In the Beginning

Chapter Fifteen

     It had been three days. Three days Piper had been dead. Three days of despair and crying. Three days of the constant reminder this had been my fault. Three days didn't seem so long, but they dragged on and on. Painful and poisonous. Three days could change you. They could change anyone and everyone. And they had. Three days was all it took...all it took to make a world crumble. I started crying again. That nagging voice in my head taunting me. Reminding me that if I would've recognized her disappearance I could've stopped her death. I sobbed. It was only two weeks I'd known her, but we'd been close. Or at least, I liked to think so. Brittney sat on my bed, and hugged me. I sobbed into her shoulder.

     "I'm sorry." I repeated it, hoping Brittney would forgive me. If I had been a better sister.... Brittney hugged me tighter and cried with me. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." We sat, crying for hours it seemed until there was a knock on the door. I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand. Brittney managed a small, "Come in." Annabeth came in, a pained look in her eyes. She shut the door behind her. By the time she reached my bed in the back of the room, she too was crying. Brittney and I made room for her on the bed and we sat there, sobbing. I'd never seen Annabeth cry. It made it worse to know such a fearless girl would be in here, crying with us. I hugged my knees, trying to stop crying.

     "I...I didn't think it could end like this." Annabeth's voice shook.

     "I'm sorry. If I had noticed she was gone...." I couldn't make it through the sentence. Annabeth looked at me, as if I were kidding.

     "Starr, this isn't your fault." I nodded and she hugged me. That was a gesture that surprised me, but I hugged her back. "When's the...you know."

     "Tonight." Brittney answered quietly, it was probably all she would say today. Not that I could blame her, I'd hardly left the cabin today. Annabeth stood, heaving a sigh.

     "I better go." I nodded and Brittney didn't acknowledge that she had heard Annabeth speak. Annabeth looked at me and whispered, "Take care of her, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. This is hard for everyone but...but especially her." I nodded once more.

     "You too. Don't do anything stupid." Annabeth seemed to consider this. It was her turn to nod, a small smile on her face.

      "Thanks." She turned and walked out the door, shutting it behind her.

     I watched the flames curl into the darkening sky. I looked at her shroud, it was hot pink, a bronze dagger in the middle. Katoptris, her knife. Everyone was silent. I could feel eyes on my side of the campfire. It was actually unusual anyone even glanced in the direction if any Aphrodite campers. Except for Piper. She went against the stereotype of us children of Aphrodite being weak and useless. Yet everyone looked at me as if I could snap in half at the slightest glance. Instead of scanning the crowd, I just watched the orange flames meld with the navy blue of the night. Piper's shroud burned through the night. Many campers had left gradually but I felt obligated to stay. As a small token of honor for all the heroic things she had done. The night was especially cold and I hadn't brought a jacket. A child from Apollo brought me his and draped it around my shoulders. I smiled up at him from my cross-legged position on the old wooden log. He sat next to me, not daring to say a word. I was grateful for the company, seeing as I was the only on out here. I was more grateful for the silence and in the silence we sat until dawn.

     It had been about an hour since the hot pink shroud had stopped burning. I still sat on the log next to the Apollo camper. I decided I had had enough of sitting here. My cheeks, ears, and nose burned from the cold, turning them a right red color. My back was sore from having no support while sitting through the night. I slid of the jacket and handed it to the boy. His pale blonde hair looked almost white in the dim lighting, the darkness casting shadows on his elvish features.  

     "Thanks." I practically squeaked the word and instantly regretted saying anything at all. I walked briskly to my cabin, not looking back. I opened the door gingerly, afraid to awake anyone. To my disappointment, everyone was already awake and looking at me expectantly. Brittney glared at me. All at once, the silence broke as I walked through the narrow path of campers. They were all eager to hear about the boy I'd been sitting with. I just ignored them, ashamed that something this irrelevant could be their main topic of interest with the death of their own half-sister. I sat down on my bed and gazed longingly at the picture on my nightstand. I really didn't remember when we took it but there was snow on the ground and everyone's faces were pink from the cold. But we looked happy. Percy's arm around Annabeth who stood next to Piper. Piper was next to Jason, with a boy I'd heard was named Leo on his other side. I stood next to Percy, his other elbow was laying flat on my head like I was an arm rest. Brittney had a coffee in her hand, as always, even though she wasn't supposed to be drinking it. We were all grinned from ear to ear looking like a really weird group of old friends. We were all wearing coats and hats and scarves, but we were happy and that's what I missed the most.

      I dreamt of Piper. She was standing on an island, her body shimmered as if she was made of mist. She looked up from the old scroll she was reading to stare me straight in the face. It was painful to look at her, to see her so clearly. It hurt to think that I would never see her the same way again. A living, breathing person. Yet, this was Piper. She smiled, her corner of her eyes crinkling as she did so.

     "How are you, my sister?" I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping I could wake up. I couldn't bare to open them again and see Piper's shimmering face that I could never see again. Never talk to again. But I did.

     "I've had better days." Piper smiled again. It felt like a punch to the gut whenever she smiled. I wish I could've made her smile more. I know it was strange to wish for such a thing, but a smile is something that reassured me I had done something right. Made someone happy, even if it was just for a moment.

     "How is Brittney?"

     "Barely holding up. We don't know what to do without you." Piper shook her head as if chiding Brittney.

     "Tell her...." Her voice trailed off. She looked upset now. "Never mind that, I've been sent here to warn you."

     "About what? What could be worse-"

     "This is only the beginning, sister." She interrupted me like she was running out of time on a payphone and had an important message to deliver to the person on the other end. She handed me the scroll she had been reading when I appeared. It was the scroll. My scroll. The one with the stupid non-rhyming lines and the three doves with arrows through their chests. She pointed to the first line, "A sorceress who gets left behind."

     "Who's the sorceress?" Piper grinned, the kind of grin that said, "You couldn't be more clueless."

     "It's me, sister."

     "You're a...sorceress? How so?"

     "A gift only certain children of Aphrodite have: charmspeak. The power of persuasion. That makes us both sorceresses."

     "How am I....?"

     "Learn how to control this power. You have it in you, I can tell. Go to Brittney for help, she knows. This power will aid you in your darkest moments." She gently took the scroll from my hands and rolled it back up. "I must go now, sister." I reached for her, but there was nothing to reach for. My hand went right through her wrist.

     "Don't leave." I pleaded but Piper solemnly shook her head. Her image began to fade. "No! Don't leave me!" I knew I could do nothing yet I continued to plead. Her image dissolving quickly.

     "Take care of yourself, take care of my cabin, and camp. Take care of Jason, tell him I love h-" Piper had disappeared completely. I sank to my knees in the sand and buried my face in my hands, letting out small, choked sobs.