Second Person POV
Hey, you. Yeah you. You might be wondering what's going on next. Well, I'm here to tell you. So you might as well just sit back and enjoy. So anyway, there is this press conference that the band, A.J., has to go to. I know, sounds boring, but it's to congradulate the newcomer. If he shows up, that is.
Annabeth's POV
I'm at the press conference right now. I have decided to take on my brother's place. I mean, it can't hurt. I already lost my ticket to Percy and I don't really have much to do. But the main reason was because of what that Andrew did this for our sake. We might be able to find our mother. If we're famous enough, it might just work. Plus, I'm not letting all my brother's hard work get sent to the trash. I mean, he must have auditioned tons of times to finally make it.
I took off my nun outfit and put it on a table in the restroom. I lay my rosary and ring onto the dress, carefully, so it wouldn't get tangled. Beneath all that clothing is just a gray shirt and pants. I look myself in the mirror. My blonde hair was long, touching my shoulders. My gray eyes filled with worry,, but also at the same time, relief. 'I have to do this,' I say to myself. "From now on, I'm going to be Andrew Chase."
In my hand, I held a pair of large scissors. And I started to snip my hair. I could hear Mr. Allen outside saying, "We are here today to welcome the newest member to the nationwide band, A.J." Laptops start to turn on one my one. When I was done cutting my hair until it looked like a boys, I started to wrap around some cloth around my chest.
Outside, I could here Mr. Allen announcing that A.J is here. There were sounds of clapping, cheering, and talking. I spray hairspray into my hair, making sure that it would stay the way it is. I put on a white dress shirt, buttoning it till it reached my neck. My white pants were carefully put on and my foot slipped into a pair of white dress shoes. I put on my white jacket and just stared. I wasn't smiling, but I wasn't crying either. I could still hear the loud noises from outside. I walk to a room where I was suppose to stand and wait for my cue.
Percy's POV
"Now, the newest member of our proud A.J group, Andrew Chase!" Mr. Allen yelled to everyone. I really doubt that that little guy would show up. Journalists, reporters, and paparrazis were crowding the place, waiting for Andrew to walk out and introduce himself. But it was completely silent.
"Come one, Andrew. If you don't come out, I'll punch you in the face so hard, you'll look like a girl," I said under my breath. Mr. Allen chuckled nervously. And we kept waiting. I smirked, knowing that he's too scared to show up. Sam and Jeremy looked at each other, confised about what's going on. The crowd was confused. You could hear people saying, "What's going on?" or "Where's Andew?" and stuff like that. But I didn't really care. We didn't need a new band member. We were fine the way were until Mr. McKenzie just had to get us a new member. He said it'll help out on our 'reputations.'
Suddenly, the door started slide open.
Annabeth's POV
I stood there, behind the door, terrified. I don't know if I could do this. But I have to . I have already come this far to, anyway. Andrew did this for us. For me. I can't just let him down like that. I had to do it. I need to repay him for all that he has done for me.
I slowly open the door, the light flashing into my eyes. I immediately hear people talking and camera flashes from in front of me. I stepped out onto the marble floor and everyone started to crowd around me, asking me questions and taking photos. I glanced at where Mr. Allen, Percy, Sam, and Jeremy were sitting. Mr. Allen was standing up, clapping for me. Sam and Jeremy were smiling at me, happy. And Percy. He just sat there, looking in the opposite direction. I knew that he didn't want to be proven wrong another time. His face had the same permanent scowl as before.
Behind me, Mr. McKenzie started to cry, wiping tears from his eyes and taking off his glasses changing them to sunglasses, so no one was able to see him cry.
Second Person POV
I'll go back in a second. But since they are known nationwide, many people are watching them on TV. Even the people that they despise the most.
"The newest member of A.J, Andrew Chase. He's been in training for 5 years and beat out 500 others to become a new star. He'll be on vocals with Percy Jackson, the leader of A.J."
"It's that child," a woman said. Remember I told you that even people they despise are watching? Well, this woman is on of them.
"Please look out for us!" Mr. Allen said before many questions were asked.
"Does he really look like me?" the woman stated. Now, you're probably wondering who looks like her. Could it be Annabeth, who's pretending to be Andrew? Is it Percy Jackson, the lead singer? Is it Sam Kozak, the lead guitarist? Could it be Jeremy, the drummer of this band? Who knows. Maybe it could even be you.
Annabeth's POV
That press conference was intense. I'm pretty tired out, but I have to go back to the dorms. As I walked into my room, I notice a door and curiosity got the better of me. I pushed open the door and it was a huge walk in closet! My eyes widened at the sight of all this clothes. I walked down the stairs into the living room to find a huge flat screen TV, couches, photos of A.J everywhere, and it looked like one of those impossible pictures with all the stairs. This place was as magnificent as the building itself. The kitchen connects to the living room, making gettign snacks very easy. I decided to tour around the dorm a little more.
I walked down a couple of stairs and there, I found, was a recording studio for Percy. His pictures hung up all around the place. It looked like it was made for him. There was a black desk when you exit the place. My bedroom was just as fantastic. Modern furniture was all around the room. It even had it's own bathroom and everything! I started to unpack my things from the suitcase. I brought a statue of the Virgin Mary with me, so I could pray and also a bible. As I unpacked, I notice that I still have Percy's phone.
"It's his phone," I said to myself. "I should return it to him. Luckily, I found out that his room was right across from mine. It was beautiful once I walked in. Bright blue lights hung on the ceiling, neon pictures of him scattered around the room, a persian rug was lying by his king sized bed. His silver desk was in fron of his flat screen TV and his black couch was right behind it. A bookshelf full of albums, books, and tapes were neatly organized and positioned. There was a door leading to the bathroom. It looked like no one was there.
I walked down carefully into his room, avoiding something that I could possibly break. I looked at his desk. So organized. There's not even a speck of dust. The lamp was lined up with the pencils in a holder and the small analog clock. Papers were neatly stacked on top of each other and there was even a fountain pen. I didn't notice it, but I must've moved the lamp a little.
"I need to put this somewhere that he wouldn't notice." I quickly scanned the room, trying to find a good place to put it. I found a cabinet that I was able to place the phone in and carefuly set it down. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Someone was coming into the room, so I just dashed into his bathroom as fast as I could. It didn't seem like he noticed me. He closed the door behind him and walked over to his desk, where he found the bathroom door opening, then, closing.
"What do I do?" I asked to myslef. I need to hide. If I get caught in his room, I'll be dead. I looked around, but there was no where. "What do I do? What do I do?" I peeked out of the room to see Percy just staring at the door, but then, turned back like it was nothing. I sighed. He sat down on his chair and put a glass of water on his desk. Then, he turned the lamp on, but it was shining in the wrong direction. He started coming towards the bathroom. I needed a place to hide, quick! But it was too late. Percy walked into his bathroom, to find me there, sitting on the toilet because I got spooked.
He looked at me and said, "What are you?" I stuttered.
"Well..." I was about to stand up when I slipped and turned on the sink and the next thing I konw, water started spraying on me. I screamed and got up as fast as I could and it just kept spraying me in the face. I fell down on the floor and tried to turn it off, but I didn't know what I did. "Wait a moment. Wait a moment," I said. "Please calm down." Percy just stood there, arms crossed and smirking.
"Are you going to turn it off?" He galanced down at his watch and then, the water stopped spraying. I was breathing heavy, but eventually just left the room in a hurry, but not before apologizing.
"I'm sorry I came into your room without permission. I'm really, really sorry." I accidentally sprayed some water on him.
"Hey!" He looked at me in disgust. I offered my hand, but he just said, "Hey!" even louder. I quickly pulled it back, scared that he'll punch me. Of course, I'm pretending to be Andrew, and if I get punched like he did, we're both doomed. "Listen carefully. I'm going to explain the rules here, okay?" I nodded. "First, you don't put your hands on me without permission. I'm sesecailly appalled when you approach so suddenly. Second, don't come into my room without permission. If you wan to shower or brush you teeth while the water is spraying in your face, do it in your own room. Third, don't touch my things without permission. If my things aren't in the exact position I placed them in, I really can't stand it and I might hurt you. You understand?" I gulped.
"Yes."
"If you understand, wrap up your drain showered body, and leave!" I looked at him for a few awkward seconds.
"Yes, I'm sorry." And I started to walk out of the bathroom, with Percy trying to avoid touching me.
Loud music boomed everywhere. Dancers and singers were on stage. Mr. Allen put his arm around me. The club was a lot smaller than I thought, but a lot louder too. I changed into a plaid jacket around a dress shirt and tie. My black jeans and shoes were on the lower half of me.
"Hey, Andrew. You can become just like those singers over there. Just trsut me, alright?" Mr. Allen stood up and opened a bottle of champaign and it was fizzing out of the bottle. Everyone got a cup and started drinking.
"To Andrew Chase on his success for joining A.J!" Everyone cheered. I've never had alcohol before and when I tried it, it was nasty. The taste left a bitter aftermath. I could see Percy staring at me with his murderous look. Sam and Jeremy were going to cheer with him, but they noticed that he was still being hid jerk self. After a while, Jeremy and Sam went to go dancing with a couple of other people.
Mr. McKenzie brought me over to a woman with long, dark hair and a cheetah print dress.
"Annabeth, this is Silena Beauragard. She's A.J's stylist." Silena stuck her hand out. She looked a little bit older than me, but not by that much. Her dark blue eyes gave her a kind of beautiful aura.
"Hi, I'm Silena. Mr. McKenzie has already told me about your current situation and I'll be able to help you. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
"Yeah, don't worry. She's a friend of mine." Silena smiled at me.
"You can call me big sis. I think it'd be really cool." She clanked her glass of champaign with mine and started to drink a little. Mr. McKenzie lead me somewhere else, but then, I lost him. Instead, I was caught in a circle with a bunch of girls surrounding me. They looked like they were children of Aphrodite because of their beauty.
"He's really cute," one of them said. "Look at that skin. It's softer than mine." She pinched my cheek like I was some small, chubby kid.
"Why are you being like this?" I asked, but no one listened.
"His voice is just like a boy. A boy. That's why he's totally my type!"
"Why are you like this?" I asked once more.
"Here, have one more glass," she offered.
But after a while, I couldn't remember much. Mr. McKenzie came over to me and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Who? Me?" was all I could say. "I'm okay. I'm okay, but why do I keep laughing?" gave him a dreamy smile,
"Stop drinking. You can get drunk on champagne." He took away my glass and put it on a table behind him. I still felt woozy. "Stay here. I'm going to get some water. Just stay. Don't go anywhere." But of course, I went anyway. I suddenly ran into Jeremy.
"Oh, hi Andrew. I hope your liking this party because it's mainly about you." He gave me on eof his cheerful smiles.
"Oh, thank you David." He gave me a confused look.
"David? Are yo okay?" The answer is, I'm not. I have no idea what I'm doing. "Here, you're probably going to the bathroom. It's on the second floor. Here, let me help." He put his arm around me and started to bring me up to the second floor. "The bathroom is here." I squeezed out of his grip.
"I said I'm fine. Don't worry." And I walked towards the bathroom. Where is that again? Things keep whirling around. So many bright lights. I just but my back on a corner and took off my jacket, handing it behind me. Somebody took it, but I was too-ah...woozy to notice. But when I did, I tunred around and found Sam.
"There are a lot of reporters around here. There's going to be a lot of eyes on you so be careful. Don't let them see you drunk because you look like it. It looks like your sweating. Why don't you unbutton your shirt a little?" He reached out to unbutton it for me, but I remembered that I was a gir. I knew that he's just being nice because that's the kind of guy he is.
"Um, it's okay. I don't feel stuffy. I'm actaully very cold. I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."
"Okay." He gave me on of his nice smiles and said, "Well, if you want to get some fresh air, you can go up to the balcony. It'll help."
"Where's the balcony?"
"Just go up those stairs," he instructed, pointing to a staircase behind him. "Oh, hold on. Let me get you some coffee to sober you up." Then, he walked away.
"So, the balcony is over there?" I asked myself. I walked up the stairs as carfully as I could and made it up. "Ah, it's so nice up here!" I walked towards the railing as best as I could without falling. Little did I know that someone else was up here.
I leaned over the railing. I felt like I was going to hurl. My head hung a little low on the railing. Suddenly, I felt hands on my back and they pulled me back.
"Are you crazy?" It was Percy. "You almost fell. Do you want to die?"
"I feel really queasy." I started to choke. Percy stepped back a little. He looked kind of scared.
"Hey, are you okay?" He could see me trying to throw up. "Go to the bathroom. Hurry." But I wouldn't budge. He looked really scared now. He grabbed a small cup and gave it to me. "Will this work?" he asked in a high pitched voice. I shook my head. He gave me an emty water bottle. "Whta about this?" I shook my head again and shoved it away. He looked around frantically. There were a few flower pots next to the railing and he grabbed one. He pulled the flower out of it, including the soil and said, "Use this!" I started to hurl into the pot and he was still holding it. He looked like he wanted to hurl himself. I guess that he's really clean. He didn't look my way because he was probably too scared to.
I plopped down onto the floor and started to feel refreshed again. "I fell alive." Percy looked at the pot and turned away immediately. His face was one of pure disgust. He didn't want to look at the pot, since it was still in his hands. So, he put the plant back in. Then, it started to die. He clapped his hands together just in case. Sam and Jeremy came up.
"You guys are here. Are you feeling a little better?" Sam asked me. I stood up.
"Yes, I feel refreshed."
"Hey, look. All of our members are together," Jeremy pointed out.
"Yup. Since we're together, we should welcome him ourselves," said Sam.
"What should we do when he's in this condition?" Percy asked.
"Ah," I blurted out. I turned around and started to walk towards the railings. "I really like it here." My walk was still pretty wobbly. I walked towards a bench that was illuminated by a lamp next to it and started to climb on it.
Behind me, I could here Sam, Jeremy, and Percy talking. They were saying something about me using the words, 'unique,' 'entertaining,' and 'disastrous.' I stood up on the bench and looked up into the night sky. And reached. "Wow! So many stars! The sky looks so close! I feel like I could touch it!" suddenly, I was wobbling back and forth. I could hear Percy, Sam, and Jeremy run all the way to where I was, ready to catch me. It looked like time had slowed down. And then, I had this weird dream. It was like I was in heaven.
Percy, Sam, and Jeremy were all posing next to Greek statues, with bright smiles on their faces. I was wearing a dress. And I had my hair back. My blonde hair blowing in the wind. It was a beautiful, big garden. Flowers bloomed everywhere. The wind was blowing in my face. I felt like I was in heaven. And then, I woke up.
The next chapter will be uploaded real soon!
