The Little Lightning Girl

58- Something Is Different

Going back to Camp after such an amazing few days felt, odd. I told Adrian and Maya about the events of the World Cup and as much as they'd showered me with congratulatory words, my life was suddenly rather... normal. Well, as normal as it could be for a demiwitch. Tristan had insisted on keeping contact with me, so, with the condition of him not asking any questions, I gave him the number of my monster-free phone. He insisted that I'd saved his life at the World Cup, and I couldn't argue. If we'd been closer to the ground when he fell, he'd probably have been fine. But we'd been far too high in the air for him to survive that fall unscathed. Still, when he'd tried to pay me back for it, I just rolled my eyes. 

"You're just lucky I wasn't in the middle of a chase," I'd told him, "If I had been, you'd be toast. I would've left you for sure."

It wasn't true and we both knew it. I would have saved him even if it cost us the game. Regardless, after all the excitement, the relative normality of Camp Half Blood was almost a shock. 

 At some point, Maya informed me that she was going on a trip with her parents to Maine for some sort of Architectural meeting. Adrian had chosen to stay behind, but I couldn't quite comprehend why. He loved architecture just as much as his sister. Plus, he had more experience in the world and normally would've insisted on staying by Maya's side to protect her. I figured maybe with the presence of his parents he felt more confident about her safety. 

The first night Maya was gone, I was laying in my bed, looking at the stars through the skylights, when my phone dinged on my nightstand. Confused, I reached over and picked it up, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the harsh electronic light.

The stars are beautiful tonight.

That was all Adrian had texted, and he'd texted me from just a few cabins away. Still, I smiled at the text and before I could help myself, my thumbs were moving to type a response.

Aren't they? I can see Ursa Major though my window.

It was a constellation I often traced using the scars on my hands. It was rather like connect the dots. My phone buzzed again in my hand.

Do you still have trouble with the dark?

I smiled down at the screen, his concern was rather... touching. I hadn't forgotten that night in Hawaii, when I'd confessed about my fears. I knew he hadn't forgotten either. Adrian didn't forget anything, much less important things told to him in confidence.

Not when I can see the stars.

It was the truth, the truth that I'd discovered all those months ago when I'd sat on the roof at Hogwarts, looking out over the grounds. Some days were worse than others, and I still had to tell myself over and over that I wasn't in those dungeons. But on the nights that I could see the farthest, count the most stars, I breathed easier.

I noticed that you seem to carry the stars with you, these days.

I laughed out loud, shaking my head when I realized what he meant. How could he have possibly noticed my habit and understood what I was doing? Rose and Kaley hadn't picked up on it, nor had Maya. I bit my lip and tried to think of something to respond with.

Very observant...

His response came almost immediately.

Always, when it comes to you.

My eyes went wide as I stared at those words. Was he... flirting? No, he couldn't be. He was just a friend who was more attentive than most, there was nothing romantic about that. He was just a really good friend.

.............

"Sit still, would you?"

I fidgeted on the grass and glared at Adrian, "I have ADHD and I've been sitting here for over an hour, what did you expect?"