Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Percico)

Chapter Four: Part Two

Nico

To say they drilled Michael Wilson was an understatement.

"Mr. Wilson," Percy's lawyer started off, noticing how the other lawyer did. "Are you the Neighbor of the Blofis-Jackson household."

"Yes, sir."

"How old are you?"

"28."

"When did you move into your current state of residence?"

"It was... Either the end of July or the start of August of 2000. My first house payment was was August payment."

"Did you live next to Mr. Jackson when you moved in?"

"No, sir."

"When did they move in?"

"Sally moved in on her own in the start of August, 2005." Michael informed them, and that made me think. I wonder why they moved. Maybe they couldn't afford a house after Sally moved so they for an apartment. "Percy joined her later on in the month. They lived alone until Paul moved in in either May or June of 2007. I couldn't give you an exact date, but it fell at the end or that school year."

"And has the household ever disrupted you previous of yesterday's events?"

"No, sir."

"Alright," the lawyer went on as he glanced at the file for a moment. "What was your initial reaction to what you heard?"

Michael shrugged, "I didn't think anything to it."

"Why not?"

"Whenever Annabeth was over, they argued quite a bit." Michael informed us on something nobody knew about. The star couple, an actual mess. "It was never violent to what I heard of, aside playful notion. She often belittled Percy, making fun of his hobbies or lack of knowledge in certain areas."

"Would you call the relationship toxic or abusive towards Mr. Jackson?"

"Without hesitation, yes." He jumped at the chance to admit to that. "Annabeth would make occasional trips with her father here in New York. When she would be with Percy, he wasn't allowed to eat, and what was eaten was thrown up later. Her calling Percy a freak wasn't abnormal. Why, I was never made aware. The closest I got was the fact that his dad is next to never around."

After repeating a few questions, receiving identical answers each time from the first time the question was asked, he was let go. Annabeth was called to the stand next. That's where my nerves hit me.

She was sworn in, and they requested that the evidence be displayed. The video, not the recording.

Percy

When the video started, I could feel the hole in my chest start to pull at my heart. As if I had just finished running a 5K, my breathing was scattered and desperate.

For a solid 3 seconds, I couldn't see a thing. The next thing I saw wasn't... I mean, it was real. It happened, and I remember it as if it was yesterday at times. But it's been years.

We we're at our old apartment, Mom was working late as per usual. Gabe had gone through his 8th beer for that afternoon. A little on edge, I had taken note that it was nearing 9:30, but Gabe had yet to hit me.

It was on days like that when I had hope. Hope for the idea that we'd be a family again. One big happy family, like they had been at a point in time of which was getting harder for Percy to recall.

It was on days like this when I was reminded that being hopeful was useless.

As I had just started to drain the water from the sink after washing dishes, my step-ass walked up from behind. Sliding his hands below my underwear, Gabe placed kisses along the back of my ear and jaw. Being home from break, Gabe hasn't done this in a while to me. But then again, he had done it the day before, I was just too out of it to realise anything that was happened.