14 ~ I'm going to WHAT?!

                                    

                                          
(What's this? Two updates in two days?! The world must truly be coming to an end!!!)
                          
"So you have one for all of your friends?" Lou Ellen asked, intrigued. 
                          
Ariyah nodded. "Even the ones I'm not friends with anymore." She held up her wrist, displaying the bracelets ringing it. "These three are Charlotte, Mia and my sister. They all have matching ones."
                          
"That's a really sweet idea," Lou smiled. She and Ariyah were sat on the floor in the latter's room, an overflowing box of colourful beads and threads between them. Lou was reclining on Ariyah's beanbag whilst Ariyah pulled different threads out of the box and held them to the light. 
                          
"I think these ones for yours," Ariyah decided, showing Lou Ellen the colours she'd chosen: purple, deep blue and black with silver beads. 
                          
"I love them," Lou said truthfully. 
                          
"Good, because you'll be making a bracelet out of them," Ariyah smiled. Lou Ellen's eyes widened. 
                          
"What?!"
                          
"We need two, you'll make one, I'll make the other and we'll swap so that you'll always have something that I made for you, and vice versa. Don't worry, I'll show you how." Ariyah began to demonstrate. "We can make a start now, and finish them after school. See?"
                          
Lou Ellen didn't see, but she tried anyway, fumbling with the tiny threads. "Well, at least I'll get the good-looking one," she joked.
                          
Ariyah opened her mouth to reply, but the words turned into a yelp as a rainbow flashed into existence in front of their eyes, quickly turning into Cecil's disembodied head.
                          
It was the first time Lou had seen him up close for days, and he looked terrible.
                          
Their were huge purple bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his hair was tousled and stuck down to one side of his face like he'd just woken up. Given that it was only half 6 in the morning, that probably wasn't far off.
                          
"Cecil?" Lou asked in disbelief, just as Ariyah whisper-yelled,
                          
"What is THAT?"
                          
"Oh! Ariyah, this is an Iris-Message. Remember, the one I told you about?"
                          
"Ohhh. Hi, Cecil. Are you going to apologise?"
                          
"Wha- Oh, yeah, Lou I'm so, so sorry, but that's not why I'm-"
                          
"Sorry?!" Ariyah exploded. "Sorry doesn't cover it! Lou has been beating herself up over you-"
                          
"Ariyah, let him talk."
                          
"It's really urgent, Lou I think I know how to-"
                          
"No! Lou, he hurt you! I'm not going to just forgive him for that!"
                          
"And I don't expect you to, but-"
                          
"But nothing! Lou is my friend and nobody speaks to my friends like-"
                          
"Please Ariyah, I don't have much time and I need to tell Lou-"
                          
"Stop interrupting me! I'm trying to tell you-"
                          
The Iris Message disappeared. Ariyah blinked. "Did I break it?"



                          
Cecil stared through the empty air to his reflection in the bathroom mirror, and slowly turned off the tap. 
                          
He traipsed back to him room, head in his hands, and slumped onto his bed. There had been no drachmas left in the house - his dad was nothing if not thorough - so Cecil had used a mortal two-dollar coin and hoped for the best. He'd heard rumours at camp that you could use mortal money, but once Iris realised that you had tricked her, the call would end, so you had to be fast. Cecil had a feeling that the goddess wouldn't fall for the same trick again so soon, and didn't want to risk angering her by trying it.