Forbidden (A Luke Castellan Love Story)

Chapter 23

Avery’s POV
            When I got to the cabin everyone was already getting ready for bed.
            I walked over to my little area and grabbed a fitted tank top and some shorts and walked into the bathroom and got ready.
            After I was done, everyone was in their beds, some even sleeping already. Surprisingly it was really quiet in the cabin but I could still hear a few kids snickering in the corner and talking quietly.
            I climbed into my own bed and shut my eyes waiting for sleep to come but I sat waiting for nothing.
            While everyone fell asleep a few hours ago, I was still tossing and turning in my bed, not able to sleep.
            Finally, after realizing it was no use, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a minute running my hands through my hair. My eyes wandering around the room but I could see that everyone was asleep.
             Even though it was dark, I could see everyone perfectly. While it would take people a long time to have their eyes adjust to the dark, I could see perfectly fine right when I opened my eyes. I liked the dark more than I did the light. I felt like I could hide in the shadows more and be alone.
            I sighed and stood up, making sure not to hit my head on the bunk above me.
            Quietly, I crept to the door and opened it having it squeak loudly. I tensed and slowly turned around to check and make sure everyone was still asleep. Not seeing anything I let go of a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. I was about to turn around but I felt like someone was staring at me. I turned back around and scanned the beds but everyone was fast asleep. I shook off the feeling and slid out of the room having the door shut behind me.
            Off in the distance, I could hear howling but I knew that wasn’t the reason I wasn’t falling asleep.
            Wanting to go someone where I could be alone, I looked around for a place to sit and think but the only place that I could think of was the woods and Grover told me never to go alone.
            Sighing I turned around and was about to walk back inside but something caught my eye and slowly I stepped back.
            I smiled when I saw what I was hoping for: a small part of the cabin jutted out. It was a perfect footstool.
            Walking closer to it, I grabbed the side of the cabin and started to climb.
            Finally making it to the top I sighed in relief and overlooked the camp.
            High places were always my favorites, I liked to see everything and observe. Plus it always helped me think a little better. 
            I put my hands behind my head and laid back until my back was on the roof. Staring up at the stars, I traced the constellations and let my thoughts drift.
            Talking to Grey had reminded me of some of the worst times at the orphanage.
            You see, not only was it just a living heck for me, but Mrs. Gretcher’s husband- who would occasionally came over to the orphanage- used to hit us.
            He used to tell us that we were worthless, that our parents hated us and dropped us off here so they wouldn’t care about us. He would tell tease us, hurt us, kick us, spit at us, everything. Mrs. Gretcher never stopped him, nobody did. He was a huge drinker and whenever he came to the orphanage he would pick on one of the girls.
            Who was that girl you might ask?
            Me.
            That girl was me. I was the girl that he abused, both physically and mentally.
            For some reason, I was the girl that he chose to hurt. Ever since I was 8 he would hurt me. I tried to be good but it was never good enough for him not to hit me. I don’t know why he picked on me. It might have been because of how many schools I got kicked out of, or he just hated me. He didn’t really need a reason, or want a reason, to hit me.
            He actually did try to hit a few girls after me but I couldn’t let him. I told him to stop and he just beat me even more than he ever had. Every time after that, I stood up for another one of the girls and would take their beating. Eventually, he just turned on me, knowing that I would always stand up for every other girl in the orphanage.
            Thankfully, about a year ago, someone called the police on him. They told the police that he abused the girls in the orphanage but in reality he only abused me. Thank heavens that the most horrible thing he did to me was hit me and yell at me, nothing more.
            A few days after the call, the police watched the orphanage and saw what was happening. They came and arrested him, took him to jail. The worst thing that I could ever remember about that day, was what he told me just before he was shoved into the car. He told me he would find me and kill me one day.
            I know that he’s in jail for life, but for some reason I believed him. I thought he truly was going to find me and kill me. For that rest of the year I could never sleep, I could never find peace away from him.
            Then, one day, I found a door that led to the roof. I went up there and over looked the city until I felt calm enough to go to sleep. In my free time, I was always there. Eventually it was my only escape. I love to go outside and look at the sky. I calmed me; it was something that I lived for.
            That’s what I was doing. I was used to things outside and high up. It was a nice place to think.
            I felt a tear trickle down my cheek and I shook my head, trying to rid my thoughts of the orphanage. Camp Half-Blood was already started to feel like a real home. I hadn’t had that for as long as I can remember. I don’t remember anyone ever loving me, caring about me, nothing. But here… I felt like we were all just one big family.
            Looking around at the cabins again, I started to think about who my godly parent could be.
            There were so many of the Gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Ares, Hephaestus, Apollo, Hermes, Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, it was all just so overwhelming.
            I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard shuffling coming towards the roof. I just prayed to one of the Gods that it wasn’t a harpy that was coming to eat me. I heard Jacie say that they eat people who are past their curfews.   
            The shuffling got worse and I just tensed ready for whatever was going to jump up and eat me.
            When the thing finally came on the roof I screamed terrified or what I saw.
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A/N: Don’t you guys just love cliff hanger? Hehehe, I know I’m evil.   So I have a question for you guys that I forgot to ask, did you guys like the Luke POV? Did it sound like him? Should I continue to write more in Luke’s POV or did you guys not like it? Send me a comment! Thanks so much!
            -Breann