Forgotten

~Three~

I had all the right to be jumpy the next day, flinching at even the most mundane of noises such as Sally placing dishes in the sink, to Paul ruffling the morning's paper as he took a sip from his coffee. They didn't bring my obvious fright-thank the gods-but I caught them giving me concerned looks from time to time. Yet, the simple scene before me made me long for having a family like this: one with sane parents (both of them), having my still human brother, and able to actually act my age for once instead of a grown adult. At least I would acclimatize to being an adult easier than some of my peers.

The drive to camp was relatively quiet, with Sally keeping up the amiable conversation, not once pushing by the limits I didn't even know I had set for myself when I was talking to people. I had opened up to her last night, but that didn't mean I wanted to tell her some of my greater fears. Especially not after what I saw had given me some clarity...

No, I would not delve into that memory now. That was me at one of my worst points in my miserable existence, and I wished that like all older memories that it would fade from my mind. But luck was never on my side, as I had learned through the years. I mean, what are the chances of being born to an insane woman from the same god who sent her tumbling into insanity head first after a brother had been born?

I was about to cross over the threshold of camp, when Sally called my name. I gave her a confused glance, nervously rubbing my hand over my bracelet. I cursed myself for finding comfort in the damned bracelet when it had been given to me by my practically nonexistent brother.

"Yes, ma'am?"

Sally gave me a pointed look, as if she was getting tired of correcting me. "I understand you come from a painful past," she began, and inwardly, my mental walls were already going up. "And if for some reason you can't find anyone to trust here-which I highly doubt-I want you to know that I'm always up to talk, even at two in the morning."

I couldn't help but smile, once again longing for a mother like that. She cared so much for a girl she had just met-a rarity amongst people in general. Most people would've sent me out of the house the second that their child left, or even sooner.

"Thanks, Sally...For everything."

Her blue eyes lit up in happiness. "It was a pleasure to meet you." Then her face took on an unusually somber look. "But I need you to promise me one thing: Watch out for your brother. He's tried to kill my son and his friends more times than I can count, or that I've been told."

I pursed my lips, trying to rip my hand away from the bracelet once more. "I have a grudge against Luke anyways, Sally. It might be fun to knock him around soon."

"Just...be careful, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mom." Instantly, I clamped a hand over my mouth, eyes widening to comedic sizes. My face burned in embarrassment, and I could imagine being as red as the shirt I was wearing. "Oh gods...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I turned on my heel, running across the camp's borders, ignoring Sally's cries telling me to come back. My ponytail lashed my cheeks violently, allowing for hair to enter my mouth easily. I had no idea where I was going, until I felt myself colliding with another body.

Scrambling to me feet, I looked at the person I had just ran into. He had a mop of blonde hair and sky blue eyes. It was then that I noticed he was scrounging up the arrows I had knocked out of his quiver. I quickly bent over, careful to not break the shafts of the arrows, seeing as they were made of wood, unlike the plastic shafts I had grown accustomed to.

"Hey!" the boy cried indignantly as I placed the few arrows I had picked up into his quiver. Quickly realizing the look on my face, he amended, saying, "I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going."