Nyctophilia

3| GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS(pt2)

She went to the lake it was night time and so peaceful. The dark was her safe place. She was done with the world and just wanted to be alone but fates had a different plan for her it seems like.

Celeste did not return she just lied down on the grass looking at the stars for what seemed like hours. Again she was disturbed by twigs breaking she didn't remove her gaze from the stars but asked "why are you here Perce?" "Come on Este come eat something mom's getting worried" "hmm" and with that they walked to the way to the castle.

"Lets start?" a chorus of agreements rang out.

"I don't have any cash," I told him.

He raised a greasy eyebrow.

Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, they ought to carry their own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at us with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kids just got here."

"Am I right?" Gabe repeated. Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.

All people frown at these people's behavior.

"Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose." Celeste took my wrist and dragged me to our room

"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"

I slammed the door to our room, which really wasn't our room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving our stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on the windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.

We dropped our suitcases on the bed. Home sweet home.

Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.

But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic-how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone-something-was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons. Celeste seemed to notice she took my hand in hers and squeezed reassuringly. She steadied me I would have fallen otherwise.

Then I heard mom's voice. "Percy, Celeste?"

She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.

My mother can make us feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old nor can este. When she looks at us, it's like she's seeing all the good things about us, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me, Celeste or Gabe.

"Oh, Percy, este." She hugged me and Celeste tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought us a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when we came home.