I'm Always Here

Ash dragged me out of the building, his ever shifting eyes flicking back and forth nervously as we made out way across the city. My mind was in other places, trying to shut out the constant ranting and screaming in my head.

We’re coming...

Kill the boy. He’s of no use to you.

Blood is needed.

KILL!

“Make it stop!” I whimpered, tripping over my feet. My vision was swirling with shapes and dark figures that jeered at me, catching my eye and scraping at my feet.

Ash tugged on my arm. “Ignore it. We have to move.”

The voices...I thought weakly. They shrieked in my head, causing so much noise that it felt as if someone had recorded nails down a chalkboard and amplified it to one thousand decibels.

“ENOUGH!” I yelled, yanking my hand out of Ash’s grip. They went silent, and I rubbed my temples in relief. Windows creaked, catching my attention. Hairline fractures formed along the edges of the glass before crashing onto the concrete. Startled bystanders stopped walking, craning their necks to stare at me like I had two heads.

“We have to go. NOW.” Ash caught at my wrist again and we ran into a dark alley. There was a brick wall in front of us, but that didn’t seem to stop Ash from running faster.

“Ash, what are you doing?” I gasped, trying to shake loose from his iron grip.

“Just trust me, okay?” He said, leaping towards the wall. I clamped my eyelids shut, preparing for the worst.

I never got to know what Ash was doing because something grabbed me around the waist and yanked backwards. I felt my arm pop when I slammed into the concrete. A black figure towered over me, and I blinked slowly, my vision hazy from my head hitting the ground so hard.

I managed to make out mussed grey hair. “Xander?” I croaked.

He smiled cockily. “At your service.”

He grabbed me none too gently by the arm and pulled me to my feet. “I’d advise you to keep quiet.” I nodded, looking over my shoulder for Ash but he seemed to have disappeared. Wonderful. The voices suddenly exploded back into my head and I winced, shooting pain echoing around in my brain again.

Xander cringed, letting go of me like I was plague ridden. “Listen to me.” He looked around; making sure no one was close to us. “I need you to stay as far away from me as-.” He twitched, his neck cracking. “Get away fro-.” He convulsed. I backed away, pulling my pocket knife out of my boot and flipping it open.

“Run!” He spat, slapping his palms against the brick wall.” I did just that, turning on my heel and hoping that I could make it through the dead end like Ash did.

I tripped over a rock, landing on my chest and scraping my palms on the ground. Grass tickled my nose and I sneezed, black hair flipping into my face. Silence followed, but then I heard voices close to me. I stood up shakily, brushing off my new clothes with my fingertips and blowing on my bloody palms before taking a few steps down the hill I landed on.

“I swear she was right behind me.” Ash was pacing around on a dirt area at the bottom of the knoll, his hands in his black hair. He paused, looking towards a man who I couldn’t see too well through Ash’s figure. “I can see her in a grassy area but I don’t know-” He stopped when he saw me a few feet away. His face visibly relaxed. “Oh thank the gods.”

“Hi.” I said, holding my injured hands behind my back.

He stepped towards me, his ever-changing eyes glancing over me with a certain scrutiny I hadn’t seen from him before. “Are you okay? How?”

I raked a hand nervously through my hair, a nervous habit that I hadn’t broken. Sadly, it was at the expense of my hands. “Ow.” I muttered. “I, Uh...fell, and then I figured you, um, went through the wall, so then I...”

Ash grinned. “She followed me!” He turned back to the man, and when Ash moved I saw his complete body, including half a horse. I yelped and slapped a hand over my mouth. DAMMIT. I thought, a sharp iron tang on my tongue.

Ash frowned for a moment before recognizing the issue. “Oh. Alia, this is Chiron, he-“

“You’re half a horse!” I blurted out, not caring that my jaw was probably covered in blood.
Chiron, I think, moved towards me. His forehead wrinkled, ignoring my rude statement. “What happened to you?”

I hastily went to wipe off my jaw. “Oh, nothing, I’m fine, Um..”

Ash grabbed for my hands, but a pop of electricity stopped him. He smiled weakly. “Sorry. Apollo thing.” He tried again, and I let him. “What did you do?” He asked, rubbing his thumb gently over the torn skin.

I winced. “I fell when I came through the wall portal...thing.”

He chewed on his bottom lip. “This is really bad. Is it okay if I treat the wounds?” He asked, still staring at them.

“Yea-“ I started.

“Certainly.” Chiron replied.

“-h.” I finished, heat spreading over my face. “Sorry.”

Chiron smiled down at me. “It’s fine. Be careful, Miss Alia.” He nodded to Ash before turning to walk away. He stopped, looking back at me. “Welcome to Camp. Enjoy your stay as long as you’re here.”

I smiled, wiping off some of the blood with the back of my left hand, not currently being evaluated by Ash.

“Let’s fix you up.” He smiled at me and let my hand drop to my side. “Follow me.”

“Okay.” I trudged behind him, the new booties on my feet still holding up. I’m impressed...I thought, looking at the shoes. I don’t usually like shoes this much.

Ash lead me across the camp area, filled with loud clanging and happy shrieks.

“What is this place?” I asked, jogging up next to him, cradling my hands close to my chest.

“It’s a place for misfits.” Ash smiled down at his feet, kicking a rock across the grass. He looked at me through his messy black hair and jerked his head to the left. “This is my cabin. We can fix you up here.”

I went to follow him, but tripped over something again, landing on my arm to try and keep my hands from hitting the dirt. A glob of wet hit the ground near my right ear, and I recognized it as spit.

“Hey, loser.” A burly boy looked down at me, sneering. I glared back, standing up right as Ash noticed my absence next to him.

“I wouldn’t.” I hissed, my eyes boring into him.

“Oh really?” He said, sneering.

The voices screamed inside my head. KILL! They cried. BLOOD! I stared off into the distance, trying to shut them out.

The boy doubled over, yelling in pain. I started, shaking out of my trance and stumbling backwards. The boy fell to his knees, gasping for air.

Ash slid his hand under my elbow. “Come on. Ignore him.”

I nodded, still somewhat shell shocked.

Ash pushed me gently through a wooden entryway and I gaped at the vaulted ceilings and the unnaturally bright light filling the log cabin. Windows were everywhere, thin curtains thrown over them. Glass crystals dangled from the bunkbeds, catching the sunlight. Small light beams danced all over the walls. “This is beautiful!”

“I know.” Ash looked up, the light reflected in his eyes. “This way.”

I walked through the cabin, my wedge heels thumping across the polished pine flooring. Ash ducked behind white veils, holding the curtains up for me. I bent under, and gasped. Walls upon walls of glass bottles with different liquids in them glinted on pine shelving.

“Wow.” I whispered. Tables held bandages, potions, and burning bowls of what I labeled as herbs. Ash dug around in a woven basket and pulled out a square of clear fabric.

“What is that?” I asked, looking at the thin fabric. I pushed myself gingerly onto one of the tables, letting my feet swing.

“It’s a flexible wrap for injuries in awkward places.” Ash answered, grabbing a pair of scissors off a shelf. He nodded at my hands, light catching the contours of his face. “You wouldn’t be able to handle anything otherwise.”

“Oh. Um.” I stuttered, looking away. “That’s actually, pretty, um, cool.”

“Something wrong?” He asked, focused on mixing something together in a bowl.

“No.” I stared down at my feet, my silver eyes flicking back and forth from one foot to another.

Ash stepped in front of me. “Hold out your hands.” He asked. I obeyed, the movement making them burn again. He flipped the bowl upside down, the purple liquid splashing across my palms. They promptly erupted in burning pain.

“AGH!” I screamed, sliding off the table I had been sitting on. Ash gripped my arms. “What did you do?” I cried, tears streaming down my face. My hands shook, the nerves complaining loudly about the overexposure to SOMETHING.

“It’s a cleaning potion of sorts.” Ash explained.

“It hurts like HELL!” I looked down at my hands, which were free of dirt but had turned an angry red and purple color.

Ash let go of me to grab the transparent fabric. “Hold still.” He grabbed my wrist and gently laid the fabric over my wound and cut around my hand. The piece magically glued itself to the wound, and I brought my hand closer to my face, bending my fingers.

“This is incredible.” I marveled. Ash grinned, finishing my other hand.

“So, are you ready to go back outside and let me-“ He was cut short. A look of confusion flickered across his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“You’ve been claimed.” He said.

“What?” I asked.

“Aphrodite.” He muttered. “But not exactly. It’s...”

“What are you talking about?” I stared at him.

“The symbol is breaking up.” He cocked his head in stupor.

“So?” I widened my eyes at him.

He stared at me, then back over my head. “We have to take you to Chiron. Now.”

“Uh...Okay?” I said. Ash turned and walked out of the room, and I had no choice but to jog after him.

Notes