June 12, 2012
Today started just like any other. I woke up and I was so excited. Today was the last day of school and, on top of that, my birthday. I was finally turning fourteen. Usually, I would wake up with this feeling of dread. Most of my classmates hate me, my teachers hate me, and then there was my "foster mom." More like my warden. I wasn't allowed to do anything except eat, do homework, or sleep. I lived with her in Albany, New York. I know that you are thinking of New York City when you think of New York but we lived in the capital even though it isn't as large as the Big Apple. And it was Hell. But today was going to be different. I could just tell. I got dressed and went to the kitchen. Mary, my foster mom, wasn't up yet. She was late for work… again. I went into her room, only to find that she was fast asleep. It took ten minutes to get her up.
A minute later we were both running out the door. It took twenty minutes for me to get to school. I had an hour before it started. I would have waited at home but Mary doesn't want me home alone for a second. As I was walking, I could feel the dirty loos being shot at me, but I didn't care. I was older than ever. I was feeling better than ever. I turned the corner and saw my latest school. A school for "delinquents like me." Like the characters in my books, I had been kicked out of all of my schools for things I couldn't explain, except I also changed foster parents each time.
When I was in third grade, a bully was beating me up until I blacked out. When I woke up the bully was on the ground with a concussion. Apparently, I had beaten him up with martial arts I didn't even know. In fourth grade, I was playing dodge ball when all of a sudden I was throwing the balls back with enough force to give brain aneurysms. Stuff like that happened in every grade. But this year, I had almost made it. I was on the last day of school without as much as a suspension.
I was walking down the street towards school. Then, the stars came out. I had seen them quite a lot this year, but no one else saw them. This was because the school bully, Buzz, had taken a special liking to me. He was by far the nastiest kid I had ever met. He boasts that he is the strongest of the strong because he was born in the year of the ox and in the month of Taurus. He should be in one of the next few grades but he was too stupid. He always made it look to the teachers that he and I had nothing going on but he was my bitterest enemy.
"Hey there, short-stack." He said with a sneer. "Going to school early again? What? Going to your nerd cave with the friends you don't have?" He knew that no one who could help me liked me, and he took advantage of it. "I hope you weren't trying to miss your end of year smack-down. Even if we have a trip." Just like Percy Jackson, we had a trip at the end of the year. This year we were going to the "Hall of Science" in Queens.
"With your limited IQ, I had thought you would have forgotten." I retorted. I knew this was going to get me killed. But, I was tired of Buzz ruining my life.
"Just wait, they will count your head but not your body at the end of the trip." He smirked. I was dead.
I woke up to someone poking me in the head.
"Hey, if you don't get up you're going to be late." It was my only friend, Clara. She was so kind and sweet and gentle. She had no feelings for me besides pity, I could tell. But it was still a friendship. So I took it.
We were running to make sure we weren't late. We made it just in time. There were three teachers with us. Two of them hated me. Mr. Rogers, the history teacher, he didn't hate me but he didn't like me. Ms. Mi̱téra (Me-tear-ah), the science teacher and Mr. Mígma (me-ge-ma), the math teacher were there, too. While we were riding on the bus, Clara was talking about a conversation she had with a squirrel (don't ask, I don't know). I was staring at her, wondering, "Why would someone as pretty and as smart as her, be friends with me? She could be the most popular girl at this school and she hangs out with me. Is it pity or what? All I am doing is dragging her down the 'food chain.'" My head rammed into the seat in front of me when we stopped abruptly. We were here.
The entire trip was kinda boring. Science was never my strong suit. After two hours of science lectures, it was time for lunch. We all sat outside the museum. Clara was sitting at the fountain nearby talking. Then, Buzz came over. He didn't say a thing. All he did was push Clara into the fountain. I got so angry. Buzz could ruin my life as much as he wanted. But no one would ruin my friend's life.
Before anyone could blink, Buzz was pinned against the wall. My arm was holding him there. But my arm wasn't my arm. It was a snake! Its jaws were around his neck! I didn't know what was happening to me. I backed away as my arm returned to its original form. Before I could do anything else, Mr. Mígma and Ms. Mi̱téra were behind me.
"Come with us" Ms. Mi̱téra said. She and Mr. Mígma started toward the Hall of science. I followed. Before I went in, I saw Clara get out of the fountain and do an ear-popping snap.
I followed the teachers deep into the museum. I couldn't help but think about what happened to Percy Jackson in one of my books. In fact, this was a little scary on how similar it was. But, what happened to him was impossible… Right?
"This stupid technology. I miss the good old days. Don't you, son?" Ms. Mi̱téra said while looking at a model of the first computer.
"Yes, mama." Mr. Mígma said to her.
"Mama!" I exclaimed.
"Pop quiz. Question one: Who is Echidna?" Ms. Mi̱téra said like it was normal.
"Wasn't she the mother of all monsters in Greek mythology? Yeah. She was the first monster along with Typhon, her husband." I said, slightly confused.
"Not 'was,' kid." Mr. Mígma said slightly annoyed. "'is.'"
"What?" I asked.
"Question two: what is the chimera?" Ms. Mi̱téra asked as if I said nothing.
"What does this have to do with anything?" I exploded.
"It could be the difference between you living and you dying." Ms. Mi̱téra said calmly.
Then, a strange change happened to both Ms. Mi̱téra and Mr. Mígma. They became monsters. When it was complete, Ms. Mi̱téra was Echidna and Mr. Mígma was the chimera.
"This is impossible!" I shouted. "How?"
"Oh, please. Mi̱téra. The Greek word for mother. As in the mother of all monsters." Echidna said. "And mígma. The Greek word for mixture. As in a mixture of multiple animals in one monster." All of the chimera's heads smiled, as did its mother. "And now there will be one less Zodian. Sick him." The chimera lunged at me. I was frozen. Fear had been building since there transformation. And now it had spread everywhere, locking me in place. My brain was telling my body to get out of the way. But, my body wouldn't respond. I was going to die. I wanted to live… With all my heart. But there was nothing I could do. The chimera was almost upon me. I closed my eyes for when it would happen. Would it hurt or would it be painless? The moment was here.
But nothing happened. I looked and saw Clara standing in a pile of dust. She had two pairs of scissors in her hands.
