Annabeth's POV:
"Have you seen the girl I came here with? You know the one that looks like a tomato...Uhhh the one who climbed the badass tree over there?" I pointed.
"No." she simply replied. I HATE short answers with barely any information. I would much rather a four hour long lecture on architecture.
"WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE PAST HOUR LIVING UNDER A ROCK?!" I screamed. Okay, that was a slight overreaction, but I was wandering around like a loner and I needed Lace.
"Nu este nevoie pentru a obține chilotii într-o poftă de mâncare, cățea!" The angry and slightly frustrating Roman spit.
"I CAN SPEAK ROMANIAN YOU BUMBLING IMBISOL; AND MY PANTIES ARE NOT IN A TWIST; BECAUSE IN FACT I AM WEARING LADIES BOXERS, SO IT IS PHISICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO BE IN A TWIST!" I screamed.
"Too far. I'm lesbian." The chick said; a slight tint of pink appearing on her annoyed face.
"…"
"…"
"Oh…you have them here? I thought you were all…uh…like caught in the past? Those clothes look like rags and you live in castles…" She glared at me. "Well, uh…sorry 'bout that…I'll just…ask someone else…calmly." I walked away awkwardly; that was just weird and I hope I never have to relive that experience.
"Annabeth!" That could only be one person.
"Lacey; where have you been? Dinner's about to start! I've been looking for you everywhere and I was wandering around like a…why do you look like you've just seen a Fairy riding a unicorn?" I finished, as she walked closer. Might I add, she walked with confidence. Another strong blush covered her cheeks, making her look like she belonged in a vegetable garden.
"I...ahhh…did you see me climb the tree?" She mumbled.
"Don't change the subject. Why are you so happy?"
"What if climbing the tree is the reason I'm happy?"
"Don't be stupid. Someone obviously cheered you…" I gasped midsentence; suddenly realizing. "You're in love."
"I…no. I'm not in love I just…uh…"
"You kissed someone."
"Psh…whaaaaat? I didn't…" She stuttered. I raise an eyebrow.
"So what if I did? He's amazing, and he was nice to me, and he saved my life, and he really knows how to kiss, and he…"
"So what? SO WHAT? You have barely been here for 60 minutes, and you kissed a boy you JUST MET?! Do you know how reckless that is? Lacey, I thought you had enough brains to freaking restrain yourself! I am so disappointed! Where is this...this idiot? I'm going to kick him in the balls and…"
"NO! Don't touch him."
"Why not? What are you going to do? Bite me? I'm the one who saved you ass and saved your life. I bet he's a player, and he's going to play you so hard you'll never be the same again. He's going to lead you on, and then dump you like a bag of potatoes."
"SHUT UP!" She was shaking furiously, and her fists were clenching and unclenching at her sides. Her eyes were burning with a fire so intense it almost scared me. Almost.
"You do not get to insult him! And he won't do that to me! He…he…I think he likes me." She finished quietly.
I laughed humorously. "Bullshit. I can't believe how naive you are! No one falls in love that quickly. Especially with someone like you. Face it, you're not a princess. You're not what a guy looks for. You're not special." I spat, furious with how she was acting. She gasped as if she had been punched, her eyes widening, while the fire that was burning within her dissipated into defeat. And only then did I realize what I said.
"Shit, Lace; I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" I reached out to put my hand on her shoulder. She jerked away, as if she'd been hit. It hurt. But I had no right to be hurting here.
"Just because you don't know the meaning of happiness, doesn't mean you have the fucking right to take away mine." She whispered, and then she turned and ran. I should have followed her. But I was frozen.
One friend.
I had one friend, and I just ripped out a piece of her heart and crushed it like the ruthless bastard I am. But most of all; I was scared. I was scared because what she said was right. I was scared, because I had been pushing people around for my whole fucking life. I was scared, because I knew who did this to me. I promised myself I would only kill once more. I would kill him, and then I would run, and hide somewhere where no one could find me. I nodded in agreement with myself.
I was scared, because I was truly all alone.
Lacey's POV:
I ran, for the second time that day. Nothing processed. Not the fact that I was crying, not the fact that I had passed the camp boundaries, not the fact that I was wading through a river. I was so cold, but I didn't care…BAM!
At first my brain didn't even process the pain. I catapulted backwards, landing in the river. I was sitting on the river bed, my whole body (minus my head) submerged in the icy water. What the hell? It was like an invisible barrier just appeared out of nowhere. Like a wall. I felt something warm and sticky on my face; so I raised my hand out of the wet substance and gingerly touch my face.
It came away red.
I think my nose was broken, but I didn't know and didn't care. I can't believe she said those…those things! She insulted Jason to my face; and to top it off, she insulted me. And I thought we were friends. I scoffed in disbelief. Annabeth was a monster.
No she's not.
Yes; she IS; she is a monster.
I repeated this over and over in my head; but while I thought I hated her with all of by being, and tiny part of me loved her.
And that drove me mad.
Because I knew she didn't care about me. Heck, she didn't even know the meaning of the word. I was soft, because after what she just said, I should want revenge. But I don't. Not even a little bit. Because I know she is messed up. No, remembering what Jason said. The world is messed up. And that is how we are alike. We were both treated like shit. And we needed to stick together. I sighed. What happened to me? Where did the old Lace go? Down the freaking drain, I answered myself. A ghost of a smile adjusted my lips.
I pulled myself up from the river, everything aching. Okay, now the pain hit me.
With full force.
All over my body.
I gasped, barely staying upright. I was shivering uncontrollably, and I finally fell. I managed to break my fall by lucking thrusting my hands in front of my face, but it jarred all the bones in my body. I was exhausted, from the fight, from the emotional moods, from the magical-barrier-thingy, from the numbing shock of the river; everything.
Oh God, I was going to throw up. I just had enough time to move my hands before I retched all over an unfortunate yellow daisy. Well; it was yellow. Now it was chunky. It felt like I gagged up every meal I had ever eaten. Suddenly, there was someone behind me, holding back my hair and rubbing my back in calming circles.
"You're okay. Just get it out. Take your time."
Jason. I was relieved, but I couldn't help feeling the slight twinge of disappointment pulling at my heart. I thought it could've been Annabeth. Of course she wouldn't come, I thought bitterly. I eventually ceased spewing, and I would've fallen into my food; which of its own accord decided to make a lovely reappearance; if Jason hadn't caught me. He picked me up easily in his arms and carried me bridal-style. As much as I loved the feeling, I was still shivering and my eyes started to close.
"No, no. Lace, come on stay awake for me. Please. Come on; think about…ah…oh! I got it; think about colours. You know the most wonderful colour? Green."
Oh, I do like green.
"Grass in spring, and what about the green in the sea, and the gr…"
The rest drifted off, leaving me with peace and quiet. Despite the desperate look on his face, the rough shaking of my tender body, and the crazed look in his eyes; I fell unconscious.
The Next Day:
I woke up in a bed, a soft bed, and looked up into the plain white cloth that seemed to be the ceiling. I panicked, not remembering where I was, and jerked up into a sitting position. Ow, I regretted that. I gently lowered myself back down, and sighed in frustration. I developed a sudden itch on my nose, so I reached up to scratch it. I couldn't. I looked down at my hand, and found it in a plain white cast, from my elbow all the way down to my wrist, where the stiff material looped around my thumb, holding it into place. I tried my other hand, and was pleased to say it was injury free. I stretched it out and attempted to scratch my nose…what? I was scratching; but not feeling. What the hell? I squinted with one eye and focused on my nose. Did you know that your brain can always see your nose, it just ignores it? Useless fact from the human book; Annabeth. I ignored the pain in my heart and swallowed back the tears; because really, what was the point? Anyway, my nose was covered in plaster too, hence to the lack of feeling. Oh man, that was some itch. My eyes were actually tearing up. In an attempt to distract my mind, I examined the rest of my body. My legs were covered in cuts and dark bruises; probably from falling into the river, which was filled with sharp rocks and stones. I could live with that. The cast on my wrist, the plaster on my nose, there was a cast on my ankle; I have no idea where that came from; and I'm pretty sure there was a Band-Aid on the back of my head. I would have been perfectly content in my bed; but on what I thought was a clean cast, there was a message scribbled on the inside on my wrist.
Meet me at the tree. We need to talk.
Annabeth
Please.
I sigh in confusion. Talk about bi-polar emotions. I must've been on morphine or some other drug, because everything felt heavy, and every move felt forced. I sat up; slower this time; and had to steady myself by gripping the sides of the crib. I inched my legs over to the edge, and eventually they touched down on the dirt surface which must be the floor. I had to get to Annabeth. I started towards the door; but there were guards, facing in the opposite direction, but they were still there.
I could dig under? No.
I could jump through the roof? No.
I could attack one of the guards and strip him naked and steal his clothes and disguise myself of one of them without making any noise or alerting the other guard that's standing four feet away from him? …
I did a 360-turn. Oh. The walls were cloth. That was awkward. I slipped through the stained material…was that blood? Anyway, and started to head over towards the forest. I didn't know the camp that well; but I took the back-way, just in case. Unfortunately, I ran into Jason.
"Shit," I cursed under my breath. Last night I awoke at an ungodly hour of the night; and I had thought about him. A lot. I had come to a decision.
"Hey. Should you be up? You don't look to good."
"Aw thanks, I really appreciate that boost to my confidence." I replied feistily, and in response he just laughed. I almost joined in, but I stopped myself.
"Um…I think…the tree thing…ah…the kiss…was a mistake." I said shakily. That ceased his laughter abruptly, and his eyes narrowed with confusion. He opened his mouth to reply, but I stopped him.
"No. I can't…do this. I was just unstable and confused. I didn't know what I was doing and I was being reckless and immature. I rushed things. It went to fast. I barely knew you, for crying out loud! I didn't…" This was the hard part. "…I didn't feel anything for you. I still don't. I am sorry, but I regret it."
The look on his face nearly broke my resolve. No, it nearly killed me. His usual electric eyes were devoid of colour. They were dull and screaming betrayal. His hands were shaking, but he quickly stuffed them into his pant pockets. His back humped over, giving him a look of defeat. It took all of my strength not to run to him, to comfort him, to tell him I don't mean it.
"You know, I thought I had finally found 'the one'. I thought you were amazing, and cute, and funny, and…perfect. It didn't matter to me that we had just met; I thought that made it stronger. I never thought you'd be one of those girls. I never thought you were a player." He scoffed, and his vulnerable expression turned to stone. "Why did you do that? If you hated me; you could have just fucking told me instead of playing with my emotions!" I just stood there the whole time, as still and lifeless as a pole.
"I trusted you Lacey. But you are obviously not who you say you are." He whispered. He walked away, but as soon as he turned the corner, when he thought he was out of sight; I saw his body wrack with sobs, and his hands went up to cover his face. This was the shittiest feeling in the world.
I felt tears streaming down my face. I wanted nothing more than Jason to come around the corner and kiss me. Nothing more. I was finally happy, then reality had to butt it's freaking head in my lifef again.
No.
No.
It was me. I had to butt in. I ruined it. I just stood there for a while. Thinking. I eventually moved; but it was as if I was in a dream. I didn't really feel anything; my feet just led me to where I had to go. I was broken, and I knew I wasn't the only one. I can't believe I did that to him
And leaning against the tree where I had my first kiss; and probably last; was a blood-stained, weapon laden, tired looking Annabeth.
Annabeth's POV:
When I saw Lacey limp into view, plaster smothering her body, I cringed with pity. Did I do that to her? No. Although she was pretty upset. And had a right to be, said the voice in my head. Guilt overwhelmed me, making me shake slightly. I cleared my throat and repositioned myself from my spot leaning on the tree; and went up to help her. As she neared I saw she was absolutely covered in cuts and bruises. She was limping, and I honestly had no idea how she wasn't still passed out. Apparently we both had busy night nursing our wounds.
I sat down on the grass, motioning for her to do the same. It took a while, but eventually she managed it. She just sat there glaring at me, although not with as much intensity as I had imagined.
And it all just came out.
I told her everything, leaving out nothing. She sat there and listened, not saying anything; which was exactly what I needed. Someone to listen to me. It took forever; but it was worth it. She nodded when I needed her to, squeezed my hand when I needed her too, and it took me a while before it dawned on me; she was crying.
For me.
I finished, and I was whole again. I was stitched back up. I could be Annabeth again. I didn't need Percy. I didn't need to kill him. I didn't need to even see him again. I looked up, and felt moisture on my cheeks. We looked at each other; and I knew what I had to do.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered.
She looked at me and said simply, "I know." She pulled me in for a hug, and she whispered in my ear; "You were right."
I pulled away suddenly, needing an explanation. She stopped me though, by putting up her non-casted hand.
"I…I broke it off. It's over. He called me a player; he said that I hated him. You were right. I rushed things." She started sobbing, and my heart felt like it had been popped with a needle. I did this to her.
"No no no no no. Look at me." I raised her chin so I could see her eyes. They looked lifeless. I remembered when I saw her after the kiss. She looked beyond happy. She looked like she didn't have a care in the world. And of course, being me, I had to ruin it.
"No. Don't listen to me, jeez, really? Okay, look; I was sad and depressed and arrogant. I was jealous you found someone in an hour, and I was stabbed. I got scared and jealous, and I felt like I needed to protect you. I messed up, okay? He sounds like an amazing guy, and that's bloody great, because you are an amazing girl. You are strong, kind, pretty; no, beautiful, funny, light-hearted, wise, smart, and so much more. Always, always remember, that you are than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." (AN: quote from Winnie the Pooh)
She appeared to calm down after a while; and I asked the question that had been bugging me since she had arrived.
"What happened to you?" I said, desperate for some answers. She looked uncomfortable.
"I…uh; after our…disagreement, I ran away. I was running and I crossed this river, well I ran into an invisible wall and…" she indicated to her body, "This happened."
My mouth fell open in disbelief. Last night after she had run off, I ran in the opposite direction. I was just…scared. I had decided I would go find Percy Jackson and kill him, and then hide. I was going to abandon Lacey and everyone I knew. I now knew I didn't need to do that; but I still felt incredibly guilty knowing I would've ditched her. I ran into an unseen too; but thankfully my injuries were slightly less serious.
"That happened to me too!" I stammered.
We looked at each other, and both of us came to a joint decision. I got to my feet and offered a hand to Lacey, and we started off.
"We need answers."
"The feeling's mutual.