Thirteen

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Two girls she doesn't recognize appear in the doorway. Annabeth looks at them curiously as they in turn peer at her. The one of the left is the shorter of the pair, with bouncy golden ringlets framing coffee coloured eyes. The one of the right is sporting a heavy snowboarding jacket, her brown hair cut in jagged waves.

"Um, hello?" Annabeth calls out as they continue to flit around the entrance.

The pair freeze in the doorway. They glance at each outher, before the brunette takes a slow step forward. She smiles slowly, looking pained. "Hi, Annabeth," she starts. "I'm Piper." The girl continues to advance tentatively, one step purposely in front of the other, as if approaching a wounded animal.

Annabeth nods and turns her attention to the other girl. "And you?" she asks.

The shorter girl swallows stiffly and opens her mouth, only to shut it again when nothing actually comes out. By their cautious behaviour and the way the curly haired girl plasters herself to the door, nervous to enter, Annabeth knows that she must have known them before.

Her mother hadn't mentioned any friends. She only spoke of life at home, with herself and Malcolm. Biting her lip, Annabeth wonders what kind of friends she had before. The girl in the snowboarding jacket looks confident, though relatively un-coordinated with her mismatch socks and the pink Hello Kitty shirt sticking out beneath her snowboarding jacket. The other girl is easier to read, the anxiety written over her face and her shy flirt with the doorway speak for themselves.

"That's Hazel," the brunette says. Her voice startles Annabeth from her thoughts. "You really don't remember us?"

Pursing her lips, Annabeth shakes her head. "No." After another pause, she gestures to the pair to sit down by her bed. It takes a bit to coax Hazel from the doorway, but soon the two are seated comfortably on opposite sides of Annabeth's cot. The blond shifts in the silence for a moment before blurting out, "What was I like before? How'd I know you guys?"

Surprisingly it's Hazel who answers, "We're your roommates. First years at St. Lawrence University. We, uh, met at a counselor training course over the summer before grade twelve. We kept in touch and, well..." she trails off, unsure of what to say when the facts run out.

"Honestly?" Annabeth twists to look at Piper as she begins, "You were kind of a know-it-all."

Hazel lets out a quick laughs. "Are you ever!" she exclaims, the obvious tension finally leaving her body. The girl laying on the cot then decides she likes relaxed Hazel over whoever she was before. She also doesn't miss how they refer to her. Hazel in the present tense, and Piper in the past - like Annabeth is already gone.

***

"What do you mean you won't arrest him?" Athena explodes from her seat, glaring at the captain. "He's a murderer!"

"Sit down, Ms Chase," he instructs.

Athena's knuckles turn white from gripping the table in front of her. She's ready to explode, but she can feel everyone's eyes on her. The captain has gathered his squad in the briefing room and Athena knows every police officer's curious eye is trained on her. So she swallows hard over the lump welling up in her throat and takes her seat.

"Now, as I was saying, Gabe Jackson is suspected of murder. He has also been tied to a string of bank robberies as well as been arrested for assault. Normally we wouldn't hesitate to bring him in." Here the captain shoots a look at the private detective, making her feel foolish. "But these bank robberies are bigger then just one guy with a long rap sheet."

A TV in the front of the room flicks on, a picture of a man appearing on the screen. He's well groomed, curly black hair slicked back with a long, pointy beard that makes Athena shift in her seat. He's tall, at least seven feet, and has a muscular build beneath the tailored suit he wears - like any decent crime lord.

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