Chapter 1: Fire and Rain
Rain had become a staple in Oregon, no questions asked. It was as if some vengeful deity had decided to take his place in the clouds above and let his drops of wrath fall in the form of precipitation.
Though as the day dragged on into the late afternoon, with the sun becoming just visible beyond the clouds’ area of influence, that same deity seemed to become satisfied with his stay, and the clouds reflected his change in mood too, becoming white as cotton once again.
Water still clung to windows, absorbing and refracting what little light there was left in the sky, which itself was becoming a dull gray color as the biggest source of light further sunk past the horizon.
Just outside of town, on the edge of a small pond surrounded by trees, a young man stood hurling knives into one of the many columns of wood. The tree itself had been practically shaved of its bark, leaving the softer wood underneath visibly exposed, and multiple deep indentations were able to be seen as well. The teenager seemed angry, as he threw his weapons with a certain ferocity and force that was emanating a feeling of frustration.
He himself didn’t look all that impressive. His arms were thin, sinewy, but not entirely unmuscular. His legs were well toned but in the same condition, being naturally slim but not weak. His skin was a pale white, with hints of past sunburns all along his arms and lower legs. He possessed vibrant blonde hair that fell in slight curls to just below his chin and shockingly blue, almost white, eyes.
A pair of thick-framed glasses went over his partially crooked nose, with itself being cloaked by a splash of freckles. A long sleeve light blue shirt covered his upper body, and a pair of brown jeans cloaked his lower body, with a set of hiking boots on his feet. Running parallel to his jaw bone was a large white scar, about as wide as a nail. It rippled with every movement he made.
His almost perfect teeth were bared and grinding against each other as he hurled one knife after the other, each impact sending splinters of wood flying out of the tree. He growled inaudibly underneath every breath he took, further expressing his own anger towards a matter untold.
He continued for another few minutes, showing absolutely no mercy to the greenery at all, pounding it with every ounce of fury he held in his body and mind.
Finally, the young man began to slow, eventually throwing the last of his two knives once more. It gave the usual dull thud into the wood before slightly sagging downward, then came to a stop.
The teen remained in his post-throw stance, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. The anger inside his body was still there, just not quite as intense, as he’d vented for a bit and felt a bit better. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he strolled over and ripped the knife free of its confines, running a hand over the blade to rid it of the staining wood-chips.
Turning to return home, the young man found himself facing a young girl. She held a small stuffed bear in her arms, and owned the same curly blonde hair as the older boy, along with sapphire blue eyes. Her light green dress fell to just below her knees and was stained in several places with a rusty brown color, something that looked suspiciously like dried blood. She looked at the other person in the clearing without fear, rather concern. “Mom wants you big brother.†She said quietly, barely loud enough for him to hear.
The teenager angrily shoved both knives into their respective scabbard, which were strapped onto his hip, the metal slightly squeaking against the leather as it went in. He wasn’t angry at his sister, not even close, he couldn’t be if he tried, it was the words she had said.
“Why would that woman want me again?†He questioned furiously, to no one in particular, “As a practice dummy for her belt I suppose? It’s the only thing I’m good for after all, isn’t it?†He ranted, pacing with a hint of impatience.
His sister walked towards him and grabbed his arm gently, causing him to glance down at her, as he stood a good head taller. She spoke just as gently, her voice soft with sadness, “You stormed out on her, she wants to talk with you Levi.â€
The brother shook his head and ripped his arm away, beginning to pace again, “I’m not going back Ann. I’m not going to crawl back to that mad woman.†He replied, hate seething through each syllable.
Ann, short for Annabeth, dropped her head sadly, “I know.â€
Levi stopped short and cast a curious look at his sister, who now stood silent, her eyes out of his view. He sighed, the anger melting away at his sibling's display and softly lifted her face to his.
Tears were running down her cheeks, and the brother instantly felt responsible. He took her into his arms, but she didn’t embrace him back, “I’m sorry Ann, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.†He said.
His sister made no movement, instead sobbing into his shoulder, “I don’t want you to leave!†She cried, the words leaking out through a barrage of tears and crying.
Levi pulled away and held her at arm’s length, he himself feeling tears forming in his own eyes. He wiped at them swiftly then turned his attention back to Annabeth, “I didn’t mean it sis, I’d never leave you with her…†He apologized, truly sincere.
She didn’t stop sobbing, and Levi brought her close again into his shoulder.
The outbursts continued for another minute or so, all the while being softened by Levi’s constant comfort. Eventually the sound lowered to a desirable level and her big brother stood, patting her on the head. “C’mon, we’ll do it together.†He said, and with one another by the other’s side, they began to head back for their house.
They would never make it…
As they strolled, with Levi holding his nine year-old sister’s hand in his own, a sound like anything he’d heard before roared in his ears.
Initially he dismissed it, thinking it unimportant, until he looked out toward Portland.
A single, multi-engine plane was flying over the city, and Levi could make out a pair of doors opening underneath the vehicle. His stomach twisted itself into a knot and his grip tightened around his sister’s hand.
Annabeth noticed this and looked up at him, “What’s wrong big brother?†She asked, but Levi said nothing, instead, he grabbed underneath her legs and scooped the fragile girl up into his arms, beginning to run in the direction of his house.
She hugged his chest, worried now, “What is it big brother?†She asked again, but Levi shook his head.
“Don’t ask, get into the house and go down into the basement, I’ll meet you down there.†He commanded, and Annabeth nodded her head.
Within another minute of panicked sprinting, or as fast as he could run with a sixty pound girl in his arms, the two of them arrived at the house. A one story wooden building with a cobblestone chimney standing out against the dark-wood roof.
A woman of rather short stature stood by the backyard sliding glass door, a glass of brandy in her left hand and a belt in her right. She didn’t seem angry, but Levi knew better. By that time he could practically smell the contempt that came off the piece of trash that was his mother.
As soon as she caught sight of them her hand loosened on the glass and she set it down on a nearby windowsill, advancing on her two children with the belt.
Seeing the movement, Levi set down Ann and in the blink of an eye, had a knife out and underneath his mother’s throat. The woman gazed at her son, who stood with a sense of defiance and fury, “You will not test me Emily.†He remarked, his quote bleeding with serious intent.
Levi’s mother backed off, dropping the belt along the way. The teenager grunted to tell her to stay where she was and edged around, grabbing Annabeth’s hand and taking her with him. As soon as they were through the back door, Levi pushed his sister toward the stairwell.
“Go, Ann, I’ll be with you soon enough.†He assured her, flashing a confident smile. His sister smiled back, a rare sight to behold, and began down the steps. Moving quickly, Levi leapt into the kitchen and pantry, grabbing a trash bag and shoving any food he could into the makeshift container.
Cans clattered into the bag, as well as various fruits and vegetables. He began emptying the fridge.
And that, is when he heard the sound…
A far off, but very distinct noise. A roar like anything Levi had ever heard, steadily getting closer. He tore his way to the front door and threw it open, looking out towards Portland.
The sight alone made his heart stop.
A massive explosion was going off in midtown, a white-hot supernova of heat that Levi could almost feel from ten miles away, and the resulting shockwave was racing through the city, tearing buildings to pieces and most likely doing worse to people. Levi slammed the door and sprinted to the kitchen to grab his bag, only to find his mother replacing the items where they had once been.
He stared at her, wide-eyed in dismay, as the bag was now over half-empty. She looked up at his sudden appearance, confusion and frustration plastered on her face. “What were you doing? You still got your beating to attend to young man!†She stated angrily, but Levi didn’t care, he ran up to her and shoved the woman over and snatched up the bag, racing frantically for the stairs.
The boy never made it…
Just as his foot hit the first step, the entire world turned upside down as he was picked up off his feet and hurled into the right wall by an unseen force, as well as the wall itself, it giving way under his impact and breaking apart.
Levi was barely able to process all that happened within those few seconds.
He remembered flying through the air, that was clear when he couldn’t feel the ground anymore. A sharp pain erupted in his right wrist, like a knife cutting in between his two arm bones. The sound alone had rocked the world, so Levi couldn’t imagine what the force behind the sound could do, until now.
He vaguely recalled blacking out with the previously mentioned pain in his arm, but that was it, nothing more, aside from remembering a single name…
Annabeth.
Chapter 1 End
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