Chapter One: Just My Luck

Life is ironic. You hit ever single red light when you are already running late. Your favorite store is having a one day only sale when you just spent the last of your cash. The person you like finally starts dating the day you get the nerve to tell him how you feel. Now most people only have one of these issues every once in a while. All of them together just make up a Tuesday for me. Add that to my ADD, ADHD, my other alphabetic learning disabilities, and dyslexia and you get the bane of my existence.

Dad tells me to keep my chin up. Easy for him to say. The worse thing that has ever happened to him is Mom left me with him, and he isn't even upset by that. Sure he misses her like crazy, but he is glad to have me with him. "Lissa," he'll say, "your mom gave me the best present ever, you." Then he'll hug me.

I wonder what Mom looks like. I look too much like Dad to have a clue. With our chocolate eyes and hair, people never doubt we are father and daughter.

Dad and I live in Jersey, almost on the beach. Dad says that is where he met Mom. "She was eating a golden delicious apple and just watching people," he'll tell me. When I ask for more details, he just returns to his favorite topic, the Pythagorean Theorem. I do get to go to their special spot every summer, though. Dad and I pack up a picnic full of golden delicious apples (Mom and I share that as a favorite food) and just sit and people watch. That was how I met them.

I was collecting sea glass for a mosaic table top I was making to replace the one I broke not two days before. They were walking hand in hand and making kissy faces at each other. My foot had once again found the only shell not collected and I tripped, spilling the glass shards on them as I fell. One piece sliced his arm good as he fell in the water. I saw the blood drip before he and the water made contact.

"Oh no! I am so sorry! I am a huge klutz and now your hurt! Let me get you over to my dad! He has a kit on him just for this! Come on!" I said in a rush as I knelt down to examine his arm. Except that there was no cut. Nothing. I racked my brain to be sure that I saw him get hurt. Yep, he had a huge cut before the water. His girlfriend leaned done, too.

"Percy, are you alright?" she asked in a voice that sounded like she knew he was fine, but he needed to tell me that.

"Yep, Wise Girl. I am all good," he said more to me than her.

"But I saw you get cut. The gash was an inch long, but kind of deep," I said. I knew enough about cuts to rival a doctor.

"No, you must have just imagined it. Are you alright though, …?" he asked.

"Lissa, and yes, I am just dandy. It's you I am worried about. Are you sure you don't need a Band-Aid or something?" I asked again, starting to get a bit suspicious. These two had looks that said they wanted to get away fast because I wouldn't let this go.

"I am awesome, Lissa. Do you need help picking up your sea glass?" he asked.

"Sure…." I said slowly.

"Well, let's get it picked up!" the girl said. "I'm Annabeth, by the way and he's Percy. It is nice to meet you, Lissa."

"You, too. I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?" I asked. I would have remembered them from school. It was the only high school in town and I knew everyone from causing them an injury from one time or another.

"No, we're from NYC. Annabeth wanted to see the Greek exhibit on architecture you have here. She lives for that kind of thing," Percy said. "You look familiar, though. Have you been to New York lately?"

"No. I have never left Jersey my entire life. New York couldn't handle my brand of chaos. I always seem to be causing problems for people. It's just my luck."

"Really?" Annabeth got really wide eyes. She turned to Percy and gave him a weird look.

"Yes?" I was so lost.

"Umm…This will seem random, but do you have dyslexia or ADHD?" he asked.

"Both. Why, is it obvious?" I was really worried now if these guys somehow knew I was no good at school just by bumping into them.

"You know what? I think I did get a scratch. Can we go get that Band-Aid from your dad?" Percy said with a sound of urgency.

"Sure…. He's over here with the picnic basket. Follow me." I felt weird about this now sudden need for medical attention, especially since I could have sworn he took some glass out of my bucket and cut his arm a little. What was wrong with these people?

Dad was reading a book on math and eating a sandwich. He had the kit sitting in his lap since I usually needed its contents at least once a trip. He looked up when he saw extra people with me.

"Dad, this is Percy and Annabeth. Percy , Annabeth, this is my dad, James Connor. Dad, Percy got cut on some of my glass and needs a bandage," I said.

"Oh no! Hang on, let me get one. Sorry about this. Lissa has a habit of causing things like this. Not that she does it on purpose or anything! She just can't help herself," Dad explained.

"We heard. I read something about kids like this and I was wondering, has this been happening for a while?" Annabeth asked.

"Only since the day she was born. Her mother said she was born under an unlucky star, but I think luck is all in the head." Dad chuckled at some private joke and the Weird Couple just made a face at each other. One of horror. Now I was really scared; scared that these people were taking way too much interest in me for random strangers.

"Umm…is Mrs. Connor here? I would like to ask her something, too," Annabeth asked looking over Dad's shoulder anxiously.

"No, I never married Lissa's mother and she left not long after Lissa was born. What is this reading you did about?" Dad was starting to get uneasy, too. I could tell.

"I'll tell you after Lissa answers one final question. What is your favorite food?" Annabeth asked me in a tone that said this was life or death.

"Golden Delicious Apples. What's going on?"

"We found you," Percy said as he grabbed dad's and my arms.