The Life I'm Running From

13\ When I Fell

"You've got to go, McKinnley. You'll be safe there," she was saying. I didn't understand. What place could be safer than with my mom?
             
She pressed a kiss to my forehead, tears dripping from her eyes onto my hairline. Our living room had never been a place of so much despair. I didn't want to leave her. At nine years old, she was my world. And you don't leave your world behind.
              
"Where is a McKinnley going?" my older brother asked. At ten he was only an inch taller than me.
              
My mother smoothed down my tangled blonde hair. "Somewhere she'll be safe, Jaiden. Somewhere she'll be safe." I got the feeling that she repeated her statement more for herself than for him.
              
The man standing in the corner of our living room cleared his throat. "I'm very sorry to take her so soon, but in light of recent incidents..."
              
Everyone's eyes was drawn to the bright red cast on Jaiden's left leg. He leaned on his crutches awkwardly, casting his eyes downward. Guilt weighed down on me. It was my fault Jaiden got hurt. Maybe the only way to keep my brother safe, was for me to leave.
              
"I'll go," I said, turning to the man. Well, half-man. Horns grew out of his hair and fur poked out of the bottom of his pants. "I'm ready."
              
My mother hugged me tightly one last time, and prodded my brother to do the same. Our hug was awkward, as I tried to hug around the crutches. Jaiden didn't seem to understand what was happening, but neither did I.
              
"I love you mom," I said. She smiled, but the scene melted like wet paint running down a canvas. The red's of Jaiden's cast fell to the floor, mixing with the black of my mother's hair to form the River Styx, stretching through the Underworld. Percy was jumping into the lava. I had a sword in my hand, and Nico at my back as Hades's chariot headed towards us. Then Percy was gasping for air as he climbed out. A new aura of strength surrounded him. He smiled at me, the kind of smile he only gave to his sister. The kind of smile Jaiden would've given me.
              
One of Hades's skeleton guards raised his weapon. When I raised my sword to meet his, it faded to ash in my grip. The skeleton pierced his sword through my stomach, and around me, the world went dark.
              
All at once, in a cascade of colour, the area around me filled in. The tall trees of the forest, the always-blue sky, and Percy laying unconscious at the ground. A centaur was blowing a conch horn, and counsellors were running to him. Everything was like when he was eleven and stung by the scorpion Luke set on him, but this time he looked nineteen, just as I looked seventeen. And instead of a welt on his hand, his torso was soaked in blood. The grass around him was tinged with red, and he wasn't moving.
              
No matter how I tried, I couldn't move. My body was locked in place. I stared at my older brother, desperate to help him. Then I blinked, and Percy was replaced with Jaiden. Ten year-old Jaiden, injured by the monsters after me. The world around me seemed to enlargen, until I realized I was shrinking. It didn't stop until I was in my nine year old body. This time my motion was freed, and I took a step towards my other older brother. His leg was soaked with blood, and his chest was gasping for breath.
              
"One in the same," a voice said, and suddenly Percy appeared beside Jaiden, still laying in his own blood. I felt strings pulling at me, one forcing me to grow taller, while the other tugged at me to shrink. Jaiden's gasping grew more desperate, as Percy remained still.
              
The voice floated by my ears, sending shivers down my spine. "They were each your brother. And you left them both."

★彡 ★彡 ★彡 ★彡

The walk to Skylar's house was longer than I had anticipated. Manoeuvring around the people on the sidewalks was a skill I was building as I spent more time in Queens. The air was crisper than it had been earlier this afternoon. I didn't mind any of it though. It gave me time to ponder over the events of the week.
              
I sat with Harley and his friends for lunch the rest of the week. Charlie and Skylar remained detained in detention, and Adriana was spending her time with her new (confirmed!) boyfriend Ryan. I found myself liking Harley's table more than I thought I would. For the most part, there weren't as many snide comments or harsh judgements like you would expect at one of the the "popular" tables. Neha and I found a common interest in running. Devin and Carter, who I assumed to be Harley's closest friends, were friendly and talkative. They kept the conversation lively. Taylie still hated me, and Bradley enraged me every time he showed up, but you can't have everything.
              
Peter tutored me on Thursday, and it went significantly better than our last one. He didn't seem nearly as nervous around me. For once, I could understand a topic in Physics. Everything else is still gibberish to me, but we're getting there.
              
Skylar and especially Charlie kept bugging me about my tutoring session with Peter afterwards. They think Peter and I are doing more than just studying. But really, it's all numbers and facts. They don't seem to grasp that our relationship is only that. At the same time, Adriana wants me to ask out Harley. I'd rather not, thanks. All this boy stuff is confusing.
              
I checked my phone for Skylar's address. The area here seemed to be a lot poorer than the one I lived in, and compared to Charlie's neighbourhood, it was a dump.
              
The apartment building in front of me was rough brick, and a rickety fire escape staircase climbed up the side. It looked almost identical to all the apartment buildings I had seen in the last two blocks. Except this one had graffiti on the side, saying something too bright green and stylized to read. I pushed through the door.
              
True to her word, Skylar was waiting by the front desk. She smiled and waved me over. I stepped around an old couch to reach her, trying not to stare at the large chips in the wallpaper dotting the wall.
              
"We'll have to take the stairs," Skylar said. "The elevator broke down last night. Sorry."
              
"It's no problem," I said, and I was being honest. Though I had already walked however-many-blocks to get here, I was still ready to run a marathon. Okay, maybe a quarter of a marathon. But my breath wasn't short.
              
Skylar's apartment was small. In fact, it was probably the size of Charlie's main room. I almost felt like I had to hold my breath as I stepped in, because it was so overcrowded. The couches were shoved together around a small coffee table, not even five feet away from the kitchen counters. Coats and shoes poked out of a small closet, and a TV was propped up on top of a cabinet against the far wall.
              
I unbuttoned my coat and draped it over the back of the couch. A little boy, probably no older than seven, ran out to the main living room/kitchen/front hall. His shirt was on backwards.
              
"Who's that, Sky?" he asked.
              
Skylar smiled. "This is McKinnley. McKinnley, meet Jorge, my younger brother."
              
Jorge narrowed his eyes at me. But he seemed to think I was alright, because he ran back into one of the adjacent rooms. Skylar sat down on a couch, and I followed her.
              
As I looked around the space again, another feeling struck me. The apartment might have be overcrowded, but it was also warm and welcoming. Painted landscapes were pinned up on the walls, all bearing Skylar's initials at the bottom. A puzzle was half-finished on the coffee table. The whole room smelled faintly of burnt chocolate chip cookies.
              
"So, you ready to watch the best movie in history?" Skylar asked, opening the DVD case. A girl dressed in all pink was featured on the front.
              
I crossed my arms. "I haven't decided if it earns that title yet."
              
"You will." A smile graced Skylar's face as she knelt down to pop in the disk. "Trust me."

★彡 ★彡 ★彡 ★彡

Okay, I had to admit, Legally Blonde was pretty good. I didn't like Elle at first because of her clothing style—what sane person wears that much pink—but she won me over in the end. Still don't know why she went to law school though. Her ex was a jerk.
              
After Mrs. Rodriguez, who was the spitting image of her daughter, wished me safe travels, I left her apartment. Outside the night air was chilly, and I felt lonely. It was like I had borrowed Skylar's family's warmth while in their apartment, but out here I was alone. No warmth offered but my hoodie.
              
My hand crept up to my neck, but of course my bead necklace wasn't there. It was tucked away at the bottom of the closet with my camp t-shirt. I shivered, the breeze sharply hitting me. Never going through my body; just staying in a circle of knives around me, piercing me on all sides. I headed down the street.
              
My footsteps seemed loud, screaming to everyone that I was alone. There was no one walking with me, no one making sure nothing happened to me in the New York night. No protectors watching.
              
That's not fair of me. Danny was at home, and she cared. She just trusted me to walk home by myself. But if my brother was here he'd surely insist on walking home with me. He wouldn't let me venture alone in the dark, though I was capable of taking care of myself. My brother...
              
Percy or Jaiden? Neither were talking to me right now. Percy was busy with college, and honestly... I knew he resented me for my choice. I glanced at the white band bolted to my wrist. It was my fault there was a wedge between us.
              
And Jaiden... oh Jaiden. The name hadn't come to my mind in ages, not since my dream the other night. What did he look like now? Did his hair darken like mothers? Do all the girls fall over him? Is he living his best life? I had no clue.
              
And it would stay like that. Jaiden's life had to be a mystery to me. Because if I knew, I'd never want to separate myself again. If I said hello to him, I'd never say goodbye. But now, maybe now, I could. My bracelet did change things. Now I—
              
A sharp clang of metal startled me out of my thoughts. It came from one of the apartment buildings. It happened again, this time clearly from the roof. There was a muffled scream.
              
Every nerve in my body sprung to attention, and before I knew what I was doing, I halfway up the fire escape stairs. They swayed under my feet, but I clamped my hands tightly to the railing as I climbed. I felt the wind stronger on these rickety stairs. Where they ended, I still had a few feet left to reach the roof. But that had never stopped me before. Fearless, I used a windowsill and the chunks in the wall to propel myself onto the roof.
              
I scanned the area, my body taunt, ready to move. In the middle of the space was a body. Cautious but curious, I moved closer. It was an older woman, her hair greying at the roots. She was collapsed in a heap. After checking her pulse, I determined she must've just been knocked out.
              
My eyes caught on black spray paint, barely visible in the dark. It crossed over her chest and onto the ground. I squinted, willing my eyes to focus on the word that marked the perpetrator. Ravenyx.
              
Whoosh. The sudden gust of wind ruffled my hair and made look up. There was a flash of black moving over the opposite edge of the roof. Leaving the woman, I crept to the edge. Down below was a shadowy alley. The only thing there was trash bins, and there was no one on any of the apartment balconies protruding from the wall. I frowned. I was sure—
              
Something smashed into me from behind. I reached out for something, anything, to catch me—but it was all open air. My feet left solid ground, as gravity pushed me forwards. I tumbled over the edge.
              
A scream ripped loose of my throat. I was free-falling through open air, unattached and unanchored. A scary freeness had enveloped me, and threatened to break me on the hard concrete below. When I said I wanted freedom, this was not what I meant.

Author's Note:
Shoutout to KatelynCKC for being the first vote on this story!
Hey! How are you guys liking the story? This just hit the prologue(so if you want, you can go reread it before the next chapter). What do you think of McKinnley's brother Jaiden? What do you think the white band/bracelet does?
What do you think of Harley and McKinnley, or Peter and McKinnley? McKarley or McKeter? (And does anyone have better ship names, cause mine kinda suck.)
I love comments, so if you have anything to say(constructive criticism included) I'd love to hear it.
XOXO Miss Music Jem XOXO