it's just me"
"Enchanté, Piper. Let me take care of this" Summer said already snatching her coat of her arms "Table for two, then. Please follow me"
Donna's Place was larger than it initially appeared when Piper spotted it from the bus station building. Wooden-framed pictures of sunny backgrounds and peaceful countryside hung in the walls and a soft music played from every corner making her feel like being in a larger version of her apartment. Summer guided Piper to a free table by a window facing the same street she had come from and sat down. She took off the green and grey scarf around her neck and let her hair loose in an attempt to hide the purple spots on her neck as she watched Summer disappear behind a white door behind a large bar that probably led to the kitchen.
Piper held her head in her hands and closed her eyes trying to concentrate. She needed to obtain as much information from her host's memories as she could before heading to her healer's office in downtown. Piper still wondered if she'd made the right decision but realized it was already too late to back down as she remembered the call she'd given to Shining One, the healer that had conducted her insertion, back in the bus.
Piper took a long breath and focused. She managed to tear down the first barrier her host had built in front of her and saw a young girl's reflection in a mirror. The edges of the image where blurry but the girl's reflection was clear. Her blond locks of hair hung in two pigtails behind her ears and her startling grey eyes were fixed in her own reflection with disgust, probably because of the horrid pink dress she was wearing. The girl turned her gaze to the sound of a familiar voice calling her name.
"Annabeth, dear, it's time to go"
Annabeth is her name. Annabeth Chase.
The girl vanished in an explosion of dust and in her place materialized a flash of pine trees and dirt. She is running in the woods, her hair is dripping wet and it sticks to her face and neck every time she looks behind her back in horror but she doesn't have time to tie it up.
"We're not going to hurt you!" a choir of voices shouts from behind. But Annabeth doesn't stop. Her bare feet hurt and are probably bleeding but somehow she manages to fasten her pace through the woods and into the darkness. She cries as she finds out she's no longer afraid of what awaits her in there, for it means a safe place they might not be able to reach her. She makes a hard turn and runs down a small hill just before jumping to the dark river. The water is cold and makes her limbs numb but she manages to keep herself submerged in it until the lights of their lamps disappear. Annabeth swims for the edge of the river and with her last remnant of strength; she pulls herself out and on dry ground. She holds her knees to her chest as her shoulders shake in uncontrollable sobbing.
She's all by herself in a world that is no longer safe.
Piper jumps in her seat at the feeling of Summer's palm on her shoulder. She looks up at her and smiles. "Sorry"
"No problem" she reassures her handing her a plastered sheet with the menu "here's the menu. Would you like something to drink while you make up your mind?"
"Uh, yes, please" Piper said after a quick glance to the drinks section "I'd like a glass of natural lemonade, please"
"Natural lemonade, it is" Summer said retrieving a small notebook and a pen from her apron "I'll be right back with your drink, Piper"
"Thanks"
As soon as Piper's eyes followed Summer into the same white door behind the bar, she held her head in her hands once again and closed her eyes. The barrier grew stronger and impossible to go through this time. Annabeth had shut down the access to her mind completely.
Stop that, she demanded angrily.
Piper rolled her eyes and stared outside the window in annoyance. Said task was close to impossible.
