WINGED ₁

2

WHEN MADELEINE FOUND THE BOY, HE WAS WANDERING THE GAME AREA LOOKING VERY SCARED.

He was wearing a dark blue sweater that dipped just below his collarbones and hung loosely over his pale brown khakis. He wore checkered white and dark blue Vans. His hair was curled loosely on his head.

When he spotted him staring at her, he startled, then took a few steps toward her. "Have we met?" he asked, his voice a little shaky.

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"What year is it?" he asked abruptly.

She frowned and told a year, and his shoulders visibly tightened. "Why aren't you glued to a screen?" he asked her. "What's wrong with this place?"

"Time passes slowly here," she told him. "Lead me to your friends. We're leaving."

If the boy found this at all weird, he didn't show it. He led her to a curly-haired girl, who was playing a game where you build your own city. She wore a black top with straps and khaki pants that were a little darker than the boys, along with black docs. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"Annabeth," the boy said. "We've got to get out of here."

No response.

He shook her. "Annabeth?"

She looked up, annoyed. "What?"

"We need to leave."

"Leave? What are you talking about? I've just got the towers―"

"This place is a trap."

She didn't respond. Madeleine stepped forward and gently jostled the girl's shoulder. She turned back toward them and asked, "Do I know you?"

Madeleine said, "No, but your friend is right."

The girl, Annabeth, rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Just a few more minutes."

"Annabeth, there are people here from 1977," Percy argued. "Kids who have never aged. You check in, you stay forever."

"So?" she asked. "Can you imagine a better place?"

So the boy grabbed her wrist and yanked her away from the game.

"Hey!" She screamed and hit him, but nobody else even bothered looking. They were too busy.

Madeleine stepped forward and grabbed the girl's other arm. She yanked away, glaring at her. "Who do you think you are?"

The boy grabbed Annabeth by the shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. "Spiders," he said solemnly. "Large, hairy spiders."

Somehow, that did it. Her vision cleared. "Oh my gods." She gasped like she had just come up from water. "How long have we―"

"I don't know, but we've got to find Grover."

The pair started off. Madeleine followed them and found the boy playing a game called Virtual Deer Hunter. He was wearing a dark green sweater not unlike the other boy's, black cargo pants, and dark green laced converse.

"Grover!" the pair shouted.

He said, "Die, human! Die, silly polluting person!"

"Grover!" the pale boy shouted again.

The other boy, Grover, turned his plastic gun on the pale boy and started clicking, as if he were just another image from the screen.

The pale boy and Annabeth looked at each other, and then took Grover by the arms and dragged him away. His shoes sprouted wings and started tugging his legs in the other direction as he shouted, "No! I just got to a new level! No!"

Annabeth looked at Madeleine warily, but she just yanked the shoes off of the boy's feet.

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to their group. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," the pale boy replied.

"Such a shame," he said. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

They looked tempted. The Grover boy even reached out for one. But Madeleine caught his hand and forced it away from the card. She looked the bellhop right in the eyes and said, "We're leaving."

For the first time in her life, Madeleine made a decision for herself. And whatever she had been doing at that place, it was time to move on.

They burst out into stormy air. Heat lightning flashed out in the Las Vegas desert. A backpack that Madeleine was sure hadn't been there before was slung over the pale boy's shoulder.

He ran to the nearest newspaper stand and looked mildly nauseous. 

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked, stepping toward him.

"Five days," the boy gasped. "We were in there for five days. It's June twentieth."

Annabeth's face paled. Grover, still sockfooted, stumbled sideways against the hotel.

"Excuse me," Madeleine said, "but did you say it's June?"

All three of them looked at her and the boy gave her a slow nod. "Yeah."

Madeleine's knees gave out.

⎯⎯ ୨ winged ୧ ⎯⎯
an; sorry for slow updates. i'm currently juggling senior year, but i'll do my best to update more frequently :)
qotc: how long do you think madeleine was in the hotel for? how was she so intent on getting out?

"time, curious time, cutting me open and bleeding me dry."
invisible string by taylor swift