Painful, just painful. That's how the next few days went. The kid followed me everywhere! I had no privacy! It was quite annoying really. As soon as I got up, there he was standing in the door with coffee and muffins; it was kind of nice, the first three days. Then he would follow me to all my lessons and meals. We didn't really talk much, just walked. I mean, he talked non-stop about everything. I just tried to tune it out most of the time.
This was the day though. I was finally step up and tell him that he was a weirdo and that I just couldn't stand it anymore. It might hurt, but it would be for the best. So on the tenth day or so when I got up to tell him what was on my mind, he wasn't there. He wasn't standing at my door with coffee and muffins. I was a little disappointed I must say, and I was really looking forward to that blueberry almond muffin he promised me. I leaned out the front door and looked around. As I walked out onto the porch, Leo came running up to me, looking like a sweaty Latino elf. "Hey! Lissy!" he stopped and panted as he came up to the porch. I am in the guest cabin, since I wasn't claimed. Usually it was empty, like it was now, but every now and then a kid would have to wait a few weeks to be claimed.
"Leo! I know you know I don't like being called Lissy! What do you want anyway?" My real name is Elisandria, most people called me Eli; but some people like Leo feel the need to annoy me.
He put on an impish grin and went on, "I know but it's a cute nickname. Anyway I just thought you would want to know we got attacked in the middle of the night," his face fell as he said it.
My face went pale and suddenly a thought entered my mind, "Was anyone hurt? Please tell me there wasn't anyone hurt!" I grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
"Jeez calm down! Only a few people; just a Hypnos kid, an Athena kid, oh yeah, and I think a kid from Persephone. But they'll be OK soon. Probably."
My eyes widened and I ran to infirmary as fast as I could. As soon as I got there I bolted past the rows of beds to the end of the tent. I saw him there, pale as death, with bandages covering his chest and left leg.
He smiled as I walked up to the bed where he lay. He looked like a child sitting there, helpless. "Hey, how do I look? Ah don't answer that, I probably look like crap." He paused and winced as if it hurt to talk, "Listen, I think I know who you are. And, I understand why you kept it a secret. If I make it out of this, I promise I won't tell anyone. I won't ruin you like that." He smiled and tried to bring his hand up to my face, but it fell back down to his side. I was on the brink of tears. I never cried, I learned not to. Now they were threatening to spill from my eyes.
I grabbed his cold hand and held it between my two warm ones, "Shh, just shut up so you can get better, than we can sneak out and get coffee, and muffins. But first you gotta promise that you're gonna get better. Promise?" I held his hand tightly, trying to get a grip.
"Come on Eli, I think we both know I can't make that promise. I won't lie to you and give you hope just to rip it out of your hands. I think that's happened enough times to you, wouldn't you say?" He smiled and squeezed my hands. The he started coughing, deep, rattling coughs.
I gripped his hands so hard my own went white, "Alex? Alex!" He drew in a shuddering breath then went still. I could still barely see his chest moving. I knew he didn't have long. Minutes at most, and I wasn't going to leave him in his final moments. I sat there for what seemed like an eternity. Empty tears ran down the sides of my face, hitting our still entwined hands.
It took a total of twenty minutes for his breathing to stop completely. I sat there for forty minutes after though. Eventually someone noticed that he was dead. I don't know why he just sat there for so long without anyone moving to remove the now cadaverous body. He was pale and cold, but I couldn't bring myself to let go of his hand. When they went to move the body, they had to pry my fingers off of his. After I lost that contact, I crossed the thin line into hysteria. I don't remember most of it. I just remember someone coming up from behind and shooting something into me, with what felt like a very large needle. Then, all of my feeling led to darkness.