ATLANTIS | j. grace

three

ELLE WAS SURE THAT she was losing her mind. If having no memory and hallucinating her past wasn't enough evidence, then hearing voices certainly was.

From the moment she stepped onto the chariot, she heard two voices. They were talking in hushed tones, making it impossible for Elle to make out what they were saying. Elle looked around to see if anyone else heard them, but it seemed she was the only one. It probably had something to do with the stupid flashbacks she kept getting.

They faded once the chariot took off, leaving Elle to assume she simply needed psychiatric help.

Standing by the edge of the chariot, Elle watched the Arizona scenery fly by below them. Her head reeled, and she thought she might vomit. She couldn't remember the exact reason, but Elle knew she hated heights.

Elle jolted in surprise when she felt a warm hand slip into her cold one. Turning her head, her eyes landed on Jason, who was gazing at her with worried eyes — except this time, Elle knew they weren't just for her. He was worried about himself too.

It was comforting; knowing that she wasn't alone in this confusion.

She squeezed his hand once before releasing it. Neither smiled because neither was going to lie and say there was a reason to. They were lost, but they were lost together, and maybe that would be enough.

Elle wanted to get to know him. Maybe they could play one of those cringy icebreaker games. She wanted nothing more than to say so, but Elle knew now wasn't the time.

Feeling as though someone was watching them, Elle looked up to see Annabeth observing her curiously. She was usually good at reading people, but Annabeth had an expression on her face that was impossible for the girl to pick apart.

Her eyebrows were knitted together, lips pressed, showing Elle she was deep in thought — but what she was thinking, Elle didn't know. The way she stood, gripping the hilt of her knife in one hand, and clutching the chariot edge with the other, made it obvious that she was anxious and on edge. Her stormy eyes held confusion and hurt as they scanned Elle up and down.

When she realized that the brunette had caught her watching her, Annabeth didn't shy away. Instead, she said, "So you don't remember anything?"

Elle shook her head. "Nothing. I woke up this morning on a school bus next to Jason. It didn't take long for us to realize that we didn't belong there."

"But that's impossible," Piper spoke up. Just before they'd taken off, Annabeth had passed the girl a First Aid kit and wrapped her sprained wrist. While her hand may have been doing better, Piper clearly felt miserable. She looked distressed from both the Jason/Elle situation and being attacked by literal wind. "You and Jason have been attending the Wilderness School with us since the first day! You just have amnesia or something. We'll fix it."

Elle knew the girl meant well, but she wasn't sure how to tell her that she was in a terrible state of denial. It was clear that Elle and Jason did not attend the Wilderness School, nor were they dating. Whoever Annabeth and Butch were, Elle came from their world.

"Elle... you've been... gone since August," Annabeth said hesitantly.

"'Gone'? What do you mean 'gone'?" Elle's voice raised slightly, and she felt the back of Jason's hand brush her own. "How do you know me?"

"I've known you since we were twelve," Annabeth answered, dodging the first question. Her voice was pained, and she looked like she was going to break down any second.

Elle's heart dropped. It was a terrible feeling, when someone you didn't even recognize knew you better than you know yourself. If Elle's life was a book, it was as though someone had torn out every page. Except for today, where they'd instead taken a pen and scribbled.