like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private

brush off the dirt and

LET MY CHANGE OF HEART OCCUR

June resented being forced to stay in the infirmary with the rest of the injured. She had made an almost complete recovery in only a couple days. Besides outward scabbing and bruises, June had returned to her normal self in less than half a week. Remaining in the infirmary was mandatory, though, for "monitoring." June hated this. She was fully capable of taking care of herself without getting hurt.
Well... maybe that wasn't true. Hadn't she been alone when she sustained her life threatening injuries?
June was sitting on her bed, attempting a crossword in the most angry way anyone could ever attempt a crossword. Her pencil scratched forcefully against the paper, and she was glaring at the blank boxes that flipped and twisted in her dyslexic brain. June's knees were hugged tightly to her chest and she was wearing a pair of the pajamas pants and tshirt provided by the infirmary. Despite her protests, it wasn't awful being pampered and looked after for once. She received more attention than she had in years in the infirmary that week. June was so focused on her puzzle that she hadn't heard the footsteps that had approached her bed until she felt the presence of eyes watching her.
June blushed and looked up before she made eye contact with her visitor and her face blossomed bright red. "Faye," June squeaked, throwing the crossword under her pillow. "James isn't here right now," she explained, looking past the Athena girl and into the hallway. He was supposed to be visiting later, perhaps Faye had heard this. "That's why you've come, right?" June raised an eyebrow and crossed her legs as she fixed her visitor with a judgmental stare. June, admittedly, had a sort of affinity for Faye, but she didn't think Faye returned this subtle sense of companionship. No one wanted to befriend June, and she didn't blame them. She never had learned how to play nice..

coded by sapphire

$like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private 2HXPDrt$ $like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private PJIjFj8$

Faye McJean
| The subject of June Preston was always taboo within the borders of Camp Half Blood. Her name was used to instill fear or concern, and right now Faye was feeling a little of both for her friend. If you could call the daughter of Ares a friend of her's - their relationship was not particularly defined. The Half Blood Hill incident had occurred four days ago, and the demigod figured it was time for her to visit her almost friend. She told herself it was just for questioning, but Faye actually wanted to make sure June was alright. They had, after all, survived an apocalypse together; that had to mean something.

As Faye approached the demigod's cot, she noticed June working diligently on what seemed to be a crossword. The teenager smiled to herself - it seemed the girl once called Demon was not all venom and rage. She offered a smile to June as she entered her personal bubble, standing awkwardly near and far from the cot. Friendships were so strangely defined. "Hey June," Faye began, her face losing its charm at the mention of James. She hadn't come here to talk about him, no matter how curious she was of his whereabouts and reason for being in camp.

"No, I came to see you," Faye replied defensively, eyebrows knitting together as June stared back at her. The daughter of Ares could try however much she wanted to, but this Athenian wasn't leaving so quickly. "I kind of wanted to ask you some questions," she explained, adding, "If you don't mind." She didn't know if June would mind, the demigod was difficult to read, much like the situation at hand.

brush off the dirt and

LET MY CHANGE OF HEART OCCUR

The apocalypse. The last night June remembered meeting with Faye, the daughter of Ares had been going through her own personal hell. She had snapped that night, lost touch with everyone she had once known. Her life had become so empty, so meaningless, since that night. June wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that Faye likely knew far too much about her personal business and was still visiting her. June wasn't sure how much word had spread around camp about her current lifestyle—her inner demons—but she knew everyone knew about what had made her snap. And she knew everyone knew she had snapped. June had been such a recluse since that night. She was truly lucky anyone had even bothered to save her. Her life wasn't going in any particular direction. She was hardly alive, not ever lucid. The reminder of this brought a pain through the girl's chest, a twang of guilt. Why had she survived the attack?
June tried not to express her surprise when Faye corrected her assumptions about James. June didn't want to appear pleased by the fact that she had a friend in this, a friend that wasn't her brother, but she couldn't contain the giddy feeling in her chest. Embarrassing. June hadn't cared about what others thought of her in so long—since she had been actually living instead of just stumbling through a daze. "Oh," June managed to let out, fighting a small smile, doing her best to remain stoic. "I suppose that's alright." June crossed her arms over her chest and stuck up her chin slightly, feeling more confident in the presence of her visitor than before. "Impressed by my recovery, I presume," June mused childishly, allowing herself to flash a taunting, fleeting grin at Faye. "I'm a fighter, Faye." June bit her lip and raised one eyebrow, testing the waters. Was she doing alright at behaving like a functioning human?
"I'm strong." June used to be strong. Now? She wasn't sure. She didn't know what any of this meant. She didn't know if she was okay, if she would ever be okay. Perhaps she just was destined to ride out a great greek tragedy.

coded by sapphire

$like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private 2HXPDrt$ $like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private PJIjFj8$

Faye McJean
| Most of Faye's friends from her first few years of camp had either died or moved on from places like this. Camp Half Blood wasn't meant to be a place where you stayed forever - she was just beginning to realize this. But it was hard to comprehend the liquidity of a place like camp when you lived in it. So much of Faye was invested in this place. It shaped her, for better or worse. She didn't want to move on, but knew this summer would be her last. It needed to count, which implied she would be getting to the bottom of this 'oh no campers are in a pool of their own blood' nonsense.

Faye wasn't sure how June would react to her disinterest in James. Honestly, the demigod was still very interested in the son of Ares, she was just compartmentalizing her emotions for a later time, later being never. She smiled as her friend (yes, she decided they were friends) gave her permission to visit her. Pulling up a chair, the teenager took an awkward seat, so that she was now shorter than June on her cot. "Yeah." And she was impressed, actually. June seemed chipper compared to most of those who had come back from the hill, which was a scary thought.

"I know you are." Faye's answer was firm and confident. She had seen the toll camp had taken on those the summer of the apocalypse, and the fact that June was still sane was something to applaud. Existing was something to be proud of at camp, at least in this demigod's opinion. "As great as it is that you're doing well, I wanted to ask you about that day." She ran a hand through her dark brown curls - she had been meaning to get them cut shorter. "Could you tell me the last thing you remember before waking up on the hill?" Her tone was soft but authoritative. She needed answers, even if they were not pretty.

brush off the dirt and

LET MY CHANGE OF HEART OCCUR

June had ran through the last thing she remembered before waking up in a pool of her own blood probably a thousand times. She hadn't much to do in the infirmary, and the remaining memory taunted her. She felt so guilty each time she allowed herself to relive it. It wasn't unusual for June to go out at night. Okay, like every night. And get trashed—completely wasted, really. But that night... June had wished she had thought of herself more that night, because the partying wasn't even the worst part.
June locked eyes with Faye, her eyebrows pressed together. She wanted to apologize, but she wasn't sure who to apologize to. Would Faye judge her if she told her the truth? She supposed it probably didn't matter much. June wanted to keep this friend, longing for any bit of company she could get in this lonely life she was drowning in, but she had to tell someone or she was going to go crazy. Er, crazier. Was June sane again? Too complicate to be conclusive. "I remember bits," June confessed, dropping her confident posture and sinking into herself. "I was out. I'm always out nowadays, probably not a surprise." June knew people judged her. The problem was, she was only just now beginning to care, and it was far too late to change anything about her negative reputation. "But anyways, I was in the city. Drunk, so drunk I'd be a miracle if I remembered anything past midnight. I'm not even sure if that was the night before I woke up on the hill, honestly." June closed her eyes tightly and looked down.
"But I do remember a little something more," June furrowed her eyebrows and shut her mouth tightly. This was the guilt. This was what pained her so much. Had she doomed herself? Were her injuries just her being completely stupid? "I never really know how I make it back to camp when I go out, Faye," June tried to explain. She wasn't sure if Faye would get it, her depression. She didn't know how to make her understand. "But I always do. I make it back just fine. Only.. It must have all caught up with me. My luck, evading the consequences of how I was living." June shook her head slowly. "I don't remembered faces or.. or anything. But I know there were these people.. Maybe two or three. I know I let them take me with them. An alley." June spoke in short, choppy, incomplete sentences because that's how the memory came to her. It made her dizzy, and feel so guilty. June looked back up at Faye. Her eyes betrayed her steady voice. She was in so much pain. She'd bottled this guilt up all week. She had been so stupid.. What would everyone think? What would Caleb have thought? Her dad? Her siblings? The rest of camp? She hated to give everyone a reason to mock her like they already did. People rooted against June, and with actions like this, she enabled them.

coded by sapphire

$like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private 2HXPDrt$ $like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private PJIjFj8$

Faye McJean
| Detectives in the television shows always had it easy. They knew the right questions to ask, to make sure the killer was caught within an hour, including commercial breaks. Real life was very unlike a television show. There was no theme song, no life lesson, no script. As Faye sat there, patiently waiting for a reply from June, she thought about this. If she even gathered information, would anyone listen to her? It hadn't even been a week and campers were coming to dramatic conclusions. She needed to be calculating - to ensure the right thing was said.

Faye's knowledge on June's personal life was limited to the rumors that spread around camp. While she didn't trust them, she was also captivated by them. Could something so careless, so irresponsible be true? Sometimes the demigod believed them; real life was often worse than rumors portrayed. As June began to speak, Faye felt her heart going out to the girl. She knew enough about the daughter of Ares that she did not share her life with everyone. Faye felt privileged but also burdened with the information.

"It's alright," the teenager said softly, tempted to reach out to comfort June. She decided against it, and continued listening. Her eyes shifted from June's to the floor. These people - whoever it was - must've gotten the demigods to trust them (in whatever state of mind they were in). "That helps." She smiled, actually reaching out to grab the girl's hand this time. "I'm sorry you had to struggle alone," Faye whispered, leaning her head towards the cot so only June could hear. "You don't have to anymore, if you want." She may have overstepped her boundaries, but she didn't care. Faye knew better than anyone that feeling alone is hellish. Relationships are risky and painful, but without them life is meaningless.

brush off the dirt and

LET MY CHANGE OF HEART OCCUR

June froze at Faye's touch and kind words, unsure how to handle to positive affection. She stared blankly forward, confused and frustrated. Why was it so hard for her to connect with people? She should have outgrown her personal confinement by now. Guilt still nipped at the pit of her stomach as she gulped and locked eyes with Faye. "All I am good for is screwing up," June murmured. Despite the pain in her voice, she didn't feel bad for herself. She didn't really feel anything.
June shook off her poignancy and coiled back into herself. "I know no one else remembers much," June confessed, locking eyes back with Faye. "But I feel like.. I could have been more of a help if I'd been in a.. better state." June sighed. "You don't want to invest too much in me, Faye. You're smart. You know what happens around me." Everything falls apart. That's what happens around June Prenston.

coded by sapphire

$like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private 2HXPDrt$ $like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private PJIjFj8$

Faye McJean
| Faye felt the tension through her hand as soon as she began displaying compassion towards June. Her hand instantly withdrew itself, her face growing warm. She hadn't meant to offend, only to comfort. Staring back at the daughter of Ares, she swallowed the words she had planned on saying. June didn't need a lecture on why life was worth living. "I don't believe that," Faye insisted earnestly. "I remember you letting my siblings into your cabin, knowing we would make living spaces tighter and odds of survival worse that summer." She inhaled and exhaled slowly. "You saved us."

Breaking their eye contact, the demigod looked at her hands. "I'm not asking us to have sleepovers and gossip, June. I'm just asking that you allow yourself to trust someone. If not me, James; that's fine," Faye shrugged, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her eyes. "You're smart enough to know you're not alone here, not entirely."

Last edited by cerys on Thu May 05, 2016 5:50 am; edited 1 time in total

watching from behind the door, james was surprised - and a little on edge - to find that june already had company, and even more ~~on edge~~ surprised to find that it was faye. since arriving back to camp, he had tried to keep his head down, only really sticking to his cabin and the odd visit to the infirmary. things were tense. like, very tense. 'past james' would have almost definitely have cracked because of how tense it was. he was lucky that he had done some growing, even if it for the worse.

he couldn't hide behind the door forever though, he knew that. he composed himself and clutched a little tighter to the plastic bag of grapes in his hand and pushed through the entrance, making his way over to his half-sister's bed. just as he was coming up from behind faye's chair, he heard his name, and it was all too easy for him to fall back into the role of james that he knew. "are my ears burning?" he quipped, pulling up a chair on the other side of the bed. he kept his eyes on his sister, placing the plastic bag of fruit on her lap. "on tv, i always see people bringing grapes to hospitals, so i got you these." he shrugged, finally noticing the proximity of the two girls. had they been talking about something important? did they know anything? why did they say his name? on the sinside, he was panicked, but - on the outside - james remained cool.

"but, you're looking a little less dead. how are you feeling?" james asked his sister, taking note of how she looked more bored than pained. he finally had mustered the courage to look over at faye, and when he did he struggled to tear his gaze away again. "mcjean, are you playing nurse?" he cocked an eyebrow and mentally applauded himself over the slightly-cocky remark, because he wasn't even sure how he managed that ~~b cool jaMES BE COOL~~

$like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private 2HXPDrt$ $like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private PJIjFj8$

Faye McJean
| The daughter of Athena despised conflict of all sorts, from emotional to physical. She strove for peace. Yes, Ares and Athena were very, very different, but they could work together. So she sat there, staring at her hands, until an all to familiar voice melted her insides, causing her to sit straight up in her chair. James. The conversation had just began to become comfortable, too, and now it seemed they were back to square one.

She stared at him, almost daring her to stare back. Her eyes screamed "Where were you? Why have you come back? Why didn't you stay in the first place?" There were so many words left unsaid between them - so many words Faye almost said, but wouldn't, especially now. His tone was what shattered her poker face. She hadn't heard him speak with the amount of confident arrogance since he had two limbs instead of the one. Cocking an eyebrow back, she responded, "Are you playing observant, Carter?" Faye had intended her voice to sound friendly, but it was ice cold.

brush off the dirt and

LET MY CHANGE OF HEART OCCUR

June was incredibly relieved to notice James' arrival. She was allowing herself to open up far too much for her liking to the daughter of Athena. Finally someone was here to clear her head, she could close herself back up. "You're an idiot," she teased her brother as she grabbed the grapes, plopping one immediately into her mouth. "But I am grateful for your presence." June leaned back with one hand on her cot and looked up the the ceiling, as if the answer to how she was feeling could be written in the wooden boards. "Today's been alright, good to have a break from only being able to talk to you."
June poked fun at her brother because she knew he understood her. She was very fond of him, and very thankful he was the one person who the girl had ever been close to that had not abandoned her in some way—be that by choice or by otherworldly fates. She made eye contact with him for a brief moment, offering him a small smile, before returning to a look that betrayed no emotion. The tension in the room made her uncomfortable, and she felt her hand twitch in the direction of her crossword, for once, seeking to avoid the conflict. "Lovebirds," she sighed under her breath, remembering not for the first time how her chances at happiness with anyone had fallen right through her fingers. Strike that—had been ripped from her weakened hands.

coded by sapphire

he was glad that the first time he had seen faye again properly, june was here to buffer. although he was really here for june, the fact that faye was here was throwing him off guard. he wasn't sure what he felt, if he even felt anything at all. he rolled his eyes at his sister, knowing that she was glad of his company even if she wouldn't show it. "that's something i guess. you're welcome." he reached forward to take a grape too, wanting to keep himself occupied so he didn't get all tense. "yeah well, ditto. it's nice to be able to get away from your sorry mug too." he countered, giving her a smug grin yet secretly thankful for the banter.

james was pretty sure that faye wasn't looking at him with hatred. that was something, he guessed. he knew that she probably wanted to grill him, ask him where he had been. he wasn't sure what he should even say anymore, certainly not the truth, though he would have to really think of something. but he doubted that she would say anything much with june around, and he flipped her off when she made her sarcastic remark, though he was actually thankful that she would make things a little more easy. "that's me. have you found anything out yet?" he cocked a brow at faye, trying to keep his voice as smooth and calm as possible, although this was the first time they had spoken in months and he felt almost nervous. "i've seen a lot of your cabin running around trying to find clues like the freaking mystery gang. it's almost embarrassing. if anyone's going to figure it all out, it's you. so, any luck?"

$like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private 2HXPDrt$ $like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private PJIjFj8$

Faye McJean
| Faye watched as June resumed her normal persona as her half brother arrived. While she wasn't surprised, the demigod was slightly disappointed; she had hoped the depth of their conversation could carry on into the one that was about to happen, but it appeared that was not going to be the case. A pang of envy surged through her as she watched the two descendants of Ares interact. Faye's closest siblings, Quell and Livia, were not so friendly anymore. Reasoning that it could just be the atmosphere of the infirmary that warmed their faces, she reclined in her chair, hoping to relax.

She thought it suspicious that James knew of her cabin's meddling amidst the chaos that camp was currently engulfed in. "No, I haven't," Faye replied casually. Her heart continued to ache - they hadn't spoken in month and the first thing they were going to talk about was camp? Faye wanted to talk about them, the two of them, but she wasn't going to in front of June. She trusted her, but didn't want to remind her of what she had with Caleb. "We're obviously the Mystery Gang reincarnated." A smile graced her facial features, but vanished at the word 'embarrassing'. Faye didn't see anyone else trying to figure out what happened. "Most people don't remember what happened to them prior to the hill. Everything is cloudy."

While she appreciated the compliment she had been given, it didn't feel the same. Something between the two of them was off, as if a melody had been played with the wrong rhythm.

brush off the dirt and

LET MY CHANGE OF HEART OCCUR

June's eyebrows rose in sudden interest when Faye mentioned her findings from the other demigods. She was relieved to know everyone's memory was just as cloudy as hers, but just as quickly as the hope had come, it flushed away. Something seriously wrong was happening to them. All of them. What kind of monster wipes away all of your memories post attack? "Nothing's getting me again," June boasted, puffing up her chest slightly without realizing. "Being stuck in here is humiliating."
James and Faye's banter made her heart twinge with sadness as it reminded her so much of Caleb. She had made the mistake of never being straightforward enough, never letting herself have too much. She'd stayed too much at arm's length and had so many regrets. She sincerely hoped this wasn't what her brother and friend were choosing for themselves. That would be tragic. June could feel the nervous energy buzzing, and she bit her lip. "Catch me up on where you two are right now," June finally instructed, regaining some confidence. She lacked boundaries, the tension wasn't preventing her from speaking up. "And let me know if you want some advice from the girl with the dead love." June crossed her arms and smirked, faking self assurance as she sat in silence.

coded by sapphire

$like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private 2HXPDrt$ $like an ocean takes the dirty sand \\ private PJIjFj8$

Faye McJean
| Faye hoped her siblings had gathered more information than she had been able to. It was near impossible though - no one seemed to remember anything. Of course, the demigod didn't blame the mysterious monster's victims; she knew better than anyone the side effects of trauma. Faye despised chaos, it seemed like it was all she lived in now days. No one knew what was going on, and yet they were all pretending it would be okay. Heck, Faye was pretending.

She smirked as June gloated about her untouchability. "Better here than six feet under," Faye quipped, not realizing the inappropriateness of her words until they had left her tongue. As if her word choice wasn't bad enough, her face flushed scarlet at the mention of where 'they' were at. The teenager wished she knew. "I - uh, we haven't spoken in months. I didn't know he was coming back," Faye murmured, her eyes glued to her hands. She hadn't even known he was alive, much less within her camp's borders. Her confusion suddenly sent her into curiosity. "Wait - James, why did you come back anyways?" she asked, her grey orbs flicking up at him. Her eyebrows were raised - he wasn't bullshitting his way out this time.

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