This chapter is longer, guys. Never fear~! Thank you to everyone who reviewed :3 They make my day. And I apologize for the hiatus. My life has been extremely busy. I have family down here, we are remodeling the house, and then there is the cursed finals D:
Tell me what you think of the villain! (And those of you that have read CF before, don't you dare spoil anything! ;P) What do you think they look like? What do you think their name is?
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any recognizable characters.
Soft, heavenly eyes gazed into me
Transcending space and time
And I was rendered still
There were no words for me to find at all
As I stood there beside myself
I could see you and no one else
When I saw you-
-Mariah Carey, When I Saw You
Water dripped onto the grass as the figure dragged itself from the area. Its right arm was the only thing that was able to reach forward, dragging its body along the grass, leaving crimson stains behind on the small, green blades. The sound of rustling grass stopped as the figure stopped its progression, sitting up the best it could.
Sickening cracks and crunches echoed through the quiet air as bones were put back into place. The figure used the palm of its hand and shoved the white bone that had pierced through flesh back into its skin. Muscle squelched as fingers probed it back inside of the ripped flesh and pulled it to where it was meant to lay. Sounds of squishing followed as, with broken hands, internal organs were cradled delicately before being put precisely back into place. Fingers flexed, bones cracking and popping as they were fixed and straightened out of their crooked, deformed states, one arm still cradling the torn abdomen.
A head tilted from side to side, working out the kinks that were in their neck, while the spine popped as it went back into place. Organs moved with the spine, and each press of bone could be felt clearly.
The figure moved their unhinged jaw, clicking it back into place. One lone eye roamed over the new area while the other hung uselessly from the empty socket, connected only by the oblique and rectus muscles. The working eye roamed over everything in a spasmodic manner, taking in the glimmering water that reflected the moonlight and the twinkling stars overhead. Trees towered over the disgusting figure on the ground, bathing the area in darkness.
A deformed grin pulled ripped lips upward, revealing pearly teeth covered in blood that dribbled down their chin, the skin on one side of the smile flopping down to reveal cheek bones and other muscles; a gruesome disfigurement.
"Good morning~!"
It was a normal day at Claudia's house. And, typically, her mother, daughter of Apollo, was screaming at Claudia's older brother and the first child of the family. He was turning eighteen in two months, and suffice to say, things were not going smoothly. Her parents wanted him to get out of the house and become independent, but he didn't have a well-paying job in New Rome and he couldn't very well get one out in the mortal world.
"What will happen if you go there, huh?" her mother demanded. "His mom will make sure you're well fed, that you have a roof over your head, and that you are comfortable!"
Claudia pondered this for a moment while she set cheese and ham on her sandwich. House, food, comfortable. Well, there's only one conclusion I can draw from that.
"Mom wants you to be homeless, Michael," she said easily, looking up.
Her mother rounded on her in anger, a furious expression on her face. "You, you stupid girl! Shut up! You don't know anything about anything!"
Claudia felt a dull sense of pain and anger. That's true. I am pretty ignorant about things. Guess I'll have to do more tests.
Shrugging, Claudia started to spread miracle whip on her bread.
"Maybe it's not the best place for me to be," Michael said, as if trying to pacify their raging mother. "But where else am I supposed to go? I don't have enough money to get a job somewhere else. Yeah, Hayden is a mortal, but we all know my demigod blood isn't nearly as strong as Claudia's or Korbin's. I'll be fine."
Before another word could be said, Michael swiftly left the room. And, Claudia observed, barely kept a handle on his anger.
"That's disgusting," Claudia's mom said in a forced light tone, eyeing her sandwich. Who puts that much mayonnaise on their sandwich?"
The light-haired girl didn't respond for a moment, instead fished for the other headphone dangling by her side, an unreadable expression on her face.
"I can still hear you. My bad."
Before she slid the headphone in, she heard her mother say, "You're an ass," before leaving the room in a cloud of fury.
A small smile pulled Claudia's lips upwards, but it felt empty. Too polite.
As such things were at her house, though.
In public, her family put on such a nice face. Claudia would stand by her parents and ruffle her ten-year old brother's hair fondly while he exchanged playful words with her other brother, Korbin. Michael would be more distant, with his hands in his pockets and not touching anyone, but he would look at the scene with a fond smile on his face while their parents would walk arm-in-arm, acting like teenagers in love. It was the image of a perfect family, really. With the siblings having just the right amount of love for each other and everyone acting like they should. Acting. Perfect actors, really. But that is what every child in Claudia's household had been taught.
"All you have is your family name," Claudia remembered her father lecturing on several occasions. "I don't care what you do when you get home. But when you fail at things, it embarrasses me. It makes your mom and I look bad."
So everyone in the house did as he said. They put on a pretty public face and teased each other fondly, but inside the home was nothing but hate and resentment. The three oldest siblings, Michael, Claudia, and Korbin, stuck together like glue, Claudia sometimes acting like the medium for the two brothers. They told each other many things and were usually understanding of each other. All three silently, unanimously agreed that their dad held the most resentment in their heart, although their mother could have her moments.
People are too unpredictable, Claudia decided, biting into her sandwich. You can't count on anyone but yourself when things get down to it. That's why it's so important to be strong. If I get put in a position where things rest on my shoulders, will I be able to carry that burden? I probably won't have a choice. So I have no choice but to get stronger or be swept along like a lost sheep being guided by a shepherd cloaked in shadows. I could never do that. Blindly follow that unknown force some refer to as fate with a willing heart. I would rather make my own path as I walk along.
Claudia walked out of her house, taking large bites of her sandwich while still managing to be neat and polite as she walked along. A mask of polite childishness instantly covered her features as she made her way back to the "demigods-in-training" part of new Rome.
Honestly, things were starting to get a bit boring around camp, which in itself spelled trouble. Whenever things started to settle down in life, demigod or no, things tended to happen that severely fucked shit up. It was easy to tell something was going to happen soon. Jason going missing and Reyna throwing a bitch fit didn't quite go for what she was looking for. There was just something else now. A missing piece of the puzzle that would soon be put into place. The legacy of the sun god simply debated on whether or not it would be worth it to see the final outcome of the events that would be put into play.
"Claudia."
The teenager jumped in alarm, muscles tensing with anticipation as she swiveled around, looking for anyone that could have called her name. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and somewhat anxiously as no one paid her any attention as they walked past.
It was something of a struggle to put her happy mask back up after hearing her name being called.
"I could have sworn..." The willowy girl muttered to herself, running her tongue over her lips while pausing in thought. "That's alright. Hearing your name being called is the sign of a healthy mind." A brief pause came again while the girl considered her mental state. "Or schizophrenia."
While weighing the options and likelihood of the chance that she was mentally unstable (or the fact that she had a different reality then everyone around her-tomatoes, tamatoes), she missed the loud noise of the horns and the announcement that a new person was now in New Rome, the son of the sea god.
So, rather obliviously, the teenage girl walked towards her destination with a spring in her step and a mental debate raging in her head over if she had yet to cross the line into insanity or not.
The screeching of metal echoed loudly as the swing swayed back and forth, one figure pushing the other.
A thoughtful hum passed through grinning lips.
"I think I've got it, brother. For ages I've been thinking about all of my options on this. Maybe they can play the game with me?"
"Who, dear one?"
"Some godlings I've been keeping an eye on. They're all so wonderful!"
"How so?"
"Well, one of them isn't exactly a godling. She's actually a little nymph. But she was the only one in camp to notice! She's special."
"'The only one in camp'?"
"Oh, yes."
"And what of the other nymphs outside of camp that noticed?"
A wicked grin stretched upwards, revealing startlingly white teeth. "They aren't in the way any more. Those that did not even stir during the Awakening do not have the right to interfere with things that do not concern them."
"But couldn't they have joined the game?"
A little laugh. "No, no! They'd only get in the way! Besides, nymphs tend to be downers in games. All crying and screaming and not nearly as much fun as a demigod or even a regular mortal would be. They would have died before it even began."
"And how is this one different-besides the fact that she felt it?"
"She is really nice! She has the same name as the girl from that tragic play that the man with the funny hair wrote years ago. And she sings and likes flowers, just like mama! Everything about her reminds me of how mother used to be before you were born."
"I see. And if she ends up being different than mother?"
A shrug. "Well, I'll just have to see how interesting she is. And if it's disappointing, you can help me think of ways to end the game and make it happy for us!"
"Tell me more about the others."
"There's a pretty boy with blonde hair. He wants to be strong so people will look at him for 'how he is'."
"Oh?"
"Mmhm! Then there's a girl that never feels good enough that has long, pretty hair-you know how much I love pretty hair-and I think it would be so much fun to build up her confidence before trying to tear her down. Also, there are twins-like you, brother! A boy and a girl with red eyes."
"I see…"
"Then there's two sisters, and one of the sisters has a brother that farms! But they're both so cold! Isn't that funny? And then-I really, really want her for a doll, brother-a rainbow girl that really likes to put pretty things like ribbons in her hair. She has pretty hair, too. And a pretty face. Maybe… Never mind."
"What?"
"She won't be in the game." Eyes glinted with intent.
"You have something else in mind?"
"Yes! Oh, but brother, there is also a German boy with dark hair who is really smart!"
"Smarter than him?"
A laugh. "Of course not. We both know how rare that is, as much as I loathe to admit it. This one is school smart, brother. One of the ones that doesn't know the difference yet. He's too sheltered, even if he doesn't think it. Not for long, though.
"Another school smart one is a little girl that is all about hope. She's adorable."
"Why is it that your voice holds so much anger when you speak of her?"
"She's her daughter. I don't think I'll keep her around for long. Longer than normal because she doesn't look like her mommy, but she will still die. Of that I will not change my mind, no matter how interesting she turns out to be. A breed of unforgivable swine."
Silence.
Poorly suppressed giggles passed through smiling lips that were stretched to reveal two rows of teeth. "And then there's a girl that can Walk, brother! I haven't seen one of them in ages!" The laughter rang loudly. "Push me higher, brother!"
The chains of the swing creaked as the one pushing the other complied to the request.
"But it will be so much fun to have her in the game! A wild card! You remember her, don't you? I met her years ago after her family died. Her grandmama got in the way too much, so she had to go. And then she thought she killed them all! Can you believe that? It's so funny! A little girl like her, getting rid of all of her enemies! What will she do when she learns the truth, I wonder? Will her confidence fade into nothing? Will she have some misplaced conception that she can still beat me?"
An undetermined amount of time passed where there was nothing but laughter as the one on the swing was pushed by their brother.
"That's not as many players as you usually keep," he remarked as the laughter gradually stopped.
"Well, I was thinking about adding one more, but I don't know for sure... The corn girl. Would she be useful as bait or will she be nothing but a deadweight? I wonder if it would be easier to kill her off. Just as I did with that frail one. What a shame, too. I would have enjoyed playing with her if the circumstances were different. Even so... To kill or not to kill? And if I do kill, how shall I do it? Inconspicuously, or with flare?"
"You'll figure it out."
Humming. "Of course I will! My brother is here to listen to me and give me ideas! Although, I suppose it won't make much of a difference either way if I choose to give her to Kid or let her play for awhile. That's what happens when you have expendable pieces."
"What of the Romans?"
"What of them?"
"Your plan with things related to them is unknown to me."
"Ah, well, I want it to be a surprise! That woman already helped me send a message to them when she panicked. Maybe I should pay her a visit as a way of showing my thanks?"
"After you rest. You've been doing so much work lately. And the way you had woken up…"
"Hm, I believe you to be right. That was such a stiff position I was in. It was so awkward to get out of." A childish tone filled the voice. "I haven't been stuck like that since the last time I got stuck in the cage!"
"That is what I mean, dear one. You shouldn't push yourself beyond your limits."
"But you know I can take more than that." Whining.
"I have no doubt, but please, for a concerned brother, do as I say."
"Ah, I suppose you are right. Ha, okay! I'll go take a little nap after we finish playing. I'm sorry I worried you, brother."
"Think nothing of it."
"Did he say anything?"
"He did voice his concern while you were resting. I'm sure that he would also appreciate it very much if you took the time to visit him soon."
"Ooh, yes! That sounds delightful! A game with snacks, then visit my favorite person in the whole wide world! Tied with you, mama, and our other brother, of course."
"You flatter me."
"I haven't seen you in such a long time. Besides, it is important to let family know how much you love them."
"You really are too kind."
"Kindness without measure is always welcome in family! You have helped me keep up all of my projects from failing."
"And no one has puzzled it together while you were asleep-I promise."
"Ah, and how are my favorite two demigods?"
"They are fine, although I am sure they missed you terribly."
"You have been such a wonderful help to me! It is very kind of you. How shall I repay you?"
"Such a thing is not necessary."
"But it is the only way I can think to show you my appreciation. I would love to spend a day with you and have sweets, but that isn't to your tastes. Perhaps a new skill would do?"
Pause. "What did you have in mind?"
A grin curled from ear-to-ear, not unlike the Cheshire cat, revealing a set of polished teeth.
"Kalos ta matia mas ta dio, pou eixa xronia na ta do."
Stunned to temporary silence, the other quietly muttered, almost in awe, "Ta matia."
The one on the swing dug their feet into the ground below as their brother stepped back, halting the swing. Standing up, the other got off of the swing and faced their brother, raising a hand to one of their eyes.
"Ta matia," they agreed, a hand approaching their own eye, fingers poised as one would hold them when reaching for a pen. With the other hand, they pulled their bottom eyelid down and their top eyelid up. The finger pads of their free hand touched the sclera.
The small, caramel-skinned, preteen girl sat on the hill with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her long, black hair with two white streaks was pulled away from her face in a high ponytail. Pantone eyes watched as her older brother worked with a sort of wide-eyed look, the image of innocence intensified with the rest of her appearance: bare feet, a white summer dress.
"I can't understand how you like farming, Eli," she muttered almost shyly, but there was an undertone of sassiness in her voice that made her words stronger.
The tall, seventeen year old boy sighed, leaning against the rake he was using to turn the soil."You tell me that every time you see me farming."
She smiled, shifting in the grass and dropping her legs into a cross-legged position, setting her hands into her lap. "I know."
It was silent for a moment before her half-brother gave her a sideways glance, an eyebrow raised in question. "Where's Sarah?"
An uncomfortable look came over the girl's face, and she averted her eyes from her brother. "Uh, in the cabin, I think."
"Hailey…"
The daughter of Khione could hear the chastising tone in her brother's voice and she automatically spoke in her own defense.
"I just thought she would want to be alone! You know, since I have been around her a lot in the past few days." Her words started out strong, but her voice got smaller and started to trail off as she continued on.
Eli shook his head. "Hailey, she's your sister. No matter how uncomfortable you are around her, you can't keep avoiding her or pretending that she doesn't exist."
Hailey swallowed uncomfortably and pulled at the grass. "I know, and I don't mean to… It's just-it's not like with you. I grew up with you and dad. I don't even know mom and Sarah was a surprise. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do around her. Sometimes she just gives me this look when I talk to her that makes me feel like I should leave her alone."
Her brother sighed in sympathy, walking over to the young girl and standing in front of her before crouching down and sitting back on his haunches. He put a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder and gave her a soft smile when she looked at him in surprise.
"You'll figure it out."
Embarrassingly enough, tears filled Hailey's eyes, but before she could say anything, her brother picked up the garden tool he had dropped when walking over to her and went back to work.
That's right, she thought, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, a small smile on her lips. My brother is here. It's not like he's going anywhere. Alright, I'll try my best!
Standing up, the young girl went to look for the other daughter of Khione, determination filling her, not unlike the feeling of adrenaline.
It would probably seem silly to anyone else, but Hailey had a hard time connecting to the sister she hadn't known until she came to camp. Unsure with how to deal with the issue, she went with avoiding her half-sister whenever she could. That's not to say Sarah was a bad person. In fact, the two half-sisters had never been in an argument. Simply put, insecurity filled the small girl whenever she went to talk to her half-sister. She admired Sarah a lot, and was subconsciously afraid that the other girl wouldn't like her. But, while people were gone from camp, now was a good a time as any, right? Less distractions.
Anxiousness pooled Hailey's gut as she thought about it. Something was going to happen. Soon. And it would probably have to do with how everyone seemed to be leaving in some way or another.
Her mind flashed back to the call she had gotten via Iris message that day.
A few days ago, when out with her brother, she had met a clear-sighted mortal named Cleo at the shopping mall near Main Street. They had become fast friends almost instantly, and Eli had even taken a liking to the girl with rusty brown hair and blue eyes. It came as a bit of a shock when they had run into a monster later that day and Cleo had been able to see it as well.
"My family has a lot of experience with strange things like that," Cleo had said, but didn't expand on what she meant.
Neither Hailey or Eli had asked for more information.
But, thinking about the message from this morning...
"Watch your step," Cleo had said, a smile on her face and a warning in her eyes.
Hailey had blinked, completely mystified. "What do you mean?"
"There's something-it's like-" She suddenly looked behind her, looking surprised, before turning back to Hailey. "Gotta go. Bye-bye, Ice Princess! Take care!"
The call had ended just like that, leaving Hailey with questions, but she dropped them as soon as her half-sister walked into the cabin.
Come to think of it, she should have messaged Cleo back later for more of a detailed explanation on what she had meant.
I'll do it later, the daughter of Khione decided, temporarily shrugging it off for now. Right now… I need to develop a relationship with Sarah.
The determination from earlier was steadily being replaced by nervousness as she neared the cabin.
Hailey sighed to herself. What an embarrassing fear.
Tugging on the sides of her dress, the daughter of Khione walked forward.
The hinges of the door squeaked loudly in protest as it was pushed forward, the wood giving an agonizing groan.
Pantone eyes widened in surprise and horror.
That wasn't what she was expecting to see.
Mouth dropping open, the young girl could do nothing but stare, a state of terror overtaking her as her eyes took in the scene.
"Wah! Get out!"
A sneaker flew threw through the air with deadly precision, hitting the dark-haired girl in the middle of the forehead. Pain blossomed from the spot the brush hit, and a red mark immediately started forming. Reflex tears sprung to the corners of Haley's eyes before sliding down her cheeks.
"Sorry, sorry!" she squealed out, her face a rather alarming shade of red. She slapped her hands over her eyes in embarrassment, trying to get over the image of her half-dressed half-sister standing in the middle of the room.
"Out!" Something that felt suspiciously like a shoe hit her bicep. "Get out!"
"I didn't think anyone was in here!" Haley said, trying to defend herself.
"Why don't you knock?" her sister screeched back. "How would you like it if a stranger walked in on you while you were changing clothes?"
As much as Haley tried not to be wounded by her half-sister's words, the sting in her chest and familiar tell-tale prickling behind her eyes contradicted her will. It was ridiculous, when she reflected on it. Because on one hand, she wanted to be close to her half-sister and do silly things like stay up late at night, exchanging stories and braiding each other's hair. On the other, she wanted to run away and ignore her sister whenever she got within three meters of her.
So it shouldn't hurt this much. It shouldn't make her want to cry when she hears that her half-sister thinks of her as a stranger. Because, in reality, that was what they were. Knowing someone's favorite color and what outfit they usually wore didn't mean that you were close pals with them. In fact, it would be easy to find that out in regards to any person.
It just made the young girl all the more embarrassed and ashamed.
"I'm sorry," Hailey squeaked out, looking down. "I didn't mean to..."
The sound of Sarah sighing met her ears. "No, it's okay. I'm sorry I threw so many things at you. It just surprised me is all. I shouldn't have overreacted."
Is Sarah trying like me? Hailey wondered before smiling shyly.
"No, it's really my fault. I'll remember to knock next time."
The two girls exchanged tentative smiles.
This might just work out.
It was dark.
The room was so quiet, he could hear the ringing in his ears.
What happened?
The dark-haired boy struggled to remember, closing his eyes in thought. It made no difference, since he could not see in the dark room.
Someone… someone brought me to this place. The image of a small, light-haired girl with the brightest eyes he had ever seen and a happy smile flashed in his mind. That girl… What… What is this feeling... ? Foreboding? Why did she bring me here? Monsters cornering him in a nearby alleyway. He had finally run out of breath and was too fatigued to carry on, when- How did she find me? Did she ever say? A headache built, starting from his temples and ending with a searing pain behind his eyes. I'm missing something important. What is it? Somewhere between the time I left Union Square and the time I appeared here. What is it?
Images flashed through his mind as he tried to piece his memory back together.
Screeching, growling, the beat of leathery wings-
The rough feel of the brick behind his back, scraping his shoulder blades-
The sweat building between his shoulder blades-
Shaking in terror, eyes wide in fear-
Blood splattering as monsters were cut in half, crying out in agony-
There, right there-
A smile, holding out a hand, an offer to be safe-
The lights flipped on, making him jump in surprise, eyes wide and filled with shock.
"Oh, someone is in here."
Brown eyes quickly flicked over the person in the doorway that had just walked in, absorbing any and all things presented before him.
It was another boy. Tall-taller than him. Maybe just over six feet, judging by how he looked next to the doorway. Deep blue eyes glinted with unconcealed amusement. Short black hair was styled into a crew cut, not a hair out of place. His skin was tan and bronzed, and undoubtedly, he had the features people would both be envious of and drool over. His posture was one of someone who was confident with themselves-hands in pockets, shoulders back.
"Haven't seen you around," the boy said, a smile bordering on cocky tugging at his lips. "So you're a newbie, huh? I'm Odysseus."
"Ian," the boy sitting down offered shortly, still working out how to act around this newcomer.
"Our second newcomer of the day, eh? Jackson just got here an hour ago. Have you met him yet?"
Jackson? "No."
Odysseus tipped his head back, letting out a laugh. "He looks just like me. A hero, I can tell."
Uncomfortable, Ian eyed the stranger with trepidation. "Oh?"
A lopsided grin tilted Odysseus' lips up that did funny things to Ian's heart. "Yeah, I have the same look. The look of someone that has gone through hell and is still kicking."
"A hero's look, huh?" Ian mused, not realizing he had spoken aloud until he heard his words echo through the room.
"That's right," Odysseus agreed, his smile now a playful smirk. "A lot of the idiots here have the look. It comes in varying degrees, though. Most people only have a touch of it."
The face of a hero. What an interesting concept.
The Other sat perched on the couch, toes curling around the edge of the seat while knees were pulled up to their chest. Delicately, they ate a cake, layers of chocolate and fudge towering on the both the plate and the spoon. There was a certain childishness about the Other's countenance,, with the way they held their spoon and the noises they made as they shoveled the treat into their mouth. Happy "num" and "aah" noises were made as pale lips closed around the silver spoon.
"It's not healthy to eat like that, you know," a boy pointed out, eyes half-lidded while his chin rested in his palm.
The Other swallowed before turning their head in his direction. "What do you mean?"
"A diet of cake and other sweets. You must know that it isn't good for you."
Shrugging, the Other picked up a cookie from the plate next to them and bit into it. "It's our party. I should be able to eat as many sweets as I want! Celebrate with me! It makes it more fun when everyone plays! I have lots of cakes and ice creams for you to choose from."
The girl next to the boy laughed."We are glad to have you back, big sister. It's been years since I've seen you outside my dreams."
"Yes," the Other said, speaking around a mouthful of cake childishly, somehow managing to not be appalling in manners."It has been a rather long time, hasn't it?"
"Will you ever tell us where you were?" the boy asked. "You know we're curious. And, really. What harm could come from telling us-your friends-where you were?"
The Other swallowed before giving the two a playful wink and holding a finger to thin lips. "It's a secret~!"
The boy clicked his tongue. "But I don't understand why. You've told us your plan, right? We should be in on this, too."
"You're too skinny," the Other told him, completely ignoring the boy's demands. "Have you been eating enough? I do hope they have been giving you enough to eat while I was away."
"Li-"
"Don't address me by name," the Other cut off. A smile dragged their lips upwards, revealing frighteningly sharp canine teeth. "Right now, to you, I am no one. Perhaps Your Highness will work. Yes, I like that. Like the games we used to play as children. I'll be the royal, you two will be my most loyal knights that defeat the enemies."
"But why?" asked the girl, looking confused and hurt, a vague anger even mixing in with the expression. "You called us brother and sister. Why is it that now you are so distant?"
The Other looked unconcerned with the wounded feelings the two displayed. "Maybe Alex will do. I think I prefer Alex over Your Highness." The last piece of cake was shoved into their mouth. "Hmmm. That's a generally popular name right now, I think. What do you two think of it?"
The boy and girl had rather negative expressions on their faces and looked everywhere except for at the one in front of them. A bead of sweat trickled down the girl's face while the boy's lips were pressed into a thin line.
"Aww, are you two angry?" Toes wiggled, playing with the seam of the couch. "You shouldn't have such a sad face at a party. It's impolite. Maybe if I brought something to play with you would both cheer up?"
The color drained from the boy's face. "We… We're fine."
The Other made a sad noise, an exaggerated pout on their lips. "Are you sure? I think it would do you two some good to loosen up. Something from the outside might help. It always helps me."
"I don't really want to play dolls right now," the boy said in an appeasing manner.
"Dolls again? Li-"
"Alex." Eyes glinted. "Don't make me correct you again, please. It gets rather tedious. And you two should know by now what happens when I get bored."
The girl gave a short incline of her head. "I didn't mean to offend you, Alex."
A happy, childish smile pulled previously straight-lined lips upwards. "It's alright! Of course I forgive you! It was an accident, after all."
"So," the boy leaned back in his seat, "if you came to see us, that mean you must want something other than a party, right?"
The Other laughed. "You know me so well! I wanted to fill you in on some things, too. I wouldn't leave you completely in the dark."
The boy and girl were completely fixated on the Other, looking intrigued.
"I'm going to start a game. I've already picked out the players for it, too. But I wanted you two to be my representatives. What do you say?"
"You know my thoughts already," the girl said, crossing her legs. "I've said it before. You are a close friend to me and I consider you a sister. I accept."
The boy paused in thought before answering. "I care about you as well. What is it you need us to do?"
The Other grinned, clapping. "I knew I could count on you! And don't worry-you will both like your jobs."
Police sirens blared as the cars raced down the streets to the reported scene of the crime.
