@Sᴛɪʟᴇs-Is-Tʜᴇ-Nɪɢʜᴛ
1:05 ───⊙─────── 6:44
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playιng: [Gɪʀʟ Fʀᴏᴍ Tʜᴇ Sɪᴅᴇᴡᴀʟᴋ] - [Nᴏᴀʜ Fʟᴏᴇʀsᴄʜ]
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Apparently today's song of choice was Dolly Parton's "9 to 5", played full blast as her father drove his chariot through the sky, like he did every morning. Xan shot out of bed as she usually did at sunrise, grumbling to herself about her dad's antics. Though she had to admit, if she had to be woken up by her dad like this, Xan was at least glad that he'd moved on from his recent yodelling phase. It's one thing to wake up to music blaring on a frequency that only you and your siblings can hear, and it's another to wake up to the worst that yodelling has to offer. Every morning for three months in a row.
Rolling to the edge of her bed to take her medicine, she groaned when she saw the time, barely having gotten four hours of sleep the night before. After seeing Scott safely to his house, she ran all the way back to her own, took a much needed shower, and decided to Iris Message Annabeth about the events of the night. Even with their two brains put together, they weren't able to make any headway on what the howling could have meant. They just kept going in circles from monster to murderer, until they were too tired for any more coherent thoughts.
Xan wanted to discuss her dream too, but her gut held her back. Sometimes telling the future to the wrong people, or before you knew enough about it, would do much more harm than good. After all of that, she fell asleep at last, her second dream of the night being relatively tame; she was being chased through the halls of school, pursued by the red eyes of a beast. It was nice to have such a pleasantly mortal nightmare.
Heading down to the kitchen, she put on a pot of coffee, and sat down with a copy of the daily paper. Her mom had a soft spot for print journalism, so they received a national paper every day, and the Beacon Hills Chronicle every Sunday, and all three of the Beaumonts would devour them alongside their breakfast. She read and drank her coffee, until finally a sharp rap at the front door signalled the arrival of her best friend. Opening it to the strawberry blonde, Xan was greeted first with a smile, and then with a dissatisfied groan.
"What? What was that groan for?" she questioned, causing Lydia to roll her eyes dramatically in response.
"Oh don't tell me you don't already know, you couldn't have put an ounce of care into your appearance? People have been deprived of our shining faces for two weeks, and you decide to look like you stayed up all night solving the world's first mobius rubix's cube?" she scoffed, "Asking what, all offended as if you couldn't possibly know, ridiculous."
"Alright, just come inside before your harsh critique of my appearance wakes up the neighbors," Xan said, stepping aside to let her closest mortal friend pass her.
"Don't be such a drama queen Xanthippe,"
"Shhh, easy with the legal name there Lydia, not everyone has to know that I was an apparently unlovable baby who deserved to be punished at birth,"
"Again with the drama, Jesus Christ," Lydia complained as she marched up the stairs, having been over at the girl's house more than enough to feel comfortable acting like it was her own.
Once they were together in her room, the two spent the morning listening to music and getting ready for the day. This included doing each other's hair, helping with makeup, and thinking up cute outfits they could make with clothes they'd bought on their last shopping trip. The jacket hung in her closet threatened to fill Xan's mind, so she forced it away, turning her attention to the vanity in front of her, looking at Lydia's face reflected above hers. Her stomach grew heavy with a twist of envy, which was followed by a wave of guilt.
It could be hard sometimes, hanging out with Lydia and her other mortal friends. Sure, they all had their own problems too, but what Xan wouldn't give to have those, instead of the demigod ones she had gotten stuck with. This thought had become more and more common in the past few months. Ever since September, when she was sent on a mission with Clarisse, to scout out New York City. They were preparing to defend Olympus from an invasion by the Titan Army, if it ever came to that. It was one of the many campaigns that Chiron hoped to run over the next year, and it had turned out great; her and Clarisse worked surprisingly well together.
The problem came when Xan was cornered by a Sphinx on Seventy-second Street, one that she should have known about. Tyson had told her just the summer before about the 'big bully', that trapped her in a quiz show, before refusing to end the trivia until she got one wrong. Xan managed to escape, but not before the she-lion raked a wicked claw across her cheek.
It was this scratch, now a thick, pale, scar, that held her attention. Her eyes flashed between it, and Lydia's perfect, smooth skin. Maybe sometimes scars were cool, and had it not been so big, she might've felt better about it. But no matter how many times people told her that she was still pretty, she couldn't get it out of her head. It made her feel like she wasn't herself anymore.
The skin and muscles around it were stiffer than before, the left side of her smile didn't stretch as far as it did on her right, and when she laughed, her left eye refused to crinkle the same way. She felt lopsided, like it was all that people could see. Lifting a hand to her hair, she pulled it free from her left ear, trying in vain to arrange it so that the worst of the scar was hidden.
"Don't touch, I'm not finished yet, you'll mess it up," the redhead scolded.
"Sorry," Xan said absently, "Hey, do you think that I should get bangs? I know we already talked about this, but I think that maybe just something on the side... it could really help hide this ugly thing,"
"What, do you have a pimple?"
"No, this nasty scar, obviously."
Lydia seemed to have had enough with her whining about this, as she instantly squared away her shoulders for a lecture. "Look, I know that the scar is new, and that you were really traumatized in that car wreck, and that it can be hard to reconcile your previous self perception, with your new self perception, but I think that you should just give yourself more time."
She set down the curling iron on the vanity, and rested her hands on Xan's shoulders, green eyes staring into brown through the mirror, "You're the same person with the scar that you were without it. And you look good, it defines your cheekbone. If you're going to change anything to make yourself look better, I'd say that you should try and just accept that you are a stone cold fox. And no amount of scars could change that, it's just in your nature."
"Aw, Lydia, you're going to make me cry," Xan sniffled, "Sorry to harp on the issue, I just--"
"Forgot that you were a badass bitch?"
"That too. I don't know, I just haven't felt right since I got it," the brunette said, wiping at her under eye before any tears could fall.
"I know, but you'll feel better soon, you just need time," Lydia said, before giving her friend a kiss on the top of the head. "And I'm done with your hair, it's a masterpiece. As always."
"Thanks Lyds, now let's hurry, I want to get out of here before my brother's friend gets here and hogs the driveway," Xan said, glancing out the window at the street in front, "Dammit. Too late."
"Let's consider it a blessing in disguise, because those shoes, with that outfit? Not going to work,"
"What? I'm not wearing those. They're just up here, I'm wearing those cute platforms I just got. With the little buckles? I wore them while I did my chores all week to break them in, pretty sure my mom thought that I was crazy."
"Not just your mom sweetie," Lydia said, "Now come on, if we sneak around your dork brother's even dorkier friend, we can leave early enough to get coffee on the way. Your treat."
"Seems fair," Xan shrugged, letting her friend lead her out with a laugh.
The day seemed much easier to handle once Xan was sat in the passenger's seat of Lydia's bug, with a very hot coffee in hand. Her tongue was burnt, but she refused to wait for her drink to cool down, it was a matter of pride. Xan would rather go the whole day not being able to taste anything, than admit defeat to a beverage. A defeat no one but her would even know about.
She winced as she took another sip, causing Lydia to roll her eyes at her friend. Xan did this every time she had something too hot to eat, be it a mocha, chamomile, or tomato bisque. Still, Lydia smiled fondly as she pulled her car into one of the prime spots towards the front of the lot. It wasn't necessarily reserved for her, but the other students either feared, or respected her too much to even try parking there anymore. It didn't really matter what their motivations were, as long as it worked out in her favor.
"Seriously Xan, just wait for the damn drink to cool down for like two minutes," she advised, "I swear, I've seen literal toddlers with more patience than you."
"It's not about patience Lyds, you know that. It's about the principle, no way am I going to let this coffee think that it beat me somehow."
"The inanimate coffee." she deadpanned, "That is in no way sentient?"
"Yes the inanimate coffee, but I don't want to say it's not sentient. We can likely never know for sure. It's more than just that, if I wait two minutes for this to cool, I'll forget about it entirely until it's way too cold to enjoy. I'd rather scar my tastebuds into submission than drink cold sludge." Xan said, though it was probably ignored, as Lydia gathered up her bag and began to step out of the car. With the soft sigh of someone who's friends didn't listen to them, she followed suit.
Shouldering her bag, Xan gently shut the door. A chilly breeze whipped across the parking lot as she turned to face the school. It caressed her cheeks and wrapped around her neck, sweeping the carefully arranged hair back from her shoulders. Chestnut strands danced around her, and the bite of the fall air on her skin made her feel totally alive in a way she hadn't a while. Grinning, she closed her eyes and tilted her face up into the air, trying to enjoy the feeling to the fullest. Maybe Lydia was right, there were more important things in life than how she looked, and there were better ways to be happy. It's funny how much this one simple moment had changed her day, but she decided she'd rather embrace it than question it.
"Not to interrupt your Kate Winslet a la 'Titanic' moment or whatever, but if you don't hurry it up, we're going to be late to class, and the seating choices will be dismal," Lydia said, shattering her quiet reverie. Xan let the harsh tone roll off her back, giggling at the usual Lydia brand bluntness, before linking their arms and beginning the walk up to the school.
"I'd much rather be DiCaprio in that situation, Kate is a hot piece, and she lives to the end. I think, I still haven't seen it to be honest."
"Oh my god it's like you're trying to force me to replace you," the girl groaned, changing the topic to talk about her class schedule for the day.
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Stiles and Devereaux practically leapt out of his Jeep, the car still jolting from being thrown into park. They didn't give a second's thought to the slamming of the doors, as the two were already halfway to Scott, who'd sent them an SOS text the second he got home that night.
"What bit you? Are you okay?" Dev asked as soon as the pair reached the bike racks.
"It was too dark to see, but I'm pretty sure it was a wolf." Scott said, quickly lifting the hem of his t-shirt to show them his bandages.
"A wolf bit you? Not a chance." Stiles said firmly, hands on his hips. Devereaux said nothing, but raised a thick and skeptical eyebrow.
"I heard a wolf howling,"
"No, you didn't." came the sassy reply.
"Well maybe he did..." Dev said hesitantly, trying to keep the conversation as neutral as possible.
"Yeah, how do you know what I heard?"
"Because, California doesn't have any wolves." Stiles said, absently fidgeting as he watched Lydia's VW bug turn into the school parking lot, "Not for the last sixty years."
"Really?" Scott and Dev said simultaneously.
"Yes really, there are no wolves in California."
Devereaux saw the way that Scott's jaw clenched in annoyance, and decided to interject. "I'm just gonna do a quick Googlin' sesh to check before this turns into a full-blown argument."
"Sure whatever," Stiles said with an eye roll, spotting Pippa standing just outside of Lydia's car. Her hair was lit up in the sunlight, tossed back by the wind, and the smile on her face was contagious. "Just be quiet, I need to focus on the runway moment," he hushed, as the pair made their way across the courtyard.
Some people used the word strut lightly, or ironically. Pippa and Lydia did not, there was simply no other way to describe the way they walked down the locker lined halls. With the sharp click of Lydia's heels and the soft clomping of Pippa's platforms, the two girls walked with heads and shoulders high.
Today she was dressed for the temperature, a button-up and sweater, one of her favorite combinations, on top of sheer tights, with long socks and tall boots. A pleated skirt fell to her mid-thigh, and gently swished with each step she took. This simple daily walk operated similarly to a royal procession, past the less socially relevant students, to their respective lockers.
Sometimes they'd stop and chat with people as they went, but usually they glided past everyone, and with the combined power of Pippa and Lydia, almost every eye was on them. Devereaux had long ago dubbed it the 'runway moment' and occasionally mocked his sister for it, though he was clearly happy for her.
Stiles tried to make eye contact with Pippa every time she walked by, usually with a super casual head nod that she didn't see. Some days he'd let himself pretend that her smile was for him, and she was walking toward his group, their group. For once, this secret fantasy seemed to be coming true. Pippa searched through the crowd as Lydia prattled on beside her, and then her eyes landed on him. No, just past him. Following her gaze, he saw Scott nodding at her from beside him.
"Woah," he said, cringing at the undisguised jealousy in his voice, "What was that all about?"
"What?" Scott said, readjusting his backpack on his shoulder as he became the center of the trio's attention.
"I think Stiles was referring to the little nod you exchanged with Pip," Dev said, throwing Stiles a look that was pity and warning all in one.
"Oh, she was just asking if I was okay. I ran into her last night after I found the dead body. She even helped to patch me up." Scott said, way too casually.
Stiles looked back to Pippa, she was chatting with Danny and Lydia by one of the benches, hiding a yawn behind her hand. Of course she'd help Scott out, she was such a nice and caring person. Sighing, he turned his head to his friend once his brain finally processed what he'd just heard.
"Wait, so you actually found the other half of the dead body last night?"
"Yeah, I wish I hadn't, I'm going to have nightmares for a month."
"Pip didn't see it though, did she?" Dev asked, knowing his sister already had enough godly nonsense to deal with, she didn't need any trauma added on.
"No, I don't think so at least, she was coming from the opposite direction."
"You really saw the dead body though?" Stiles checked, fist-bumping victoriously when Scott nodded that he had. "That's freaking awesome! This is seriously the best thing that's happened to this town since- the birth of Pippa Beaumont."
"Hey! I'm literally right here man," Devereaux said, offended that he wasn't Stiles' favorite.
"Yeah, yeah" Stiles waved him off, watching as Pippa approached, speaking of the literal angel on Earth. "Hey Pippa! You look- like you're going to ignore me."
God that was terrible, he knew that he should've stuck with the head nod. Today he was feeling embarrassingly bold, the first day of the new academic quarter and all that. Stiles let out a large sigh, turning to his giggling friends and complaining about how uncool they were.
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"Hey Pippa, you look... like you're going to ignore me," Xan heard someone call out to her. Keeping her eyes fixed on her cute buckled boots as she climbed the front steps, a notorious tripping hazard for her, Xan stretched her arm back to wave at the group of boys, not bothering to check if they noticed.
Inside the crowded hall, she split from the redhead briefly to stop at her locker, situated annoyingly next to a water fountain, and directly across the hall from Lydia's. Because of its unfortunate placement, Lydia refused to go with her, insisting that Xan stop at her locker, before they could regroup. They never hung out in front of her locker, lest someone decided that they could strike up a conversation with the two girls after getting their drink. As Lydia put it, 'anyone willing to drink from a school water fountain rather than bring their own bottle, is someone with poor taste'. Xan had to agree at least a little, the school water supply had a distinctly sulfuric aftertaste.
Placing her notebooks inside, she grabbed out the supplies that she needed for English. A worn and flagged copy of 'Metamorphosis', as well as a spiral bound notebook, and a folder. The folder wasn't for class, in fact its contents weren't even in English. It was some copies of a book on Greek military history that Annabeth had emailed her. Xan planned to go over them, and pick out the best strategies for both an offensive and a defensive line. English was one of her best subjects, and since she was already ahead on the material, she figured that she might as well get something done when she inevitably got bored.
Closing her locker, she carefully stepped through the crowds of students that now began to fill the hall. Her watch told her that she had ten minutes until class started, meaning that she had about five to spend with her friends before she had to make her way to class. She was two minutes in when her brother clapped his hand down on her shoulder, making Lydia let out an offended scoff.
"Hey I think that maybe you should talk to Scott, he's acting kind of weird about last night. Maybe you can check in on him? See if he saw more than he was letting on?" Dev whispered into her ear. Xan turned to face him, and after seeing the serious expression he wore, decided that she could wait to catch up on everyone's plans for the week. She'd been worried about Scott too of course, but figured that he'd probably be fine dealing with it on his own. If it meant this much to her brother though, then it was the least she could do.
"Yeah no problem, he's in first period English, right?" she asked, turning to Lydia after her brother nodded in response, "I guess I'll meet up with you later, Lyds, I've got to talk to a teacher before class starts," She headed off on her way, leaving a pouting Lydia behind her, and waved at her brother as he took off past her, to his Journalism class.
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Trying something new with the POV switch, I won't do it very often, but let me know what you think, or what I can improve :)