TONGUES & TEETH; Luke Castellan [ 1 ]

< DAFFODIL >

"Come on Pandora." The knock on the front door sounded again, Dahlia's voice heard clear by Pandora who stumbled down the stairs. "Pandora!" Another minute Pandora was sure Dahlia would tear down the door.

She opened it wearily, Dahlia's voice meeting hers inches apart, "You're not ready, I told you to be ready." She sighed defeated, for once not dressed in her camp shirt instead some sort of colourful dress.

"Ready for what again." Pandora had been asleep most of the day, exhausted from the trials the day prior.

"The twins birthday." She exclaimed shoving something into Pandora's hands, taking a step back. "It's the darkest colour I have." Pandora admired the dark green dress, in the distance chatter from the beach.

"And why do I have to go to thi—" Dahlia shoved her back into the house shutting the door.

"I'm not coming into your creepy cabin, so get dressed or I'll get Annabeth to wake you up an hour early.. every morning." Pandora groaned retracted back into the dimly lit cabin. A few short minutes and she had the dress on staring at herself in the mirror.

She knew the sleeveless dress would reveal her back. She wasn't sure if she wanted anyone to see her scars yet, even if it was dark. Perhaps she could leave her hair then hardly anyone would see, she did just that descending the stairs.

Dahlia waited patiently a few steps away from the house, her fingers by her side as Pandora revealed herself stepping out into her vision. Dahlia's lips widened her jaw dropped as the sun set behind her, "Keep it Dora, looks so much better on you then me, I insist." Pandora couldn't help but blush at her compliment.

Only the older kids were allowed to attend the gathering on the beach, Pandora and Dahlia the only exceptions despite both girls turning 16 in the next two months. The twins had just turned 17 while Luke would turn 17 in three months.

"Don't drink anything the twins give you by the way." Dahlia whispered quietly as they passed Dionysus's cabin, "Rather horrid and gives you the worse hangover." Pandora nodded assuredly, the girls arms linked as they continued walking towards the noisy beach.

"Bet they will be caught by 12. Two gold drachmas." Pandora looked to Dahlia who nodded with an infectious laugh, securing her hold on Pandora as they finally made it to the bon fire.

It didn't take long for the twins to notice the girls Micheal wrapping Dahlia in a hug happily. "Come on it's my birthday Dora." Jerry extended his hands, Pandora pressing her finger to his chest stopping him from tackling in a hug.

"Get your grimy fingers away from me Jer." She cursed moving another step back as he tried to hug her at a different angle.

"Grimy! You'd be surprised how clean my cabin is!" He boasted finally getting somewhat closer to her, "Just try to burn me, children of the sun god remember?" He finally wrapped his hand around her neck, her warm skin hardly phasing the boy.

Pandora couldn't help but smile at the twin as he let her go, "Happy Birthday Jerry." She greeted, once the twin was satisfied with their greeting he shoved a drink in her hand. "No thank you, Dahlia warned me." He took the drink back offended, clutching his heart.

"How dare she." He sent the girl a glare, "Well, I suppose you're a bit young." He ruffled her hair cheekily, knowing they were only a year and a few months apart.

Luckily Pandora hadn't taken the drinks as the night was a blur from there. She had never really had friends at school always moving from state to state, to cover her record.

The deaths, the disappearances, the fires. Pandora's life hadn't been easy living as a mortal with her mother. Her mother who used to spite her. The mother that used to—

"Evening Walker, I see you've turned up." Luke sipped his drink, curls splayed across his forehead. "Sober, poor form." She sensed he was little drunk, hardly enough to be stumbling around but still enough.

"Underage remember, although last time I checked you were too." She tutted her lips disapprovingly earning herself a smile from him. "Different shirt?" She narrowed her eyes at the button up he had slipped on mostly unbuttoned.

"Hey, my eyes are up here princess." She groaned softly shifting her gaze from his chest to his face, "That's better... you're in a dress." He stared matter of factly now his eyes had left hers taking across her body till she snapped in his face.

"Eyes right here Castellan." She pointed better his eye and her, a teasing grin on her lips, her hair falling to her front. "Does this happen often." She hardly meant to sound disgusting however her tone said otherwise her finger waving across the bonfire situation.

"Once a month or so, depends." He shrugged finishing his drink within minutes, "Careful Walker, that smile on your face looks like you're enjoying yourself." He taunted, Pandora rolling her eyes turning away from him for a moment.

"—Walker what are those." She froze quickly shifting her hair back across her neck turning, Luke's face slackened. He had seen them, the ghastly white scars across her back. The ones her hair so easily covered, the cup from Luke's hand dropping onto the sand.

"Nothing, just a birth mark." She tensed awkwardly hugging her shoulders scanning her eyes across the beach. "Besides stop looking at me so intently, you've already stated I'm in a dress.." She humoured before his arms pushed her behind him gently his eyes widening further as she jolted back swivelling back around.

"Birth mark? Pandora they're scars." He was shocked she knew, her first name a clear indication. Her skin fell pale and her eyes continued to dart across the groups of teens hoping to escape the awful situation.

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed." She wrapped her fingers around herself again, moving past him her feet sinking in the sand as she left. "Night." He didn't take the hint following after her till they were out of sight from the others.

"Walker stop, you don't have to talk about it, I just need to know you're okay." Luke's voice stopped her feet, Pandora turning around clearly upset.

"It's nothing to worry yourself over, I can look after myself". She huffed, her hands on her hips shakily. Not now. Not now. Not now. When her breathing didn't even out she took a step back again nearing one of the cabins. "I just.. I just." The gasps for air sped up as she misstepped sinking to the grass below her feet.

"Pandora what's wrong."

Her hands pulled at the ends of her hair on splayed her shoulders, her knees brought to her chest. Not now. Not now. Not now. Her squeezed tightly shut as her lungs ran out of her air. She felt her chest moving up and down unevenly, tears beginning to stream from her shut eyes.

"Just breathe princess, breathe."

Her insides screamed for air as she inhaled in and out roughly, her trembling fingers desperate to rid herself off the tears from her cheeks. "Stop, stop, stop." She cursed digging her nails into her skin frustratedly.

"hey, hey, hey."

Rough fingers pulled her fingers from her knees, clutching them in his fingertips.

"deep breathes Pandora, there is no one here but us."

"Stop fucking crying, stop crying." Her voice broke as she rested her head on her knees calming the rough breathes that shook her body. Without her hands the tears dropped down to her knees, the mascara Dahlia had forced her to put smudging her face.

"Pandora, deep breathes."

Slowly her breathes slowed as she threw her head back inhaling the night air evenly. She had hardly noticed Luke was still knelt in front of her his hands rubbing soft circles on hers.

She had never realised the roughness of his hands, scars littered along his palm and wrist. She assumed it was from sparring the cuts small and straight, all sizes. "How are you feeling?" His voice snapped her out of staring at his hands.

"Good, fine, fuck sorry." She couldn't help but swear pulling her hands from his shuffling away on the grass, "Night Luke." His brows lifted a moment as she hurried to her feet walking the rest of the way to her cabin alone.