SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING, I AM A BAD PERSON!

It has been a LONG weekend…

Hi, Charlie.

I visited Leo and Lou today, but I accidently set your Festus off and it took half an hour to catch the little bugger. Not much was broken- Lou managed to save most of it before it got burnt or trampled with tiny Festus feet. I see you've painted a smiley face on his stomach. I'm not sure how I set Festus off, but he landed on my head and Leo managed to catch him them. For such a little thing, he has a greater impact than inspected.

A bit like you, I guess.

It's hard without you, not that you'll get me to repeat that. It's been nearly seven months and I still expect you to run up to me and hug me, but steal my book in the process. But I now understand why you like chocolate cake so much- I've got a bit of a thing for it now as well, damn you.

Mom and Dad make sure that there is always some in the cupboard, but Mom makes sure I run off all the extra calories- have to keep up with my demigod training, haven't I? I think they're making me train more. I guess it's better than hitting people, but dummies with straw guts aren't as fun and nor do they beg for help.

I think that I'm going mad. Tyler reckons I'm more violent and he has the bruises to prove it, apparently, although he hasn't shown me anything. I think he's going a bit loopy as well, but it's hard to tell with him- he's always been crazy, hasn't he?

Off to bed now. I'm back at school tomorrow- with a new counsellor. The last three need counselling as well apparently as I'm 'difficult' and 'maddening'. I quite like those qualities.

Love always,

Sage xxxx

Sage tucked her journal carefully under her pillow and switched the bedside lamp off, curling under the duvet and burying her face in her pillow. She didn't want to go back to school. It had been missing something ever since Charlie and that something would not return or be replaced.

Tyler, bless him, tried. He really, really tried, for her sake more than anyone else's and Sage was extremely appreciative of that, but he just wasn't Charlie. Nobody could be Charlie, not even Leo and father and son were practically clones. Charlie just had that extra… spice. The bit of Louisa he did inherit.

She didn't want Tyler to be Charlie. Not that she hated him for it; it was just painful for her to remember her cousin the majority of the time. Tyler should just be Tyler.

Closing her eyes, Sage wondered what antics her best friend would be up to the following day. It was hard to tell with him sometimes.

Tyler, as a matter of fact, wasn't planning any hilariously disastrous tricks for tomorrow. He was lying awake in his bed, his hands linked on his chest while he twiddled his thumbs.

He couldn't sleep. Mainly because Sage was in his every thought, but he worried about her. Something had been… off, ever since Charlie. It was understandable as to why, but she didn't seem to be getting better, she seemed to be getting worse, if anything. She was still his best friend, but there were bouts of uncharacteristic behaviour that worried him to no end.

Grumbling, he rolled onto his front and smashed his face into the pillow, trying to will himself to sleep, but that was as much use as a wet paper bag.

His bedroom door slammed open and he sat bolt upright on his bed, squinting into the sudden brightness.

"Oh, hi Dad." He yawned. "Why are you up so late?"

"Stuff…" His father slurred. Tyler's heart sunk.

His father, Andrew, was a great guy. Except when he was drunk. His father became unpredictable, either happy or angry and it was hard to determine anything with him in this intoxicated state.

"Do you want a coffee or anything, Dad?" Tyler asked gently, slowly and warily getting up. His father swayed on the spot, staring at him curiously. Tyler had his father's looks, save his mother's eyes.

"No… sandwich."

"I can do a sandwich. Ham and cheese?" Andrew nodded haltingly. Tyler took his father gently by the elbow and started to direct him out as kindly as he could without angering Andrew. "Were you out with your friends?"

"Why?" Andrew snarled.

"I was just wondering if you had a good time."

"It was alright. I won darts…" Andrew was slurring so badly that Tyler struggled to understand him.

"By how much, Dad?"

"'Bout ten points."

"That's good. We haven't played darts in a while. Here, sit down, I'll get you that sandwich." Tyler friendlily urged his father into a chair at the island in the centre of the kitchen and set about making the ham and cheese sandwich in the dark. While drunk, his father had an aversion to sudden bright lights and sensibility. "We should play darts again, Dad. I know I've got the world's worst aim and hit people or walls instead of the board, but it's fun." His father just grunted, haphazardly peeling the crusts away.

"Sit." He growled. Tyler put his hand on the nearest chair on the adjacent side. Andrew shook his head and Tyler tried the next one. With his father in this state, Tyler had to be very careful, even if it came to something as simple as sitting down or breathing too loudly (it wasn't his fault he had a cold).

Tyler sat quietly and as still as he could, glancing at his father occasionally, but wary of not staring. His father hated that too while drunk.

"Dad?"

"What?"

"Um… I know you like going out with your friends and I'm glad you have fun, but could you… cut down on the drink next time? It upsets Mom." Andrew narrowed his eyes at him. "You can still drink, just… not as much preferably." Tyler met his gaze carefully, trying not to anxiously drum his fingers on the table. "Or you could stay in and we could do movie night. Remember when we used to do those and you put on all the soppy old Disney movies? That was fun. And you bought ice-cream home too sometimes. I miss doing that."

"You were… eight."

"I know, but it was fun." Andrew returned to his sandwich. Tyler remained quiet, looking around the dark kitchen. How many times had he sat here with his intoxicated father over the past seven years? Those cupboards were new, having been replaced about a dozen times- results of violent bouts of drunken behaviour.

Tyler thought about his mother, August. She was a petite woman, shy and somewhat sensitive, but she was a loving mother and wife. She had the same eyes as Tyler with soft, wavy blonde hair that curled about her shoulders. She never wore dark colours, Tyler had noticed, always something light and soft; pastel colours more often than not.

It was uneasily quiet for a good fifteen minutes or more. Tyler felt himself drifting into sleep several times, but forced himself awake rather reluctantly. If he fell asleep, he ran the risk of his father's drunken temper.

"I can do that." Andrew mumbled out of the blue.

"Do what, Dad?" Tyler asked carefully, pinching his leg harshly to wake himself up.

"Movie night." Andrew motioned at the plate. Tyler got to his feet hastily, careful to make as little noise as possible. He took the plate away and dumped the crusts in the bin.

"Do you want anything else?" He questioned softly, washing the plate and setting it into the drying rack.

"No." There was a thud that startled Tyler. He whirled round as he father started snoring, allowing himself to relax. Sighing, he padded out and back to his room. He pulled the fleecy blanket he always kept in the cupboard free before sneaking back to his father. He swung the blanket about Andrew and returned to bed.

"You look exhausted."

"Dad came in late last night." Sage's expression softened a fraction of a fraction- the closest Tyler would ever get to sympathy from her. "He wasn't too bad." Tyler assured. She nodded, pursing her lips. "What's the matter?"

"Why does he drink so much?"

"It's not often, but when he does, it's lots."

"He should stop. Maybe he could see somebody?" Tyler shrugged, prying his locker open and dumping his bag. "Math and Biology." Sage told him. She had memorised his timetable as well as her own.

"Ooh, your favourite lesson." He teased. Sage made a face. "Please don't get kicked out…" He begged childishly, widening his eyes and sticking his bottom lip out. She raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. "I get lonely…" He whined.

"How on earth do you get lonely?! You're Tyler! You talk to everyone!"

"I know, but I need my best buddy." She rolled her eyes, but it was obvious she was trying not to smile. "Aw, you do love me! I knew it!" He tackled her in a hug, trapping her arms to her sides and crushing her.

"Tyler…" She choked, her tone full of warning and eminent death.

"I haven't seen that book before." He spun around her and started rummaging through her open locker. He picked up the red journal he had spotted. "I thought your favourite colour was purple?" He turned to look at her, surprised to see he was getting the most intense death stare through her tears. She had also gone bright red.

A sane person wouldn't tease her further, but he wasn't sane and he couldn't help himself: "Is it naughty?" He smirked, holding it up and ready to open it. She snatched it from his hands so swiftly; Tyler was struck with sudden fear.

"Don't touch this!" She exclaimed angrily, looking ready to beat him black and blue with the book.

"Hey," Tyler soothed, "I was joking, OK?"

"No! It's not OK!" Tears fell and she clutched the book to her chest, bowing her head. Tyler stayed quiet and didn't act for a moment. He hurriedly moved forward and wrapped his arms around her, mumbling apologizes. He felt one of her hands grab the back of his jacket as she cried into his shoulder. "What… what is it?" She didn't reply.

Tyler led her away to a nearby, empty classroom. He had her sit down and retrieved tissues from his pocket.

He waited until she had calm down, giving an assuring smile as she looked up with apologetic, tearful eyes.

"I didn't mean to snap at you…" She croaked. Tyler waved it off. "It's just…" She glanced at the red book, still held protectively close to her. "I… I wr-" She sighed, her cheeks reddening as if embarrassed. "I… write to Charlie…" She said it so quietly, Tyler nearly missed it. Why was she embarrassed? It wasn't like he was going to judge her for consoling herself.

"Tell him I say hi." Her eyes flicked back to him and a small, watery smile formed. Tyler held his arms out and she stood slowly, embracing his hug. "You're scary." He told her.

"I don't mean to be."

"You just are." She nodded against his shoulder and pulled back, drying her eyes again. "Guess what?" He grinned enthusiastically all of a sudden.

"What?" She sniffed warily.

"We have Math!" He threw his hands up, jazz hands, doing his best to look as excited as possible. Then his grin vanished as quickly as someone flicking a switch. "Feel like bunking?"

"You haven't done the homework, have you?" He pressed his lips together, debating it. She sighed. "I'll help you."

"Can't I copy?" He pleaded.

"No." His shoulders slouched in defeat. She hit his arm playfully. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"No…" Tyler tried to pull away, protesting. "No, no, no…" He slouched, dragged his feet- anything but Math.

But she was stubborn and he had no hope of winning.

Again, I'm sorry for not updating and this is all I've got, so I'm real SORRY if it's not good or whatever. I'll try and update as much as possible.