Catch Fire || P. Jackson

𝟏.𝟏𝟓

𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑, Frank worried that the store might burst into rainbow light and vaporize them, but the building stayed dark. The snakes Polybotes had dropped seemed to have vanished. They were twenty yards from the porch when something hissed in the grass behind them. 

"Go!" Frank yelled. 

Percy stumbled. While Lea and Hazel helped him up, Frank turned and nocked an arrow. He shot blindly. He thought he'd grabbed an exploding arrow, but it was only a signal flare. It skidded through the grass, bursting into orange flame and whistling: WOO! 

At least it illuminated the monster. Sitting in a patch of withered yellow grass was a lime-coloured snake as short and thick as Frank's arm. Its head was ringed with a mane of spiky white fins. The creature stared at the arrow zipping by as if wondering, What the heck is that? Then it fixed its large, yellow eyes on Frank. It advanced like an inchworm, hunching up in the middle. Wherever it touched, the grass withered and died. 

Frank heard his friends climbing the steps of the store. He didn't dare turn and run. He and the snake studied each other. The snake hissed, flames billowing from its mouth. 

"Frank!" Lea cried, trying to escape from Hazel's vice-like grip on her arm. A ball of light shot passed his ear almost taking a lump of hair with it. The monster shrieked, slithering away from Frank but never looking away. "Come on, I'm not losing you, Frankie."

"Nice creepy reptile," Frank said, very aware of the driftwood in his coat pocket. "Nice poisonous, fire-breathing reptile." 

"Frank!" Hazel yelled behind him. "Come on!" The snake sprang at him. It sailed through the air so fast, there wasn't time to nock an arrow. 

"Frank!" Lea shot out of Hazel's grasp.

Frank swung his bow and smacked the monster down the hill. It spun out of sight, wailing, "Screeeee!" Frank felt proud of himself until he looked at his bow, which was steaming where it had touched the snake. He watched in disbelief as the wood crumbled to dust. He heard an outraged hiss, answered by two more hisses farther downhill. Frank dropped his disintegrating bow as Lea's body slammed into his. Half-dragging him behind her, Lea dashed back to the porch. 

Percy and Hazel pulled them up the steps. 

When Frank turned, he saw all three monsters circling in the grass, breathing fire and turning the hillside brown with their poisonous touch. They didn't seem able or willing to come closer to the store, but that wasn't much comfort to Frank. He'd lost his bow. 

"We'll never get out of here," he said miserably. "Then we'd better go in." 

With a grunt, Lea whacked the younger boy's shoulder. "You are so stupid! Don't you dare do that ever again! You could've died."

"But I didn't." Despite his misery, a small bubble of pride filled Frank. "I kicked that snake's ass." No reply came from the older girl. She simply threw her arms around him. "I like Frankie." He mumbled into her hair. It was quiet enough that only Lea could hear. She squeezed him even tighter.

Hazel pointed to the hand-painted sign over the door: RAINBOW ORGANIC FOODS &LIFESTYLES.

Frank had no idea what that meant, but it sounded better than flaming poisonous snakes. He followed his friends inside.

"After you, Frankie." Lea held her hand out, allowing Frank to walk ahead of her. 

The 15-year-old couldn't fight the smile that slipped onto his lips.

As they stepped through the door, lights came on. Flute music started up as if they walked onto a stage. The wide aisles were lined with bins of nuts and dried fruit, baskets of apples, and clothing racks with tie-dyed shirts and gauzy Tinker Bell–type dresses. The ceiling was covered in wind chimes. Along the walls, glass cases displayed crystal balls, geodes, macramé dream catchers, and a bunch of other strange stuff.