Stormbreacher - Book 1 of Titanomachy Series

Chapter 9: Liars

Honest to God, those stupid abandoned buildings were a better tourist attraction than the boardwalk. Illegal, yes, but if you're the kind of person who lives for thrill, the whole law-breaking part is an extra bonus. If you're not that kind of person and you're still going in, well, I can only assume that you're just a dumbass who doesn't know what 'trespassing' means.

Knowing my own eight-year-old sister, these new eight-year-olds could probably be diagnosed with both issues--living for thrills and being a dumbass. I jogged to the south side of the boulevard and combed the area first to make sure the kids weren't hiding underneath the promenade or something stupid. Predictably, Stinger and I found nothing. It was time to break some rules like an idiot.

We trekked to the far end of the boulevard, the part that was technically within its legal property but they didn't actually bother with. There wasn't anything but sand-coated reeds and a rusting, six-foot-tall wire fence here; a shoddy attempt to keep people within the boulevard's boundaries, and it didn't reach all the way across the beach anyways. You could just walk around it if you wanted to get to the abandoned buildings. I was not as wise and attempted to climb the thing. I made it to the top just fine, but came down on the other side with the grace of a sloth and nearly face planted on the ground.

"HA!" Stinger burst into uproarious laughter as he nonchalantly sailed over it. 

I groaned. "Ha. Ha. I nearly split my skull open. Best joke of the century."

"No, I...I just think it's funny that you act all tough and better than me and then you do that." Stinger said, circling above.

"You callin' me a poser?"

"What? Whaddya mean?"

"Never mind."

I began wading through the sea of reeds and tall grass, writhing with the itch of leaves against my skin. In the distance, I could glimpse looming, monolithic buildings overlooking the shore. It was too far away for me to make out any details, but I should've been able to see the reflections off from the glass. There was nothing—the glass had been blown out years ago, lacking glints of light and life. It was an old place, a dead place. Nothing but idiot eight-year-old boys went there now.

I strode through the grass and found a small unpaved path towards the buildings, appearing to be a few football fields away. Stinger glided down to my shoulder and landed, dragging my hair down under his talons. Ow. "Athena? I have a question?"

"What?"

"What's so special about the buildings? Like, to other people?"

I shrugged. "They're old. They're abandoned. What do you want me to say?"

Stinger shrugged. "Well, I thought maybe there was a reason."

"Well, there's rumors about the place. Some people say they're pre-Titanomachy buildings—no way in hell that's true." I said. "And there's another rumor from there about how they're haunted."

"Haunted?" Stinger repeated. I expected him to bust out laughing, but he didn't and actually turned a little pale. I almost groaned out loud and gave him a glare. "You don't actually believe in that shit, do you?"

"No! No." Stinger shook his head. "Just...why? Why do people think that?"

I frowned—I'd heard most of the rumors I knew about the abandoned buildings from Melody. What did she say again?

"Apparently, if you're lucky, you can hear faint shrieks and roars in the building. Almost like an animal screaming, but...not?"

As you can see, I am very descriptive. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Stinger's scales go from light gray to pure, shaking white. I stopped abruptly, and glanced down at him. "Sting?"

"Hm?"

"Is there...something wrong? You're being pretty out-of-character."

"Uh...no."

I rolled my eyes and threw my head back in annoyance. "Stinger, you're a terrible liar."

He sighed, and slouched over my shoulder. Honestly, I wasn't even mad that he had lied to me. I was just disappointed that he was so bad at it. "Why are you lying to me?"

Stinger didn't respond. His eyes darted guiltily between me and the faded buildings in the distance, creating an unnerving silence between us. "Stinger." I said calmly. "Is there something you know that I don't? About the buildings?"

Stinger paused, but eventually, he did nod silently, with only his white scales to accompany his response. "What is it?" I asked.

"Um..." Stinger frowned. "It's...something about Basilisk. I've got a hunch."

"A hunch? What kinda hunch?"

"When I escaped, I came out nearby this place. Near those buildings." Stinger pointed his tail towards the abandoned buildings. "So Project: Basilisk must be nearby."

I stiffened—my legs froze cold, and I started breathing more rapidly. Oh...uh-oh. "Are you sure?"

"It's...it's a hunch. Those shrieks you said people were hearing?"

"I mean, there's no confirmation that anyone really heard them..."

"All the shrieking...I think it's that Project: Basilisk is nearby. I think..." Stinger wrapped his tail tight around the back of my neck, slithering cold scales over my skin. "The shrieking is the other dragons. They're crying."

I stood frozen for several seconds in silent worry. Then, I ran. I sprinted over the path in a rush, imagining the inhuman cries squeal through the air, thunder from the abandoned buildings.

Those kids were in way, way more danger than they'd ever imagined.