Chapter One
You know those days when you feel like nothing can get worse and then it just does? This was one of those days. It’s not like Annabeth wanted it to be, it just was. Everything was going all wrong for her today. Her grandmother died that morning at two a.m., her best friend stopped talking to her, and her father had kicked her out of the house and into the rain the night before. Annabeth didn’t think her day could get any worse. Until her mom told her they were moving. Again. Except this time, all the way to the Bahamas. Now normally any other junior in high school would be happy to move to the Bahamas halfway through school. However, in this case, Annabeth was quite the opposite. Annabeth had moved ten times in two years and scowled to herself. “Texas, Florida, Germany, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine, Alabama, Georgia, and now the Bahamas,” she murmured to herself as she packed her carry-on. She’d miss Georgia; it had actually started to feel like home to her. She’d actually made friends and gone to a decent school and felt happy. The Bahamas was supposed to be better, beautiful; it was supposed to make her happy. Her mom had said, “Bee dear, the Bahamas is supposed to be the perfect vacation getaway, don’t you want that?” of course her mother had used her nickname, Bee, to sound sure. So, she’d thrown on a fake smile, as she did every time, and she’d lied, replying to her mother, “Mother, dad kicked me out last night, you let me in. I’ll be eighteen in a year and then I’ll be able to leave the house for good. I will however, move this one last time.” As many times as she’d said that to her mom, she thought her mom would yell, that was what she’d done when Annabeth was younger. Her mother had given her the nickname Bee when Annabeth was about six years old. She was playing outside her grandmother’s house when she ran into a bee’s nest, instead of stinging her though, they just landed on her, not caring that she wasn’t a bee. From then on, her mother called her Bee. Annabeth’s cell phone rang and she picked it up, snapping out of her daydream of what had happened, one new text message from her mother. ‘Bee, are you ready to go? By the way, there’s someone here to see you.’ This was a custom in Annabeth’s house, she never left her room, and she never talked to her parents, never talked to anyone really. She never slept, she’d been diagnosed with insomnia when she was three, she worked, got paid, bought her own groceries, did her own laundry, it was like she was never there. She ate her own food in her own room. That was the life she’d been living ever since she could remember. ‘Who, is here to see me?’ she texted her mother and the reply came just seconds later, ‘Lily.’ Lilith Grodno had been her first best friend in a long time and they’d been psyched to find out that they were moving to Georgia, they’d met at her last stop, in Alabama. Lilith preferred to be called Lily, as it was easier to say and most people did anyway. ‘Let her come up, but tell her I can’t talk long, I know we have to leave soon and I need to finish packing some last minute items.’ She heard the footsteps and opened her door before they stopped. “Bee,” Lily walked in and sat on the floor, “no Lilith, it’s Annabeth to you now,” but even saying that didn’t stop Lily. “Bee, I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” she said softly, “you didn’t know?! Really? Because as I recall, you knew I was having a tough time already.” “But Bee, you know I didn’t mean to,” “didn’t mean to?!? YOU were the one that spread rumors about ME, not the other way around! So, never mind, you know what? Get out! Just get out! And stop texting me!” Annabeth was done. She was done apologizing for something she didn’t do, was done pretending she liked someone she didn’t, was done with Lilith. Lily figured it out a few minutes after they stood in silence that Annabeth really was done, and left Annabeth standing there, crying. Twenty minutes later Annabeth was on a plane and on her way to the Bahamas. Where she would start yet another new life.….
Annabeth woke up and instantly thought she was back in Georgia but then remembered, Bahamas. The new house was two stories, her room was the biggest, taking up most of the top floor besides the bathroom. Which was also her own. Her father and mother had let her have this room because they needed the office that was downstairs. The walls of her room were pure white and the wall facing towards the ocean was a huge, pure glass, window with a door in the center leading to a balcony with a ladder that led down to the beach. At the beach right now, halfway through school, there was barely anyone. Though, Annabeth knew she’d see people her age at the beach later that evening. ‘Bee, time for school,’ her mom never spoke to her physically and neither did her dad. Annabeth had to drive herself to her new school, Starleaf High School. After getting her schedule she headed to her fifth hour class, she had six classes and she didn’t understand why her mom made her go to school right when she first got there. She had jetlag and was tired because her father and mother hadn’t stopped talking about how excited they were the whole plane ride. When she walked into her fifth hour class, English AP, everyone turned and stared. “Um,” she murmured and walked up to her teacher, Mr. Hart, it said on her schedule. “Ah yes, you must be Annabeth from Georgia. Nice of you to join us, I’m Mr. Hart, please take a seat,” he said. “Bee,” she corrected, “what?” “The name,” she replied, “call me Bee.” The class snickered and laughed, “Um,” she walked to the last open seat which was in the back left corner of the room. The rest of fifth hour everyone would not stop staring and she decided she was glad that she was the quiet, reserved, keep-to-yourself kind of person. “Sorry about that,” Annabeth was walking in the hallway, on her way to sixth hour when a black haired, blue eyed boy stopped her in the hallway. At first she didn’t answer but then she saw that that was exactly what he was waiting for, an answer. “Um, about what?” she wasn’t sure how else to respond, “The class, they didn’t have any right to laugh at you because of how you dress.” “How I dress?” she questioned him, thinking he was making fun of her. “Um, you know. No one has ever seen someone so, different.” “Different meaning, no shorts, tank tops, low-cut shirts, booty shorts, or clothes showing a lot of skin?” Annabeth was getting angry with him even though she’d seen him stay quiet while everyone else had laughed. “Right well, sorry if I offended you, I actually think it’s cool that you’re not letting them get to you, anyway, there’s this huge bonfire tonight down at the beach, you should come, meet some people, hang out, be cool,” she cut him off with a quick, “no thank you,” and walked into her sixth hour class, German III. What was wrong with her black pants, black tank top underneath a long-sleeved black t-shirt, black combat boots, and black jewelry? She thought about it and decided nothing was wrong with it before talking to her German teacher. “Guten Tag Frau, ich bin Annabeth, rufen Sie Mich Bee, und JA, ich bin aus Georgien,” Annabeth had just said Good afternoon ma'am, I'm Annabeth, call me Bee, and yes, I'm from Georgia in German to her German teacher, Ms. Bland. The class gasped, apparently they had never had a classmate who had lived in Germany before and knew fluent German. German class was over before she knew it and she headed out to be picked up by her mother, Sarah, who had actually rode with her in the morning and taken her truck to work. It’d be like that for the first few weeks until her mother got a new car. Her father, Jonathon, was always at home, her mother always bought her father the things he needed. Her mother and father were very different from her, you wouldn’t think they were family. Her mother has red hair and gray eyes and her father has brown hair and black eyes. Annabeth herself, is the only one in her family with blonde hair and green eyes. Even when Annabeth’s mom picked her up, she still texted her what she had to say. ‘How was school?’ ‘Why do you even give a damn how it was?’ ‘I care about how you like it,’ ‘That’s a damn lie!’ their conversation was heading for the worst and Annabeth knew it. ‘Bee, don’t, not again, not here, not with the Bahamas,’ ‘too late,’ Annabeth got out of her truck and texted her mom one last time, ‘I’ll see you at home.’ Her mom started the truck and drove away, by now, pretty much everyone was gone, except a few people like the black headed boy from earlier. Annabeth just didn’t care anymore, she was tired of all of the arguments she heard her mom and dad have when she would lie awake at night that was really the only time she heard their voices, their REAL voices. She was tired of arguing with her mom, even if it was through text. So she just decided to keep walking and walking and walking. She never stopped. Not when she passed the gas station a mile away from her house, not when she passed her house, not even when she passed the sign that said, ‘last rest stop for two miles.’ She didn’t even notice the weather change from sunny and warm to windy, chilly, and started raining. She was shaking with cold when she finally gave up and sat on the ground, tired, and she eventually just lay down on the dirt. She never fell asleep, nor did she even think anyone noticed her with all the cars and trucks that passed. It never seemed to get dark but she knew it had to be around eight o’ clock when she finally got back up. It’d stopped raining but she was still shaking and she was hungry and thirsty. That’s why she didn’t notice when a truck stopped next to her. Nor did she care when the driver picked her up, wrapped his shirt around her because that’s all he had, and set her down in the front passenger seat. His eyes never left her as he drove for miles and miles, he didn’t drive the speed limit either. It took her a while to be able to open her eyes, she’d kept them closed for so long they’d got crusty. It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the light and that’s when she saw who was driving. It was the one boy who was still at the school when she started walking just hours ago. She was drifting in and out of consciousness the whole time, not because she was tired, but because she’d gotten too cold while she was outside and her body had given up on her. “If you can hear me, my name is Darius, just Darius, and please, hang on, just stay with me,” and that’s when she fell under. It wasn’t like she’d expected to be rescued but that she had been, and that fact was what bugged her when she awoke in his house. The first thing she noticed was the bed she was laying on, it’s sheets, blankets, and pillows were all a blue that pretty much matched everything else in the room, and the sea itself. Like in the room at her mom’s house, there was a big glass window with a door instead of a wall, which was the wall she was facing. The second thing she noticed, when she’d gotten up and left the room, was that there were no pictures of any parents, brothers, or sisters hanging on the wall. She decided he lived alone, even though she never kept pictures of her family herself. The thing that really grabbed her attention though, was how eerily empty the house was, however, as eerie as it was, she loved the silence. The walls here, unlike at her own house, blocked out all sound. That’s when she spotted it. She ran out the glass door and onto the little patio before picking it up, her necklace. It had a silver chain, aligned with a few sapphires(real) and the locket. Her locket. The locket was pure silver with diamonds(also real) and a few sapphires embedded in it. “I took it off, I didn’t look in it, but it was the second thing I noticed when I saw you standing on the side of the road,” his voice made her jump. “I didn’t open it,” he said as if knowing what she was thinking, she took her other necklace out from underneath her shirt, the key was small and silver with diamonds and sapphires, she undid it and held both of the necklaces out to him. Neither spoke as he took the key and found that he couldn’t open the locket with the key, only with his fingers, it was a normal snap locket. Then, what’s the key for? He thought to himself. Out loud he said, “Nothing. Bahaha.” He laughed at it but stopped abruptly when he saw that she was getting angry. “Why nothing?” he asked her, “Nothing, you laugh at it. Nothing is my something; I mean nothing to my family which makes me something. Nothing because it’s better to have nothing and give something. Nothing because life is too short to be wasted on anything and something. Nothing because that’s what I am. It’s what I always have been.” She was on the verge of crying, for the second time in two days. He could tell, wanted to help, didn’t know what to do, and felt like an idiot just standing there. “At least you have family,” it was the only thing he could think of and it worked, she looked at him curiously, so he continued. “My parents abandoned me when I was six years old, the old couple that lived here raised me until I was thirteen, which is when they were in a fatal car crash and died, I’ve lived on my own ever since they died.” She sniffled and before she could stop herself, kissed him urgently, saying sorry was way overrated in her book. As soon as her mind cleared though, she pulled back, “I’m sorry, that was my fault, I felt bad and, I have to go,” she ran to the front door, Darius following. “I don’t know your name,” he called out, “I don’t know yours,” she called back, “it’s Darius,” he saw her stop in her tracks and walk back to him. “Wealthy, great. Just what I fricking need, I kissed a guy with the only name in the world that means wealthy, well, goodbye Darien,” she pursed her lips before running out the door. “It’s Darius!” he yelled but doubted she could hear him based on how far down the road she was already. ‘Dad, mom probably already told you about the fight we had, and I know I’m grounded. Well, guess what? I could care less, because I’m moving out. I have no place to go and that’s fine because all that matters to me is that I just bought myself a plane ticket on my phone, I’m going back to Georgia. I need my nothingness. I know you and mom don’t understand and I don’t expect you to. I’ve been here for two days and I hate it. Oh and fuck you both.’ Annabeth hit send and then deleted her mom and dad from her phone, she’d told her dad she was coming home after school and she was, to get her truck and stuff. She didn’t have that plane ticket like she said she did in the text message but she didn’t care. She needed her nothingness and damn it! She was going to get it. Bing! Unknown sender, she opened the text message, her mom. ‘Annabeth, it’s your mother, your father read me your text. Watch your language missy! Your father has a nice surprise for you when you get home. Love you, until the end. Mom.’ The text message had a threat, yes but Annabeth just didn’t care. When she finally got to school she saw everyone was looking no, staring at her for some unknown reason. That day was a slow one but it was finally time to go home. She felt happy for once, she knew that as soon as this bad part with her dad was over she’d be feeling her nothingness. However, what lie ahead, she didn’t know, of course, she didn’t know that Darius was following her either. “Hey babe,” her dad said as she walked through the front door, her original plan was to go through her window but she’d thought twice about that. “Hi,” she murmured to herself and headed for her room. Once in it though, she realized she’d forgotten to grab her keys for her truck and turned around to go get them, only to be blocked by her mother. Her father had followed her into her room and that was one of his normal things, but having her mother stop her from leaving, that got her attention. “Quick, close the window, the shades, turn off the light, and light a few candles,” her mother did as her father instructed, which shocked her so much she didn’t even notice her father tackling her and tying her to her bed posts until it was too late. Scared out of her mind, she started to scream but her mother cut her off by shoving her fist into her mouth. “Bee dear, you’re so pretty, the envy of every girl at school. Your father and I, we too, are envious of you. Me, your face, your father, hah, he’s always wanted you sexually and you know, I never allowed it. Until now,” her mother cackled and started cleaning the knife she’d drawn. “It’s the perfect setting you know, the candlelight. The perfect, crystal clear story of the pretty girls’ death, the perfect suicide. It’s quite simple you know, you felt bad for spreading rumors about your now ex-best friend, or so you wrote in your diary,” her mother held up her diary and opened to some pages that Annabeth knew weren’t real. “You wanted to forget it, so you called your father upstairs, where you two made passionate love, oh! I’ll let your father do this part,” she laughed and turned around. While her father undressed her and got undressed himself, her mother continued. “You felt even guiltier and cut yourself, over and over, which is where this comes in handy,” her mother pulled a razor out from Annabeth’s dresser, Annabeth had been cutting since she was ten. Her mother cut her wrist and arm several times until there was enough blood on the floor to fit the story. By now, her father was on top of her, licking her stomach. “At the same time your father rams himself in you,” he was at her opening, “you ram this knife, straight into your heart,” her mother finished. Just as her father began sliding into her, not into her into her yet, but so close, her mother, eager, made one long cut across Annabeth’s face, starting above her left eye, on her forehead, and ending at the right side of her chin.
