Everview (on hold)

Chapter 3

I've changed some stuff. I realized that if you and your friend are hiding from a magical government and changed your names, you wouldn't really call each other your real names, even in private. Right? So yeah, I've changed that. Jack is now Riley and Astrid is now Brook! Enjoy!

OoOoO

Birds chirped in the trees outside my window. I could see the twinkling stars disappearing in the sky and I felt like a college student pulling an all nighter.

It was already past 4. I was tired. I wanted to sleep. Twilight was already starting to light up the horizon, but I still hadn't found anything on Half-Bloods.

The demon's words felt like a warning,"I know what you are Jacklyn Riley Winters." How did he know my name? "The last half-blood." Why did he call me a half-blood? It sounded like there used to be more.

Based on the name, a half-blood was a hybrid. My father was a human, I knew that for sure, but what about my mom?

"Dad? Where's mom?" 10 year old me popped my head into his room where he was typing on his computer.

"She's at the grocery store, she'll be back soon" He reassured me, turning around. "Why? You need help with something?"

She never came back.

Based on what I remembered, she was a human too, but then again, thousands of Mytica lived among humans without giving anything away. I sighed, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my eyes. All this thinking was giving me a headache.

I looked out the window. The night sky was dark without the moon and only the stars sprinkling the blackness to light it up. I could barely make out the tall rooftops in the dim light, but thanks to the streetlights, I could see the empty paved street below.

A ???? movement on the rooftops caught my eye, but when I shifted my attention, all I saw was the same slanted rooftops. It was probably just a bird.

"You shouldn't stay up so late, it isn't good for you Jack." Brook's worried voice rang through my mind, reminding me of the time. Another night of restlessness and dreams.

I flopped back on the heap of blankets and pillows that was my bed, not caring enough to remove the mess of books and pencils and let myself sink into the darkness.

~~~

"Are you sure about this Lenora? You must know what must happen for the spell to work." A hushed whisper floated through the night, reaching my tiny ears.

"I know, I'm prepared for what I must do, just promise me my death won't be for nothing." It was silent so long, I nearly went back to sleep, then

"Your death won't be for nothing."

~~~

"Aye! Wake up!" I stayed still, still half asleep. I heard a sigh, "Fine, you leave me no choice, I guess I'll have to sing" Ahem, she took a deep breath.

I immediately scrambled out of bed before she could start belting out the lyrics to "Never Gonna Give You Up", falling flat on my face with my legs tangled in the blankets. Ever since I introduced her to it, Brook had taken to belting out the lyrics to annoy me. And it worked.

"How'd you get in? I thought I took your key." I grumbled without looking up. I had to take it away after she had woken me with her "singing" one too many times.

"I stole it back." Of course she did.

"I hope you go to hell," I grumbled.

"Don't worry I already am," She said cheekly, already used to my morning grumpiness. "Anyways, will you take care of the store for a bit? Naiomi and Kyle are coming over to try something out and I need to go restock some ingredients."

"Sure, what time is it?" I asked, slowly getting up.

"Almost 10," She replied as she headed for the door, with me following behind her, "I'll be back by 11:30, the twins will drop by around 11." She turned around "Do you need anything?"

"Nah, I'm good"

"Ok, See you later," She waved.
"See you later" I replied as she climbed down the stairs.

The main reason why Brook was the one who manned the shop was because she had the patience for it. I hated being cooped up indoors, unless it was with a book, but the shop was always full of customers, giving me no time to read.

I quickly got ready and ran down to the shop. We opened at 10:30, but I needed my morning coffee from nextdoor.

As I trudged down the sidewalk to the bistro, someone shoved into me, making me lose my balance.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't see you." he rushed out as he glanced back at me. I used my hands to steady myself.

"It's ok," But my reply failed to be heard as he was long gone. Weird. I had barely gotten a glance at his face, and I was pretty sure he was hiding his signature. Why was he in such a hurry? Was he a criminal or something? What if he was being chased by aliens trying to hunt him down and torture him for information on how to make a cake? The thought made me laugh, I always had a weird imagination.

Pushing him to the back of my mind, I resumed my hunt for my morning coffee. I could see Naiomi by the shelves organizing the books through the windows. Kyle was probably out on a job.

Even though the twins managed the Bookworm Bistro, they also dabbled in treasure and bounty hunting on the side, to earn extra cash and "keep life interesting".

"Salutations fellow Homo Sapien," I forced some energy into my voice as if I hadn't stayed up basically all night. She glanced up in my direction as the bell rang and waved.

"Hey Riley, your coffee is on the counter." She told me, already used to my weirdness.

"Thanks," I spotted the paper cup and a chocolate muffin sitting next to the display.

We had a kind of deal, I would supply them with potions for their foods and Brook would help them out when they were busy. In exchange, they would feed us. It was a win-win situation since Brook and I were too lazy to cook.

The bistro sold special coffees and pastries that were spiked with potions such as pep-up and strength potions. Their unique merchandise made them one of the most successful restaurants in the city.

"Brook said something about you guys coming over, do you guys need help with something?" I asked as I walked over.

"Nah, Brook and Kyle found this really cool recipe they wanted to try, but we don't have the right equipment here, so they're doing it there. I just decided to tag along." I nodded. Naiomi squished a book between its companions before moving onto the next shelf.

"Oh, ok, Where's Kyle?"

"He should be back in an hour or two. He went to Italy to restock on some ingredients." She said, turning back to the bookshelves.

"Do you need any help?" I offered,

"Nah, I got it, this is the last shelf." She waved me off.

"Ok, I should go clean up now. See you later!" I smiled and headed for the door, sipping my coffee while I walked.

"Bye!" She called before the door shut behind me.

OoOoO

The chapter between chapters is here! (if you don't get this, read the next A/N) 

.... . .-.. .-.. --- (Hello) I'm trying to learn Morse Code right now. What languages do you speak? If you could learn 3 languages easily what languages would you choose? I think I would choose, Italian, Morse Code and ASL or any kind of Sign Language. 

Ok, hear me out, I might sound a bit crazy, but hear me out. What if we are in Area 51 and we don't know it, and the "Area 51" we know, is actually the exit, which is why we aren't allowed there. You get weird thoughts like these when you write at 2 am 😅😂

Fun fact of the chapter: Crabs and Lobsters have teeth in their stomachs to help digest food, and Ghost Crabs use the teeth to growl at predators! 

Fare Thee Well, 

~Nick