Life is a Canvas - Chapter 10

We arrived at the station and got off without attracting any attention. We hurried out of the building and took a taxi south. We played I Spy for ages until we reached a bus terminal. Crossing back into the States was going to be messy. Charlie figured that if we were on a bus, we’d get less attention. Ad so, we were soon on a bus, once again taking up the back seat. I didn’t sit in the middle this time though. If anything happened, flying down the length of a bus once in my lifetime was more than enough. My head throbbed at just the memory of the crash! Had it really only been a few days before?

On the bus, I had a dream. You probably know that half-bloods tend to dream a lot. Not crazy Waco dreams, but we dream of real things Overhear conversations, see our friends, family, enemies… That happened to me.

“They’re still alive!” I didn’t know the voice, it sounded like I was hearing him through a phone or something…really bad reception too.

“They’ll be here soon, sir. Shall I take care of them?” This voice was a female. I couldn’t see her clearly, but her voice was clear as day and as sweet as sunshine.

“You better. Get the wings, and get rid of them! They’re too close, in the mountains! They’ll be here before long if we’re not careful!”

“I understand. Don’t worry, they won’t make it back into the country. I’ll make sure of it.”

I heard the click of the phone being hung in the cradle, and with it, the picture fizzled into focus. As if I’d been spread thin to hear the other end of her conversation. Now, I saw the gorgeous woman, with shining red hair pulled into a modest ponytail. She wore a uniform of some kind, like a police officer. But her skirt was a few inches shorter than normal and her shirt was perfectly fitted to show off her figure. And what a figure!

She looked up, violet eyes searing right into mine, until I realized it wasn’t me she was seeing. I mentally turned, and spotted a bus pulling to a stop. We were on the border of the countries, I could feel it clearly. And my dream was clear. Almost too clear. That was our bus!

I woke with a gasp, flailing a bit and almost hitting Charlie who was dozing like I was. Nia asked what was wrong as I reached out and this time, purposely hit the boy to wake him up.

“The lady, she’s one of them!” I whispered in fear, my eyes on the front of the bus.

“What lady? What are you talking about?” Nia snatched my hands and forced me to look at her, her deep gaze calming me down a little.

“I had a dream.  Whoever is behind all this…he’s angry that we made it this far. And he has a woman coming to stop us. Here, on our bus! She’s one of the guards, the redhead!”

We heard a hissing sound and all looked up at the front of the bus where the door had opened. I wasn’t surprised to see the pretty lady come up the steps, making her way down the bus to check our passports and visas and paperwork and stuff.

“That’s her?” Nia asked softly.

“Yeah…that’s her.”

“Wow…” Charlie muttered. Nia and I turned to give him identical glares and he shrugged. “I like redheads.”

At the thought I focused, and essentially forced my hair to go the same deep shade of red. It was easy, red was the color of anger and annoyance. Even if it was only the ends I hoped I’d made my point. “Screw your head on, Charlie, she doesn’t really look like that!”

“Well…what is she then?”

“I don’t know.” I frowned, shrinking back as the woman reached our seats.

“Passports please?” Voice of sunshine. Not kidding. I wish I had a voice like hers… We handed our passports over, though Nia’s was a fake. Muses didn’t really need things like passports, after all. Maybe the woman could sense it. Or maybe it was just an excuse. “Hmm…there seems to be a bit of a problem…would you three step outside?”

I knew instantly that it would be a very bad idea to do as she asked. Charlie was clearly thinking along the same lines. “Our tickets though…we’d be holding everyone up. What’s the problem?”

“Oh we’ll get you new tickets for the next bus. They come through here on an hourly basis. Don’t worry, the drivers are used to getting a few spare passengers when they stop here. Come along, please.”

She turned and made her way down the aisle and we had no choice but to follow. In slow motion we gathered our things and made our way off the bus. Nia was the last one to hop to the ground, and the second she did, the doors were closing and the bus was off. Without us. Now, we had an hour before another came along to rescue us. Assuming she’d been telling the truth.

“Perceptive little girl, aren’t you?” the woman sneered, turning on a high heel to face me. I swallowed, wondering what she meant. “You shouldn’t believe everything you dream, sweetie.”

“Dream? Y-you know I was-”

“Watching? Listening in on a private phone call? Yes, I did. Very rude. I let it slide. Long distance is so expensive, and you won’t live long enough to make use of the information anyway.”

She lashed out without another word of warning. Nia and I both jumped backwards to avoid her talon like fingers, but Charlie, who’d been dazed or something, didn’t move in time. Four slashes appeared in his shirt, turning red with blood.

“Charlie!” I screamed when he still didn’t move. He blinked at me in confusion before he frowned and shook his head. Why was he…? “Charlie, come on!” I grabbed his arm, pulling him backwards, andhe stumbled after me. What was wrong with him?

“Empousa!” Nia hissed, glaring at the woman. “Your dirty tricks won’t work.”

“My tricks aren’t dirty, m’lady Muse.” The redhead smirked. “I use the talents I have. Don’t you?”

“An excellent idea.” Nia’s hair fluttered around her in a cloud of pale blonde, and the air seemed to get thicker, harder to breathe. “Heather, back away! Get Charlie out of here!”

I did as I was asked. I had no idea what she was doing, but it felt as if she was sucking the oxygen out of the ar. Creating…oh stars above, she was creating a vacuum! Few people understood space the way she did, and apparently, she had a lot more power than I’d thought.

Red seemed unaffected by it though. Could Empusa’s breath in space? I didn’t know, but she did seem rather slowed down. While she was distracted I spun Charlie around, gripping his shoulders. He was the fighter here, I needed his help if we were going to get out of this!

“Charlie? Charlie! Listen to me!”

“Wha-”

“Charlie, it’s me, Heather! Come on, focus! Whatever she’s doing to you, it’s not real!”

“Charlie?” Red said, even as she struggled to back away and escape Nia’s hold. Even now she sounded sweet and welcoming and downright sultry. “A very handsome name for a very handsome boy. Charlie…don’t you want a kiss?”

Whatever spell he was under, Charlie’s glazed brown eyes lit up at her words and he tried to turn. I didn’t let him. “Charlie, don’t listen to her. Please, just…listen to me! For once, ignore the pretty girl and pay attention to me!”

Something in my voice seemed to catch his attention and his eyes moved to mine. “You always do this.” I said softly, ignoring the soothing, musical voice behind him, still calling for the boy to come closer. “Every time there’s a new pretty face in Camp…you leave me behind and go after them. Please don’t…not this time…”

“Heather?”

“Yes! Yes, it’s Heather!” I said with a smile, but then I lost my hold on him again. Red’s voice changed…changed until it sounded like mine.

“Charlie? Charlie, help! Don’t’ listen to her, she’s a fake! Please, I’m over here! Help!”

With a strength I couldn’t hope to match, Charlie ripped away from my hold, spinning and heading the opposite way. “I’m coming!” he called, moving right for the woman.

“You’ve got to be kidding! She looks nothing like me!” I screeched. I didn’t have time to think. I reached behind me, to a pen in my back pocket, one of the many I had with me. I have no idea what I planned on doing with them… I threw one, but it got stuck in midair. Even if it hadn’t, what was a thrown paintbrush going to do to an Empousa? But I reached again, my fingers closing around my favorite paintbrush. A lucky one I’d gotten from my dad.

And suddenly…it wasn’t a paintbrush anymore. It grew in my hand and I glanced down, seeing a shimmering rainbow of light as the brush grew into a bow. A bow the perfect height and weight for me. It felt more right in my hand than any weapon I’d ever tried before. And a sudden weight on my hip made me glace down. I saw a silvery quiver hanging from a belt on my left side, full of arrows. The heads of which were made from celestial bronze. It looked a little like the quivers the Hunters of Artemis have. Exactly like. Down to the silvery swirls trailing down the white leather.

I didn’t hear Nia’s shout to fire, and I didn’t need to. I already had an arrow nocked in my bow and lifted it to aim. The first shot went towards Charlie. In a rush of confidence, I knew I wouldn’t hit him. My arrow went through the hood of his jacket, pinning him to a nearby building. He wasn’t thinking clearly enough to escape it very quickly. Not to mention the arrows were so deep in the wood they’d have to be cut free, I knew that without even looking.

I swung my bow towards Red, grinning a little. Her eyes went round at the glint of bronze she must have spotted. “No, wait! Please!”

I hesitated. I shouldn’t have. By the time I let the arrow fly, she’d burst into flames. They faded as quickly as they’d arrived, my arrow hitting a tree behind the spot where she’d been standing.

She was gone. Nia dropped the vacuum she’d been holding, and the air cleared as if someone had opened a window into a stuffy room. Charlie drooped against the building, shaking his head as he seemed to come back to himself.

Nia hurried over to him to cut him down from where he was pinned.  I let her. I was feeling very upset with him right now… Besides, I was too busy watching as the bow in my hand shrunk back into my old lucky paintbrush. The quiver on my hip went who knew where, but I did find a note in my back pocket.

“Artemis owed me a favor. Enjoy your new bow! Oh, and I left some snacks in your backpack in case you three get hungry. Good luck on your quest! – Mom”

“Nice timing for a gift.” Charlie said, reading the note over my shoulder. I quickly tucked it away, stepping away from him.

“The Empousa didn’t die. We should get moving before she comes back.” I said instead, picking up my bag where I’d dropped it and slinging it over my shoulder.

“Go where? We won’t have a ride until someone decides to pick us up.” Nia pointed out.

“Then we’ll walk.” I turned and started to do just that, making my way back to the main road. I didn’t know what the other guards and drivers had thought about that whole fight. Had they seen it at all thanks to the Mist? Had they saw a few kids causing trouble for a guard? Maybe a paintball battle? Who knew. All I knew for certain was that we needed to get moving before Red came back or we got in trouble for whatever we did or didn’t do.

Well, I also know that I was entirely angry with Charlie, but that wasn’t the point. Luckily he seemed to sense it, simply following me into the trees without a word. Nia hovered anxiously between us, likely not having a clue what was going on.

After about a half hour, she finally settled in beside me. “Heather?”

“Hmm?”

“Is everything okay?”

“Peachy.” Hurray for sarcasm, am I right? I wasn’t very sarcastic back then wither, being sarcastic was a pretty good hint I was upset.

“Heather…please talk to me…”

“It’s just…she took my voice. He was looking right at me, and he still went for her. Like…fake me is better than the real me.” I said softly, not wanting Charlie to hear. He was a few yards behind us, and I needed that distance right then. “Every time…it’s always the same. Things will be great between us and then some other girl catches his eye and then he’s gone. Always.”

“It wasn’t his fault. Not this time.” Nia said, adding the second bit when I gave her a look. “She’s an Empousa. They prey on men, seducing them is what they’re best at.”

“It’s not that…I mean I get that bit. But Nia…I was winning for a moment. He was listening to me, he was breaking free of her hold. And then she started talking like me. And he went for her. Even though I was standing right in front of him.”

Nia shook her head. “Logic doesn’t matter when it comes to love, Heather.  Between true feelings ad an Empousa’s spell, it does strange things. He heard your voice and that’s what he focused on. Not her looks or your looks, he couldn’t see clearly at that point. He knew your voice and went for it. If anything, I’d say that’s a pretty good sign for you.”

I didn’t say anything. What could I say? She was saying exactly what I wanted to hear…and that’s what made it hard to believe. I was used to being the friend, I’d accepted that in a way. I didn’t like it, but I believed it. It felt like Nia was saying this just to make me feel better.

Which only made me feel worse.

Charlie could have any girl in the world. Why would he ever pick me?