Sincerely, Anonymous

March 25

March 25

Dear Annabeth,

“Hello all and welcome to the 49th annual sports competitions! My name is Cassandra Wiles from Merkin High and I will be your announcer for our horseback riding portion of the competition today. Your competition will start at 8am on the dot! Make sure to check out the earlier competitions, or the 10am competition today too!” was all I heard all morning long.

I could hear the announcer, Miss Cassandra Wiles, from nearly a mile away. I had spent the morning in Abby’s secret town, having gotten there early so I would have enough time to get back for competition. I had left Emma at home today, deciding that she needed a day of rest. There was no need for me to torture her with the early risings in which Senior Week had subjected me too. 

I told time by Cassandra Wiles’s speeches, with them being given exactly fifteen minutes apart. In all honesty I started even considering her a comrade in my secret world, since she was the only voice I heard for the few hours I was there. But, seven o’clock eventually rolled around and I knew I had to get back to my team. This morning, I wished that I could just stay in the secret town. I could have told time forever by the voice of Cassandra Wiles. I could have driven around and searched old houses and learned about the people that once walked this ruined earth.

But I wouldn’t stay there forever, and I eventually made my way back to the barn.

We were hosting the competition this year, both an honor and a burden I felt no need to carry. But, Abby had volunteered the center long ago for the competition and there was no way I would refuse an order that Abby had put into place.

Katherine had spent her morning getting horses ready, being far more helpful than me in the whole affaire. I had gotten Aires ready before I had left, just leaving him to need his saddle and bridle on, but that didn’t stop Kathryn from becoming completely anal the moment I walked in. It took two glasses of water (taken in small sips), a five minute speech on how she could easily end up Facilitated for anxiety, and a promise to get everything together to finally calm the girl down. She did have reason to worry though, there was a lot to do and not much time. We quickly split up tasks, her getting to deal with the horses, and me getting to deal with the people.

Of course there were certain people who I really would rather not have dealt with. Case in point, Alex, who followed me around trying to talk to me the entire hour before competition. I wish I could say we had a mature conversation and that was the end of it. But no, he was dead to me and dead to me meant I ran away from him...multiple times.

I swear I need to be put in the Facilities.

The competition went off without a hitch. Katherine took first in the jumping and Alex took first on the flat, getting the top scores in my division, in which I had scraped by with a 2nd and a 3rd. We got by with a second in beginner, and tied for first in intermediate. This left us winning by one point. One little placing effects an entire competition. Thats a metaphor for life if I’ve ever seen one.

Winning had always been precedent to me in years prior. I would never have imagined a competition ending without me winning. But the entire event seemed so staged and ridiculous now. It was yet another way to get us all to work harder, try harder. Not a bad motto, if it wasn’t all the backbone to a psychological game.

We finished up at the barn pretty quickly, so I spent the few precious minutes I had with Aires, waiting for Brianna so we could go watch the track competition. It was during this time that Alex finally managed to get me alone. Well, not quite alone since he had brought another girl with him. 

“Can we talk?” he said the moment he noticed me. I stood completely still, not quite knowing what to do now that he’d brought someone else. Was running away still an option when I was no longer alone?