Annabeth Chase at Malory Towers [ON HOLD]

Chapter 8

"Mommy and Daddy are here! Come on Amy!" Bonnie squealed running down with her friend.

Only June, Freddie, Susan, Pam, Annabeth and Thalia were left. Everyone else had gone to meet their parents.
Susan sat by Thalia and Annabeth. "Are your parents coming?"

"Nah. My mom is dead and I never see my dad." Thalia replied nonchalantly, as she flipped through Annabeth's album, smiling at the memories it held.

"Oh goodness. I'm so sorry!" Susan apologised, feeling very meek.

Thalia waved it aside with a shrug and Susan wondered how the girl could take this so lightly. "So where do you stay?" She ventured hesitantly. "In the holidays, I mean."

"This really awesome camp or with with this group of girls." Thalia answered.

"Group of girls?" Pam asked, sitting down beside them. Having missed the start of the conversation she wondered at Susan's grief stricken face.

"Yeah. I'm kinda the leader." Thalia said, gesturing to the silver band around her forehead. "We don't date. Like ever. And we just go...camping in the wild and stuff. We like archery...a lot."

Pam turned to Annabeth. "And your parents are coming I suppose?" She asked before Susan could tell her not to for she feared that Annabeth's story would be something like Thalia's.

"No. I rarely ever see my mom and my dad is in California. He was gonna come but he called me and told me yesterday that he won't be able to because he's really busy."

"Oh." Pam said. Susan was still shell shocked about Thalia's mother.

"Don't you have any siblings?" Pam asked.

"I have two step brothers. But they're pretty young and immature." Annabeth said.

Susan definitely didn't miss out on the words, step brother.

"I have a brother." Thalia said, then she grinned maliciously. "And a soon to be sister in law in a couple years."

The two girls gaped at her. "They're engaged?"

"What! No! He's only nearly 17! But the rate it's going- but I think that maybe Seaweed Brain will propose to Miss Smarty Pants here first." She nudged Annabeth's ribs who blushed in turn.

"Shut up, Thals."

Susan and Pam exchanged looks of horror at that.

"Oh. My. Goodness." June said from across the room where she was peering out the window.

"What?" Susan asked, coming to her side, but her mouth fell open. Pam followed them and her eyes popped out of its skull...not for real.

A few seconds later, the few girls left in the common room were peering through the many windows.

Thalia and Annabeth went to the window too and looked out. Annabeth burst into laughter and Thalia snickered.

"Who the hell are those people?" Susan asked.

June gasped melodramatically. "Serial killers?"

"No!" Freddie shouted. "They're lawn mower people."

"I bet you ten pounds they're serial killers."

"Twenty pounds they're lawn mower people."

Annabeth laughed at that. "Thirty pounds I know who they are." She said.

June and Freddie turned around and faced her challengingly.

"You're on."

The girls all rushed down the stairs at once, the more sensible ones, slower than the others.