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Life can be funny sometimes. Just when you think you are about to drown in a sea of sorrow, a lifeline appears and pulls you back to the surface. Usually, that lifeline comes from a totally unexpected source. That certainly holds true in my case. I would never guess that my rescue would come from my life outside of camp, but there she is.
I walk out of my self reflection in the showers feeling physically refreshed, but still mentally drained. I start thinking about what else the day could possibly have in store for me when I see a familiar face walking down the path to the cabins. She gives me a big smile as she hurries over to me. "Oh my gods! Sean? It is you!" And I find myself on the receiving end of a warm hug. "Iris? What are you doing here?" She gives me a playful look, "Well duh! I'm a demigod, silly. And I always had a feeling you were one too."
She traces a finger along the stitches in my cheek. "Ooh, ow! What happened to your face?" My shoulders slump and I just kinda look down at the ground. "I really don't want to talk about it right now..." She gives me a worried look, "Is that why you didn't make the shoot at Moonlight Beach?" I laugh as thoughts of modeling take me back to the time before Barnaby rescued me. "Nah, my dad wouldn't let me go. He sent me to some small place in the middle of nowhere for the summer. And then all this..." I gesture to the camp in general, "happened to me."
She smiles, "Let me guess...Cabin 10?" I smile back, "Yeah, how did you know?" She laughs, "Oh, come on. It's obvious. I can't see you anywhere else." I chuckle, "Well then, you have very good senses, because it shocked the hell out of me and just about everybody else here as well. What about you? I would have guessed you to be cabin 10 too, if I didn't already know you are not on our roster." She just points to the opposite side of the yard, "Cabin 7, Apollo." I think back to all the times she raved about her huge song collection on her IPod, "Yeah, I guess that does fit."
"So how come I haven't seen you around camp until now?" She just shrugs, "The photo shoots mostly. You know how random those schedules can be. I head out when they send me a message and then come back here to be with my brother and sister in my free time." I feel like an idiot for a second. I knew she had siblings, so it would only be natural for them to be here. I don't know if she ever mentioned their names to me though when we were working together. "So who are your brother and sister? Maybe I have met them." She answers, "Oh, I am pretty sure you probably know Micheal. He is pretty laid back, just like you are. I would imagine you guys will be good friends. I don't know about my sister Angelia. She is kinda shy, so you may not have seen her."
My jaw hangs open in pure shock. "You're related to Micheal and Angelia?" It isn't hard for her to pick up on the fact that there is something going on between them and me. She leans back with a questioning look on her face, "Okaaay, mind filling me in on what's up with you three?" I tell her all about how I feel with regards to Angelia. I include all the positive moments we shared, all my recent mistakes, and how her rejection is tearing me up. As for Micheal, I just say there is tension between us. I leave out the facial cut though. I don't want a good friend like Iris to get into that conflict if she doesn't have to.
Iris rubs her chin thoughtfully, "Tell you what. I need to go put my bags away, but I will see if I can find Angelia while I am over there and have a talk with her. Maybe you and I can catch up with each other later at the campfire and I will fill you in on what I find out." I know my friendship with Iris is solid, so having her talk with her sister for me makes me feel like there is still hope of this turning out the way I pray it will. "Thanks, Iris. I can't even describe how much that would mean to me." She gives me another hug. "For you? Not a problem at all. I will talk to you soon." She grabs her bags and heads off to cabin 7. I whisper a silent prayer of thanks to the gods for granting one of my wishes.
Iris makes her way over to the Apollo cabin, exchanging greetings and jokes with several people along the way. She walks over to her bunk and heaves her suitcase on top of it to start unpacking. She sees her sister, Angelia, sitting quietly on the next bunk over with her hair hanging down over her face instead of pulled back in it's usual bun. "Hey sis! Why so gloomy? Aren't you happy to see me?" Angelia brushes her hair out of her face and looks up.
Iris gives her a big hug and then goes back to unpacking her suitcase. "Personally, I expected to find you dancing around the room when I came in. I heard a cute boy asked you to go to the fireworks with him." Iris smiles and glances up at her, trying to read her response. Angelia just shakes her head. Iris frowns a bit, "He didn't ask you?" Angelia answers quietly, "H-he did..." Iris just gives her a questioning stare back, "And?" Angelia looks down at the floor, her hair falling back over her face, "I don't know. I don't think he's serious..."
Iris stops her unpacking and sits down on the bed next to Angelia, "He sounded pretty serious to me. What happened that you think otherwise?" Angelia leans on Iris' shoulder, "H-he left me...all alone. He didn't even try to stay..." Iris puts her arm around Angelia's shoulder as she listens to what happened during the quest. When the story finishes, she gives a small laugh. "You know, sis, I don't think things are as bad as you are making them sound." Angelia quietly looks up at her with a quesioning look, Iris smiles and says, "I mean it! Look, when a boy does something incredibly stupid such as risking his life to save yours, it usually means he is really into you. Give him a chance. I know good things will happen, if you do." Angelia sits there in silence, lost in her thoughts.
After breakfast the next morning, I find myself in the armory looking for a new set of blades. Wiht all the other thoughts going through my head, I didn't even realize I had lost my previous set during my quest until I saw I have arena trainig on my schedule this morning. I walk up and down the aisle, trying to find the kind of lightweight blades that will suit me best. Not finding any in the first aisle, I decide to go back to the front and start on the next one over. As I turn, I jump in surprise as I see someone standing right behind me. My heart is beating like a hummingbird's, half from surprise and half from excitement as I see it is Angel.
"H-hi!" I manage to get out. I try to calm myself, but I can't seem to do it without knowing what she wants to tell me. She seems to be be pretty nervous too, I can see her shaking slightly. We stand there in silence for a few moments before she finally speaks in a very quiet voice, "Yes..." I am not sure if it is because she is so quiet or if my mind just isn't expecting to hear that after yesterday, but I can only answer, "What?" She fidgets a little and says, "...for the fireworks...yes..." I do the first thing that comes to mind and pull her into a tight hug. She is stiff as a board with surprise, so I let her go after a short moment. "Sorry...I,uh..." She gives me a slight smile and I smile back.
I suddenly get a thought about something I feel I need to do. "Hey, Angel, do you still have my necklace?" She nods and reaches into her pocket, pulling out a length of black cord with a silver pendant on it. She hands it to me and I hold it for a moment, tracing the heart and the two birds on it with my fingertip. I then slip the necklace over Angel's head and let it hang around her neck. She looks at me half with surprise and half with a questioning look. I just smile at her, "The last time I gave this to you, it was for the wrong reason. This time I want to give it to you as a symbol of my promise to never leave you again." We stand there in silence, looking into each other's eyes, until my watch alarm gives me a beep to let me know I am going to be late for class. "Damn! Look, I gotta go, but I will come find you as soon as I can." She nods and smiles. I grab the closest pair of daggers I can find and run out the door towards my class.
As the remainder of June slowly drifted by and eventually turned the corner into July, the days became incredibly warm and bright. I am not talking about the weather, although I guess the same could be said for that. I mean emotionally. Angel and I spent just about all of our free time together, much to Micheal's frustration, and I started to see her shyness slip away when we were together. She has a very caring heart and a great sense of humor, once you get her talking. I couldn't help falling more and more in love with her each time we met. So, now that it is the day of the fireworks, why am I so nervous?
It has nothing to do with anything wrong in the relationship. I have no doubts we are as strong as ever. I guess it is more to do with this being the first big romantic event we will be together for and I really want it to be perfect. I pack a bag with some snacks, drinks, and two blankets. I change into a nice shirt and pair of shorts. Well, here's hoping for the best...
I make my way over to cabin 7 to meet up with Angel. I take her hand and we walk down to the beach together. Micheal is waiting for us on the path. "Oh, no, no, no! You two are not doing this together. Angalia Nox, get back to your cabin this instant! And you, pretty boy, go get a makeover or something. Or stay and I'll give you another one." Angelia glares at him defiantly.
I am doing my best to figure out how this is not going to end in a duel to the death between me and Mike. Either way, I would lose. I have heard my mom likes to throw wrinkles into the best love stories, so I hope that means Angel and I are headed for something truely epic. For now though, I need to focus. It is Angelia who acts first though. She leans in close to me. Michael shoves his arms in between us, "Whoa! I said none of that!" Angel gives him a sweet pleading look, "Oh come on, Mike! If I can't go, can I at least give him one hug goodnight?" Goodnight? I hope she isn't giving up! Micheal seems stuck for a moment between wanting to make his sister happy and at the same time deny me any possible good outcome. "Ok. One hug and that...is...all!"
Angel hugs me tight and whispers in my ear, "Go on to the beach. Turn left and walk to the far end. Wait for me there. I will come find you soon." She lets go and lets her shoulders droop, as if really depressed at the turn of events, and starts to walk back towards her cabin. I decide to play along and glare at Micheal, "Thanks for ruining a perfect night, jerk..." He just smiles at me victoriously, "Any time! Happy to be of service." He gives me a mock bow as I push past him alone.
I follow the beach to the end of where the other couples are gathering. I check my watch. 10 minutes...20 minutes...I hope Micheal didn't find out and do something to stop her. I hear a soft whistle nearby and turn to look. I see Angel by the edge of the woods, motioning me over. I practically skip over, I am feeling so happy right now. She takes my hand and leads me through the trees to the side of a small stream. The view is perfect! Trees are thin enough to see the sky fairly well, but it is far enough away from prying eyes that nobody can really see us from the beach and let Micheal know.
I pull the blankets out of the bag and lay the bigger one down on the ground like a picnic. I set out the snacks and drinks too, but they don't really get touched. Instead, Angel and I lean back against a large rock and hold hands as we wait for the show to start. A cool night breeze starts to blow in from the water. I pull the second blanket over and we snuggle up together under it. My heart beats fast being this close to her. We both turn our heads towards each other at the same time, the tips of our noses brushing since we are so close. I have to try. I take a deep breath, "Angel, Can I...would you...may I kiss you?" She blushes and bites her lower lip cutely. She then smiles and says, "Yes..." We lean together, our lips touch, and fireworks light up the night.
The End (Book 1)
Want more? Look for Book 2, coming soon...