Sparks in the Flame

Grace sat up, cold sweat making her shirt stick to her back and her hair slick on her forehead. Her mind was reeling. She could still feel the boy’s cold embrace on her skin, could feel the darkness flowing through her. She winced and pressed her hand to the back of her head—there was a bandage circling it and a dull pain from her earlier fall. An older boy with tan skin, bright blue eyes, and blond hair approached her.
“You up?” he said. “Nasty fall you had back there. Your head hit that concrete pretty hard. You’re going to have to wear that bandage for a couple of days. My name is Will Solace, resident Camp Half-Blood doctor.”
As Grace was about to answer, the door to the infirmary swung open and Percy and Annabeth marched in, panting, followed by Reed McCallic. “Grace! You’re awake!” said Percy, coming to the side of her bed and kneeling on the floor next to her.
“Yeah,” said Grace shakily. Her hands were trembling so she curled them into fists and hid them behind her back.
“I’ll wait outside,” said Reed, and slipped out the door.
“What’s up?” Annabeth said, her eyes sharp. “Is something wrong?”
Grace blinked and avoided Annabeth’s gaze. “Nothing.”
Annabeth’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t push it. Percy started bombarding Grace with questions. “How do you feel? Does your head hurt? Are you dizzy at all? Nauseous?”
“Sheesh, calm down, Percy. I’m fine.” Grace snapped. “I just want to leave the infirmary.”
Will piped in. “That can be arranged, Grace.” He handed her a something yellow and square in a plastic bag. “Take this if your head hurts, but only a small bite. It can be dangerous if large amounts are consumed by anyone other than a god.”
Grace put it in the pocket of her jeans, careful not to crush it. “What is this?” She asked Will. Annabeth answered for him.
“It’s Ambrosia, food of the gods. It has healing properties when consumed in small amounts.” Annabeth recited.
Grace blinked. “Cool.”
Percy cocked his head. “Why aren’t you amazed? You’re supposed to be amazed by that.”
Annabeth grabbed Percy by the back of the shirt and tugged him up. “Come on, Seaweed Brain. Grace is fine. Let’s go see Chiron.” She dragged Percy out the door of the infirmary.
Will looked down at Grace and smiled lopsidedly. “You’re free to go.”
“Thanks,” said Grace, swung her legs off the bed, and left.
She plodded her way across the grass, glad to get out from under the gaze of others. She couldn’t get it out of her mind, the strange black, spinning eyes and shadowy hands of the unknown boy she kept seeing in her sleep. Who was he? She wondered for the millionth time.
Suddenly she felt the sifting of sand beneath her sneakers and realized that she had wandered to the lake—again. It was as though there was a subconscious magnet between her and the water that pulled them together time and time again.
Grace shuffled her feet out of her shoes and socks, waded knee-high into the water and stood there in silence, waiting for her heartbeat to steady. A little ways off, a group of campers were practicing shooting at targets with bows and arrows. The lull of the soft waves calmed and grounded her.
A sound in the sand behind her made her whip around.
“Hold up, it’s just me,” said Reed, hands up and cocky grin in place.
Just you? Thought Grace. You make it sound more like you’re the only one I should be thinking about. She sighed. Idiot.
“What do you want?” said Grace, turning back towards the lake.
She heard Reed kick off his shoes and join her in the water, wading over to stand at her side. “Do you see something out there?” he asked instead of answering her.
“No. It’s just calming to come here.”
There was a silence. Then: “Is it calming with me here?”
She looked over at him. “What?”
His brown eyes were dark and close, the sun glinting off of his dirty-blond hair. “Don’t I make your heart race?”
Before Grace could say anything—or even think of anything, for that matter—in response, there was the sound of something flying through the air at a piercing speed. There was a swift movement in front of her—and a schwip as the object came to a sudden stop barely a foot from her face.
Reed stood in front of her with his arm straight out, an arrow clenched in his fist, stray blond locks swaying slightly in the breeze.
Grace’s mouth fell open. “What—”
The campers who had been practicing nearby began to run towards them, shouting to see if they were okay, but they all stopped short at the sight of Reed.
He was glowing.

Notes

Hey readers! I have a new chapter! I hope you all like it! <3 :)
xoxo
galeckey1234