50. It's Going To Be Okay
"Please, just let him go," she cried. She tugged her hands and heard the jingling of the chains. She felt her tears rolling down her cheeks and her sobs rocking in her chest. "I'm sorry."
"Shut up!" he spat, kicking her in the gut. She doubled over with a painful gasp. Her wrists pulled and the metal scraped her skin. She was struggling to breathe when she looked up at the little boy. He had bright golden hair and bright blue eyes, like hers. She didn't who he was. She only knew that she loved him more than her own life, and that she had to do everything she could to protect him. The man toward over him, the gun pointed right at his forehead.
"It's going to be okay, Thalia," the little boy said, dead calm, looking at her with his baby blue eyes. He was so perfect, so relaxed in the face of danger he took her breath away. "It's okay, big sister." Her eyes opened wide, and the gun went off as she jumped up in her bed.
"NO!" she yelled, before she realized she was safe inside her old room, under her old covers. She was sweating, and her hair stuck to the back of neck. She dropped her head in her hands and tried to calm herself down. The face of the little boy started to fade, but his eyes lingered, as brilliant as they were in her dream. Dark blue around his pupil, gradually turning a lighter blue, as if his eyes were designed by the gods themselves.
His eyes weighed on her, and his words gave her an ominous feeling. Big sister? Her phone beeped, making her jump. It was nine in the morning. The text was from Percy. Good morning! I hope you have a wonderful Sunday. Hey, want to do some laser tag tomorrow? I'm taking Nico and three is a good number to play.
Thalia smiled. Sure.
Yay!
Rolling her eyes, she got dressed to go and get her wedding invitation from Pumpkin. Wearing her favorite pair of jeans, converse and a Jurassic Park t-shirt, she headed out. Her mother was watching TV like always as Thalia walked out, not slowing down a second to let her mother catch her. She took her time walking down the sidewalk, still thinking about her dream. It made her uneasy, for some reason. Was he a warning? Was something going to happen to her mother? Was something going to happen to the baby? Or was it some kind of psychic thing? Was she going to have a little baby brother?
The questions reeled inside her head and she had no answers, so she pulled on her headphones and played her music.
I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world, but it's feeling just like every other morning before. Now I wonder what my life is gonna mean if it's gone?
Hmm, another good song. She shoved her hands in her pocket and walked with the beat. The music hammered at her bones, giving her the same sensation music always gave her. She started humming, her dream starting to dissolve, falling back until it was too far for her to reach.
The sun bore down on the sidewalk, making the ground distorted as if she were seeing it through a piece of glass. It was now late March. Thalia counted on her fingers and exhaled. Her mother was now five months pregnant. Her swollen belly was now unmistakable. There's only four months left until the baby was due. She started doing the math. She only had enough money to pay next month's rent. She had nothing for all the food and diapers and mental health care (for Thalia, of course), and that wasn't a one time thing. Thalia started to freak out. Her mother hadn't even gone to the doctors yet. They couldn't afford it. What if that's the ominous feeling she was feeling? What if there's something wrong with the baby, but they don't know because they couldn't afford to visit a doctor?
"Oh, gods," Thalia whispered, pulling on her hair. She was thinking about places that were willing to help pregnant people without money when she almost tripped over a dog.
"Whoa!" she said, stumbling back, and hitting a tree.
"Thalia! Oh, I'm sorry! Katy doesn't understand that people can trip over her, you okay?" Thalia rubbed her head as Pumpkin grimaced, holding a super tiny Chihuahua.
"I'm fine," Thalia said. "Um, since when do you have a dog?" Pumpkin brightened up.
"Tristan got her for me!"
"Tris- oh right, the actor," Thalia said, remembering the handsome Cherokee actor Pumpkin's mom was marrying now. Pumpkin giggled.
"Are you here for the invitation?" she asked.
"You bet," Thalia winked.
"Come on!" As Pumpkin walked into the house, she dropped Katy in the living room and skipped into the kitchen. "Can you believe mom is getting married next weekend?" Pumpkin sighed happily.
"Yeah, sounds like true love," Thalia replied, watching Pumpkin rummage through some envelopes.
"Here," she said, pulling out a pink one with Thalia written in a beautiful cursive font.
"Thanks. Now, I have to go walk some dogs, so I'll see you next weekend?" Thalia smiled, tapping Pumpkin's shoulder with her knuckles.
"Sure, take mine too while you're at it," she laughed.
"Are you paying me?"
"Nah."
"Then not happening," Thalia said, rolling her eyes. "See ya." She left Pumpkin's house and straight towards Luna's apartment. She got there in no time, because it was close to Venita's house. She knocked on their door.
"Morning there, Thalia!" Tim said, as the dogs swarmed around her, like they always did. "Want to come in for a drink?"
"I'll walk the dogs first," Thalia said, shrugging her shoulders. Tim laughed.
"Walk your heart out, kid."
"Will do, sir," she said, as the dogs hauled her down the apartment hallway. She spent about twenty minutes walking around the block, waiting as they did their business and tugging them when they tried to smell other dogs' butts. Honestly, she would never understand that until the day she dies. When she got back, Tim was gone, but Luna was playing around in the kitchen.
"Why hello there, darling, nice walk? It looks like good weather out there," she said, glancing out her window.
"Well, they liked it," Thalia commented, unclipping their leashes. Luna chuckled.
"Want a coke?"
"Why not, I have nothing to do today," Thalia said, hanging the leashes in their designated spot and sitting at the island of their kitchen. Luna opened a can and set it next to a sandwich and slid them across the counter to Thalia.
"What's this?"
"What are you talking about?" Luna smiled.
"Thanks," Thalia said as she munched on the sandwich.
"So, how are you Thalia? How's your mom?"
The bite Thalia had taken from the sandwich turned sour in her mouth.
"Fine," was all she said. Luna studied her.
"Doesn't seem like it. What's wrong?" Thalia chewed on her sandwich thoughtfully.
"She's pregnant." Luna didn't gasp or look shocked or say how disappointed or surprised she was. She simply nodded.
"How far?"
"Five months."
"Doctors?"
"Not one."
"Drinking?"
"Stopped for now."
"That's good to hear." Thalia scuffed.
"The whole situation is a mess," she hissed. "Honestly, she can't do a damn thing right. She spends all our money, drinks all night, and ends up pregnant. Everything is the opposite of good."
"Do you need help?"
"No," Thalia said instinctively. She could probably use it, but she didn't want it. Luna was a nice person. It made her uncomfortable pulling Luna into her mess, so she wouldn't. "We're okay."
"It's okay to ask for help, you know, Thalia. There's a nice young lady who volunteered with me once at Paradise who also works at a place with pregnant women. They can help you."
"I don't have money."
"That's okay. They help people without money. That's what they're there for." Luna reached over and patted Thalia's hand. Her brown eyes looked at her with warmth.
"It's going to be okay, Thalia."
Remember me? Oh my gods guys, I got so scared because I couldn't log into my account D: Then I realized I was using the wrong e-mail, haha. Sorry I haven't written in so long . I had some major WB, but who knew my teacher talking about PTSD would give me inspiration... I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you guys think!
The song is How Far We've Come by Matchbox Twenty!
