𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 - jason grace ¹

ii. caught in a storm

II. VIOLET !
⋆ ★
caught in a storm

         Violet made it a note in her head to tell Percy she beat his record of fucking up at school the quickest. Her bet was at least a week — turned out to be two days.

The storm churned into a miniature hurricane. Funnel clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish. Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. She knew the storm wasn't a snowstorm. If it was she could've navigated with ease but Violet found herself constantly slipping and struggling to obtain her balance. Jason skidded across the slick floor. Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but Jason grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.

"Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.

"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge. "Any chance you can control this, Yang?"

Violet couldn't get the words out if her mouth to reply so she merely shook her head. The storm was almost electrical, nowhere near a snowstorm which Violet couldn't even able to calm. Even if Violet could have been able to control the storm, the chaos of everyone would've made it impossible for her to concentrate.

Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. Violet thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving. The cold air was the only thing going in Violet's favor at that moment.

Violet, Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back. Violet tried to concentrate on the wind, forcing it to make way for her. Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk. Piper tugged at the handles. Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck.

"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.

Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm.

"Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."

He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" Jason tried to charge forward, but the wind was against him, and Coach Hedge pushed him back.

"Coach," Jason said, "let me go!"

"Jason, Leo, Violet, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."

"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster?"

"You seriously think you can get through this storm without me?" Violet felt her cheeks turn even pinker from anger.

The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps- like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat--but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.

Dylan gave him that psycho happy smile. "Oh, come on, Coach. Let the girl attack me! After all, you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they retired you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, grandpa."