NINE
Annabeth slowly walked back into the main building- Eric was still seated there. She took steady deep breaths as she neared.
"Hey." He hummed and raised his head in anticipation as his eyes lit up."That was fast." He added.
She smiled wryly and occupied the seat beside him, then strained her neck a little to see what he'd come up with and there it was ... her!
"You drew me?" She asked in the familiar small voice.
He nodded at the question as his face redenned in amusement. But how could he possibly have drawn her when she wasn't even there to pose for him?, she thought within herself– he must have been a very good artist–
Anabeth wore a familiar serene grin that soon sank into a frown.
He hadn't seen it– he was knee-deep in perfecting the sketch. His dark hair crashed on his forehead in sharp, thin locks of hair as his hands moved judiciously. She watched him with her face palmed.
"What bothers you?" The voice asked inside of her.
Everything, she replied with her mind's voice; eyes still delicately fixed on oblivious Eric.
"Him included?"
No ... I don't know. I feel scared. She replied. "Why should you? ... Anabeth, the power I give to you is not for the purpose of fear, but rather to become like me." The voice explained.
The girl nodded fervently as her mind focused on it's surroundings again. "Finished." She watched Eric beam with childish anticipation and glee. "Here," he muttered and handed it to her.
She didn't respond for a short while; simply stunned by the gesture. "Thank you." She muttered and received the large expanse of paper in her little hands. As she scanned through every lead-imprinted detail on the sheet. It was her! ... She smiled. Every stroke, every brush, every shade was her.
She lowered the drawing from her face and her gaze clashed with his. Annabeth quickly averted her eyes, feeling a wave of unease and warmth settle inside of her.
"It's beautiful," she finally found the courage to mutter. She watched him nod gently, beaming with smiles. "Just like you." The words echoed in the little space they shared.
Her eyes blinked back at him in wonderment as she pursed her lips. "Excuse me." She muttered and rose from her seat in an attempt to leave. Just then, he held her hand; he was holding her hand a lot lately. Annabeth's eyes travelled from their joined hands to his troubled face. "I'm sorry." He apologised and continued; "... if I made you feel ... uncomfortable." He let go of her hand, seeing her stunned expression and probably mistaking it for displeasure.
"Eric, you haven't done anything wrong. Infact, I've had a wonderful time with you." Annabeth leaned in; but not that much though since his height almost levelled with hers in his sitting position, and hugged him. He returned the gesture but with shaky hands which she considered funny.
Before the embrace could last a little longer than necessary, she whispered the words; "There's study club every Friday at my house. Be there." Then she withdrew from him and walked away.
●●
It went on for weeks; at every study hall, bible club, fellowship session, Eric would be present ... because he so desperately wanted to see his blonde girl- Beth.
There was always this warm sensation she brought with herself each time they met. He saw her though; from a distance, but every time he tried to actually talk to her, she was either busy or suddenly not there anymore. –the latter could've been a hallucination, though–
However, they never got the chance to talk. Eric grew increasingly restless and anxious- his old man even noticed because it had begun to affect his performance at the workshop.
It grew worse at school. He looked for her everyday of the weeks that went by but she was nowhere to be found. The school counsellor had begun to rattle with some kind of suspicion about all his random inquiries on blonde girl, so he had to stop... But his anxieties didn't.
●●
It was quite a windy day, one afternoon after school. Annabeth was still as a figurine, seated on the grassy clay mound she'd been visiting for weeks with a book in hand.
She loved the spot because towards dusk, the sun came to set directly at her face and the contrast of the lighting was beautiful against the crisp brown pages of the book she always read.
Yes, she did know she'd been avoiding the Eric boy but in her opinion, her actions were completely justified– all she wanted to know was if their friendship was more than a connection because if it was, it would stand the test of distance.
Annabeth was a wise young lady. She loved precision and clarity; reason she spoke to the voice in her head everyday
... oh, and read the old book too. She had been visiting the field and sitting on the grassy mound every day of the weeks she ignored him.
"If he is a part of my purpose, he would come here." She told the voice but another voice told her that he would have come, but a long time ago. However, she was glad it was a test of distance, not time.
What she didn't know was that she had risked valuable things like a soul in the name of her little test. Souls like Eric's.
"Today's the last day," she told the voice, feeling the wind pick up and blow through her thick blonde hair.
"He's here." Came the crisp tone of the voice in precision. Annabeth sharply lifted her head in disbelief– And there he was. "Eric," she murmured.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ANNABETH?- SHE CERTAINLY ISN'T YOUR ORDINARY GIRL BUT, GEEZ! 😅😅
