Chapter 10: Revelations and Ships
I take a steadying breath, look over my shoulder, and nod to the crew. Immediately they fan into the crowd, making their way to the center. I smile before beginning to elbow my way through the throng of people. Once at the core of the crowd, the crew begins to push against the writhing mass of people to create a clear ring. The music stops, going silent and the lights shut off; Piper's come through in her task of commandeering the DJ's station.
Voices murmur all around us in the darkness, disgruntled that the music has been cut off. Slowly, the lights begin to turn on, the bright lights shining in the black. In the lightening dark, I can make out my dancers around me, standing poised, feet flat on the ground, hands limply hanging straight, heads lowered so their hair masks their faces.
One…two...three. Music suddenly blares through the club, echoing off the bare walls, thrumming through my body, and as it does my dancers jump into action.
The once unruly crowd stills, staring as Will, one of Piper's enigmatic dancers, flips gracefully into the center of our ring, loose clothing billowing behind him. As soon as his sneakers squeak against the floor, the dancers on the perimeter of the circle come to life, weaving around each other with ease. The moves pour from their limbs, effortlessly natural after hours upon hours of practice. I move with them and as I dance, I am no longer aware of the hundreds of eyes on me, I no longer worry if the person to my left will be where they are supposed to be. It's just me and the beat flowing through me veins, the way the pounding rhythm makes me feel alive.
On the edge of my concentration, I can dimly make out a faint hum from the roaring crowd. Their disapproving murmurs have cascaded into a roaring scream of approval. My eyes scan the crowd, flicking over awed faces, glancing over a familiar head of wild ebony hair in the corner. Wait… I struggle to refocus on the dance, praying he doesn't turn around and spot me.
All too soon, I hear the closing notes of the music. The girls drop into a split, head hanging, and hair covering their faces. The boys stand besides us with their heads lowered and arms crossed. I glance up as the music ends, pulling myself up and as I do my eyes catch on a pair staring straight at me. A very peculiar, intense shade of green meets my gaze, one I really hoped would be so entranced by the dance they wouldn't be able to notice me. Crap.
Hastily, I begin shoving my crew together and shouting for them to exit while scanning the crowd for Piper. Catching her eye, I nod frantically toward the door, herding the dancers forward like a sheepdog herds a flock. Her dark eyebrows squeeze together in confusion at my obvious panic, but nonetheless she nimbly moves through the crowd. We weave through the throngs of people screaming for more, elbowing our way to the black door.
The doorframe appears before me and my body sags in relief; we're almost out of here. Pushing open the door, I lean against the metal, counting the heads that hurry through. Catching Piper's eye, I motion for her to head towards the warehouse. Just as I've shoved the last dancer back out onto the street, listening to their feet pounding on the concrete, a hand grasps my arm firmly. I'm tugged from freedom and whirled around to confront the tan face I've so desperately been hoping to avoid. Awe is plastered onto his handsome face, dark eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
"I didn't know-" Percy's smooth voice starts, but I've wrenched myself from his grasp and am already sprinting into the night before he finishes.
I twist my body around, catching sight of his muscular figure hanging out of the darkened door frame with his mouth still moving before righting myself and heading toward the warehouse.
My unruly blonde hair comes to fan around my face as I slow to a stop outside of the warehouse. Panting slightly, I heave in a breath before forcefully pushing the door open and marching into the darkened warehouse. Multiple heads whip in my direction as the door slams onto the brick walls, sending a thud through the air. Piper leaps up, brown hair swaying as she marches in my direction.
"Where were you?" She whispers forcefully, her currently green eyes squinted as the orbs move over my face. "One second you were shoving us out the door and the next time I turned around, you disappeared."
I shrug. "Took the scenic route after a run in with someone." I say coolly.
Her eyes narrow into even thinner slits at my words, trying to decide if pushing for an explanation would work. My eyes skate over her shoulder to the crowd of people seated on the dusty floor. They wear easy smiles on their faces, bodies relaxed. Returning my gaze to Piper, I raise my eyebrows, daring her to pry when I have a crew waiting for my congratulations. When she doesn't respond, I weave around her planted body and saunter over to the crew. Her soft footsteps are the only indication that she follows.
I school my features into a disinterested calm, grey eyes strikingly indifferent as I allow my gaze to wander over the dancers seated before me. Their quiet murmurs cease at the sight of me standing before them. Silence ensues, and as the time ticks on without me saying anything, the dancers begin to fidget, their fingers shifting restlessly and their gaze flicking to and from me every couple of seconds. Amusement rises in me, growing until I can't contain the smile that plays at my lips. A small laugh escapes my throat at their nervousness and all the dancers attention is once again on me. The slight tension in their bodies relaxes so their shoulders hang loose once again.
"Good job, guys. You did good. I don't think that club knew what hit them. There's still some things we need to work on, so don't start thinking everything's gonna be smooth sailing from here on out. I'm still gonna push you hard enough for you to hate me." My voice rings in the silence. "That flip though, Will, perfection," I say as a swift wink slips out toward the golden haired boy. A grin covers his face, bright in the shadows covering it. "Now get your asses out of here so I can go to sleep."
They leap into action, scrambling to escape, feet striking the concrete as they sprint out the door. The sound of their joyous whoops and laughter ringing in the night. As I turn, I spot Piper staring at me, a thoughtful expression consuming her tan face.
"What?" I question.
She shakes her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Nothing," she mumbles. "I'm just beginning to think you aren't as cold as you so desperately try to appear."
I roll my eyes, smirking as I gather my bag. "Whatever, just send me the video sometime soon, yeah?" I call over my shoulder.
I emerge onto the broken concrete sidewalk littered with trash, heading towards the coast before I go home. Something in me feels restless tonight, and I crave the calm of the ocean. Soon enough, I'm kicking off my shoes and lowering myself into the cool sand, feet burying themselves in the tiny grains. As I watch the waves crash against the shore, my mind wanders to the club, mentally reviewing the dance. It was a test run of sorts, a way for me to gauge the crew's progress and see how they performed under pressure. Will's flip really was perfect, his body curled tight in the air, and confident in the landing, with perfect balance too. The moon rises higher in the sky, shining white in the darkness. When it begins its descent, I reluctantly push to my feet, brushing sand from my clothes, pushing the remnants of my comfort away before turning to the city.
The tip of my shoe drags along the concrete. My eyes are trained to front of my shoes, watching my steps as I walk up to the door of my house. Glancing up, I see a dark form sitting on the steps. Tan hands clamped over jean covered knees, a head of dark hair resting on the folded arms. A groan builds up in my chest, and a tiny noise must escape my lips because in seconds the figure darts up. His palms move hastily against the fabric of dark jeans.
I shuffle forward, determined to somehow make it through the dark door while managing to ignore the man camped on my doorstep.
"I didn't know you dance." His voice cuts through the silence, grating slightly against my ears.
My hand reaches into my pocket, fingers searching for the cool metal kiss of my house key.
"You're really good." He tries again, attempting to draw me out of my silence.
The key draw of my pocket, a small clinking noise echoing in the cool night as the ring and the key clank together. My muscles start to tense at his persevering attempts to lure me into conversation with him.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
My teeth grind together and my hand drops, leaving the key jammed in the door lock. I whirl around, hair flying, grey eyes flashing like a sword glinting in the sun. My foot slams forcefully into the ground as I step forward, finger raised and pointed.
"Because my life is none of your business." I grind out forcefully, each word enunciated by a forceful poke to his firm chest. "You and me are not friends, Percy. My life should not, does not, matter to you, ok?"
His green eyes are blown wide, eyes shining out of the dark skin surrounding them. He's exhausted, a voice whispers in my head. A part of me is warmed at the thought of him vigilantly sitting on my doorstep, fighting off sleep while he awaits my arrival. A larger part of me, however, is annoyed. He reminds of a mosquito buzzing incessantly at my ear, somehow dodging my flailing hand. His face battles between shock, concern, and indifference at the passion and anger behind my words.
"Why?" The word whispers past his lips, like an idea so fragile that, if spoken too loudly, would shatter in the wind. If I wasn't standing so close, I'm sure the word would have been snatched by the wind, carrying unheard through the world.
"My life is not worth being known."
I don't know why the words fall from my lips unbidden. Maybe it's the sincerity he carries around him like a blanket. Maybe it's the way his green eyes plead, begging me to trust him. Maybe it's my own weariness at being alone for so long. Maybe it's meant to be a desperate, yet quiet plea for help. Maybe it's just some twisted desire on my part to erase the goodness he embodies, to blemish his purity with some dark stain. Because no one can be that good.
His face scrunches up, eyebrows drawn, lips puckered as he contemplates my words. His lips move as if repeating the words will magically reveal their meaning to him. He stares at me and for a moment, I wonder what he sees. Is my face as expressive as his? Can he pull out hidden emotions in me? Or does he just see a blank face carved from ice?
Suddenly, the weight of the words I just uttered sink in. My stomach churns and all the breath in my body rushes out. I blink and suddenly the world is blurred, the shapes no longer sharply defined. I step back, hand cradled to my chest. My eyes drop to the dirty, cracked sidewalk beneath my feet, and suddenly all I want to do is run. I want to run away from this house, and this amazingly sweet but suffocating man. I want to run from this cold city, with its cracked sidewalks and leering gazes. I want to run somewhere safe, where it is only me, and music, and the sun, and the sea, and sand. Somewhere the stars are bright and don't feel so far away.
I stumble back, foot crunching on the brown, dried leaves littering the sidewalk. The noise clears something on Percy's face and he steps forward, arm outstretched. My head shakes, voluntarily and frantically. Something seems to be ringing in my ears.
"Annabeth-" The sound of his cracked voice is too much. I can't stand it anymore. My feet pound into the concrete as I turn and run, the only thing I seem to know how to do.
I don't know if he follows me. The only thing I am aware of is the distance. That I'm still too close, I'm not far enough away yet. I don't even know how far away will be enough to escape.
The moons hidden behind the skyscrapers when I've settled into a numb walk through the city. I randomly turn corners and slide past the few people who are out wandering without a thought or glance. My feet move aimlessly and if I were aware, I would fear being lost.
My eyes slide around the corner, blankly taking in the scenery before stopping on a familiar looking blonde head. My eyes squint, trying to make out who it is. I walk closer, feet sliding along the concrete. Blue eyes, a scar on his cheek. Luke. But something's not right. The look in his eyes is soft, softer than they've been in a long time. A part of me longs to go to him, to through my arms around him and bury my face in chest. I want so desperately to feel him hold me close and whisper comforting words in my ear, words we both know could never be true, but accepted anyways.
My foot has just raised to take a step across the street when anger courses through me. Anger, and betrayal, and sadness, such a deep sadness the twists up my insides painfully. And I run. Again.
There is no one for me to trust. I feel so alone, so terribly alone, like a boat tossed violently in the sea that even the stars have given up on.
A/N: So…yeah I'm alive. I know I said I wanted to start updating more frequently but that didn't happen. I'm a HS junior in college and it's a lot more work than I thought. So much stuff has happened lately that this story got pushed to the back of my mind.
I really want to thank bigzabba for reminding me of this story.
Anyways, read and review please. This chapter came out so different than what I expected (I actually didn't even have a plan). Let me know what you think