Chapter 2: Leo
As Amber fell to the ground, I knew I'd never forgive myself. I didn't mean to hurt her. It was like my mom's death all over again. Great. Another person I murdered. I put my ear to her chest to check her pulse. It felt awkward but I did it. I felt Amber's heart beat. She was alive, I don't know how but, she was. Maybe she was blessed by one of the gods.
I picked her up and ran to the Apollo cabin, hoping Will didn't go to archery practice with the rest. I let myself in and heard laughing from the room in the back. I knocked on the door.
"What?" Will answered the door shirtless. I saw Nico inside. Gods, ever since they started dating... Will looked at Amber in my arms. "Oh, put her on the unclaimed side. I'll check up on her." I did as told. I explained what happened.
"She went to get her weapon from my cabin to train. I waited outside, working on a project. Then came outside when Mark finished making plans for the weapon. I guess she saw me, the only person there she knew and came over. She said hi as I had my hands lit and, well, she scared me and I accidentaly burned her face and arms. Will, will she be okay?"
"Yes. It helps that she hasn't been claimed yet so she should wake up soon. Until then, there is nothing I can do. If you want, you can sit with her." I nodded and sat down in the chair next to her bed. Will went back to his room, leaving me alone with Amber and my thoughts. I pushed Amber's hair away from her beautiful face. 'No', I told myself, 'What if she is your half-sister, you'd be heart broken' I kissed her forhead where I had bumped into her and stroked her face.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered and let a tear fall. It landed right on her nose. I wiped it away. "It's all my fault." I buried my face in her soft reddish-brown hair, arm wrapped around her, and I let myself cry for the first time since my mom's death.
I never knew that someone that you barely knew, could mean so much to you. I felt her move and got up from my position. She opened her big, beautiful, now, sky-blue eyes and looked into my plain brown ones just as this morning, when I met her.
She stretched her arms and let out a lttle moan of pain when the pain flowed back to her. She noticd that she was in the infirmary and she let a tear escape her eye. I did, too. I was happy that she woke up. She pulled my down and hugged me, crying into my shoulder. So I lay there, beside her, in a bed. Doing absolutely nothing. I hugged her and whispered into her ear.
"I'm so, so sorry." I whispered again.
"I heard you before. Leo, will I be okay?" She whispered into my ear. I nodded. And she squeezed my tighter.
"You sure will, Amber." I whispered back. She closed her eyes and a tear streamed out from the corner of her eye. I wiped it away.
"Are you sure, Fire Boy McShizzle?" She joked
"Whoah, McShizzle?" I looked at her and she shot me a look. "Yeah, Sweet Cheeks, I'm sure."
"Sweet Cheeks?" She asked. I nodded. She closed her eyes again, tense. I kissed her forehead and she suddenly relaxed.
"You are the sweetest girl I know and when you smile, I can see it in your cheeks, though I see pain in your eyes." I explained
"I like it." She studied my face, mostly my eyes, as if looking for emotion. "You have the pain in your eyes, too. I saw it earlier, when we met. What's wrong?" I pushed my hair out of my eyes. I might as well tell someone and it might as well be the girl I like. I sighed.
"I accidntally killed my mother with my fire when I was little. She got trapped in the workshop she invented stuff in and I thought, that since the walls were wood I could save her, but I killed her instead. I've been hopping from foster home to foster home ever since." A tear rolled down my cheek again and Amber wiped away even though it hurt her burned fingers to. "That is why I freaked out when I hurt you. I thought I had killed another person I cared about." I quickley added "Why are you in pain?", hoping she won't notice what I said.
"I accidentaly drowned my older sister, my best friend. One day when I was still little, on a Saturday, my mom was running errands so my older sister, 14 at the time, voluntered to babysit me and my brother. We went to the beach because it was so hot and, well, you get the idea." I knew she didn't want to talk about it, judging from the pain in her voice. "And since when did you care about me?" She asked. Gods, she caught it.
"Since I hurt you twice." We sat there, in the bed, smiling a stupid dumb smile you get when you like someone. I realized that our faces were an inch apart. At that moment, Will came to check on us.
"Whoah, love birds. No kissing or sex in the infirmary!" He joked. Amber and I sat up and I scrambled to get out of the bed. "I see Amber woke up."
"Yes, she did." I said
"Do you think I can take a cold shower?" Amber asked "The cold helps burns, right?"
"Of course. I just want to do a check up." He said and motioned for her to get up. He checked her burns and said a cold shower would be the best thing for these types and then aloe or toothpaste. "What size clothes are you so I can get you a change of clothes since your are all burnt."
"A medium in juniors shirts and a size 6 in jeans and shorts."
"Okay, I'll get you some camp shirts and a pair of shorts and jeans. Then, you can go to the Aphrodite cabin to pick out more clothes. The showers are in the back." He said and left to get Amber's new clothes.
"Do you need help with the shower?" I asked
"Aww, that's sweet... And creepy." She said, smiling. "I can shower myself, but thanks." Will came back with clothes and Amber went to take a shower. I stayed just in case she needed help. I sat on a bed closest to the shower and read Mythology while Will attended another 'patient' a.k.a Nico.