The Jacksons (completed): Book 2 - Percy Jackson Fanfiction

~ Chapter One: ESME

~ Chapter One  

• Esme •

My dad is the best man in the whole world. He's smart, handsome, and pretty cool - for a dad, that is. He's not overly embarrassing. He's not.

Not really.

I suppose he is, a little. One year, at sport's day, I was racing Nero. And Dad was in the stands, shouting, "Come on, son! Esme's only five, she can't even use the toilet or wipe her butt by herself - you can totally beat her, champ!"

Charming, eh? I got teased for a month, had my lunch money and chocolate milk constantly nicked, and started feigning sick days. (It only ended when I lamped Rory Pinnock twice and escaped exclusion after getting Nero to say he, with a perfect record, did it.)

And I thrashed Nero - and Rory Pinnock and all his mates - in every single race.

Then there's Mum; she's good, too. The typical nagging kind of mum, but a good mum all the same. She's an utter brainbox, with some secretive job at the Empire State Building. Never tells us anything.

And, then, we have Nero. My twin brother.

Let me make one thing clear: Nero is okay. He's not brilliant, but he's not bad. He's half-decent, I guess you could say.

He's average-looking, with jet-black and sea-green eyes and fair clear skin. Obviously we aren't identical because I'm a girl and he's a boy. But we look nothing alike.

And I mean nothing.

I have curly dirt-blonde hair and eyes as grey as stormclouds. I'm not as light-skinned as Nero but I'm certainly not tanned. Nero's a stickler for rules, whereas I like to actually have fun.

I look like Mum but I have Dad's personality. Swap all that around and you get my dear brother.

So now you know my family.

Now it's time to know my story, and how it all began.

*

"Dad! We're gonna be late for school!"

Nero stood at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, can't have Golden Boy late for school," I said sarcastically.

Nero glared at me. "I've got to see Mrs Clarkson," he snapped, "and you know that. For once, I wouldn't mind being on time - no, maybe even early!"

Nero really got worked up about things because of his ADHD, but school was his life, despite his dyslexia. He was brainy, like Mum, but he got unlucky, like Dad. I only got Mum's dyslexia. I didn't mind being different to Nero. Nobody wants to be a swotty teacher's pet.

"Calm down, Nero," Dad said as he came down the stairs. "I'm now coming."

Mum walked out of the kitchen, teatowel in hand, wearing her coral-pink dressing gown. She looked really pretty for a thirty-two-year-old with thirteen-year-old twins. Her hair was tousled and blonde like mine, but hers was sleeker and lighter and curlier. Mum had eyes like silver moons, always glittering and gazing right through you. She had even white teeth whereas my middle two were slightly wonky. I didn't look anywhere near as lovely as my mother.

"Could you give me a lift to work, please, love?" she asked Dad.

Dad nodded, smiling. "Of course, Wise Girl. Get dressed. Nero wants us out in five."

Mum sprinted upstairs, and two minutes later, returned in a black cardigan over a white blouse and grey skinny jeans, with black and white converse. Her curls were tied back into a high ponytail, and she'd even applied a little grey makeup. She smiled at me.