Annabeth

Breath, Annabeth... Breath.

I walk out of the building feeling eyes at the back of my head.

"Annabeth!"

I hear Ms. Ramirez call me.

I keep walking forwards, ignoring her. I don't need her right now. Not anymore.

"Annabeth!" I feel a tug on my shoulder.

The arm turns me around.

"What do you think you're doing?" stares at me.

"I don't belong here. I'm leaving this place." I answer simply, and turn around.

"No," She turns me around again, "First tell me exactly why you have decided to leave. This place is perfect."

"I would reconsider those last four words."

And for the second time that day, I turn and leave or the door.

I come up an alleyway and see a guy dressed in black. Probably wearing a leather jacket, with some baggy pants along with a dark shirt with a skull on it. He doesn't look very old, probably 15 or 16 at the most.

He seemed pretty kind enough so I decided to walk up to him.

Probably wasn't the best idea in the world, but I'm already heading towards him so...

I tug on his shoulder.

He swipes around and is about to punch me in the face but I catch his hand at the last second.

"Woah!"

He swings around in this about to hit me again but I catch that one as well.

"Calm down, man. Calm down." I say as he didn't put as much force into his palms.

Man, that kid can punch hard.

"I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna talk."

The boy is still defensive but loosens his force of the punch.

"You startled me. What do you expect." The boot looks at me weirdly.

"Sorry for that by the way." I take a deep breath. "I'm Annabeth."

The kids is still looking at new warily but finally says something.

"I'm Nico. Nico Di Angelo." He puts his hand out to shake it.

I find it a little odd. People still do that?

But I took his hand and shook it anyway.

"What's a guy like you doing out here?" I ask oblivious.

"I got kicked out. Right before they killed me, barely."

"Who kicked you out?" Although I had a feeling of who would do that.

"PowersPeak. Did it a couple of days ago." I now look at him now closely and see some dirt in his dark clothing.

I look back up to him. "What did you do?"

I kinda of again had a hunch, but I just had to make sure.

Nico looks at me suspiciously.

"How do I know you won't kill me?"

My instincts ended up being right. "Trust me, if I were to kill you? It would be hypocritical."

It takes a while for him to figure it out, but when he does, his eyes widen.

"You're a-" He points his finger towards me.

Then I think I see a smile. I'm not totally sure, it was gone before I could make sure.

"I don't know. Maybe I might know what you're talking about if you tell me." I smile.

Nico looks at me for a while, then looks down and takes a deep breath.

I hear him mumble something.

I hear him of course, but I have to let him say it.

"I'm a..." He dies out at the end.

I tilt my head in fake confusion.

Nico looks back up to me. "I'm a Stacker."

I look at him and smile. "Ok..."

Nico looks at me shocked and stares at me again.

"Uh what? Aren't you going to tell PowersPeak? The people at the top?"

I look at him and shake my head. "No. I'm not going to do that. Not to a fellow Stacker, at least."

He looks at me closer and smirks. "I knew there was always something weird about you. It didn't seem like you would have fit in with the others on your team. Or anyone in the corporation as a matter of fact. I know exactly how that feels."

I nod my head. "At least I know that I'm not alone in this, right?"

I start to walk past him and I turn my head back to him as he doesn't follow me and motion my hand my way-motioning him to follow me.

He catches up to me and starts to ask me what we're gonna do now.

I turn out of the alleyway and onto the streets of New York, people walking past us, not knowing what we are about to do. What I'm about to do.

I look behind me and see Nico look at me and I tell him to follow me.

He looks unsure for a second then catches up to me.

I continue walking the streets of New York, until fewer and fewer people start to pass by me and Nico. I walk further and come up to an old abandoned warehouse.

I stop in front of the porch and turn to Nico.

"What is this place?"

I look away from him and tilt my head towards the broken windows, run down wood on the side of the house, and water somehow dripping out of the side of the gutter. How they kept the water going? I don't know.

"I used to live here when I was on the streets. It kept me up on my feet's for a while, until PowersPeak found me."

Nico looks confused. "And why did you come back here?"

I look at him and pull the emergency key out of my boot. I don't know why I kept it all these years, but I'm glad I did.

I look back to him. "You know how you were talking about the people on top?"

Nico nods.

"I think its about time that they've been replaced. Don't you think to?"

I walk up to the house and unlock the door.

Its just how I remember it.