searching for a sound we haven't heard before --- [private]

Even under horrible circumstances such as these, Archer still found a way to smile. He was a pessimist in good times, pointing out flaws and telling people how their plan wouldn’t work and what would happen to them as a result. In bad times, he was an optimist, smiling and going hope to those who had otherwise lost it. A concussion i anybody’s eyes was a bad thing, and so Archer smiled, his grin small and tired, as if he’d been told a wary joke too many times by a toddler and kept up the facade just to keep the child happy. He smiled because of Tessa, because she had stayed and still talked to him. When Archer had awoken, there was no idiot medic to steal his stuff, only Tessa and the ever pressing light of dusk. It was quite cold in the infirmary, and Archer wished he’d had the common sense to grab his leather jacket when they hobbled out of the forest together. So instead he swaddled himself with sheets and downy comforters, burrowing in them up to his ears. His brown hair stuck up at all angles because of how the blankets were situated. He wondered why none of the medics had given him nectar or ambrosia, because that would have healed him up quickly, and then both Archer and everyone working in the infirmary would get what they wanted.

For a couple minutes, the boy was pretty angry at woken up. His limbs were sore from climbing and falling, and he could barely manage to move a single muscle in his pinkie finger. Right now it would be pointless for him to actually do anything except sleep. If Archer slept, he could regain his strength quicker, and if he really wanted to, he could go back to sleep now. Once a person woke you up every two hours, you could go back to sleep after a minute or two. However, Tessa looked quite bored just sitting here by herself for two hours, and Archer felt somewhat guilty. Landon would have taken care of him back at the cabin if Tessa didn’t want to stay and watch Archer all the time, which he would have understood completely. If Archer was close to someone, he understood not being able to be superman, he understood if you had previous engagements or if you just weren’t up to do something. Besides, back home his pool of friends were so big if someone cancelled on him, Archer had about ten more waiting in line. Here, however, things were different, so instead of going back to sleep, he stayed up with Tessa despite knowing that the reward for doing that would be more anger and circles under his dark blue eyes. 

‘Mm, yes. Can’t get enough of stuck up medic’s who steal my goddamn stuff. You’ve got me all figured out.’ Archer replied cheekily. He didn’t know exactly what he thought he’d gain back in the forest, but it certainly wasn’t a concussion of a high degree. Maybe it was friendship, maybe it was knowledge, or maybe it was simply just an escape from the everyday life at camp. Camp, where you got up and did the same thing day after day. Archer found it quite boring, he didn’t like repetitive stuff, although that was exactly what he did anyways. Sleep, pity yourself, eat a granola bar, sleep, repeat. Tessa had broken that chain of events, and Archer couldn’t thank her enough. She was the warm light in his cold and dismal cave of sorrow and angsty feelings. Maybe with her, he would learn to forget what happened to his parents, or at least not think about it as much. Landon didn’t know how to help his twin, though he tried his best and that was all Archer could ask for, really. But Tessa wasn’t family, and because she didn’t know what happened to him, she was making him a better person. 

Archer frowned at the jacket suggestion. ‘No, I lost it. I’ll get it. It’s my fault we fell out of the tree anyways.’ If he hadn’t asked for Tessa’s hand none of this would have happened. He could have easily taught her sign language from five feet away; it wasn’t that hard to demonstrate where the fingers were supposed to go. He ran his hand through his messed up hair. ‘My brother is gonna kill me. Or the tree. Probably the tree. My brother is going to kill a tree.’ Landon was extremely protective over Archer, and beat the living shit out of anyone who harmed him or even so much looked at him the wrong way. Archer appreciated the gesture of love and stuff, but sometimes it got to be too much. He just hoped Tessa didn’t cross paths with Landon.

Archer remembered the time when Mallory was bedridden because of a nasty bout of the flu, how she was so sick and frail he thought she might die. Those four days were the most terrifying of his life, because his little baby sister was projectile vomiting all over the place, and there was nothing they could do the stop her upset stomach or quench her raging fever, which blazed high like fire. Archer remembered how pale Mallory looked, how close to death she was, how, in a couple of days he’d bury his only sister, and his parents would have to bury their only daughter. But just as the worst began, it was over. One day the fever broke and Mallory woke up with a slight headache due to dehydration and throwing up and lack of water intake, but that was all. Everything was fine and right in the world, and the six year old didn’t have to worry about his baby sister anymore. The Thrush’s were strong, they would prevail through anything that life threw at them. They were loyal, hardworking, and kind, and to this day Archer, however dormant those traits may seem, still acted through those three things. He didn’t want Tessa to worry about him like he’d worried about Mallory, and it didn’t seem like she was, but she could have been a very good actress. Archer blinked hard against the light of the dying day, trying to get a grasp on what was real and what wasn’t. Hallucinations were not uncommon with victims of concussions, but was it normal to still be having them three hours after the initial blow? Tess helped him distinguish from what was real and what was fake though, because she actually came in with him and sat with him, while his dead sister just appeared to him just now. 

Naturally, the demigod ignored the dead. Despite being a demigod and having evidence toward the existence of ghosts and other spirits, Archer just didn’t believe. Well, maybe he did, he probably did, but seeing the ghost of the little girl who was fried to a crisp because of your parents wasn’t exactly something you wanted to see, and so he ignored Mallory. Although he wanted to smile at Tessa’s remark, he couldn’t. There was a sudden chill in the air, or that could have just been the feeling of dread Archer was having. He felt sick to his stomach and was glad the medics hadn’t given him anything to eat or drink because he probably would have just thrown it up. It was boring, sitting in silence, but it couldn’t be cured. Tessa couldn’t magically talk to him — he was deaf, and borden was hard to escape nowadays when all you could do was think with your thoughts of better days and softer nights when insomnia didn’t ravage your body like harsh winters did to farmlands. ‘I know, it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.’ Archer watched as Tessa’s smile faded, and he frowned. Had he done something wrong? 

The male rolled his eyes at her remark. Just because he was bed-ridden did not mean, under any circumstances, that he couldn’t do things to help others. The jacket was his responsibility. Archer said he’d wash it for her, and that was what he was gonna do. If it had been ripped to shreds by mother nature, he’d go buy Tessa a new one. Another defining trait of his family was their determination to keep their promises. No matter what, Olivia and Spencer Thrush had kept their promises to their family and other people, so Archer, Landon, and Mallory grew up the same way. ‘Yeah I get that. But I did promise you I’d wash it, though.’ The fading twilight was getting too much for his sensitive eyelids, and the demigod promptly closed his eyes, trying to find some solace and relief in darkness. It worked, somewhat. If this is what Helen Keller felt like, then Archer decided he’d rather die. It was bad enough he couldn’t hear, seeing was his only way of knowing what was going around him. The loss of vision made him feel like he was suffocating, his breaths got shorter, as if he was being squeezed into a tight spot. So Archer opened his eyes again and was fine. 

Tessa’s response did make Archer feel a little better. Landon was overly protective, and although it was understandable, it was also quite annoying. If Tessa didn’t make fun of Archer while he was around or do anything offensive, she’d be fine, and maybe Archer’s brother would take a shining towards her. After all, whatever Archer liked was a miracle to the other twin. Most of the time Archer was incorporative, a two year old in a teenagers body, so if he liked Tessa then by default Landon would too. ‘Technically you and Landon wouldn’t be friends, I’m not the one who’ll be chopping down the tree.’ He said, the sarcasm lifted from his fingers. After a couple minutes in silence, the maddening boredom finally got to the young demigod, and he quickly ran his hand through his hair. ‘D’you wanna do something?’ He asked Tessa, looking at her expectantly.