BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

43.

"KALEIDOSCOPE," GOD, EDEN hated the shakiness in her voice that she hoped that she couldn't hear. "What's up with you? Didn't learn how to knock?"

"Eden," Kaleidoscope said coldly. "I need to talk to you." She looked over at her sister. "Alone."

Drew sent Eden an obviously fake smile and got up, leaning in to leave a lipstick imprint on her cheek. "I'm gonna be calling my dad," she said, giving her the look. "I'll see you later?"

"Tell him I say hi," Eden laughed. "And that I'm more important than school could ever be. Dress shopping later."

"You know it, babe." Drew left, and, god, she was totally the best person to be fake dating. Eden adored her.

"So, Pipes?" Eden went to her vanity, looking at her reddened lips and the lipstick mark on her upper cheek. "What's your damage? I'm really not in the mood."

Kaleidoscope laughed, almost bitterly. "You really think that I'd believe you dating her? In a week and a half, Eden, really? I know you well enough to—"

"Blah blah blah, said every female heroine ever," Eden snapped. "Doubting my relationship with her? What a staple. You doubted me with Thalia and Rachel, why should I be surprised?"

"That's different, and you know it," Kaleidoscope's gaze bored into her, and Eden nearly squirmed, but she was proud as shit. Of course she wouldn't do that. "You don't feel any attraction to Drew. I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, Eden, you can't disagree with me on this. So, why are you doing this? Is this just your way of getting over me?"

"You know, my mother didn't teach me a lot," Eden stood up quickly, looking straight at the love child, and, god, she was still madly in love with the girl.

She hated it. She hated the feeling. Her one vulnerability was her. And Eden hated being vulnerable.

"But you know what she did teach me?" The lies poured out of her mouth. Lies, lies, lies. One of the only things that she'd known throughout her entire life. "To mean what I say."

And with that, she bolted out of her cabin and ran.

* * *

One thing Eden hadn't been doing was sleeping.

She hadn't slept when she was with Rachel, though Drew charmspoke her to sleep during her lessons then woke her up.

Ever since then, Eden hadn't slept. Especially when she'd started telling a story to the younger kids because they demanded the answers and apparently she was a hero and she was unstoppable and she'd indulged in the vision, until her name had caught on her name and she'd bolted.

Since then, she'd had nightmares of Silena and knives and dying and being so close but so far at the same time. She'd also have fantasies of a certain girl that ended up making her feel empty because she wasn't hers and if Eden couldn't have immortality she wanted her but that would never happen, because Aphrodite was a bitch.

"I know you don't want to hear this," Drew'd said to her one day, "but seriously, I think you should sleep. It looks bad on our . . . relationship."

God, how Eden hated that. She'd just said that she'd try.

She knew they were right, and that she should just say goodnight, but it was so hard, when all she could see when she closed her eyes was Kaleidoscope, who was an arm's reach out but she was too far and it hurt, it hurt so much.

Especially when three days before her breaking point, she'd gotten word that Kaleidoscope and Perfect Jason broke up.

"They what?" Connor asked for her.