A/N- Hey! I was in a writing mood, so here's chapter 5! For those of you who are wondering about Lief's past, that won't be revealed until Day 4, at the earliest. Day 5 or 6, at the most. *evil smirk* Enjoy!
Disclaimer- The evil rainbow unicorn-bunnies are coming, trust me. ;D But until they do, I don't own PJO. For that matter, I don't own the evil rainbow unicorn-bunnies, either. I do, however, own Lief and Erin. Any resemblance to people living or dead is not intended.
Chapter 5: Day 2- Rain
Erin's POV
The next day it rained. Normally it doesn't at camp, but sometimes Mr. D had to let some in so that the strawberries would grow. The second day in the woods was a downpour. For the first part of the day, Lief and I sat together in the room, stonily silent. Lief sketched. I read more of my murder mystery. It was quite intriguing. Note to self: Steal Konrad's books more often. They're good.
Lief was acting like last night had never happened. Like I had never taken his sketchbook. Like I had never stumbled upon the picture of Lief and two young girls that Lief had been crying on. Like Lief had never almost killed me. In a way, I was glad. At least I wouldn't have to explain why I took it. "Erin?" Lief's voice broke the silence.
"What?" I looked up from my book. For those of you who want to know, it was And Then There Were None.
"Why'd you do it?" Lief sounded genuinely curious.
"Do what?"
"Why'd you take my sketchbook?"
Oh. "Um…well…I wanted to know why you wouldn't let me look at it." I managed. The last thing I wanted was for Lief to get in a rage like last night. Honestly, I think he would have killed me if I hadn't run.
"Ah. The forbidden fruit, so to speak." Lief seemed calm. You never could tell with him, though.
"Um…yeah."
"Was it worth it?"
"What?"
"Was looking my sketchbook worth my wrath?" "Well…kind of."
"How so?"
"It was worth it because I got to see part of you that I hadn't seen before."
"And that would be?"
"Your sensitive side." I'm sorry, but sometimes I just have to put things bluntly.
Lief laughed, a cold short laugh that held no real mirth. "I see."
"It wasn't worth it because I still don't know anything about your past."
"So it was really about my ever-elusive past, eh?"
"I guess. I'm sorry I took your book. I really am." It was still worth it to see the pictures, but I was sorry.
"'s okay. Just don't do it again, please."
"I'll try not to. No promises, though."
There was silence for a minute. Then Lief spoke again, "Tell me a story."
"What?"
"A story. Something that has happened to you. As in part of your history."
"Okay. Why?"
"Because if you insist upon looking in my sketchbook, it's only fair that you tell me something."
"Sounds fair." I thought for a moment. An idea was growing my head. "How'd you like to hear about when I met Matt for the first time?"
"Oh boy. Erin the pranking whiz meets Matthew the bomber. This could be good." Lief closed his sketch pad and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. I tried not to look at his scar.
"Ready for this?"
"When you are."
"So, I was about 12. You know I used to live in Augusta, right?"
"Yeah."
"So I was down by my house, taking a walk. I go down the alley, and suddenly I hear this strange rustling noise. I turn around, and suddenly I feel something pressing against my back. 'Don't move if you value your life,' this voice says. I remember that it sounded like a little kid's voice, yet it sounded pretty serious about killing me, too.
"'Who are you?' I ask.
"'It doesn't matter. Put your hands in the air and empty your pockets.'
"I smile, even though I was in danger. 'You realize that is an absurd request, right?' I ask.
"'Why's it absurd?' the voice asks.
"'Because I can't put my hands in the air and empty my pockets at the same time,' I say.
"'Oh' the kid says, and I swear I could practically see his embarrassment even though he wasn't facing me.
"'So, how 'bout you take that knife off my back and I'll show you how to hold somebody up the right way, 'kay?' I ask.
"The kid considers it for a minute. 'And you'll still give me the money?' he asks.
"'Of course.' I really had no intention of giving him the money, but that knife was digging into my back. He took the knife off my back and I turned around. I was facing this red-headed kid, about my age. His hair was sticking up all over the place-"
"Like it always does," Lief interrupted.
"And he had a streak of dirt across his face. He looked scared stiff. 'So, how 'bout we start with some introductions.' I say. 'I'm Erin. Who're you?'
"'I'm Matt.' he mumbles.
"'Okay. So, Matt, is this your first holdup?' I ask.
"'Yeah,' he says.
"'Well, for your first time, you did a pretty good job. You started out right, putting your knife on my back. That scares a person right away. What you said right away helped too. You want to let the person know that you're serious.'"
"You were giving a kid instructions on how to properly hold somebody up?" Lief asked.
"Yeah. What about it?"
"Nothing. You're definitely Hermes' kid."
"Hmm. So I kept giving him instructions. He practiced on me a couple times until I was sure he had it perfectly. Afterwards, I gave him my address and twenty dollars. I didn't see him again until Camp Half-Blood. But that, Lief, is a story for another day."
"Hmm. Quite an interesting story, if I do say so myself," Lief said.
"Lief?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"Where did you get those boots?"
"Why?"
"I just want to know."
"My mother made them," Lief murmured before dashing out of the room and out into the rain.
Things learned about Lief Harrison:
1. Is an amazing artist
2. Has cool boots that his mother made him
3. Can't stand talking about his past
Hmph. 3 out of 10. Tomorrow, I decided, I'd find out more.
Lief's POV
Why would Erin want to know where my boots came from? I wondered as I ran out into the rain. For a while I just ran. Running will do more then anything else to get the memories out of my head. Because if I stay still too long or think too hard or talk too much, it will come out. And the memories will come back.
I stopped running when I hit the stream. I have a strong aversion to water because…Wait. Stop. Not there, Lief. Don't go there. I walked back to Zeus' Fist and climbed to the top. I sat there for a while in the rain, leaning against a boulder. I've always liked the rain. Finally, the memories came back, just like they always do. And I sat there in the rain. Crying. And letting the rain mingle with my tears until you couldn't tell the difference.
About half an hour later, I climbed down from Zeus' Fist and headed back inside. Erin was pacing up and down the room. "Lief! Where were you?" She cried when I came back in.
"Out."
"Lief. Where were you?"
"Running."
"Don't do that to me again, Lief. I was worried."
"Sorry." I sat down when something struck me. "You were worried? About me?"
"Of course I was worried, you idiot."
"Thanks," I murmured, so softly that I wasn't sure she heard. We spent the rest of the day inside.
That night, as I lay on the table trying to fall asleep, I heard Erin whisper, "You're welcome." I smiled in the dark. The nightmares came back that night. I woke up in the middle of the night covered in a cold sweat. Quietly I slipped out of the room and went outside. It was still raining. I stood there in the rain for a minute before sinking down to the ground. I sat there, hugging my knees to my chest, until I fell asleep. And that was where Erin found me in the morning.
A/N- There we go. I know it's short, but it's an update. Review?
-smartone101
