We are the kids that you never can kill || Harper

[Charlotte Low]

No matter how long thing she had been at camp, Charlotte never quite got over the feeling of the air cooling down. It always seemed to relax her at lately it was something that she could use. Things were going all sorts of bad at camp, most of her family and friends were gone. Before she knew it, she was out wondering about camp, doing whatever needed to be done. Teaching archery classes, helping new campers, just stuff that was a routine anymore. It was all trivial and boring to her.

Last month had been the worst when the nightmare started back up again. John leaving camp probably started them but she didn't blame him, he had a life outside of here. She stopped sleeping about a week ago, she would just leave her cabin and walk around, usually down at the beach like tonight. She liked the waves and the ocean put her in some sort of a tranquil state. Sometimes, even though she knew she didnt pull the moon, she laughed at the idea of Artemis looking down at the girl on nights like this were she was all alone. Eventually close to the boarder of camp she settled down in the sand and dug her feet into the cool night sand. The moon was just rising as she settled into the temperature, letting all the stress of her day wash away in the cooling air.

[Harper Jones]

Harper knew that moving back to camp would be hard, but she never imagined it to be this hard. Chiron advised her to stay away from very crowded and busy places at camp and to slowly work herself back into camp. So she spent most of the days in the Demeter cabin cleaning out the cabin leader room so Accalia could move in. Not that there was much to clean out, since she took most of it when she ran away, again. She spent most of the days laying in bed and reacquainting herself with her mouse, Pip.

She longed to go outside to the beach, but she couldn't do that now. Not when all the campers were trying to keep their tans for as long as possible. That's why she went to the beach at night. It was colder, but it was nice to feel the sand between her toes. She was locked up in California because she hated the outside, so she never got to experience the beach. This felt like home.

She strolled along the beach until she saw a figure sitting on the sand. Harper dared to get closer until she figured out who it was and she froze. Her heart went up to her throat as she felt her stomach twist into knots. "Char..." she spoke, not really noticing she did.

[Charlotte Low]

That's the thing about quiet nights like this night, you get lose in yourself, which is exactly what Charlotte did. She didn't hear anything beyond the waves. It would clear her mind, keep her bad thoughts at bay as they faded into the ocean sound. Maybe thats why she did this, or just to get away. Either way she enjoyed it none the less. Thats why the sudden breakage of the silence threw her off so badly.

That or the voice. There were few voices in the world that haunted her thoughts. Her mom's laugh, John's sweet voice he did whenever she hurt herself or did something stupid and that voice. She recognized it most when it was a soft whisper like that, usually when the voice was in a bush along side her. Paint in their hands, giggles under their breaths. She never truly knew what it felt like to have a hole rip through your heart until that moment. Her head shot over at the same time words subconsciously left her mouth. "Harper?"

It wasn't a dream though, from the reflecting moonlight she saw stood her friend. The one that ran away leaving her here. Chose a guy that was responsible for death and destruction over her friends and family. The last time she saw her she was sneaking into camp for something, they fought and their both went their ways. Instinctively she got to her feet and faced the girl. She was ready to be defensive, ready to be cold, but she couldn't. She didn't have it in her. "What are you doing here." she spoke softly though she wanted to scream it. Let all the mix emotions she had explode onto her best friend. Or once best friend. The only voice she could find was soft and broken though.

[Harper Jones]

There was a quick impulse that Harper should've ran off like a wild animal back towards camp and into her cabin. It was one thing to run across Accalia and deal with her siblings. But to deal with her best... former best friend? There was a reason why Harper took the longer paths in order to avoid the Apollo cabin just in case Charlotte was looking out her window.

But now, she was faced with her worse fear right here. She was about to turn on her heels and take off, when Charlotte's soft voice stopped her. Wat are you doing here. Harper paused as she looked at her. She clenched her left hand into a fist before relaxing it. Charlotte knew about the engagement. It had become second-nature to Harper to hide her ring around everyone. She straightened up a bit before she spoke, "I..." Her voice cracked as tears started to well up in her eyes. "I... I moved back. I came back home." She looked down at her feet, not able to look at Charlotte at that moment.

[Charlotte Low]

In those moments when everything freezes and its likes you and someone else are standing in a long white room with no end, Charlotte didn't expect for it to feel so crappy. Like all the last months had punched her in the face. She had been cut, punched, bruised and battered, but nothing ever prepared her for the feeling of seeing her best friend again. She came home. Gods, everything in her wanted to run up and deck her in the face. Home?! After all this time she was suddenly 'Oh hey im home'. Was she even going to tell her? Was chiron?

All the angry and something else inside her just broke though. All the angry she had been keeping inside, it shattered when she actually saw her. Ever so calmly she walked towards her. She couldn't form any words, nor could she keep her emotions in anymore. When she got to her all she did was hug her. She didn't care anymore, she was home yes, it didn't feel like she was home though. This didn't seem real. Dream? Maybe but she didn't care, she didn't have the energy to be angry. Just to welcome her.

[Harper Jones]

Harper prepared to be yelled at and she deserved it. She probably hurt Charlotte the worst of all when she ran away. She steeled herself, but still didn't look at her friend. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and start to leak out a bit. Her breathing got a bit ragged as she tried not to let herself visibly shake. She was making Char didn't pity her. She didn't deserve the pity. She deserved the yelling and the screaming and maybe the punching.

She waited for the angry words and fists, but she didn't get them. Instead, she felt arms around her. Harper didn't think twice as she wrapped Charlotte up in a hug and held her close. "I'm sorry," she whispered as the tears streamed down her face. "I'm really sorry."

[Charlotte Low]

Charlotte just let the hug happen. She wasn't sure what Harper was doing anymore if they were even friends but she knew that it was going to be hard. Very hard. It had been quiet but everyone knew the threat that was still very hanging on the horizon to the west. So for now a hug was needed, cause even if they wouldn't be the same, Charlotte was always going to be there for her. No matter her choices. The hug didn't last long before she pulled away but kept a hand on her shoulder.

She was sorry? Charlotte normally the forgiving type, but she wasn't ready to forgive completely yet. She was still angry but she knew Harper, knew what her being back meant. She ran away once and came back before she met her, and her doing it a second time wasn't something she would get by with so easily. "I know you are, and we will work on the forgiving part" She said and whipped her tears for a moment. "you are home. And for now thats all that really matters"

[Harper Jones]

Harper knew she was sorry for everything, but she also knew that those small words wouldn't undo the amount of hurt she caused in this camp. She hurt her family and her friends. And she knew she also hurt Cody, but that was one hurt she could never repair, despite how many favors she did for Hades. Harper could only imagine what she had to do to reverse most of the hurt.

She didn't want the hug to end, but Charlotte pulled away and looked at her. We will work on the forgiving part. So Charlotte didn't completely forgive her, but what did she expect? She ran away from camp when it was at its weakest. When she was at her weakest. She took a deep breath as she nodded her head as Charlotte wiped away her tears. "You have changed Char," she said with a weak smile. "Wasn't I the one to wipe your tears over boys? Now you're doing it for me."

[Charlotte Low]

You have changed Char. That stuck a cord in Charlotte that she didn't know was fully there. How could she have not changed though? Everything in her life had changed. It was all ten shades darker in her mind, and with everyone that has gone, she needed to reinvent herself. She laughed at Harper's words though. "And no matter the case they aren't worth the water." she said with a light smile. John, Xenos, Cody, William. They were never worth the tears and never would they be shed again.

It was time for the real questions though. The ones that she wouldn't and couldn't hold in. "So, what made you come back?" she asked simply but there was a lot of questions under that. What was going on with them? The last she heard, they were getting married somewhere on the west coast. Whatever it was it was strange for her to suddenly be back. "Is...he with you?"

[Harper Jones]

Harper chuckled as she shook her head and glanced down at her feet. "Isn't that the truth." She couldn't remember how many times she cried over Cody after she watched him get eaten by the Kraken. She cried over a lot of boys, but that didn't seem to be the case lately, not since she got engaged to Xenos. All those months ago. Harper's left hand curled up in a fist as she slightly tucked it behind her back. Charlotte knew about the engagement, but it was still habit for her to want to hide her ring.

"I missed it here," she said as looked back up at Char. "I'm not cut out for California. I'm not cut out for life on the west side of the Mississippi." But then there was the kicker. Is... he with you? Harper sighed as she shook her head. "He's not here. He knows he's not welcomed back at camp. Not after everything."

[Charlotte Low]

Charlotte laughed when she said she wasn't cut out for California. She knew Harpers story well, and it was a tough story no matter the era. She smiled slightly at her old friend "I don't think any us are truly capable." She pretended not to notice her behavior, hiding her hand, it would be hard not to notice. Xenos and Harper, still couldn't wrap her head around that. Her best friend and the camp murderer(one of far too many).

"Probably better that he not be here." she said, not as warm as she spoke before but honestly. Xenos would probably never be welcomed at camp, even if he road in on a elephant with a gift basket, saying 'Aye sorry for all the trouble'. Yeah right. If she had her way she would shoot him up like a pin cushion, but Harper was well, harper. She couldn't do that to her. "Then again you made it back."

[Harper Jones]

"I kinda left camp on better terms, you know?" Harper said as she shrugged a bit. "I think after setting a Kraken on the camp, there's an unspoken invitation from camp to not come back." There was a pang in her heart when she thought about Cody, but she had to suppress it. She forced herself to laugh a bit, but it sounded a bit forced. "I mean... there's no way to really apologize for that. I don't think a fruit basket would barely scratch the surface." She sighed as she shook her head. "But I didn't leave on the best of terms too... but no matter how many times I apologize, it won't make it better. Nothing can really fix what happened."

[Charlotte Low]

"That didn't stop him from coming last time you showed up" Charlotte said simply, letting herself look out at the ocean. Xenos could have saved a orphanage and mars at the same time and he would still be the same xenos in her eyes. She knows that the one Harper knows could be different, but all she sees is all the faces she saw the 48 hours after the attack. How many people did she have to heal? The infirmary was packed for a week, the shrouds that were burnt. No, he was never truly forgiven in her mind, nor would he ever be.

She didn't say anything, she just sat back down in the sand like she had before. "You'll get through it. People can't stay angry forever and those that do will have to go through those who will protect you first." she said simply and looked out at the water. The beach was always a calming place for her and that's what she needed right now, it was all too much for her to stand, literally. She felt light headed and like she was going to pass out. "We will figure out how to get you back into the works of things. They will understand." Eventually. She left that part out on purpose. No need for honesty right now, optimism was a better option.

[Harper Jones]

That didn’t stop him from coming the last time you showed up. Harper cringed from those words. She remembered the last time she saw Charlotte face-to-face at camp all too well. The night they really fought and punches were through, literally. Her hand stung from just remembering. Harper wondered how she managed to repair a friendship after all that happened. Was it even fixed.

She curled her offending hand into a fist before she looked at her friend. “I never really apologized for that night, did I?” she sighed as she dropped her head to look at her feet. “I was stupid and rash. I didn’t mean to hurt you, especially with my own hands.” She sighed as she looked up at Charlotte. “And I don’t expect you to forgive me. I don’t deserve forgiveness, but you do deserve my apology. I’m sorry.”

[Charlotte Low]

Charlotte felt her face burn at the idea of where months before her best friend had punched her in the face. She still remembered how it burned. Inside and out. Thats the funny thing about being not only hurt but betrayed by your best friend. Needless to say the sting of that event still hang though the girls head.

"Like I said." she said, probably more coldly than she meant to due to the memories of the event. "We will work on the forgiving part." She looked back at her once best friend, eyes burning in her head. She didn't say anything else as she stood up, dusting the dry night sand off her pants as she did. "I should get back to the cabin. Nightly duties and such." she said calmly. Was Harper even aware for a while she wasn't cabin leader? Regardless she had to get back to the way things were. "I've got to make sure Lucas hasn't caused any trouble." she said getting ready to walk off before looking back at Harper. She was the same broken girl she met so many years ago, yet it seemed even the wind blowing between them could sense it was all off. "Welcome back Harps" she said before heading back to her cabin.