EDITED 19/7/17
CHAPTER 15 OUT TODAY 😃

The moon shone through the clouds as the clock struck midnight. My friends—Thalia, Rachel, Bianca and Zoë—sat half passed out in the back seats as I drove. Thinking back on it, driving when I was drunk was one of the stupidest things I'd ever done. Except for getting drunk in the first place, of course.

In my entire life, I'd never even had a drink. But it was the ten year anniversary of my mother's tragic death, and my best friend's decided to help me with it. We went clubbing, flirted, drank. Drank until every guy I saw was just a guy, instead of being someone who just wasn't Percy. They were right; I forgot all about my mum. It wasn't worth it. It's never worth it.

I was the only one left in the car when I drove past the Jackson's modest two-storey home. I heard a crash, like shattering glass, and somehow through the alcoholic haze, I recognised Clara's scream. Little Clara Jackson.

I recall stumbling up the drive and opening the door, calling Clara's name.

"Clara? Clara! Are you okay? Clara!" My voice was nothing more than a hysterical scream.

She suddenly bolted from the side of the house, her dark curls flying behind her and her cheeks flushed and stained with tears. She launched herself into my arms, hugging me tightly and sobbing one name over and over. "Gabe, it's Gabe. He's here, Annabeth, Gabe's here. He's going to hurt Mummy."

Gabe was her step-father, a psychotic, drug-addict who was hell-bent on revenge. He was sent to jail last year, but had enough money to pay for a top-notch lawyer. He was released on parole last month. Percy had once cried in my arms when he found out, devastated, fearing exactly this.

In the state I was currently in, I stood no chance against a fully grown man. Usually, I would moved heaven and hell to get in their and ruin him, but I could think clearly. "Where's Percy?" I managed to say. Percy better be alright.

Crying into my shirt, she said, "He went out with Tessa." Relief washed over me. He was okay.

"Sally?" I knew it was too much to hope for that Sally left Clara at home and was somehow not in that house.

A broken sob. "She locked herself into the bathroom and pushed me out of the window. She— she said if she followed me, Gabe would too."

There was nothing I could do except call the police. My phone, however, had been robbed by Zoë, the only one of us who was semi-sober. Dread filled my stomach like a fiery pool of lava.

"I'll get you to my house, then we'll call the police from the landline." Sally was strong. She could hold out against Gabe. And maybe, once she thought Clara had been gone long enough to run far, far away, Sally could also slip through the window and escape.

"Okay, Annabeth," she said, trusting me so blindly. I did not deserve that trust. "Will you make sure I'm okay?"

Pulling her wrist, running towards my car, I'd said. "Promise."

I remembered nothing more.

I woke up in my room the next morning, and Clara wasn't there. A dreadful hangover brought a pounding headache, but I was only thinking of Clara. Where was she? Where was my Clara?

At that thought, I managed to get up quickly and search for answers.

I could hear soft sniffles in the kitchen. Taking the stairs slowly-were stairs supposed to dip and swerve like that? I approached the kitchen. "Tessa?" I'd questioned. Somehow, I think I already knew. I think I already knew everything.

"It's Clara," she'd said, raising her tear-stained face to look at me. "Gabe... she's dead, Annabeth. Clara's just gone."

I could feel my mouth open in a gasp. "What happened?" I choked. It wasn't real, my mind told me. Clara can't be dead.

Tessa swallowed. "Gabe happened. He broke into their house. Sally was found unconscious in a bathroom, but she managed to call police before Gabe got to her. It seems like Gabe kidnapped Clara and... and pushed her over the Chamberlain Falls."

I doubled over, my back shaking with sobs. Tears poured down my face. "So Gabe is dead too?" I asked, my voice thick.

I could feel her sympathetic gaze on my back. She had barely known Clara, not like I had. Tessa's eyes shone with unshed tears. "No. Only Clara... Only Clara." Her voice broke and she covered her eyes with her hands as her body was racked with shaking sobs.

My breathing came faster. Her name repeated in my head in a torturous mantra. Clara, Clara, Clara. Noises filled my head. Her laugh, her scream, her sob. She'd trusted me. I'd promised her I'd keep her safe.

Now she was dead.

If you spot plot holes, remember Annabeth was drunk. If you're questioning some things, I promise everything will be answered. Things that make sense to Annabeth won't make sense to you.
-Mia