Chapter 6

Bailey

Okay, I've had my fair share of weird. I've seen monsters. I've seen kids with swords and spears killing those monsters. But I must say, nothing was weirder than Ashlee Burke approaching Simon and I. Now that was weird.

"Hey," she said casually, as if talking to her squad. I rolled my eyes.

"Um, Ashlee? Your squad is on the stairs spreading awful rumors about people. We're just the dorks they're spreading rumors about," I confirm harshly, whipping my back to her.

"Jeez, am I not allowed to say 'hi' to you without an ulterior motive?" she says, mock offended.

"It seems unlikely considering you probably just looked up what 'ulterior' means," I snap. I don't know why, but everything about this girl ticked me off.

"Uh!" she scoffed. "That is so rude! You're making this impossible."

"Impossible to say 'hey'?" I cooed.

"No...yes...ergh! I don't know why I even try!" she exclaimed dramatically.

"You try?" I gasp.

"Yes...well, duh! Shut up, dork!" she demanded. I raise my eyebrows.

"You're disgusting," she scowls.

"It's kind of weird to talk to yourself," I admitted. I completely forgot that Simon was there until he clucked at that one. I was glad, though, that he had stayed out of our smack-talk. He was not the best when it came to sassy comments.

"Look, why are we still talking?" she spat.

"Because you walked over here and started a conversation," I said, throwing my hands up. She glares at me.

"Here, I get the sense if you were here to say hi, you would've left ages ago." She scowled, but didn't deny or object.

"Let's cut to the chase. You have ten seconds. Wow me," I said, imitating Mark Cuban. Ashlee rolled her eyes, and kept her lips pursed.

"Oh. My. God!" Simon gasped, and I was sure he just had a heart attack.

"What?" Ashlee responded urgently.

"Nevermind, you just ruined it," Simon said, disappointed. I tilted my head. Where was this going?

"It was monumental! It was beautiful! The first time Ashlee Burke shut up since kindergarten!" Simon exclaimed. I chortled, as Ashlee scrunched up her nose like she smelled something awful. I thought she was going to go on some tangent about how we were senseless dorks who had no lives ahead of them, but instead she just sighed.

"Stop it, that's not very nice," she said finally, not a bit of sass lost in her voice. I shrugged.

"When has kindness ever mattered to you?" I say, genuinely wondering. "Didn't seem to matter when you bullied us 'dorks' since the 1st grade. Or when you and your squad spread rumors about us on the stairwell. Or when you locked us in the janitor's closet after we helped you with your math homework, just because you were embarrassed. Or-"

"I get it," she huffed.

"No, honey, I could go on for days. Ooh! When you-" I began.

"Stop! Stop, stop. I get it. I've been a little rude over the years," she confessed, as if that were a major surprise.

"A little?" I interjected.

"Yes, a little! And you're lucky I don't shoot you little snot rockets to the moon!" she growled.

"Lucky us," I muttered. She rolled her eyes. As much as it may surprise you given how fantastic of a person Ashlee is, but being called a "snot rocket" was the nicest thing she'd ever said to me.

"Listen up, nerds. I need your help," she said, waving her hand as if to say, Well? Come on, bow!

"Listen up, nerd. We're not interested," I shot angrily, and spun to face my locker. I ignore her dagger glares, and continue my conversation with Simon.

"Yeah, I think the test was moved to Thursday. It's supposed to be harder, though, since we had more time to study," Simon said, grabbing his Science books.

"Are you sure? I thought it was Monday," I droned. I could feel Ashlee's eyes boring into me. Since she was still here, I was sure she had something important to say. And sadly, I kind of wanted to hear it. Anytime when the most popular girl in school seeks help from the dorkiest kids in school, you know it's got to be big. Unless, you know, the popular girl was friendly and popular because of her kindness. Heck, what kind of fantasy world do we live in?

Simon continued our conversation like it meant the world to him. Unless he had a sudden interest in PE exams, which I was pretty sure he didn't, he was stalling. I had a suspicion that he already knew what Ashlee was going to say, and he didn't like it.

"Ergh! I hate you!" Ashlee squealed. Then she paused, waiting for us to pity the poor girl with millionaire parents, and give in. I turn around and glared at her.

"You don't really expect us to help you, do you? After all of the awful things you've done? You're an awful person, Ashlee, and you'll never rise above that," I exploded. I knew I had hit a sore spot. She looked wounded and hurt, but I couldn't stop glowering. Simon approved of what I said with a quick nod, but even he realized my words were rash.

Tears formed in Ashlee's eyes, and I immediately felt awful. But I couldn't take back what I said. It was the truth...I think.

"Maybe you're right," Ashlee said quietly. I couldn't decide if she was going to rush into a fit and start a billion nasty rumors about us, or if she was just going to make me apologize out of guilt. But as much as I pitied her, I wasn't going to take back what I said. I was expressing pent up feelings. So what if they came out harsher than I had anticipated. Ashlee didn't have a filter. I was allowed to sink to her level for...oh, God. I'm a jerk, aren't I?

"Maybe I'll never be better than awful," she said quietly. "But that won't stop me from trying."

Wow.

A pity party? Maybe. A rumor? Probably. A courageous apology? Never in a million years. But of course that's what happened.

"Maybe you're an awful person," I begin, and she frowns. "Maybe I'm an awful person. Or maybe I underestimated you."

She grins cheekily.

"I knew you'd help me!" she exclaimed.

"Whoa, not so fast. Who said we were helping you?" Simon interjected.

Crap. I forgot he didn't want to do this. Whatever Ashlee was going to say terrified him.

But I couldn't just be like, "Whoops! My mistake. Sorry, you're on your own!" That would be pretty cold hearted, and after what I just said? Well, let's just say I'd had enough of being a jerk for a day.

"Simon, I said that it was okay. Ashlee what do you need our help with?" I ask politely. Simon shook his head like this was going to end horribly.

"You've heard the story of my rescue in the East River, correct?" she questions, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Yep, I'd heard it. The way Ashlee said it it sounded like she was a humble hero, though that seemed unlikely. She probably was taking Instagram photos and decided it was a wonderful idea to dip into a toxic river. Yeah, that sounded like her.

"Of course I've heard," I said quickly trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. She had bragged about it for the past week.

"You know, how I was helplessly pushed into the water, struggling for air, when a creature appeared. It either saved me," she paused, as if that wasn't likely. "Or was dragging me down. If the creature weren't there, I would've gotten up, of course. But I finally pulled myself ashore. It was terribly frightening, yet I survived. It takes bravery to survive a moment like that twi-like that."

Okay, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Ashlee was about to say twice. Obviously something else serious had happened, but she obviously wasn't willing to share. And I wasn't sitting in a girly braid train to find out, along with some nasty gossip. I ignored it.

"I told you I'd heard," I repeated. She shrugged my comment off.

"Well anyway, there was the creature-" she began but was cut off by Simon.

"Please don't describe the creature," he pleaded. I stared at him. I had to admit; Simon was an oddball. He had accused Percy of being an alien. He had taken a DNA sample of Brody to see if he was part bull. And he'd once eaten an orange (for some reason, that was the weirdest. Don't question my judgement, you had to be there.) But refusing his information was the oddest thing he'd done all year. And trust me, he'd done odd stuff. Don't believe me? Reread the last paragraph.

"Um…" I could tell Ashlee wasn't used to being told what she should and shouldn't do. She gave him an irritated look.

"Why not, glasses?" she snapped. I choked on my laughter. Ashlee was running out of insults, considering Simon has perfect vision. Simon was obviously as confused as I was, but he quickly snapped out of it.

"Well, Ashlee, my dear," he said properly, slipping fake glasses off of his nose and into his pocket. "I already know what he...it looks like," he added quickly, coughing, pretending he never said "he". I supposed the only thing he had in common with Lexi was their inability to lie. Other than that, they looked absolutely nothing alike. Ashlee had stiff blonde, almost white, ringlets with about 92 more sprays of hairspray than needed. Simon's hair was copper blonde, and he always went for the a-badger-attacked-me look. At least, that's what it looked like.

Simon's skin was as pale as cold milk. I assumed that if he had met his clone without realizing it, he accuse his double of being a vampire. He's done it before. Without the double, of course, but the whole vampire claim. Anyway, Ashlee was just tan enough to compliment her hair and eyes.

Simon's eyes were sometimes green, sometimes hazel. But Ashlee's were a stunning grey, like storm clouds. The thick eyeliner she always wore made her eyes pop. She was strikingly beautiful, like the kind of girl who every guy wants to date. No guy with good taste, of course, but still.

"Sea green, right?" Simon said, as if he had accepted a ransom note. Ashlee almost passed out, but she nodded vigorously. I wasn't any less stunned. How did Simon know that? Thankfully, Ashlee voiced my inner concerns, sparing me the embarrassment. Simon pursed his lips grimly.

"Percy. He has something to do with this. Think about it," he said solemnly, turning to me. "When we saw him at lunch that day, he was writing in his notebook."

"So?" Ashlee sassed. I had to restrain myself from punching her.

"It was in a different language," I finished, looking at my feet. How would Percy feel if he knew that we were trying to figure out who he was, as if he wasn't human? I didn't think he'd be pleased. I suddenly regretted telling Simon what Percy had told me. At least I didn't mention the sword, or that little blonde girl. Now that would've been bad.

"Mr. Blofis is his step dad. And there's going to be some sort of an attack," Simon concluded. I swallowed. That a fake sword probably wouldn't be helpful in battle, but what if…?

"Okay. Just tell me what you learn," Ashlee said quickly, and retreated, probably to the staircase. No "thank you". Ugh. I hated that girl.

"Simon, maybe this isn't a good idea. Some things just aren't meant to be learned," I confess. Simon shakes his head like I just said I saw a unicorn in my backyard.

"We need to learn everything that we can. Secrets or no, curiosity is our right," Simon hummed. I had an awful feeling in my gut. Nothing good was going to come of this. But if Percy really did save Ashlee...then he was in trouble. If Simon found out, or Ashlee for that matter, his secret would be blown. As much as I wanted to know, I needed to spare him the embarrassment. What kind of kid carries a holographic sword, jumps into a polluted river, and talks about an attack? Yeah, it would probably be best if his secrets stayed confidential. Otherwise...no. This kid was normal. I was the one who was different. I was the one who saw monsters and afraid little girls with daggers. If anyone knew, I'd probably be labeled as insane. But Percy was just a teenager. Just a teenager. I wished I could live a life like that; no worries, just dying sandwiches blue...okay, that wasn't very normal. But Percy did other normal things. If only "normal" was in my vocabulary...

Hey peeps! I'm thinking of adding the POV of a mortal professor to mix things up. PM me on what you think, or if you have any new ideas! First person to PM me gets a shout out! See ya!