Ship in a Bottle

Safety isn't Safe

Percy stared at the group text, which the rest of his friends had finally read. His eyes widened with a mixture of fear and sorrow, scared for the life of his family. Percy had reached out to his friends in a panicked state, stripping himself of his dignity.

"My sister was just killed"

Estelle Jackson didn't live for very long, which was the exact thing Percy was afraid of. Percy might've been coming on too strong with the confession, but something needed to be said. It was no accident how Estelle was murdered.

Blankets wrapped around Percy's muscular body, a bowl of ice cream in his lap. All he wanted to do was cry, but restrained himself from shedding any tears.

The police department was working on the case at that very moment, taking in evidence and witnesses whenever they could. There was no doubt in Percy's mind that the shooter from the day before had killed his sister, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Texts poured into the group chat, sorries and sympathy coating his screen. All he wanted was his mother's embrace, but she was at work at that moment. He'd decided to stay out of school, especially with all the pain already going around with other deaths of students.

Jason sent Percy a call, to which he responded tiredly. "Hello?"

"Percy, I'm so sorry for your loss," Jason immediately sighed. "Everyone in our group has lost someone. We'll help you get through it no matter what."

"Thanks," Percy responded dryly. "That means a lot."

"Do you know what happened to her?" His voice was extra soft, masking the curiosity in his tone. "Only if you're willing to tell me, that is. Whatever you see fit."

"I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but she was definitely shot," Percy sniffled, the hand holding his phone trembling. "The police department is trying to figure that out right now."

Jason paused briefly. "You think it's the same shooter as yesterday, right? He was taken to jail, remember?"

Percy sucked in a breath. "I forgot about that. Who would possibly want to kill such a little girl?"

"I don't know," Jason sighed boisterously. "Look, class is about to start, but we're coming over later. There's been some nasty shit going on lately, so you won't have to feel alone. How's that sound?"

Percy sniffled. "Yeah. That sounds fine."

In truth, Percy didn't want anyone to be around him. He'd been living around a toxic step-father and toxic friends for as long as he could remember, so comfort had never been familiar to him. All he wanted to do was cry and binge-eat until he was numb.

"Alright, we'll be there in a few hours. Just–" Jason trailed off. "Don't do anything you'll regret, alright?"

Percy knew what his friend was talking about. The forbidden topic amongst teenagers or adolescents: Self harm. He'd never tried to hurt himself before, but he'd definitely thought about it.

"I won't," Percy promised. "Don't worry about me. I've been through much worse."

"Don't say that," Jason urged. "You're just as important as the rest of us. Hang in there, alright? See you soon."

Percy sat in the darkened room, the faint ending ring lighting up his depressing space. The lights hadn't been turned on since he heard the gunshots outside of his home, somehow only taking one life. He didn't want to think about it, but at the same time, Estelle's death couldn't get out of his head.

Teenagers hurt themselves all the time. Adults somewhat acknowledged it, but mostly pretended everything was fine. Generations were toxic and built on lying, something Percy had noticed when his teachers claimed that depression and anxiety was all in your head.

At that moment, Sally was sleeping soundly in the hospital bed. She had been placed under a medically-induced coma to ensure her safety when she finally awoke. The shooter had narrowly missed an important organ, only wounding Sally in the slightest.

She was as calm as she could be without her hectic life, but Percy had a feeling all Hell would emerge when her poor eyes opened.

As for Gabe? He didn't have a care in the world. Estelle wasn't his biological kid, and he'd threatened to kill her many times in the past. He was seated on the couch, legs sprawled across the cushions.

Maybe Gabe was the shooter. He never seemed to care what happened to his family, even if his own wife was injured. A suspicious vibe radiated off of Percy's step-father, but he pushed it away. There's no way Gabe–the idiotic and rancid smelling man–would be smart enough to plot an entire murder.

After school, Jason brought a few guys to Percy's house. Only Nico and Will knew about Annabeth's situation the night before, but chose to focus on Percy's sorrow.

"What's going through your head?" Nico pulsed, uncomfortably sitting next to his cousin. Nico also knew Estelle like the back of his hand, but held back his tears as best as he could. "I know what's going through mine."

"I want to know who did it," Percy squeaked, burying his face in a blanket. "I want to know who fucking ended her life. She deserved so much better. So much more than the small life she lived."

"I know." Nico pressed his hand against Percy's back for comfort while Percy cried silently. "I might've not known her like you, but I knew she was bound to do great things."

"She was sobbing before her first day of school because people were calling her ugly!" Percy cried out, violently sobbing into his hands. "Those kids were insulting her because she was younger than them! She thought they were her friends! Now she's dead!"

Will pursed his lips, placing a bowl of chicken noodle soup into Percy's lap. "Here. You probably haven't eaten all day."

"I want to visit my mom," Percy urged, pushing the soup away. "She's in a coma! I have to see her!"

"Percy, wait-" Nico stopped his cousin, pushing back down onto the bed lightly. "Your mom needs time to heal, and the doctors need time to cure her. Just wait a few days, okay?"

"No!" Percy wailed. "I don't want to lose her too!"

Percy scrambled out of bed, revealing his pajama bottoms. That wasn't the thought in his mind, though. A picture of his mom stained his vision as he sauntered down the stairs.

The boys followed him, spotting Gabe leaning in the front doorway. "Where do you think you're going?"

Percy paused, standing a few feet in front of his step-father. "To see my mom, you bitch. Get out of my way."

Fury flamed in Gabe's eyes, slight panic emerging in Nico's gut. He'd witnessed Gabe's behavior before, but was told not to say anything.

Gabe waddled forward, pushing Percy backwards. Nico and Jason scrambled to catch him, placing him back on his feet.

"Get back!" Will barked at Gabe, holding out his arm for protection. "Get away from him!"

"And who are you?" Gabe urged, raising an eyebrow.

"Will Solace," Will breathed. "I'm Percy's friend. And as his friend, I can't let this go on anymore. You're abusive, aren't you? You hit him?"

"Will, it's fine." Percy shrugged. "Let's just go see my mom."

"No," Will and Nico spouted simultaneously. Will cleared his throat, saying, "You obviously haven't realized how illegal this is!"

Gabe scowled. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Nico held up his phone, dialing three sacred numbers. "I'm going to fucking do something about it."