SADIE

I was pretty stinking mad.

At Anubis.

I mean, he kisses me then leaves me in the middle of nowhere. On my birthday.

Thanks for the help.

So I decided to confront him. I know, brilliant idea Sadie. It would have the added bonus of being able to let off some steam. I had been cooped up in the Warehouse forever. After being stuck in a house with a cat goddess, in the Training won't last me forever. So maybe I wasn't really mad at Anubis. Oh well.

So where better to look for the god of funerals, then in a graveyard?

After escaping Carter and training, (Sorry, Walt) I went straight to the nearest graveyard. I just happened to pick the creepiest graveyard in the entire state. The entire thing seemed to be covered in cobwebs, and dark and scary, right out of a horror movie. All the tombstones were so worn and faded you almost couldn't see the words anymore.

I figured nobody would want to be with ten miles of the place, so they wouldn't see or hear some random girl screaming at thin air, and possibly blowing up stuff.

I really need to find better ways to release my frustration.

I pushed open the gate without too much trepidation. After all, I was Sadie Kane, magician of the House of Life, descendent of the Pharaohs, recent host of Isis, goddess of magic. Sounds pretty cool right? Plus I was almost always safe in graveyards because of Anubis. So I figured I was ok.

Still, the gate made a long screeching noise as it opened and I winced at the unearthly sound.

I shuffled through the grassy path quietly, slightly put off by the creepy wind through the trees and the lone call of some bird. I kicked a stone and some innocent patches of dirt to try and get rid of the jitters.

I shivered; I should have brought a jacket.

"You need a coat."

I jumped at this and gave a little gasp of surprise. Where the bloody hell had that come from?

I swiveled around frantically trying to find the source. My eyes fell on a boy sitting against a tombstone. He had silky, pitch-black hair, a handsome face that looked slightly Italian, and chocolate brown eyes. His skin was frighteningly pale, like a corpse's. He wore a ragged-looking aviator jacket with black jeans torn in several places. Except for minor differences, I could have been looking at Anubis.

Who was this bloke? And why was he here?

He smirked at my shocked expression.

"Did I startle you?"

I glared at him. "Who are you?"

He smiled, unaffected by my death-glare, stood up and dusted himself off lightly. He held out a hand for me to shake.

"Nico Di Angelo at your service." His tone mocking.

So it wasn't Anubis. You can never be too sure. I hesitated before leaning over and shaking his hand. It was rough, like Carter's after he'd been using his sword.

"Sadie Kane. So Nico," My tone was equally as mocking. "What are you doing here?"

Nico merely raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing."

I narrowed my eyes and we just stared at each other for a while.

I broke the quiet tentatively.

"So…" I had no idea what to say next.

"So." He agreed.

We stared at each other till a SPLASH! broke the tense silence and Nico looked up in surprise as a wet droplet of water fell from the tree branch above us and onto his nose. He went cross-eyed trying to see it and his face was so funny I couldn't help but laugh.

Nico stared at me like I was crazy, but I could see the smile the flitted across his face, like he couldn't help it either.

I at him after catching my breath, and noticed an iPod and headphones sticking out of one of his pockets.

"Got any good songs on that?"

Nico glanced down, surprised that I noticed.

"Yeah, you like Green day?"

I smiled. "Yep."

We started talking about the randomest things, nothing to do with personal life, as if we'd established an unspoken rule. Nico was easier to talk to than Carter or Amos. I didn't have to deal with crazy Egyptian gods and goddesses, the House of Life, training, and worrying about impending doom at all. It felt good to get away from my hectic life. This was a much better way of releasing stress then yelling insults at the god of funerals. Or taking it out on Carter. (Carter didn't appreciate it much)It felt incredibly relieving.

I glanced down at my watch.

"Crap, my brother's going to be looking for me! I'd better go." I exclaimed and shot to my feet from where I was sitting on the grass.

Nico looked up with poorly concealed disappointment. I barely hid my grin. It seemed Nico enjoyed talking to me too.

"Oh, ok. I should probably be going too."

I hesitated. "Would you want to meet here again tomorrow?" I asked tentatively. My face flushed. Why was I acting like this? I was Sadie Kane. I shouldn't be blushing at this guy I just met. But yet…

His chocolate eyes brightened, showing off thick lashes. "Sure."

"Same time?" I asked.

Nico nodded mutely.

I grinned and dashed off through the creaky gate, slamming it shut behind me.

"See ya tomorrow!" I called waving over my shoulder. Nico grinned back at me, and turned back to the graveyard.

I turned back to the road ahead of me. With my luck I'd hit a tree branch and make a total full of myself.

I was going to get it when I got back to the Twenty-first Nome, but I couldn't hide the genuine smile that unfolded across my face.

A/N: I really shouldn't be starting another story….sigh. There are just too many great ideas in this world. Please review a lot and I'll update sooner.