Aphelion ⎯⎯⎯⎯ Stiles Stilinski

15.) Scott Gets Out-Striked and Strikes Out

@Sᴛɪʟᴇs-Is-Tʜᴇ-Nɪɢʜᴛ

1:05 ───⊙─────── 3:07

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playιng: [Hᴇᴀᴅ Cʜᴇᴇʀʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ] - [Pᴏᴍ Pᴏᴍ Sǫᴜᴀᴅ]

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No one chooses to be a pioneer, a visionary, an innovator. The position is simply thrust upon those destined for greatness. Xan was one of these unexpecting people, having created and adopted a new lifestyle that she felt could revolutionize the world and bring humanity into a new age of modernity. All you had to do was cut out sleep. Simple as that, just stop sleeping until you start to get headaches or black spots in your vision, and then rest your eyes for 30 minutes and you're good to go. Xan felt optimistic as she began the first day of her new life, she'd have so much more time for all of the things on her to-do list, and the adrenaline from shooting awake after nodding off for a second kept her feeling alive. Why did people even sleep that much anymore, it was archaic.

It was with this new attitude that Xan truly felt she'd enjoy the group date that night. Sure, yesterday she'd been catastrophizing about it, but that was before. Brimming with positive energy, Xan was sure that watching the testosterone fueled battle between Scott and Jackson would be hilarious in her new state of consciousness. And she'd barely even notice Lydia's snide comments or how much Ethan didn't want to be there. At least she could count on Ethan to keep quiet about how he felt. He'd been smothering her ever since she woke up screaming last night. Usually she told him about her dreams when she was feeling better, but there was something inside her telling him it would be better that he didn't know. Xan told herself that it was because she just wanted to pretend the whole thing never happened in the first place, but she knew the truth deep down.

She was embarrassed at how weak she'd been, and she didn't want Ethan to know how tempted she'd been by Kronos's arguments. That was something she didn't even want to admit to herself. Despite her curiosity and temptation, Xan shoved it all deep down, into the place inside her that grew larger every year.

It could fester there alongside all of her other unwanted thoughts and memories, every hopeless moment she'd ever had on a quest, every time she'd ever had to close her eyes and wait for death. Every whispered goodbye that her mother and brother would never hear sat there, with every nightmare she'd had since she'd been cursed, and every good memory of Luke. All stashed together in a part of her soul where she couldn't pick at it, becoming uglier each year, and only surfacing when Xan was alone.

Ethan had noticed what was wrong without her even saying it, and spent the morning doting on her, even borrowing her mother's car to take Xan out for breakfast before school. He had left a note in her bag and packed his sweatshirt for her, even though she said it didn't go with her outfit. Xan almost burst into tears when she saw him wandering through the hall before lunch, clearly trying not to look as lost and confused as he was. If it weren't for Ethan, she thought that she just may have lost her mind. It was with his support and an unhealthy amount of energy drinks that Xan was in a good mood, even as she entered the loud and slightly smelly bowling alley.

They were late, having taken the time to catch up with Xan's mom before leaving. It might've also been due to the fact that for once neither Xan nor Ethan were particularly eager to go, but Lydia certainly didn't need to know that.