Chapter 5: Annabeth
“You know you can stay, right?” Lexy asked, her eyes looking me over.
“I know.” I answered. “But I should get home. My foster parents might get worried.” I told her.
Despite living with them for the last 3 years, and them promising to keep me till I was 18, I couldn’t call them Mom or Dad. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them or anything. But I didn’t really trust anyone. I had been burned too many times as a kid in the foster system to think things couldn’t change. But I was super grateful for the days I did get to spend with them.
She nodded in understanding and gave me a quick hug before I headed out and she closed the door behind me.
I didn’t live that far from her house, but it wasn’t a short walk either. I had walked it thousands of times since we first met. We had walked it together and I had walked it alone. There was little about this path that I didn’t know.
But to my surprise, the boys I had never seen anywhere near here before were sitting on the front porch on the corner of the street when I turned.
“McAlister!” Jake Green, the guy who had dumped his spaghetti all over me called out.
I rolled my eyes. I had never even noticed the house there. I just kept walking.
“McAlister!” He called out again, jogging to catch up to me.
“Yes?” I asked, I knew I sounded annoyed, but the truth was, I was.
“Are you okay?” He asked a little breathlessly when he finally caught up.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I responded, a little harsh even to my own ears.
“I mean, I didn’t mean to run into you so many times. It’s just… Something happened when we did…”
He looked a little flustered for someone who always seemed so confident, but these were my secrets, and I wasn’t ready to give them away to a stranger.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” I answered with a sigh before continuing to walk.
He looked at me confused.
“What do you mean? You felt it, right?” He asked urgently.
The vision of him on a prison floor and the dread that filled me made me shake my head so the image would leave. I couldn’t get involved. His imprisonment was not my problem.
“No.” I responded. “I have to get home. It’s late.”
“Let me walk you home then.” He grumbled.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine thanks.”
He just shook his head, the confident Jake the world knew was back.
“Fine, whatever you want Princess.”
And he turned around and ran back to his house where his friend was standing on the porch watching our exchange. The whole thing freaked me out enough that as soon as I was out of their sight, I ran the rest of the way home.
I woke up the next morning to the sound of a door slamming.
“Are you awake?” Lexy pounced on me. She was breathless. She must have run the whole way here.
“I am now,” I grumbled, rolling over and pulling the pillow over my head.
“Get up,” She stated, pulling the pillow off my face.
“You have an awful lot of energy right now.” I told her. “And you are very early.”
“I-“ She paused for dramatic affect. “Am right on time, and ready to get this show on the road.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” I told her, but she ignored me. She seemed so happy. So carefree. It made me smile. “You don’t do mornings.” I teased as I stood up. “You’re too happy. Who are you and what did you do with my best friend?”
“You know what today is,” she threw a shirt at me and a pair of jeans.
“Yes, I know. The dance tickets go on sale today, and the first 30 sold are half off.” I repeated the words she had told me a thousand times over the last several weeks.
“Yes!” She squealed excitedly. “So, we have to hurry. I can’t afford them if they go to full price.”
“Lexy, why do you even want to go?” I asked as she turned away so I could get dressed. “I would think it would be a living hell for you. If you think the hallways or the cafeteria is bad, this is going to be way worse.”
I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she was smiling.
“That’s why we need the half off tickets,” She explained. “So, if I leave early, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t spend a fortune.”
I let myself let out a chuckle. She was always thinking through these things. Her parents would give her the money for a ticket, full-priced, if she asked. It was me who couldn’t afford it without the discount. Her parents would understand if she left early, and said it was lame. But my foster parents would not. And she had answers to every question. I really didn’t want to go. But she was my best friend. I had to go if she wanted to, and this was my only option.
Lexy was happy and almost giggly the entire walk to school, and it made me happy. We chatted about the dance and what we were going to do after school. There was little stress in our lives. We were just normal teenage girls in that moment, and it was something to be grateful for.
But when we got to school. Everything changed. The air was different.
Lexy froze and looked around. Her headphones were in her hand, and I gave her a curious look.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She tilted her head as if she was listening to something that confused her.
“There’s new voices.” She said quietly as we approached the building.
“How many?” I asked, feeling a churning in my stomach, full of unease.
“I don’t know,” She whispered back.









































































