The Daughter of Aphrodite
Prologue`
School, just what I need, I thought to myself harshly as I watched a gargantuan mustard yellow bus roll down probably one of the worst roads in New York. With ADHD and dyslexia you have no choice but to hate any school that you've ever step foot in. You're almost always viewed as the weird kid who can't sit still, or has issues reading a book made for a fifth grader. At least that was my case. I was a freak at Middleton High with no friends to cherish dearly and not a single chance at passing 10th grade.
Invisible, that's exactly what I felt as I boarded bus number 98 A. I heard a migraine tapping on my normal, human skull made up of nothing more than some simple cells as I took the first few steps with great hesitation. I could turn around and run away right now if I wanted to. I could leave town, abandon the snobby blonds in tight pencil skirts and the tough jocks with not enough brain cells to spare. I cringed as the bus' door made its closing quite obvious because I knew that I only had one choice now and that was to go to school. I slowly walked down the rubber hallway taking a glance at all of the familiar faces. There was Jim Jones, one of the smartest kids in Middleton high with a solid 5.0 GPA. He was pretty snobby himself and liked to make everyone else feel stupid. Then there was Carissa Warner, a girl who could bathe in the sun and get whiter. Her clothes were always black and her hair was dyed to match her wardrobe. I threw my vintage Urban Outfitters bag on the floor and allowed myself to just drop in the seat behind Carissa with my bag between my feet. Today was just another normal day being lived by Marceline Argent.
I threw my feet up onto the seat with my back to cold metal interior of the bus. I was so relaxed that my eyelids grew heavy and the musty smell of the seats seemed to be drifting away. Everything grew darker and that's when I knew it, I was falling asleep. I usually didn't mind falling asleep on the bus except that something always happened when I was asleep whether that had to do with a permanent marker and my face or something, usually something important, missing from my bag or my bag altogether. The bus driver clearly didn't want me to take a quick nap because the vehicle came to a rough stop making me roll off of my seat in one solid motion which caused an avalanche of laughter. Instead of being face to face with a dream, I was almost smooching an old piece of chewed up gum.
I scrambled up off the floor, my black and gray pinstriped Toms slipping on whatever the foundation of the bus was. Finally standing, I smoothed out my purposely torn pink and white floral jeans and fixed my leather shoulder studded jacket. I was going to sit down immediately afterwards and silently slide back into the silent domain of mine but someone caught my eyes.
He was tall and lean with dark freckles lining the bridge of his nose giving his ocean blue eyes an undertone. Highlighting the two bodies of depth was his blonde hair which swept to the side in a windblown fashion, the ends slightly curled. He smiled at the bus driver as he got on the bus, his teeth being straight and polished. He walked down the same hallway that I had lazily dragged across earlier except he had a peppy attitude. To my amusement, he bypassed two girls who were giggling like deranged freaks and twirling their hair as if it was giving them oxygen. Oh their faces were priceless. Their mouths dropped open bigger than a blue whale's eye when the boy acted as if they weren't there. Almost any guy wouldn't pass sitting next to two girls.
I didn't mind staring at the new guy though from afar with a bit of saliva rolling down my chin but the minute he started to come closer the faster my heart began to run. He was ten rows away from me. Nine rows away. Six rows away now. Three rows, two rows, one.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" He questioned me, the same smile still on his face. His eyes seemed to kindle my soul; they made me lost for words. I suppressed a small smile and patted the seat next mine, ignoring the cracks and foam coming out of it. While he put his brown leather bag next to my vintage one I tried to tame the loose butterflies in my chest. I wanted to smile like a lunatic and wrap my arms around this guy. On the inside, I was a crazy fan girl with a Justin Bieber shrine in her room who had just met Justin Bieber. But on the outside, I acted like the lonely secluded girl that I was and masked it with a simple smile.
At first, things were awkward. Nobody spoke on the bus at all but as the seconds seemed to tick out the few open bus windows, everyone began to sink back into their original conversation and tried their hardest to forget about the new kid. Things continued to be awkward between us though after I went to unravel my iPod and undecidedly dropped it on his lap.
"Gah, I'm so sorry!" I spilled out quickly, embarrassment outlining each of my words. I was going to just grab my iPod and hopefully melt into the cracks of the seats along with who knows what but then I realized how much more embarrassment that would add. So instead, I patiently waited for him to hand me my iPod over and tried to avoid finding anymore cute admirable features in his face by obviating eye contact.
I couldn't resist it anymore; I had to look this godly guy. His eyes yet again decided to capture my heart and soul and whisk the two away to some very distant land. This kid was tan, so tan. It was like he ate, drank, and bathed in tanning lotion. Maybe he could give some tips to Carissa, eh? He was smiling even broader with dimples below his cheek bones. I felt so mesmerized and relaxed that I hadn't even realized that my mouth was open and I was drooling slightly.
"It's alright," He mustered without laughing. He placed my white iPod in my open hand and took his left thumb and wiped away the saliva resting on the corner of my mouth. His hands were so warm and his cologne was inviting. It was like honey but it had a sharp spice somewhere in there.
Blushing like a buffoon, that's what I was doing. First I dropped my iPod on his legs and then he catches me drooling while looking at him? Smooth, a real charmer you are I chastised myself sarcastically. I cleared my throat the best I could without being obnoxious before I spoke again. "I'm uhm, Marceline. You can call me Marci if you want," I surprisingly didn't stutter. I mean at first I was indecisive but everything came fluently afterwards. It seemed almost too natural to be real.
His smile was genuine and his tone friendly but the words he said made my heart race, and not in the same way as before. "Yeah, I know who you are sweetheart but let's get to introductions later alright? Something's going to happen and you're going to have to trust me, so uh please, trust me?" I suddenly became flustered. I was supposed to trust a total stranger, or someone who I assume I was supposed to know? What could happen in the next five seconds that doesn't allow him to introduce himself?
I was going to protest, stand up (not really) and demand for his name but I felt my body slam into the seat in front of me as the bus hit something, sending it sliding across the road. Everyone squealed with fear and terror as the bus again lurched to the left after sliding into a streetlight. The bus finally stopped swerving around on the road and so did the screams. The only noise, beside a few sobs, was the bus' engine hissing. I looked over at the blond-haired boy and threw my hands up. "What the-" His left hand suddenly flew up to my mouth while he used his right index finger to shush me, his eyes moved back and forth, studying our surroundings. Slowly, he took his hand away from my mouth and grabbed his backpack.
"Marceline, grab your bag and follow me. Be as quiet as you can, please." He seemed profoundly worried but about what, I don't know. He seemed to have predicted that something like this was going to happen though, right? Wait; why do I have to trust him and follow him again? It wasn't like there was a monster outside right?
I grabbed my backpack cautiously and took a step, being careful as to where I put my foot and how I placed it. After a few steps, the guy instinctively grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him, it took all of my willpower to not faint at his feet. Everyone seemed oblivious to use. They were either sobbing with someone else or were trying to pull glass out of their arm or leg. Some weren't so lucky to have that option. Somehow the boy and I remained unscarred and well, healthy. It made me curious and I finally concluded that this was just a dream.
The bus door was broken off completely and at the foot of the stairs was fog swirling calmingly. It looked like a comforting bed made of soft cotton. I went to take a step but the guy pulled me back. "Don't fall for it. It's a deceitful trick by Boreas. You know, the wind god?"
Crazy was one word that I could have used to describe this guy. Did he seriously think Boreas was real? The Greek gods were ancient and basically mythological. "You're freaking me out. I'm just going to walk to the nearest store and call for a ride home," I said with confidence as I pushed his hand away and began to walk down the steps. It took me no more than five seconds until I screwed up my sort of planned dramatic exit. I tripped over my own shoes and plummeted towards the cracked asphalt.
The last thing I heard was simple yet made no sense. "…The daughter of Aphrodite." Greek gods aren't real, right?
