He can't feel himself. He doesn't remember the past events. The same dream replays in his head. He can feel something. It's going down his throat. It's warm. It tastes like cookies to the boy. He opens one eye, then the other. These are painful steps. He sees a girl. The girl. The one he saw the night before. He doesn't know what to say. Suddenly, images from the night before leak into his brain. He moans, and the girl shoves a spoon into his mouth. The liquid dribbles down his chin. The girl with blonde hair and stormy grey eyes asks him questions he cannot answer. She shoves more liquid into his mouth. He grows unconscious.
When he wakes the girl isn't in the room. A different blonde has replaced her. A man with eyes all over. He stands guard at the door, watching the boy. The boy feels uncomfortable, and he lies back in the makeshift bed and falls asleep.
Percy Jackson wakes up in his bed, his mouth open ready for a scream. The scream never comes. He looks around his apartment bedroom, his eyes resting on his clock.
12:04 it reads. Percy closes his eyes again, turning away from the clock. He wrinkles his nose as he tries to find a comfortable position. He ends up banging his head on the backboard of the bed. He curses such profanity that his mother would wash out his mouth with soap. He lies back down on his bed; his eyes are now open, just staring at the ceiling. He sighs, touching his forehead. He rubs it. He brings his hand down to his side, and closes his eyes again.
He's running. She's limping. They're both crying. People are right behind them. Bad people. People with guns, knives, etc. They try to be quiet, but they knock down trashcans. The boy curses, and the girl whimpers. The boy takes a risk; he scoops the girl up in his arms bridal-style. He thinks it is a good thing, but also a mistake. A good thing because there possibly won't be a trail of blood. A mistake because he can see her stomach wound, and he can barely support the girl with red hair's weight. They hear shouts behind them, and the girl moans the boy's name. The boy tells her to hold on, he tells her he'll get her help. He thinks he sees some sort of Safe-Haven further that-a-way. He tells the girl he thinks he's found their escape.
He runs. He runs as fast as he can. He hears the gunfire's of the one gang, and the people that were hunting him and Rachel. He winces as he hears the screams. He turns into an alleyway- the boy's first real mistake. He runs forward but slips in a puddle. He breaks the girl's fall, but hits his head on the cement. When he gently pushes the red head off of him, the boy has a throbbing pain in his head. A concussion. He tries to have the other girl get up. He also tries to carry her again. No such luck.
He hears footsteps coming, he tells her to stop moaning. To only be quiet. She disagrees with his statement, and keeps on moaning, whimpering and complaining. He ends up putting his hands over her mouth and nose, as the footsteps grow louder. A man speaks, his voice is gruff. He asks his friend if she thinks anyone is in here. The girl says no, the boy recognizes her as a person he had befriended off of the streets, and he mentally cusses her out. The two run from the entrance of the alley. The boy with black hair presses the girl against the brick wall, along with himself. The girl is gasping now, holding her bleeding stomach. The boy's attention immediately goes towards her again. He tells her to stay alive. He brushes back some of her red frizzy hair, laying a kiss on her cheek. The girl tells him she can't do it. The boy begs her to live. To hold onto the pieces-not let go. The girl doesn't respond. She never would. The boy whispered her name again and again. "Rachel," he whispered. "Rachel?" The boy had tears slipping down his face, and one landed on Rachel's cheek, sliding down slowly. A new pair of feet approached, and the boy hushed, staring into the lifeless green eyes of his best friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. The people came further into the alley, they were wearing masks. The boy hoped that the shadows casted a darkness so dark the people in the gang wouldn't be able to see them. It was dark, but the people saw him anyway.
The man saw him first. He told his buddy that he'd found someone. The man crept close, and saw that the boy wasn't wearing a mask. He brought up his gun, hesitant. The man wondered how old the boy was, he seemed young. He was next to a girl. The boy looked up at the man, the boy's face was red and streaked with tears. The man shook his head and pulled the trigger three times, getting the boy in the hip, leg, and stomach. The boy cried out, falling right next to the girl. The two crept closer. They saw that the girl was already dead. The boy was gasping, and when he became quiet the two were sure that both were dead. They left the alleyway, but three blocks over was were they would be stabbed to death.
This time when Percy awoke, there was a scream bellowing from his mouth. He himself had tears dripping down his face, and his two hands were on his hip and stomach. He was sweating, and was pretty sure he'd wet the bed. His tears vanished from his eyes and his ragged breaths became nothing more than hiccups. He took his right hand off of his stomach to lift up his pajama pants. His hand delicately went over the bullet scar. "It wasn't as bad as what Rachel got." He thought bitterly. He looked at the clock.
4:59
Percy sighed; he stood up and almost dropped to the floor. He used his bed to get up onto his feet. Percy was right; he had wet his own bed. He started stripping down the sheets, tossing them to the floor. He got on different sheets, and different clothes. He didn't shower, though. It was too dangerous for him. The water, and slipperiness of it. Percy usually showered when Nico was with him, waiting right outside the door.
Percy figured there wasn't any use in trying to go back to sleep. He went out, and sat on the couch. He looked at the remote, then his television. He tried to remember what televisions did. He racked his brain for any information on it. He shrugged and picked up the remote. He pressed a button, but nothing happened. He pressed a different button. He pressed a button that said REC. another that said DVR he even pressed a button that said Buy PP. That made him smile a little, and his immature brain made fun of the stupid TV remote. He tried one more button that said ON. The TV slowly crackled to life. The brightness of it burned Percy's eyes, but he kept on looking at it. He pressed numbers on the remote, and the TV flipped to different stations. When he came across a TV show that he liked, he settled on the couch. His hand had a cramp, and he flexed, wincing as he heard a muscle crack. He laid his head back on the armrest of the couch; he was now looking at his front door. His eyes stayed on the door, unmoving. His eyes burned, and he closed them. He felt a stinging sensation. He closed his eyes again and again. He eventually just kept them closed, and went off into one of his long dreams.
"Wake up," A voice whispered, "C'mon, you can do it." A groan from the infamous Percy Jackson.
"Wake up. Don't make me push you off the couch…" A warning tone. A useless kick.
"Did you just make a movement to kick me? Little bugger…" The teen purses his lips together. Suddenly, Percy Jackson was on the floor again, glaring at the beaming teen.
"Told you I'd push you off the couch." Nico said. He put his hands in his pockets.
"Your breakfast is on the counter. Have you brushed your teeth or showered yet?" Nico asked.
"Obviously not." Percy said standing up without Nico's help. Percy's a good foot and a half taller than Nico. Nico raises an eyebrow as Percy heads off to the counter for his food. Nico snaps his fingers.
"I do not appreciate your tone." He says. Percy rolls his eyes, opening up a bottle of orange juice.
"Sorry mother." He apologizes jokingly.
"Mhm. Better not be trying to mess with me." Nico mumbles. He goes off to Percy's room. He comes out with his nose wrinkles.
"Did you wet yourself in there?" Percy doesn't answer. "Gross! Dude, your urine is so strong! You could take out the entire population of Canada with that stench!" Nico complains, and complains. Percy watches him with interest as he slowly chews his eggs. After a couple minutes into the complaining, Nico looks at Percy.
"Were you even listening to me?" He asks. Percy nods his head.
"Oh yeah." He nods his head up and down. Nico looks at Percy with an I-Know-You're-Lying look.
"Yeah-Yeah, go take a shower you little nasty thing." Percy bites his bacon.
"But I'm not done!" He says with his mouth still full.
"Now you are." Nico walks by him, swiftly taking the plate and dumping its contents in the trash.
"An evil one you are." Percy says getting up from his chair. He goes to his bathroom, but before he goes in he says: "Lay my clothes out on the bed please!" Nico responds "Okay."
Some of Percy's clothes are out on the bed in less than five minutes. Percy comes out with a towel wrapped around his waist and Nico quickly leaves the room, making sure to shut the door. When Percy's dressed he comes out to Nico.
"Hey, these aren't my sleep clothes." He says pointing down to the t-shirt and jeans Nico had laid out on the bed.
"Oh, I hadn't noticed, what a shame." Nico says, looking at the clock.
"She's supposed to be here right now! Oh my gods, school starts in thirty minutes!" He taps his foot on the ground impatiently. Percy notices.
"Nico, what are you planning?" He asks.
"Oh nothing special…" The doorbell buzzes.
"Yes!" Nico exclaims.
"Nico!" Percy calls. Nico's already answered the door. Standing in the hallway is the specialist, Anna. She's in jeans and a band t-shirt, and she wears a smile.
"Hey." She says. Percy's stone like face drags into a smirk-the closest thing he'll get to a smile.
"Hey." The boys say. Nico runs a hand through his hair. Percy's arms are crossed over his chest.
"What's going on here?" He asks.
"You haven't told him?" Anna asks. Percy's eyes widen in fear for a second, but shrink back to normal size.
"Told me what?"
"That you're going to spend a day outside with Anna. Oh look at the time gotta go!" Nico says quickly, and then runs out the door. Percy gapes at Nico's retreating figure. He looks at Anna.
"You're kidding me, right?" He asks, Anna shrugs.
"It's one of the ways to get rid of your problems." Anna is the first person to say he has problems. Other therapists cover it up. Percy seems to like Anna more for the fact that she's not afraid to state a truth.
Percy can feel himself shaking.
"Can't we just spend a nice time inside?" He asks, and Anna shakes her head.
"No. Sorry. We better get going now if we want to end this by five." Anna takes his hand and Percy's eyes widen. He recoils his hand.
"Don't. Touch. Me." He hisses.
"Sorry." Anna apologizes. Percy closes his eyes and counts to five.
"It's okay." He says after a long moment of silence.
"Okay well, ready for your first day back outside?" Anna puts on a fake chirpy voice. There would be no dreaming his way out of this. Percy answers truthfully.
"No."