Annabeth took the bus to school the next day. It wasn't a particularly long walk, nor was it raining, like it had been on the first day. In fact, the sky was relatively clear, with the exception of a few clouds to the East. However, she had slept even worse last night than she had the night before last. It hadn't been a problem at the time. After a few hours of fitful sleep, where she had woken up sweating and sobbing several times an hour, she had Iris-messaged Percy. The intention hadn't been to talk all night, but, well; they had both lost track of time. They had begun to talk, to distract each other from the nightmares that they suffered through, and the memories that would pop up uninvited. It was strange how they never ran out of things to talk about. They could converse for days without tiring of each other, without failing to find new topics. In fact, they had still been talking when the sun had slipped up over the horizon. They had still been talking when the first commuters begun to leave the house and hop into various taxis and buses. They had still been talking when the shrill cry of Annabeth's alarm cut through their words.
So no, at the time, talking with her Seaweed Brain hadn't been problematic in the least. But now, as the bus pulled away from the stop, she could hardly keep her head from falling against the glass windows, or keep her eyelids from drawing closed. Music blared in her ears from her iPod, a final attempt to wake her from this stupor, but to no avail. She hardly heard the words of the song, was just vaguely aware of the melody, buzzing in her ears like an annoying gnat buzzing persistently around her head.
Most people would try to sleep on the bus. Their only worry would be the problem of missing their stop. But for Annabeth, being not just a demigod, but one who had struggled through hell, the prospect of sleep meant the possibility of alarming then whole bus with the ear-splitting screams as she endured yet another nightmare. No. Sleep was not an option. She would stumble through the day, try to pay attention at school, then she would go home and collapse. That seemed like a good plan.
Annabeth was staring desolately through the window, preparing herself for another day in that dump, when someone plonked themselves down in the seat next to her. "Miss me?" a voice asked. Annabeth glanced around and almost jumped out of her seat. Besides her was Percy. He, too, seemed to be suffering from lack of sleep. Dark circles hung bleak and hollow beneath those beautiful eyes. His hair was messy and in disarray. Hades it looked cute that way. He looked slightly paler than usual, as if he was coming down with a temperature. However, in is eyes shone that ever-present spark of mischief and amusement, as if he knew something you didn't .
"Hey," she whispered. Percy flung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. That made her feel slightly better. It was always good to have Percy with her. Some kids glanced in their direction. They looked first at Percy. Of course they did. Percy was handsome and charming. Even in this exhausted state, it was impossible not to stare. Several of the kids, girls in particular, glanced then at Annabeth and sneered. It wasn't that Annabeth was ugly. She was well aware that she could be quite beautiful she wanted to be. In fact, she caught some looking at her with the same expression of disappointment that some looked at Percy with. No, the ones who looked were jealous of her. Annabeth couldn't blame them. She'd be pretty jealous if Percy were dating someone else. That thought brought her back to a time when she had hated her friend Rachel. The memory made her smile.
However, other kids checking out her boyfriend didn't sit well with her. As if sensing this, Percy hugged her tighter and grabbed her hand. He was hers, she was his, she reminded herself. They belonged to each other. Gods, how had she waited five years- well, four if you counted that time she had thought he was going to die in Mt. St Helens- to finally kiss Percy?
Annabeth was still deep in thought when they pulled up outside the gates of the school. She staggered drunkenly off the bus and up the steps of the school, towing Percy being her. They ducked through the doorway just in time for the piercing echo of the bell sounded through the corridors of Goode.
Annabeth twirled a pen around her fingers absently as she sat in homeroom. The teacher was rambling on and on, surely about some unimportant nonsense such as clubs and societies. None of that mattered to Annabeth. Who would want to stay longer in this hellhole than was necessary? Not her, for sure. Across the room, Percy was tapping a beat on his chair leg. However, almost as if he could feel her gaze on him, he turned around to face her and grinned. How he could stay awake after such little sleep, she wasn't sure. Annabeth was making a conscious effort not to pass out on her desk. However, she was awake enough to melt inside slightly when he looked at her. How was he so beautiful?
Before she realised that they were staring at each other, a sharp voice called from across the room. "Miss Chase? Mr Jackson?" She glanced up. The teacher was staring at them, hands on hips, lips pursed. However, there was a twinkle of amusement shining in her eyes, and her mouth twitched, as if she were trying not to smile. "Do face the front," she said. The laughter thick in her voice was evident. Annabeth frowned. That was strange. Before she could question it further, the teacher whirled around and walked to her chair. Annabeth glanced at Percy. He shrugged helplessly. Sighing, Annabeth faced the front.
She was joined by Percy as soon as she left the classroom. He took her hand and squeezed tight, then drew an arm around her. Annabeth shivered and returned the gesture. How complete it made her fell. So they walked, arms around each other, through this large, frightening place, content in the knowledge that the had each other and needed no one else.
As they walked through the door and into the English classroom, they let go of each other and assumed their corresponding seats. How pitifully far from each other they were. Annabeth sighed and slumped in her chair, having to resist the urge to lay her head down on the table. Slowly, very slowly, she began taking her school utensils out of her bag. How boring, how monotonous this day would turn out to be. How easy it would be easy sleep through it all.
The lesson continued, and Annabeth went through with it in a trance like state. The old, wizened professor stood at the front, keeping up a long stream of irrelevant, useless information as he lectured them on, and on, and on. Gods, this was so boring. Why, why, couldn't she just sleep through this? She wasn't learning anything. Her head drooped onto her chest. She was distantly aware of Percy staring at her anxiously, half out of his seat. A clock ticked somewhere in the background. Someone was scratching with a pencil. And still, the teacher continued on with that tragically dull lecture. Her vision blurred and darkened. The sounds of the classroom were fading out. Where was she again?
Annabeth was falling. Someone was next to her, grasping her tight. She reached out but as soon as she touched something, the figure melted away. She snatched back her hand. The figure reformed, so she tried again. They melted again. She tried again and again, but still, to no avail. She screamed in frustration but was suddenly enveloped in slippery darkness. Voices yelled, scratchy voices in her ear. She was drowning, drowning, drowning. She wanted to drown though. The hand let go of her. The second it loosened its grip, she was above the surface. She crawled, a bloody wraith, onto a beach. Shards of glass ripped through her, tearing her apart from the inside out. They shattered her, piercing up through her skin and into her heart. She was drowning in pain, sorrow, delirium. The last thing she saw was a bloody hand reaching towards her and sea-green eyes filled with hurt and betrayal. As she reached up to her face, she felt wetness. But the wetness was steeped, and when she drew away her hand, it was crimson red. Under her gaze, the hand crumbled away, breaking like the glass beneath her. The breaking spread until she was an empty shell of a lost girl, lying on a bank of broken dreams.
Wrenchingopen her eyes, she saw the brightness of electric lights flickering above her. Hard ground lay beneath. A chair leg dug into her back. Bringing her hand up to her face, she felt wetness, just like in the dream. Heart thumping, she brought up her hand, but the weren't red, the tears. They were normal, clear. Her jaw hurt. Her back ached. Her hand throbbed. Twenty curious, scared faces gazed down at her. Beside her, knelt Percy, hand on her forehead. When she looked at him, his eyes filled with raw relief. Gods, those same eyes as in her dream. The same hand rested on her forehead as the hand that had reached out of the water. An uncomfortable warmth behind her eyes. Tears threatened to spill. Her hand clenched around Percy's. He helped her sit up, and she raised her head to meet the eyes of the rest of the room. Just as the teacher opened his mouth to say something, the sound of running footsteps echoed down the corridor and into the classroom. The unmistakable figure of their form teacher marched through the crowd, pushing aside kids. She surveyed the scene before her for a second, before extending her hand to Annabeth. Uncertainly, Annabeth took it, and was pulled to her feet.
"Annabeth Chase, come with me," She said. Percy started to say something, when the woman cut him off. "You too, Mr Jackson." Percy scrambled up and grabbed Annabeth's other arm. Without preamble, the teacher marched out of the room, dragging Annabeth and Percy along with her. Outside, students stared as they stalked past. They must have heard the screaming. They all stared her, fearful and on edge, as if she were some sort of explosive, at danger of going off at any given moment.
They were being pushed into chairs in their homeroom when the teacher spoke again. She had dragged a chair and sat on front of them, gazing at them with storm grey eyes. "Come, sister" she grasped Annabeth's hand. "Tell me what happened."