(I like to say I was supposed to be a vampire but god forgot the blood-sucking part. It would explain why I'm so awake and happy at night but wants to sleep and is miserable during the day. Except I'm not supposed to go outside at night because mosquitoes absolutely love to bite me and I have more of a reaction to the bites than normal so it's really painful. Curse me and my presumably delicious blood.)
"--I mean I knew she wasn't above lying, but I was still hurt--" Piper's voice was merely background noise to him now, blending into the mindless chatter that surrounded him, and he dared not to make sense of, as his train of thought derailed when he caught sight of a blue ribbon drifting along behind her.
"--so keep in mind this girl ran really fast since she was--"
Nico knew his gaze was wandering, but he couldn't help but stare at the colored objects that floated through the shop. He fought the urge to raise an eyebrow when he spotted a yellow dresser. Not one of the most stylish things to be stuck as for all eternity, he thought dismissively.
"Hello? Nico?" Piper fixed her eyes on Nico with an annoyed glare that made him want to curl up and hide from the beam of pure murderous intent being shot at him like that a laser. "Were you listening to me at all?"
"Uhhh..." Nico said intelligently. He racked his brain for answers, but came up empty-handed. He tried to cover up his clueless expression with a glare of his own. "Of course I was. It was about the Greek myth of a girl raised by..." he faltered. "Wolves?" He tried.
She corrected him almost instantly. "Bears."
"The more you know~"
She snorted, and covered it up with a cough. She snatched his hand and tugged him along with her harshly as she began to move deeper into the cluttered gift shop, searching the overflowing shelves for a souvenir.
Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but he could've sworn he saw a glimmer of fondness in those colorful kaleidoscope eyes as he smiled at her, pointed to a rainbow kazoo and said, "You know Piper, I think this looks awesome. It really matches your eyes."
Pipers folded her arms. "Well maybe I'll get it for you if you. It certainly matches your sexuality."
"I'm not gay," he reminded her.
"Okay, okay," Piper amended, "I believe you." Nico nodded absentmindedly and turned to look at the rack of T-shirts behind him.
"...lies," Nico Piper mutter to the stranger next to her. The woman gave her a strange look before continuing her search around the small shop.
Nico wanted to stab himself with a spork.
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His half-sister, Hazel, was Piper's best friend. Piper had lived in this town since she was five, and she wasn't too happy when they decided to move. She didn't voice it, and Nico could tell she wasn't up to hurting Hazel's feelings. Nico respected her for that.
Why Piper didn't want them moving into that house, Nico only wished he knew. He tried asking her once, but when she'd ignored him her brother, Leo, had told him it was a useless cause. Nico decided to talk to Leo before he left.
"So...she told you?" Nico raised an eyebrow. He knew Leo and Piper were close--for adoptive siblings, anyway--but he never expected Piper to open up to him rather than her best friend. Hazel had always been the easiest of all of them to talk to.
Leo just shrugged. "She told me the bare minimum. She..." he fidgeted with his hands and shifted from foot to foot, "she thinks the place is haunted."
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It has begun.
