Jason's POV:
Jason wasn't sure about the after party. Sure, Coach Hedge had given permission... but it was crazy crowded. So many teenagers were here, it was like the whole school had been invited.
Ever since the game and the flashback, Jason had felt this all consuming fear awaken in him. And it was more than the fear he'd felt when Piper was gone. It surrounded him, drowning his confidence in waves of panic.
He wasn't even sure why. This memory wasn't particularly violent or scary... it just brought him back to his gang days.
Of course, it was also highly possible that just being around all this alcohol was making him nervous.
After all, he didn't have many good memories with it. Even though his mother was back now, and supposedly sober, he was still nervous that she would fall back into her old habits. Had she even gone to rehab? Jason didn't think so.
There were all sorts of jello shots and other things like that stacked on every table in Drew's mansion. The effect was clearly everywhere. Jason had seen way too many hormonal couples making out on every pink couch, and way too many chug competitions. It was nauseating quite frankly.
Also, maybe the school colors were making him so scared. Orange and purple didn't really go together. Jason knew nothing about fashion, but he knew that orange and purple never mixed.
Despite the game being finished a couple hours ago, the theme of this party was school spirit. Jason wore some jeans and a purple t-shirt, but that was about as far as he was going with this. His friends went a little more overboard. Frank still wore his sweatshirt, Leo had somehow put on his orange wig, and Percy wore some official Goode High merchandise.
But the rest of the group invited was a sea of purple and orange. Maybe he was drowning in this ocean of horrible colors.
Or maybe, it was really the hybrid truth or dare and seven minutes in heaven game that they were playing. Jason hadn't been picked yet..... so maybe the paralyzing fear that gripped his body was the fact that he hadn't been chosen yet... but ultimately would soon, because that bottle was definitely evil.
Drew returned from her dare of letting Piper do her makeup. They both sat down in the two empty spots next to him, each looking annoyed for different reasons.
Drew rolled her eyes and spun the green bottle. Her purple dress flashed green as the light hit the glass bottle.
The bottle ended up on Khione, who wore a tight purple dress. "So do I have to go into the closet with someone, or is it a dare?"
Drew shrugged. "I think it's a 7 minutes in heaven thing."
Khione sighed and spun the bottle again. Round and round it spun till- Jason groaned inwardly, and Drew shoved them into the closet, a malicious smile flitting across her dark red lips.
Jason felt stifled in the closet. It was always weird to be stuck somewhere with your ex's best friend.
"So," Khione said, breaking the silence.
"So," Jason repeated.
They both laughed nervously, but the noise was gone too quickly. Jason didn't like the silence. It was deafening.
"So...how are you?" Khione tilted her face towards his.
Jason shrugged. "Um... I'm okay, I guess."
His mind started to fix on little details like how her lipstick was berry-colored, or the way her dark eyes sparkled in the tiny sliver of light let in by the door. But then he smelt it. That acrid lemon perfume, wafting off of her in layers of sickly sweet air.
Jason felt suffocated, like the walls were closing in. Why was the door so close? Why did it smell like lemons? Jason felt nauseous, that horribly sweet smell invading his senses. The world spun around him as his fear spread from his head to toes. An unsettling chill shook his body as his vision became distorted. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, a rhythmic boom-ba-boom. Boom-ba-boom.
His heart thudded in his chest, scratching to a complete halt, then falling down again. Jason couldn't win against himself. His body was nothing more than a prison of flesh, betraying him once again. Jason wanted to break free- no, needed to break free. He needed to leave this jail of blond hair and blue eyes and scarred skin that looked to similar to someone he didn't want to be. His world crashed and burned around him like he was flying through a storm of meteors- but then, he heard it.
A soft voice, calling his name. "Jason."
"Jason!" He recognized that voice! It was- um, what was her name? Jason couldn't remember, and that scared him way too much. No, no, no, he couldn't forget. He needed to find himself, he needed to be himself, but how could he be himself when he didn't even know himself?
"Jason, come back."
Jason gasped and he was in the real world again, lying on the carpeted ground of a cramped closet. A pretty face hovered over him- though, no, he shouldn't think that.
"Khione?" Her dark hair brushed his face.
"Jason, what happened, are you oka-"
The timer went off and someone opened the doors. Tired, Jason closed his eyes and let the darkness overtake him. He just wanted to sink into that darkness and never come back.
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Piper's POV:
Piper was worried about Jason. Ever since whatever that was last Friday, he'd been distant. Percy and Leo had seemed to notice it too... but they didn't know what was going on either.
Piper didn't understand. Something must have happened in that closet.... something with Khione.
But Piper wasn't supposed to be focusing on that.
Despite it being Thanksgiving in three days(read: one of the most problematic holidays in the world), today was Picture day. (In an effort to try to have more schoolsy things I remembered picture day! So, instead of the Thanksgiving chapter I had planned, u get picture day drama).
And... well, Jane was feeling a bit better, so she'd helped Piper get ready for it. (I kinda forgot about Jane but she's here now)
Piper felt a little ridiculous wearing makeup- not that there was anything wrong with makeup, because do what you want to do- but it was a little bit heavy and strange and weird.. and also kind of reminded her of her mom, who was kidnapped somewhere in the world.
Scratch that, somewhere in New York. Especially after the events of last Friday and finally getting out, Piper knew it was somewhere in New York, from the time it took to get to Olympus.
Piper, however, was not going to Olympus today. Today, Jane was driving her. And Piper didn't want to risk setting back her progress, so Piper managed to not complain about the makeup or the lacy off-the-shoulder teal dress she wore. She, of course, had brought a change of clothes, but her picture wouldn't be taken till the afternoon, so Piper wouldn't be able to change for a while.
Piper sighed as she walked in. All her friends were at clubs in the early mornings, so Piper was alone.
The rest of the day was pretty much the same. Calculus, Homeroom, everything blurred together. It was only the last period of the day, when it got weird.
Piper still wore her dress, because her photos had not been taken yet(it was by homeroom), and it was not choir this week. Despite their performance not happening until late January, Piper had missed soooo much in her weeks that she was kidnapped.
So, while everyone else was singing Ave Maria, Piper was being led to the theatre with all the leads.
Khione opened the doors, and the sound bounced off the walls. Bang!
Drew sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. She still wore her red dress and her hair was still curled and pinned back with a series of bobby pins. She stole glances at Jason every few seconds. Khione glanced at Drew every other moment, Dylan stole glances Khione, Piper was looking at everyone, and Jason was looking... at her.
Wow. So just a whole cycle.
Piper cleared her throat. "So.. what should we do first."
Khione shrugged. "Um, I don't know."
Khione wore a sparkly green dress and glittery earrings that spelled out a non-so-school-appropriate word.
Dylan scratched his head. "Um, well, we could start with I'll Know. We made a few changes."
Dylan wore normal clothes, just jeans and a t-shirt. Jason wore the same thing. Boys.
A few minutes later, Piper was frustrated. "Khione, come on, this is literally the sixth times you've told me it was wrong."
"Well, I'm telling the truth, thank you very much," Khione said, diamond earrings swinging back and forth with every step. "Opening night is in-"
"Almost two months, so why do we need to worry?" Piper said.
Khione tore her hands through her dark hair. "Why are you being so difficult? I don't [insert swearword here] get it! You're back, you're unkidnapped, so why can't you be patient for once?"
Patient? Piper was done being patient. She knew she was being a little bit difficult... but her parents were freaking kidnapped! And, sure, maybe Khione didn't know that, but, well, Piper did not have much patience today, and especially not with Mrs. Ice Queen, here.
"I'm sorry, you have no [insert swearword here] idea what the hell I'm going through," Piper said.
"Well, whatever it is, it doesn't give you an excuse to treat people like [insert swearword here]!" Khione's pale face was flushed red with anger.
Piper gritted her teeth. "You think I treat people like [insert swearword here]? Well, I have some bad news for you. You've been treating all of like [insert swearword here] ever since you got here. Why did you even come?"
Piper could vaguely see Drew smirking in the background, Jason trying to say something, and Dylan looking confused.
Khione's hair had to be very well-combed from the times she'd teared through it. "You [insert swearword here] know wha-"
Jason stepped in between them. "Um, Khione and Piper? Maybe not fight right now? Also, Piper, you and I need to go to our photoshoot."
Piper smiled tightly. "Right."
Once they were out into the brightly lit hallway, Jason said, "What was that?"
Piper smoothed down her dress, her palms bone dry. "I just got so fired up, and, well, I'm just so tired, and angry, and.."
Piper shrugged. "I don't really know. I'm this whole mess of emotions, and I feel like I'm just waiting to explode."
They reached the classroom they were supposed to be in. Neither made a move to go in. Somehow it felt like a betrayal, even though it was nothing more than a simple action. Piper eventually opened the door after a long silence.
Piper got in line after Lacy. "Did you talk to Calypso?"
Lacy had gotten over her heartbreak in the time Piper was gone, but she'd said the Calypso hadn't.
"Yeah, kind of. She's taking a break from girls, and boys, really to focus on school," Lacy said.
Lacy wore a cute pink dress and her pink hair was braided.
"Ah, I see," Piper said. "And-"
"Next person up!" the photographer called.
Lacy hurried forward, and Piper had to listen to Jason talk to some athletic girl, with green hair and a sunflower yellow dress.
After what seemed like hours, Piper was called up. Posing wasn't very fun... but it was always awkward situations like that happened.
Her dress seemed a bit tight, or maybe that was because she was clenching the fabric.
"Hands to the side, please, ma'am," the photographer said.
Piper forced herself to let go and smiled as pleasantly as she could. But, no, she didn't feel happy inside. There was this hollow feeling filling up the holes in her heart, causing her heartbeat to thud and pound in her ears. She felt scared, exposed, vulnerable, but why? It didn't make sense. Her vision blurred in and out as she reminded herself to breathe. In, and out, in and out. Why did she feel this way?
She forced herself to calm down, as her vision became real again, and she walked out. She quickly changed out of her suffocating dress and wiped off all her makeup, putting on casual clothes. Something fell out of her dress. Something white.
Piper bent down to pick it up. 'It' in question, was a piece of wrinkled paper, folded up. Piper unfolded it with shaking hands. It read:
If you want your parents returned, come to the wolf house on Thanksgiving morning. Do not bring Jason.
So, yeah, I finally updated on schedule!! Yay!!! Anyways, you can see that our main characters both had anxiety attacks, because they've been through trauma, and yeah.
But, soon, the climax is coming... next chapter as you see will bring back one person... and then the rest of them... maybe.
See you next time!!