Scratching The Surface

Chapter 19

The smell of wood was seriously starting to get on Jason's nerves. The moist wood panels, the dry wood panels, the wood panels that hadn't seen human life in centuries. It all shared a distinct quality that he'd never be able to get out of his nose.

That staircase had that smell but also shared an even worse smell if Jason had ever seen one. The rotting, decaying stench of something, somewhere, right below their feet. It made him want to gag in the dimly lit space.

"An animal must have died down there." Leo had the top of his shirt covering his nose. "Absolutely stinks. Wonder what this was used for?"

"Just keep being careful of your steps," Jason instructed. "If you fall and break your neck, I'm leaving your body here."

"Haha," Leo rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to fall down these steps. You're the one that doesn't do well with steep-...told you." He watched as Jason missed his step and after a frozen minute, went tumbling down the stairs into complete darkness.

Leo let the dust settle before calling down to him, staying in safety where Jason had once stood. "You okay down there?!"

Jason groaned, having fallen face first into...something. He could feel the wood beneath his arms, see the pale light from where Leo held the flashlight high on that staircase, but could feel...something against his face. The stench was almost unbearable, having gotten five times worse after his fall.

Jason refused to admit it, but he had felt a push.

"Leo, bring the light!" Jason rolled onto his back, wincing when he moved his shoulder. "I think I popped something out of place..."

Leo stomped down the stairs, his heavy boots echoing. "Your own fault. You jinxed yourself." He got to the bottom of the staircase and felt around the wall for a light switch, smiling in victory when he found it. "Let's see if this place connects to your electric grid."

He flipped the switch up, illuminating the cavernous room in the dull light only made from old-fashioned machinery. As he did, Jason turned his head to see when he had landed on, curious to see what kind of animal corpse he had destroyed with his weight.

Leo would always tell the story as Jason has screamed like a child, but Jason would never admit such a thing. But Leo himself almost screamed, almost screamed at the sight of that decaying body.

That human body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Piper was doing the dishes when she felt that familiar chill run down her spine, felt that someone else was in there with her. She expected to see Nico as she turned around, but instead, she was met with a young girl around Nico's age. Her dark skin was see-through, her bare feet didn't seem to touch the ground. She wore a long, brown dress full of holes and an apron that was covered in what looked to be blood. She was standing half behind the doorframe to the dining room, her face half covered but recognizably full of fear.

"...Hi..." Piper turned the sink off, her movements slow and careful. "My...my name's Piper. What's your name?"

One of the girl's feet moved back a step before she looked back at Piper, seeming to calm when she saw no anger. "Hazel... Hazel Levesque, ma'am."

Piper smiled. "You don't have to call me ma'am. It's nice to meet you."

Hazel smiled, a hand moving to push some hair behind her ear. "You, too, ma-...Piper."

Piper smiled back at her before holding a hand out. "Come in. I'm guessing you're who Nico told us about?"

Hazel watched Piper for a good minute before taking her hand, stepping into the brightly lit kitchen. "Y-Yeah, I am. I'm sorry for...for not showing up a lot. I don't like to. Only Nico has that kind of energy. But the storm...it really kick-started me and Frank, for some reason."

"May I ask why only Nico has energy all the time?" Piper questioned. "I mean, I know nothing about this stuff, but it seems weird how only he does."

"I don't know much, either," Hazel admitted. "But I think...I think it has something to do with how he died."

"How he died..." Piper looked into the sink, looked into the sink used by generations and generations of different people. So much history, so much in just a simple object. The birds she heard? The same sounds were probably heard by Nico's family and Hazel's family and whoever Frank was. The same floor was walked across, the same noise of crickets was heard during the nights.

"He killed himself." Hazel had backed up again, her hands clasped together in a form of prayer. "Hung himself...he hung himself in the attic... Don't tell him I told you that, okay? Don't tell him..."

Piper looked up to meet Hazel's eyes, looked up to meet the eyes of a terrified girl. "Hazel...don't be scared. You shouldn't be scared of anything. Can...can I hug you? You look like you need a hug."

Hazel's smile came back, yet this time hiding the tears. "That's...that's okay..."

Piper wrapped her arms around the teenage girl and brought her close, rubbing her back in comfort. "Don't be scared. You have nothing to be scared of, I promise."

"I know, I know. Times have changed." Hazel gripped onto Piper's shirt. "Those people...Annabeth...she told me that. But it's still so hard to believe."

"Well, I can assure you that you don't have to worry," Piper promised. "And my kids can't wait to make another friend."

Piper let her go, wiped her eyes. "Okay?"

Hazel nodded. "Okay."

They were silent for a minute as Piper began the dishes again, this time quickly so that she could use them for dinner. Looking out into the backyard, Katie was helping Maddie onto a swing. Jason and Leo were nowhere in sight, so she assumed they had gone into the barn.

"Hazel?" Piper looked back over to her. "May I ask...at what time...you lived?"

Hazel looked down. "If you're asking if I was a slave at this house, the answer is yes. Frank was, also."

Piper frowned. "Did...Annabeth...explain how everything has changed?"

Hazel nodded. "She did, she did. And I know I shouldn't be scared."

"But I can see why you are, now." Piper agreed. "Are...are you scared of Nico? You seemed to be for a second."

"Not any more than I am of you." Hazel shrugged. "He's really nice, like you. He likes to help out. He helped me when I...when I was living."

Piper turned the sink off just as Jason's scream was heard. She frowned, glancing at Hazel in confusion. "Do you know what he's screaming about?"

Hazel was almost fully gone by then, barely visible as she stood where the dust floated in the sunlight. She nodded once, tears making their way down her cheeks. "He found me...someone finally found me."

And then she was gone, the kitchen was again empty besides Piper.