𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞

Chapter 14

The book opens and the chapter title appears on the screen.
'I Plunge to My Death'

"WHAT?!" Many scream before looking at Sereia. "What do you mean 'plunge to my death' " asks Hermione scared. Sereia winces and turns to her. "I was fine." Annabeth and Grover raise their eyebrows.

|Sereia: We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.
We weren't attacked once, but I didn't relax. I felt that we were travelling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity. I also tried to keep a low profile because my name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers.|

The Trenton Register-News shows a photo taken by a tourist as Sereia gets off the Greyhound bus. She has a wild look in her eyes. Her sword is a metallic blur in her hands.
The pictures caption read:
Twelve-year-old Sereia Potter, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of her aunt two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where she accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Potter fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the girl may be travelling with two teenage accomplices. Her uncle, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.

Sereia rolls her eyes annoyed while many glare

Sereia throws the newspaper away.
Annabeth: Don't worry. Mortal police could never find us.

|Sereia: She doesn't sound so sure. The rest of the day I spent alternately pacing the length of the train (because I had a really hard time sitting still), or looking out the windows.|

Sereia looks out the window and spots a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, catches her eye and waves. Sereia looks around the passenger car, but nobody else notice. The adult riders all have their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines.
In the evening, she looks out the window again and sees something huge moving through the woods.

Hagrid looks at the centaurs and the creature amazed.

|Sereia: I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a tank.|

Its fur glints gold in the evening light. It leaps through the trees and is gone.

|Sereia: Our reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. We couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so we dozed in our seats. My neck got stiff. I tried not to drool in my sleep, since Annabeth was sitting right next to me. Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking me up.|

Sereia and Annabeth look to Grover when he shuffles around and his fake foot falls off.
The quickly go and stick it had back on.
Annabeth: So, who wants your help?
Sereia turns to confused
Sereia: What do you mean?
Annabeth: When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, "I won't help you." Who were you dreaming about?
Sereia looks hesitant before she sighs.
Sereia: I'm standing in a black cavern and there's this laughing voice that keeps telling me to bring the bold to it and help it rise. Annabeth stays quiet for a long time.
Annabeth: That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs.