Till Sunrise┊Luke Castellan

25 .·:· The Edge of Night

Schuring, Roos. 'New Year's Eve'. 2017

Words: 1,379

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Language warning

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Phoebe sat shoulder to shoulder with Clarrise, the setting sun painting the sky in hues of pink and red, casting long shadows across the camp. The light of the dying sun filtered through the trees, creating a dappled pattern on the ground that swayed with the evening breeze. The air was alive with the sounds of campers settling in, setting up on picnic blankets and at tables scattered across the grassy slope that led to the forest. It was the perfect vantage point for the fireworks show about to begin.

The sky, like a canvas splashed with watercolour, mirrored the growing anticipation in the air. Every rustle of leaves, every hushed murmur, felt charged with the energy of the impending spectacle. Phoebe felt it too, a mix of excitement and an undercurrent of unease, a feeling she couldn't quite shake.

"Hey, Phoebe?" a voice spoke from behind her. She turned to see Annabeth standing there, her expression serious and eyes reflecting a silent urgency. Annabeth's silhouette was framed against the vivid sky, her face shadowed yet undeniably tense.

"I'll be right back," Phoebe said to Clarisse before getting up and walking over.

"They've been gone too long. I want to go check on them," Annabeth said, her face straight but her eyes betraying her worry, a flicker of unease passing between them.

"Yeah, go. I'll watch her," Phoebe reassured her, glancing back at Clarisse. Annabeth gave her a nod of gratitude before jogging in the direction Percy and Luke had gone.

Phoebe returned to her spot next to Clarisse, trying to quell the unease bubbling in her stomach. The sun had dipped lower, and the first fireworks began to light up the sky. Vibrant bursts of colour exploded overhead, their reflections shimmering in the wide eyes of the campers. The cheers and laughter around her felt distant, like an echo from another world.

"What's up with her?" Clarisse asked, her gaze fixed on the colours bursting above them.

"Oh, she was just seeing if I had seen Percy," Phoebe replied, her tone casual but her eyes flickering with hidden concern.

"Oh," Clarisse said, immediately losing interest.

"Your favourite subject," Phoebe laughed, nudging her side.

Clarisse rolled her eyes, her face still turned up to the sky. "When's the rest of your lot coming back? They were still packing up when we left."

Phoebe thought for a second. "Probably sometime tonight. Shame, though. They'll miss this," she said, starstruck as a giant firework sizzled above them, casting them in a dazzling green and gold light.

Clarisse nodded absently, the firework's brilliance reflecting in her eyes. "Yeah, it's a good show."

Phoebe leaned back, trying to relax. The unease still lingered, but the beauty of the fireworks helped distract her, if only for a moment. The night sky continued to light up with bursts of colour, each explosion more spectacular than the last.

They sat in silence for a while, eyes and souls transfixed by the heavens. The night air grew cooler, the scent of grass and earth mingling with the tang of sulphur from the fireworks.

"Did you hear about my dad?" Clarisse asked quietly, Phoebe barely hearing it over the booms above them.

"Yeah."