There was only one day when I was sure that Luke and Annabeth would come and sit with me; the anniversary of the attack that tore our lives apart.
I felt like a tombstone, the grave marker the family of a dead girl would come to visit every year in order to remind themselves that they once loved her. It hurt when they laid flowers down at the base of my trunk, the petals brushing lightly against my bark.
"We miss you, Thalia," Annabeth said, pressing her forehead against me.
"Wish you were here, Thal," Luke added, placing his hand on my bark. "I know that you would love everyone."
"I wish you could see this place, Thalia," Annabeth gushed. "The strawberry fields and the arena and the cabins and the lake. It's all so beautiful. Luke's right. You'd love it."
I could imagine how wonderful it would be in the camp. It seemed like a good place to be, and I was happy that Luke and Annabeth were taken care of here. They were safe within the boarders that I created. But I wished that I could be with them, too.
"Come on, Annabeth," Luke said to her. "Let's go."
No! I wanted to scream. Don't leave me!
But I couldn't, and they left.
I wished I could see them as they walked away. I wanted more than anything in the world to be able to see Annabeth, with her long blonde curls and big gray eyes, and Luke, tall and handsome and looking every bit like the mischievous boy he was. I wanted to see their faces so I could see if there was any confliction about whether they should stay with me or go back to camp.
But I couldn't see them, and it hurt me so much to know that I might never see them again, and it scared me that I might forget what they looked like.
Of course, it was silly to think that I could possibly forget my siblings' faces.
Wasn't it?
I conjured up their faces in my head, and was relieved to find that I could recall their faces perfectly.
So why did I still feel so uneasy?