Kid from the Asylum

Chapter Five

      Nico's POV

      Percy, shaking and shuddering from the cold, was still cuddled into my side. We drove in silence for a while. "So... Percy." Jason said awkwardly. "I saw you in freshmen year, but you disappeared after a few months. What happened?"

      Percy tensed a little. "Bad person, very bad person..." He muttered.

       "Someone dragged you out of it?" Leo asked, looking back at us.

       "No." Percy shook his head. "Bad person."

       Leo looked confused. "You told us that already."

       "Bad person." Percy repeated. "Bad person... Fake person."

      "Fake person? What do you mean?" I asked, looking down at him. The corners of his lips tugged downwards. 

       "Fake. Fake. Experiment. Fake." He muttered.

       "Fake experiment?" I asked.

       He shook his head. "Fake person. Bad experiment."

        "A... Fake you?" I asked hesitantly.

      "Fake me." He confirmed. "Fake crazy."

        "The fake you went crazy?" I asked, squeezing his arm slightly. He must be more insane than I thought.

        "Fake me crazy. Destroyed. Seven."

        "Seven what? Fakes?" I asked. He shook his head.

        "Seven." He repeated.

        "Seven... Years?" Jason guessed, trying to keep his eyes on the icy road.

        Percy shook his head. "Since you were seven? You've been in there since you were seven?" Leo asked. Percy nodded.

       "But... I thought you were new?" I asked him.

        "New? Different area." He told us. "Therapy."

        "You were in therapy before this? Since you were seven?" Jason asked. Percy nodded.

         I muttered a curse in Italian under my breath. (Oh! That reminds me! I'm learning Italian! I'm doing a bunch of studying and stuff, so I can rant in Italian and no one will know what I'm saying!)

          "That's a long time." I admitted.

        "We're almost home." Jason said, pulling into our town.

        Percy tensed. "People. People bad." (lol, same Percy XD)

        "It's okay, they're nice. One of them you've met, Thalia." I assured him.

        "Thalia?" Percy asked, looking up at me. "Grace?"

        I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

       He smiled slightly. "I knew Thalia. In first grade. She ran into a tree!" He giggled, then frowned. "Then I was sent away and she forgot me."

        "I'm sure she just didn't realize it was you." I assured him as Jason pulled into my driveway, where everyone was. Several vehicles littered the area.

       "People." Percy said with a frown. I could tell he was going into nervous mode. Three... Two... One... "What if they don't like me and I'm kicked out I wont have anyone to live with and I'm going to be sent back to the Asylum after being there for eleven years and I don't think they want me back because I've been there so long and they seem sick of me because I don't like them and don't really cooperate very well and-" I cut him off by clamping a hand over his mouth.

       He looked over at me with wide eyes. "They're going to like you, and you're staying with me or Leo, and we're not going to kick you out no matter what you do. Right Valdez?" I asked, glaring at him.

       "Valdez." Percy said, looking over at Leo with interest. "I knew you too."

       Leo looked shocked. "You did?"

       Percy nodded. "No one remembers me." He sighed sadly.

       "I kind of did..." Jason said awkwardly. 

       "You remembered fake. You're... Thalia's brother. Right?" Percy asked. I was shocked. No one would ever guess they were siblings. I didn't think he actual knew them, but now...

       "Um, yeah." Jason also looked startled.

       "And... di Angelo?" He asked, looking at me. I, shocked, nodded slowly.

       He frowned. "Bad. Bad di Angelo. Bad bad bad." He shook his head like a dog after they got wet.

      "I'm bad?" I asked. Ouch.

      "No. Jackson bad." He pointed to himself. "di Angelo good. Jackson bad. Bad... Bad to sister."

      My breathing hitched. "You knew her?"

      He frowned. "Knew Bee. Bad to Bee. Accident."

      "Accident? What... What happened?" I asked.

      From what I had known, she had gone over to a friends house and some drunk guy had beaten her to death while the man's child was put in the hospital without death. "Accident. Gabe. Accident. Bee. Ouch. Hospital." He seemed panicked now.

       "Percy, Percy what do you know about Bee?" I asked. "What accident? Who's Gabe?" I was frantic, my breathing short and quick.

       "Gabe. Gabe mean. Gabe hurt Bee." He whispered, his eyes impossibly wide.

       "Who's Gabe? Who hurt Bee?" I asked hurriedly. We were parked in the driveway and haven't gotten out. We were too drawn to Percy.

        "Gabe. Step-dad. Step-dad hurt Bianca. Step-dad hurt Bee badly. Gabe killed bee."

        "Gabe... Killed a bee?" Leo asked. I didn't respond.

        Bee. What I called Bianca, when she was alive.