Standing in a crowd of sweaty thirteen-year-olds wasn't my idea. No self-respecting eighteen year old girl would be caught out in public fawning over a celebrity like this. Okay, that was a lie. But I know that I would rather be hit by a train than be surrounded by screaming teens.
I didn't care about Percy Jackson and the whatever. I didn't care about this Logan kid everyone was screaming for. However, I did care about my little brother's birthday, which is why I was subjecting myself to this torture. He was a fan of the series, and a set of signed books would pretty much make his life.
Suddenly, there was a climax in the noise around me. Ripped out of my reverie, I realized that the actors had just entered the building. Cameras flashed so often that the spots that danced in front of my eyes seemed almost permanent. I didn't even get a good look at them, though I would soon enough.
The line started moving quickly, and the bouncers announced that only one item was to be signed per person. Dismayed, I rummaged through the small trunk my brother kept all his volumes in. I ended up pulling out the red book, vaguely remembering that it was his favorite. I flipped the tome over in my hands until I was in front of the table.
The first cast member was named Brandon. He cracked a few jokes before handing my book over to the girl to his right. She chatted with me for a few minutes - mainly about the shirt I was wearing - before I was ushered on by one of the bouncers.
Stepping two steps to the left, I was in front of the star. So, this must be Logan. My heart jumped into my throat, as I handed him the book. I barely managed to say hello. He responded back politely, looking at me. His eyes were bright. They were the kind of eyes that could see through your very being, right into your soul. I had seen him before, somewhere...
But then I snapped out of it, thanked him, and was on my merry way. Still clutching the trunk of books, I made my way through the aises of the bookstore, and eventually out to my car. I slumped back in the seat, mentally going over what had just happened.
Shaking my head, I buckled myself in and started the car. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going, but I didn't want to go home. I'd never felt like this before. My stomach was quivering, this must be what butterflies felt like. I couldn't focus, so I decided to go to the all-night diner that was a few blocks away.
I decided to start reading the Percy Jackson series, for some inexplicable reason. Setting the trunk on the table, I gave the waiter my order and sipped my coffee as I reached in the trunk to find...four books. Only four. Feeling panicky, I dumped them out on the table. Blue, Orangeish brown, purplish, black...but no red.
In an attempt to calm down, I realized that I could probably just go back to the bookstore. They'd have it. They would have kept it safe, right? My brother was going to hate me. Not only had I taken the books without permission, but I lost his favorite volume. I wanted to kick myself.
I stood up so fast that I knocked my coffee cup over. I dumped all of the books into the trunk and threw it on the ground. I snatched up as many napkins as I could and mopped up the mess. Taking out my phone, I realized that the books store had closed an hour ago. I sighed, and plopped back down in the booth.
I didn't know what to tell my brother. I could go try to find a store that sold books, hoping that they would have a copy of the fourth book in the series, but I was so disheartened that all I could do was sip my coffee in silence. I was startled when my phone buzzed noisily on the table.
"What mom?" I sighed.
"Someone just called here saying that they have your copy of Battle of the Labyrinth...you have your brother's copy?"
Frustrated, I told her everything. Well, everything except for the freaky butterfly feeling. She just sighed, commending me for the thoughtfulness, but chiding me for the carelessness. I was incredibly happy that my brother put a label with his name and our phone number inside the back cover. I told her I was at the diner, and she said she'd tell the guy who called where I was, so he could drop the book off.
I payed my bill and waited for whoever was coming to come. I'd figured it was an employee from the store, or maybe one of the bouncers. That would be why I was terribly confused when I saw the limo pull into the parking lot, and Logan jump out.
