One

My English Teacher Becomes a Monster

I'm a half-blood. If you think you're like me, stop reading this book. Get rid of it, burn it, throw it away, ask your teacher or your friend to take it, believe any lie your parents tell you about your birth, and try, to live a normal life.

If you aren't, then good for you. You can believe that this was all fiction, and that it never ever happened.

But, if you feel the slightest twinge, get rid of this book immediately. Believe it or not, you could be just like me, and it won't be long before the Kindly Ones find out as well.

I'm pretty sure you're wondering what even is half-blood. Well, let me tell you the signs that you could be one. You're dyslexic and can't even read the simplest words except for 'a'. You have ADHD, which means that you want to be active all the time, and for a half-blood, it means that you have fighting instincts. And you see things that mere mortals can't.

Okay, introduction time.

My name is Eliza Storm. Not Elizabeth, Eliza! Half my teachers call me Elizabeth, but my full name is Eliza Storm. That's it.

I go to a school that in the dorms, they actually allow boys and girls to intermix. I was one of those, quote en quote, "lucky girls" that got to stay the whole year with a boy in my dorm...but we never screwed around. I'm only fourteen.

I am a, "troubled" kid, as the majority of the teachers and students call me. The only teacher I actually liked was my Latin teacher, Mr. Bruner. He was an old man with thinning gray hair, a beard, and was paralyzed from the waist down. He sat in a motorized wheelchair, which I had a hard time understanding things in class when I couldn't read, so, he moved me to the front of his class next to his desk, but he helped me when we did solo projects.

Now, I should probably explain my guy roommate. His name was Grover Underwood. He was a young kid, about my age, with acne and a wispy goatee. And, he was modest about sharing a dorm with a girl. In fact, believe it or not, he actually requested that he would be my roommate when the year started. And, yes, he was my only friend. He was also crippled. I tried to ask about it, but he didn't say anything, so I didn't push him.

Yeah, yeah, I know. A guy and a girl being "friends". When we would go on field trips, all the girls would make mocking flirting looks and the boys had a few choice gestures.

Now, time for the scene.

We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was honestly excited. Not only was it our final field trip and I wouldn't be going on anymore until senior year, but Grover and I didn't have to stay crammed with all the bullies. Instead, we got to walk along with Mr. Bruner. As we were broken into groups and Mr. Bruner told me and Grover that we would be with him, but the other chaperone, Ms. Eagle, our english teacher, asked him if he was sure about that.

Ms. Eagle was a pale female with dark black hair that it almost looked blue. She always wore a black trench coat and treated me and Grover like the worst students in class. Which, I didn't argue with. With my dyslexic mental position, it amazes me that I made it through Elementary and Middle School. But something about her unsettled me.

Ms. Eagle insisted that I walk with her instead, but Mr. Brunder declined the offer.

"I'm sure I can handle them, Ms. Eagle." he said, giving me a sympathetic look and a smile. I smiled lightly at his answer.

Grover kept looking at the mythical creatures. He seemed to flinch at a few, but his eyes went wide when Mr. Bruner would mention that they were from the underworld, from tartarus, or even cursed by the gods. He also seemed to grow pale one time that he almost fell over. When I asked if he was okay, he said that he just had a lousy breakfast.

Not long after our tour, it came time for lunch and our field trip would end soon. Grover and I sat next to the statue of a lion, which made Grover feel better about being away from the bullies. Mr. Bruner stopped his motorized wheelchair next to us and got out his own lunch.

"How have you liked this field trip Ms. Storm?" he asked as an umbrella popped out from his wheelchair. I shrugged.

"It's okay. I've honestly been more concerned about me failing the ninth grade than anything else." I confessed. I felt okay talking to both Grover and Mr. Bruner about those struggles in class.

Mr Bruner chuckled. "You are a lot like Percy. Very nerved about not passing one grade, and wondering how you moved on to the next." he said. Grover, who was chewing on his sandwich, nodded.

Both Grover and Mr. Bruner liked to bring up one student that had been expelled from his old school. Even though Mr. Bruner nor Grover had a picture of him, I saw him as my role model. He was dyslexic like me and had ADHD, but he made it to high school, and so have I.

I heard Grover let out his nervous laugh. "Bah ha ha ha ha!"

I looked at him and noticed he was drenched in cold water and was shivering. I looked up and saw the person who had poured the water on my friend.

"Oops." a mocking voice sounded.

I silently cursed. It was the main girl bully at our school, Angelica Flower, but she doesn't live by her name. She was a chocolate colored girl with black colored hair and brown eyes. Grover and I were the main targets of her bullying.

Angelica then poured the rest of her water on me, making me drenched and shivering.

Mr. Bruner gave a glare at Angelica before looking at me sympathetically. "Eliza, go and get dried off. I highly doubt that the Headmaster would like to see his students drenched. You go do the same Grover." he told us.

Grover and I nodded before going to the bathrooms. I went into the girls bathroom. A nice lady, who worked at the Museum Gift Shop, gave me a shirt and a towel to help me dry off.

When I finished, I looked at myself in the mirror, which I did all the time when I was finishing up in the shower or using the restroom. I stared into my green eyes and ran a hand through my long brown hair. My mom would always say that I had my dad's looks, but I never met him. I sighed defeatedly.

"How in Zeus' name did I even make it through ninth grade without getting expelled?" I would tell myself since March.

Okay, yes, I curse with Zeus' name. And the 'without getting expelled' thing, you must be wondering about that. You see, for the past seven years, I've been through eight schools. Expelled from most of them. Yeah, I know, horrible.

I heard footsteps. I whisked around to see Ms. Eagle standing in the doorway.

"Ms. Storm, please see me in the Greek Mythology Hall." she said, heading the way that we came in through.

I left the bathroom and I could see Grover, he was talking to Mr. Bruner urgently, as if though he was having any major issues. I wanted to check on him and make sure that he wasn't catching the flu or worse, but I had to follow Ms. Eagle's rules and meet her.

I finally made it into the Greek Mythology Gallery. I saw that Ms. Eagle had disappeared. "Ms. Eagle? Is this punishment from last month's F in the final exam? I promise that I tried my best!" I exclaimed through the echo of the empty hallway.

"Where is it?" Ms Eagles voice demanded from above. Ms. Eagle had turned into a creature that frightened me so much that I was shaking. I felt like my legs had turned to jelly.

Ms Eagle gave out a horrible hiss and attacked me. Mr. Bruner, who was just outside a minute ago, came in and yelled. "What ho! Eliza!" and threw a pen towards me. Once it hit my hands, it became a sword.

I instinctively swung the sword right through Ms. Eagle and she disappeared.

A dropped the pen and fell on the ground and everything went black.

I woke up with a cough, and I saw Grover and Mr. Bruner looking at me with concern. I realized that we were back the Academy, in my dorm.

"What happened?" I croaked, obviously weak from earlier.

Mr. Brunner sighed. "One of the museum staff found you passed out in the Greek Mythology Hall. Once I explained what happened, um, he thought that Grover was covering for you, and now you're, um.."

I knew what he was going to say, as other teachers have told me. "Expelled?" I finished, narrowing my eyes.

Grover nodded. "I told him I wasn't, but he said that I was just being a too trustworthy friend."

I covered my face with my hands and groaned.

"Don't worry Eliza. It's probably for the best." Mr. Bruner said. "I hope you have a good summer. Maybe I'll even be going to your future school." he said.

I smiled weakly. "Thank you, Mr. Bruner." I said. Mr Bruner smiled before leaving the dorm room.

Once he left, while Grover was staring at the mirror, I turned, tired all of a sudden. Grover must've been weak because he gave me a chocolate bar. "Here." he said. "This should make you feel better."

I smiled and took the chocolate bar from Grover. As I ate it, Grover seemed to look more weary than me.

As I finished my small snack, I sat up. "Grover, you okay?" I asked, looking at him concernedly.

Grover shook his head. "N-nothing. I-I'm fine." he hand the same expression as before when we were at the museum.

I asked Grover something important. "Did you know about Ms. Eagle?"

Grover looked at me wearily. "Let me come home with you tomorrow, promise!" he said urgently.

I was taken aback by that, but a agreed.

A little bit after we packed, Grover told me to go on and get some rest, and that he'd be back soon. Afterwards, Grover left the room. I took one last shower in the dorm and laid down in the bed one last time. But I lie awake in the bed. I couldn't get my mind off of what happened with Ms. Eagle. Before I fully went to sleep, I could hear Grover and Mr. Bruner talking, and I saw their shadows. But Mr. Bruner looked taller than he usually was. And I swear, that I could hear clopping.

I finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep.