Leo Valdez One-Shot Book

Partner

   Piper's house was the best place to hang out, it was huge, cozy, and had the best snacks.

   she had invited me over for just a hangout, but to "be warned! My dad is acting suspicious." her dad could act anything though. That man was magical.

   I knew my way by now, it had been many times since I got lost and Piper had to call the police to look for me.

   I saw it, in its massive entirety, Piper's house. Piper seemed to have a love-hate relationship with her enormous hut. One second she'd be complaining non-stop about how "it's just too big for two people!" then she'd rave on about how great having more than one bathroom was. and no, I was not jealous, even though growing up it was practically torture having one bathroom and four other foster children.

   I will never understand the female gender.

   as soon as she saw me walking in between Tristans Maclaren and Tesla she ran out to hug me.

   "Leo! You're here!" she exclaimed like I would have ghosted my one and only friend. "really? didn't notice" 

   she frowned. 

   I smiled.

   "Well, you can come in, but some weird lady is sitting with my dad, he says he wants to tell me something" Piper clarified, it was my turn to frown, "should I go then? or at least wait outside?" Piper shook her head, "It was a scheduling accident on his part, he said it was fine" Before I could choose to do any form of protesting she took me by the wrist and dragged me inside. "besides, you're basically my brother at this point you come over so often" she laughed.

   "Pipes? Is he here?" I hear Tristan call. "yup! just coming up the stairs!" Piper shouted back. I could hear murmuring between Piper's dad and some lady. "who else is here?" the voice sounded sweet, but for some reason, I hated every second of listening to it. she sounded evil to the core.

   "Oh just Piper's best friend"

   I walked up the stairs, smiling slightly when Piper, excited as she was, started bouncing mid-way through.

   "hey, Dad! So, who is this?" I heard Her say when she reached the top of her extravagant cottage.

    I entered too.

   there of course was Tristan McLean, and sitting with him . . . my aunt Rosa.

   Tristan started to speak, I was too shocked to move, to say anything, why was she here? why was she in my life again? and why did it always have to be me?!

   "This is Rosa, and we would love to have your consent to be official" Piper squealed, knowing that they didn't really need consent considering her mother wasn't actually dead, but I was completely frozen, and from the looks of it, she was too.

   before the two of us could move Piper squealed, "Yes!"

   crap. that's okay, I don't need to be around her, Tristan can be happy without any distractions.

   but just seeing her again made my blood boil, literally. I could feel steam creeping up my skull, soon to escape through my ears, I had to calm down. One breath, two, but I'd bet some on the fact I still looked like Rosa should have been the one in the fire.

   Tia didn't look any better, she looked furious, just at the fact that I was still alive.

   "Leo?" shit, I forgot about Piper, who could actually see more of the flames than normal.

-x-

   "Leo?" I said

   I didn't know why Leo looked so shell-shocked, he looked enraged, so I followed his gaze. to Rosa, but why? he had no reason to hate a stranger, did he?