Chapter 1: Complicated
Complicated. Everyone's lives are a bit complicated in one way or another. But for Arabella Jonson, her life is way beyond complicated. She is only just passing school, she has to be tutored in English and help her mum and her step dad run a small corner store in her spare time. As far as she knew, she was just like everyone else.
On the weekends she hung out with her best friend Indy Summers. "So, did you see that movie last night," Indy asked, "it had all those Greek gods in it, dammit what was it called?" "Clash of the titans?" Arabella said not looking up from her maths homework. "Yeah, that's it! So did you …" "No Indy, I did not see it. You know as well as I do, that the only free time I have on weekdays, is when I am asleep," Arabella said rather annoyed.
Indy knew that three weeks after Arabella was born her father left. She had no idea who he was or what he looked like. But she did not care. For most of her life it was just her and her mother until she was seven when her mother met Donavan. He was in his last year of university and was planning to open a small store. He also had a four year old son called Jake. Her mother, Jess, and Donavan got married and moved to the suburbs outside New York, where Indy was already living with her dad.
Indy's life was very similar to Arabella's in some ways but very different in others. Indy knew her father, but not her mother. Indy's father, Matt (Jess' Brother) did not get married nor been on a date since Indy was born, for he was and is devoted to raising his baby girl. This makes Indy and Arabella cousins but they have been best friends since the day they met.
Back when the girls were both thirteen, they looked like sisters (Arabella is two months older that Indy). Indy had long wavy golden blond hair that ended at her waist where Arabella had dirty blond hair that ended just below her shoulder blades. Both girls had sparkly emerald green eyes but Arabella knew she got her looks from her father and wanted to change some things. So when she turned fourteen, she dyed her hair red and Indy got black streaks through her hair.
Now both girls are fifteen (Arabella turns sixteen in four months and Indy in six) and still the best of friends, (Now Arabella's hair was short and Indy's is just sitting a little bit past her shoulders). "What's, 13 x 6?" Arabella asked. "78. Are you sure you don't need a tutor for maths as well as English?" Indy replied. "it's just the times table that I have trouble with," Arabella stated, "I can do everything else fine, Hey, do you want to come to the store with me, I have to help out again?" Indy looked up from her maths homework and stared at her cousin then said, "But you have weekends off!" "It is just for an hour," Arabella told her, still not looking up from her maths homework, "while Donovan takes Jake to his acting class" "But" Indy said, "This is the only time we can hang out, we always hang out here."
This was true, whenever Arabella had a free moment and Indy was not being harassed by countless guys, the two girls would most definitely found at the small café down the road called Bubbles café. They loved that place. "Umm excuse me," it was a boy speaking, Arabella did not recognise him, so she knew that he didn't go to their school. "T-these a-are f-f-for you, Indy," said the boy, holding out a bunch of red roses. "Thank you," Indy said, smiling at the boy, "Red roses are my favourite." The boy walked away positively beaming.
"How do you do that?" Arabella asked, putting her maths homework in her bag and standing up. "Do what?" Indy replied, doing the same. "Do that?" Arabella said, now walking out the door, "Get guys swarming all over you?" Not that she could blame them but Arabella was fairly good looking as well. She was, it's just that if Arabella was known as beautiful then Indy must be drop dead gorgeous. She always has guys falling for her. In one week she would get on average six bunches of flowers, eight boxes of chocolate and six or seven other gifts.
"I don't know," Indy said. "Dad said it was my irresistible charm." "He would say that, wouldn't he?" Arabella said, standing outside the café. "He's your dad". "Hey, just because you have daddy issues," Indy said, "does not mean mine is lying!" "I do not have daddy issues!" Arabella replied, in an annoyed voice. "You do, and you know it," Indy said, as they walked toward Arabella's shop. "Hey, shut up or I swear to god that I will push you in front of the next car…" Arabella replied. "As if," Indy answered smiling. Arabella often joked about murdering Indy.
"Looks like your dad is at the store again," Arabella noticed "Doesn't he have a job?" "Yes, he does," Indy said definitely. "He just doesn't work on Saturdays." Indy's dad was a cop and he loved it but Indy didn't. She was always afraid that he might get shot or something.
So Indy and Arabella were almost to the shop when suddenly, something what looked like a bolt of red lightning, struck the footpath about two metres in front of them. Well it wasn't really lightning; it was kinda just sitting there or hovering. It was twice the height of Arabella and then suddenly it became this weird portal thing. Behind it Arabella could see her mother and Indy's father but there was some kind of barrier that was stopping them from getting to them. Arabella's attention was drawn back to the portal, for two great big horns had just come through it, followed by a head of what Arabella thought was a dis-figuring bull, and followed by the body of a man.
Arabella knew exactly what it was, she had read them in her favourite book, it was a Minotaur, half bull, half man. Arabella moved her eyes to her cousin, Indy's face was white as a ghost and her eyes filled with fear. Just then Indy turned and ran, Arabella heard a dull thud and she knew that Indy had tripped on the crack in the sidewalk. Arabella started to back away slowly but tripped and fell backwards. The monster started to come toward them. It was a metre away when Arabella put her hand in front of her, attempting to shield herself. She wasn't really sure what that would accomplish apart from maybe the Minotaur eating her hand first. But she had to try something and so she yelled, "Keep away from me!" And suddenly a flash of light came from Arabella's palm. She and Indy closed their eyes. When they opened them again the Minotaur was gone. "Oh my gosh, Bella are you alright?" Jess (Arabella's Mum) asked, "Matt, take Indy inside the store. They need to know…"