Author's note: Well here it is! The new chapter I've been working on since for-ev-er. Hope you guys like it! And if not, then review it and tell me why!
P.S. This story takes place two years before the Lightning Thief, basically think of it as the characters background story before they went to Camp and met Percy. I do not own anything in this story besides Selene, Angela, and Justin. Also Bad Day rightfully belongs to Daniel Powter.
SELENE'S POINT OF VEIW
She just… went.
She didn't jump, didn't fall, didn't push herself over. She just… let go of everything and went hurling towards the ground. I couldn't even believe that she had the courage to do that and… leave me.
Why though? Why would she? Why would she leave me now after everything she promised?
I knew that I never should have listened to her words, never should have taken them in and believed in them for so long. What was I thinking anyway? That Angela could be my new family and give me a new life here… yeah right. Tell me that again when I get approached by a ghost and fall in love at the same time. It just doesn't work out with me.
Snow kept on falling and drowning away the midnight moon, I couldn't even see the crowds' of people down below because it was so dark and white at the same time. I could still hear the sirens that blazed and the lights that flashed, everything turning into a mixture of red, white, and blue (wow, way to show the American Pride with just my first day here). Tears were streaming down my face and frost bite was already starting to kick in. Wind blew at me lightly and I thought that I could hear whispering, murmuring, something that reminded me of humans out here on the roof, but I couldn't see what it was. I didn't really even want to.
The crunching of footsteps took me by surprise and I turned away from the New York City skyscrapers to the cold roof of the abandoned apartment building. There was a boy standing a few yards away from me, his winter clothes torn and dirty. I couldn't see much of him under the flying whiteness, but I could make out one thing: he had his eyes locked on me, studying and observing my next moves and decisions. I wondered what he was doing out here in the middle of night watching me like a hawk.
We kept staring at each other for so long that I could completely memorize his face: light olive skin, daring brown eyes, bushy eyebrows with tiny scars painting all over the forehead and such. I guessed that he was eleven, maybe twelve. I wasn't so sure considering that I didn't want to take my eyes away from his. It was like a staring contest actually, seeing which one would breakaway first.
It was me who first blinked and saw through another screen of frames: he wasn't challenging me, he was welcoming me. The frozen face that had once been a hardening stare was now a soft gaze that pitied me. It made me want to throw up and die on the spot.
"What do you want from me?" my voice was cracked and shaky, bit by bit it got smaller. "Take what you want and leave. I don't have much left anymore."
"What's your name?" he asked. His voice was slow, scared even. Like he was the explorer and I was the frightened animal. He wanted to draw me in closer, not scare me away.
"Selene," I said carelessly. I wondered if he noticed my British accent.
"You're like what? Eight, nine? And you're alone out here?"
"A few days away from ten mind you." My serenity was wearing thin now.
"Oh, sorry then." He put his hands out in surrender then went on above the noise from the dying sirens, "just figured you'd like to go inside the apartment since the cops could be up here any moment. Wouldn't want to get caught by them I bet"
True… but I didn't know if I could trust him. "What's your name?" I said. "Your full name." I figured that I could blackmail him with an anonyms call to the police if he was a runaway or rebel. Lucky that Selene was only my middle name ha.
"Christopher Rodriguez." he said a bit quietly. (Thank the gods I had really good hearing.) "My friends and I… we live in the apartment just below us and I'd like to invite you in, give you a place for the rest of the night and help you with whatever."
"What makes you think I need help?"
He smiled apologetically. "You are a street kid aren't you?"
Skittles he had me there. "Fine. Whatever then." I wiped away the frosted tears on my face and took a deep breath. I made sure to grab my school bag and fish out a pen from the front pocket; In case of emergency I figured it was the best weapon I had so far.
My steps followed Rodriguez's as he went through the big heavy metal door and into the building. I admit I hesitated before going inside, but with one last look at the flashing lights everywhere in the falling snow, I knew that it was my last chance of being undiscovered.
"Over here." Rodriguez led me down a hall that smelled suspiciously of cigarette smoke and unwashed socks. I struggled not to gag as he guided me deeper into the apartment and closer to the noise of people fumbling around. I gripped my bag tighter and tried not to let myself cry anymore. I had to be strong and witty; tears would only take that away.
"Don't mind my friends," Rodriguez said as we walked, I noticed that he was trying to keep the calm tension alive, "Ethan and Justin can just get a little paranoid. But my two other friends, Beckendorf and Lee, they're pretty cool. As long as you don't get in their way that is."
"Okay," my voice was a whisper, "will they be mad at you for letting me come and stay the night?"
He snorted. "Probably not. Just try not to get on their nerves and you'll be fine."
"Okay."
We walked in silence for a few more minutes until we came to a door no different from any other. "Welcome to my home Selene." Rodriguez twisted the knob leading into one of the apartments and stepped away to let me enter first.
I walked in cautiously and the scent of candles was the first thing that caught my attention. There were a few here and there inside the room, none lit because it was nighttime. I saw big black lumps of shadows on the ground, four in total. I realized that they were Rodriguez's friends, sleeping on the floor because there was no furniture in the apartment. I noticed that one of them snored like an old man, the smallest one next to him twitching and murmuring like a little toddler on night terrors. I wondered how bad of a nightmare he was having.
"You can just go into a corner and curl up," Rodriguez whispered. He hadn't taken of any of his winter clothes for the cold in here was barely any different from the one outside. "I would try my best not to wake up any of the others. It's been awhile since any of us have had a decent sleep."
I nodded, but then said okay because we were in darkness. I could see him, but he couldn't see me. One of the flaws that I usually forget whenever I'm with people.
I stepped quietly through the apartment, heading toward the farthest corner in the room. I passed the young boy who was having a nightmare, his body shaking like he was cold. Rodriguez came up to him and took off his own jacket, frowning as he laid it on the boy's body. I didn't keep on frowning when the little boy stopped shivering.
I made it to the corner and settled down, leaning against the walls with dead beat tiredness. My bag sat in my lap, its weight giving me comfort. I didn't feel like rummaging through it though, I would save that for later. My hands went into my pockets and out with my mp3. I set the earphones into my ears and pushed play, just wanting to hear music that would guide me away…
Where is the moment we needed the most?
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost.
They tell me your blue skies fade to gray.
They tell me your passions gone away.
And I don't need no carryin' on…
You stand in the line just to hit a new low. Because you had a bad day,
You're faking a smile with the coffee you go.
You tell me your life's been way off line.
You're falling to pieces every time.
And I don't need no carryin' on…
you're taking one down.
You sing a sad song just to turn it around.
You say you don't know,
you tell me don't lie,
you work at a smile and you go for a ride.
You had a bad day.
The cameras don't lie,
you're coming back down and you really don't mind.
You had a bad day.
You had a bad day.
Tears formed in my eyes as I tried to sleep, I didn't bother to brush them away. I sniffled quietly and brought my knees up to my chest, hugging them for comfort. Why did Angela leave me? Why did she just go of that building without thinking about me? Did I just not matter to her? Was I not good enough to be living with her? But those last words she told me in our apartment, those things she said before the police came…
"Whatever happens Selene, I love you like a little sister and always will. Don't you ever forget that no matter where you are or how down you're in life, I'll always be hoping for the best in you."
Had she really meant that?
Honestly it doesn't feel like she did.
"Ethan, wake up! Wake up Ethan! Please! Wake up!"
It was still about four in the morning, not yet late enough to wake up. There was a fifteen year old boy in the middle of the apartment shaking awake a ten year old one. The fifteen year old had blond hair and blue eyes, a body of all bones no fat. The ten year old, Ethan his name obviously, had slick black hair and so many bruises on his skin that I couldn't even tell what color he was supposed to be. I curled myself tighter in a ball and figured that if I made myself small enough, then I wouldn't be seen or noticed by the fifteen year old.
"C'mon Ethan! Wake up! Don't play this kind've game with me! Wake up!" the fifteen year old set Ethan down on the ground and watched as he twitched and shivered, his mouth quivering slightly.
"Fire… everywhere… everyone… no survivors." Ethan squirmed and shivered on the ground, his body moving into a tight ball. I was determined not to freak out.
"C'mon Eth, wake up. It's just a nightmare, snap out of it dude!" fifteen year old gently smacked the boy on his cheek, trying to get his eyes opened. "Please Ethan. Wake. Up."
"What's going on Justin?" Rodriguez stood up from his sleeping spot and looked at his friend in the darkness. "What's all the yelling for?"
"Its Ethan," Justin said quickly, "he's having another nightmare and I can't seem to wake him up this time."
Rodriguez's eyes widen as he looked around. "Hold on a sec. let me light a candle so that we can see." He picked up something from the floor and grabbed one of the candles laying around. Snapping on the lighter in his hand, he put the flame to the candle's wick and started a small light.
"Flames everywhere… her screaming… Th-the little wolf puppy…he-he's howling…" Ethan rolled his head to the side and covered his ears with his hands. His eyes were squeezed shut so tight that I felt my own hands shaking. What was he seeing in his nightmare? What was it about? Who was the 'her' that was screaming?
"Ethan, wake up man," Rodriguez shook his shoulder and raised his voice, the sound echoing throughout the apartment. "You gotta get it together. Just open your eyes dude, Ethan!"
The little boy started crying obliviously. He lay on his side curling tighter and tighter into a ball.
"Justin, Wake up Lee." Rodriguez didn't take his gaze of off Ethan, "and Beckendorf too. Now."
Justin shakily went about the room waking up two other boys; One African American with huge catcher's mitts hands and the other like a younger version of Justin. They were both uncomplaining to wake up, seeing how urgent and distressed Justin's voice was anyway. They ran to his side and looked over Ethan, each not saying a word as they listened to the little boy's murmurings.
"Gotta help her… wait, its cracking! She can't' make it out! Her-her wolf, he's slipping… they're gonna die!" Ethan shook harder and fiercer, his cheeks becoming soaked with tears. "They… they can't help her. She's on her own… the wolf… oh my gods... he's falling! No!" Ethan blurred out tears harder than I ever could have imagined. He started hitting and kicking at nothing, Justin and Rodriguez tried holding him down, but that boy was going into seizure mode or something.
"Wake up dude!" the smaller and younger Justin said. He smacked Ethan straight across the face.
It made no difference.
Ethan was still having some sort of spasm.
That's when I started freaking out. This little boy right here, probably no older than I, was shivering and shaking like he was infested by demons and needed an exorcism. I backed up against the wall as best I could and tried to control my shaking hands. What was going on? Why couldn't he wake up? Was this even real? Am I the one having a nightmare?
"We have to splash water on his face; bite his neck, do something wake him up." Mini Justin said.
"Lee, I don't think that that'll work." Rodriguez wiped away some of Ethan's tears. "We've tried everything through all of the previous nights. Nothing will work."
"But something has to work. We can't just leave him having night terrors forever." Lee, who I saw as mini Justin, shook the blond hair out his face and looked around vividly for an answer. His gaze met all of the guys but they didn't return the look. That's when he spotted me.
"You," he said. His voice was panicked and desperate. "Whoever you are, can you find a way to wake him up?"
I shook my head at rapidly but then saw the burning candle nearby; my mind had a very awful idea. "y-you could try b-burning his fingers…"
"Sick idea but it might work." The African American boy assumed. He took the candle next to Rodriguez while Lee grabbed Ethan's hand and moved it to the boy's face.
Gently and hesitantly, African American boy set the candle below Ethan's hand and let the flame dance on his skin. There was silence for a moment as Ethan's murmuring stopped and he quit shaking. It was seconds before I found myself holding my breath to see what was going to happen.
"Nothing's happening." Lee whispered.
I pursed my lips together as my hands clutched my necklace. Please let him wake up. Please let Ethan wake up. Please…
"Wait, wait, wait, his eyes are fluttering. Beckendorf take the flame away." The African American slowly set the burning candle aside as Lee felt for Ethan's heartbeat.
"Wake up Ethan," Rodriguez whispered. He ruffled the small boy's hair and glanced at me, his eyes watery. "Bedtime's over Eth. You can wake up now."
Little Ethan's eyes fluttered open and closed before he sat up and yawned. "Where am I? What's going on? Chris, where are you?"
"I'm right here buddy." Rodriguez patted his shoulder and gave a deep sigh, his own eyes half closed with exhaustion. "Want to eat?"
"Yeah I'm starving!" Ethan stood up a little too quickly and almost fell back against Beckendorf's body.
"Whoa there man… take it easy. You were just having another nightmare a few seconds ago." Beckendorf's voice was deep and low, I could smell the scent of coffee beans from his breath. "try and take it easy next time 'kay? No cold pizza before going to sleep from now on."
Ethan didn't argue. He nodded quietly and turned to face Rodriguez, who was Chris to them. But before he could move and face the older boy, Ethan's eyes landed on me.
"You!" he shouted. "You're the girl from my dream! You're the one who was in the fire!"
