Looming Secrets

Chapter 10

Jason

The stars blinked at me accusingly, as if saying, "How could you have put her in so much danger?"

I wondered that too as my gaze averted to the blank page in front of me. I tapped the sketch book with the pencil in hand—thinking, and letting my mind wonder. Images of Ari filled my head. Her inquisitive, silvery blue eyes, silky, black hair that was as dark as the night, and a soft smile on her full, cherry red lips. She really was a stubborn girl.

I began to grin, but quickly stopped myself. Get a grip, man.

I shook my head and new images flooded my head. The glistening tears in Ari's eyes. Her small frame pressed against the wall, helplessly. A shivering form at the feet of a shade.

It's all your fault.

Thoughts of gods, curses, and hatred circulated through my brain. My hands moved along the page, sketching, drawing, shading. They moved faster and faster as more and more anger poured into me.

Finally, on what used to be a white piece of paper was a dark haired girl, lying on the grass. She looked beyond delicate, almost as if she would crumble to dust if I reached out and touched her. Shadows looked down at her, consuming the warm, beautiful light that the girl was so full of. At the top right hand corner was a warning: Stay Away.

I studied the sketch and the warning. There was something familiar about it, maybe because it was all the IDA and the gods ever said to me. Or maybe it was because I've seen it in my head so many times before whenever I thought about Ari.

The sound of shoes against concrete caught my attention. I closed the sketchbook and looked up at the glittering night sky with my arms supporting me behind my back.

"If you're planning on sneaking up on me, you need to learn how to not walk like an elephant."

The footsteps stopped. "I don't walk like an elephant."

"Sure you don't, Puffball."

"At least I'm not weird enough to be on the roof of the Sospes House way past curfew, unlike you, Buttface. And what's with the book, were you writing love letters or something?"

I turned my head to see Ari standing with her arms crossed. "Why are you up here? What? Did you get jealous and worried that I might actually write love letters?"

"As if."

"Were you stalking me then?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like I'd have any reason to."

I felt the corners of my lips go up. "Then why are you up here? To drown me with questions again or what?"

"Well, if you would actually tell me something, then maybe I wouldn't ask you so many things."

I laughed. "Sure you won't, Puffball."

Ari sat down beside me and crossed her legs. "I'm being serious, Jason. I want answers."

By the way Ari shifted uncomfortably, I could tell that no humor was evident on my face. "And I'm being serious too when I say you don't want to know anything."

"Of course I want to know what's going on."

I took a breath and let it out. "That's the problem, you want to know things you shouldn't know."

"Then tell me why I shouldn't know."

I ran a hand through my hair. "I can't tell you that either."

She jumped up. "Oh, my gods this is impossible."

"Exactly."

Then, Ari did something I never would have expected in a million years. The crazy girl grabbed my left hand took out a small dagger. I would have pulled my hand back if I wasn't so shocked. By the time I realized what was happening, Ari had already cut the tip of my finger with the blade.

I jumped up and took the dagger from Ari in one quick motion. "What the fuck?"

Ari just pointed at the hand that was now by my side. "Look at it."

I looked at my hand. One drop of blood trickled down the side of my finger, but the small cut was already sealing. I dropped my hand and let my cold gaze meet with her's. "Yeah, so?"

She took my hand again. "See? It's not there anymore."

I didn't deny it, there was no use. The cut was gone as soon as the skin finished knitting itself together.

Ari's voice was frantic. "What are you?"

I looked into Ari's quicksilver eyes, unable to answer.

"Tell me. Please."

I pulled my hand back. "It's just a cut."

"Obviously. But I want to know why it isn't there anymore."

Again, I didn't answer.

"Jason. I need to know that the shades and your unnatural healing power isn't just my imagination."

I ran the hand that was just cut through my hair. I was struggling with myself. Telling Ari anything would put her in danger, and the gods would not be pleased either. But if I didn't tell her, it wouldn't have been fair to her because she could easily dive head first into danger without knowing it. I couldn't keep her in the dark much longer.

"It's not your imagination, Puffball. I wish it was only fiction, but it's all real."

She seemed to be relieved, but I frowned. "You shouldn't be happy about it. The shades are real and dangerous. You saw what they did to you today, and they can do it again and again to anyone."

Ari's body shuddered. "Why would they?"

I shrugged. "For survival, but mostly for their own sick satisfaction."

"Survival?"

"Yes, Puffball. Shades are escapees of Hades. Most of them come from Tartarus. They need the strength in living things to help them survive. Most of the time they prefer demigods because we have more energy, but when they're desperate, they'll suck humans dry too."

She hugged her waist. "So they're literally souls that escaped from the depth of hell?"

I nodded, she continued. "But that doesn't explain your freakish healing powers."

"I'm... different. But it doesn't matter because something big is starting."

Confusion clouded the blue in her eyes and made them seem more stormy. "What do you mean?"

I took my sketchbook and started backing up to the metal ladder of the fire escape. "The shades aren't up here on Earth for a fun weekend getaway. What's happening isn't good."

Ari went towards the fire escape too, but I was already on the ledge of the roof. "Wait, Jason. How do you know all that? What's happening?"

My gaze stayed on her. I wanted to tell her the truth, but it wasn't possible. The wind picked up and the trees at the edge of the field swayed. Dark clouds hid the shining stars and moon.

My feet were on the ladder now, and my grip tightened on the metal. "Some things are better left unanswered."

Lightning flashed in the distance behind Ari as I disappeared from her view.

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A/N

So here it is. If you have read this far, thank you so much, and I hope u enjoyed it. :)