It's dark and cold, I see Bailey in front of me, I scream her name, but it's like she doesn't hear me. She's falling to the ground with a deafening scream, the only thing I see now is her shadow and a shadow of something much bigger. From afar I can't tell what it is, but I know it's deadly, I scream and the next thing I know I'm sitting up in my bed in a cold sweat.
My mom comes running in, "Deann, are you ok?", she asks. I answer with a simple I'm fine. She looks like she doesn't believe me but then decides to drop it. I look behind her at my hidden backpack waiting for when she goes to work. I am running to camp today, it's been a year since she tried, so I guess it's my turn.
I watch her as she leaves, she looks worried for me. I've been having these nightmares more often since it's soon gonna be the one year anniversary of her death. My twin sister, Bailey, she tries running to camp a year ago, she never made it. When I found out I vowed I would eventually do what she never could.
I hear the door close and the car leave the driveway, and I hop out of bed, scrambling to get dresses and everything around, if I was going to leave it had to be now. It was my time, and I was going to make it. I grab Bailey's hoodie and throw it on over my tank top, I throw on a pair of sweats and rush out the door. I was going to make it whether the gods wanted me to or not.
---------------------------------------------- flash forward 1 week ----------------------------------------------
It's been a week, I met these two boys while on the run, they're also trying to make it to camp. I haven't slept in a bed in a week, I can't tell you the last time I showered either. It's gross I know, but who's gonna trust 3 teens on the run.
Their names are Riley and Garrett Johnson, 13 and 14, they send letters to their mom, how she always gets one back to them, I don't know. I even wrote one to her, she adopted me as her daughter. I am only a year older than Garrett at 15, I am glad to have met them.
I'm not sure if I would have made it on my own. I go to sleep at peace, but wake up to a sudden loud crash at the front of the alley we're sleeping in. Someone, no something was coming towards us, I quickly woke up the boys and we ran, somehow evading the monster.
---------------------------------------------- flash forward 1 year ----------------------------------------------
We've now been on the run together for one year, we are about a few months away from camp. My guess is about 5, we've avoided monsters and cops alike. I turned 16 and the boys also grew up a year, Garrett is taller than me now, I can't believe my little brother is taller than me.
We wake up in yet another dark and cold alley. There's the gross smell of dumpster pizza coming from it, I look up to see a monster in front of me, a cyclops to be exact.
"I SMELL HALFBLOODS"
shit.
I get the boys up and we try to run, but Garrett gets hit in the head right away, I stop. The last thing I hear before he goes limp is,
"Go, go save Riley, take him to the moon for me."
I grab Riley's hand and try and pull him along, he's rooted in place, literally. There are vines growing from his feet binding him, I guess he's a Dionysus kid. He is in so much shock he can't control his powers, I try and take my pocket knife and cut the vines, but they keep growing. I scream at him that we gotta go. He looks at me terrified with tears in his eyes.
"Deann, sis, go, I'll be fine."
"NO, I promised Garrett to save you, so that's what I'm gonna do."
The last thing I see is him being fully covered in vines, then the cyclops comes and barrels over him towards me, I run. I can't believe every sibling I've ever had, are gone. I run as far as my legs can carry me, yelling sorry to everyone I run into. I can't see, there are too many tears.
---------------------------------------------- flash forward 5 months ----------------------------------------------
It's been 5 months, I am covered in dirt, sweat, tears, and even some blood. It's been rough out in the world alone. I am about a day from camp, or at least I hope. It's dark, but I can't sleep. Every time I try all I see are Riley, Garrett, and even Bailey telling me it's my fault they died. I mean they aren't wrong, I could've stopped Bailey, and I joined Garrett and Riley when i could've stayed away. I can't sleep, I'm just gonna keep going.
I trudge through the forest and come upon a clearing with a tall tree. I run past the tree to see so many people staring at me, one of them comes over and I recognize her, it's my childhood best friend, I thought she died.. She tackles me in a hug, and I am crying of happiness, at least someone from my old life is alive.
"BEAR HI"
"Hi Rogers, I thought you were dead! How-"
"Yea sorry for disappearing on you, I heard about camp and have been here ever since"
"You're good, I'm just glad to see you're alive, I missed you"
We talked and caught up, I got claimed that night, I guess Rogers and I were sisters, kids of Apollo. I met all my other siblings that night, I was happy for the first time in years, I finally had a family. I finally had a place where I belonged. I was finally home.
