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I wasn't sure where to go or what to do, so for the longest time I sat on a bench in central park, until I fell asleep. Strangely enough, I was blessed with a night of no nightmares. In the morning, I scowled at the sun.

Stupid father. I acted like you and got into a fight. I had to run away to protect my friends… As if he were listening, the sun shone brightly in my eyes. Idiot…

I went to the closest gas station and changed my clothes into a dark olive green t-shirt, dark-washed jeans, and my leather jacket. I wore no makeup.

As I walked around the streets of New York, I had an uneasy feeling, like I was being watched. After a few blocks, that feeling didn't go away, so I started to run, then, someone grabbed me, pulling me into an ally.

Facing me was a friendly face I hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Michelle!" I wrapped her in a hug, not wanting to let her go. "What are you doing here?"

She looked at me with serious, cold eyes. "Nico told me about your little incident. He said you were running away and that he couldn't keep an eye on you, but asked me to keep you safe. You are so lucky to have a friend like him, dummy. You could have been killed!"

I pushed my friend away softly. "Look. Not that I don't appreciate what he did, or what courage it took of you to find me, but I need to be on my own… live my own life." I walked away, not looking back. It hurt, but I knew from experience that it would hurt a lot more to see what damage I caused.

Unable to turn back, I went to the park again. It was a nice Saturday afternoon, children playing with their friends and family. I watched as they went about their day, unaware of the mythological world I left.

"So you didn't completely disappear off the planet," someone—a boy—said behind me. "Pity."I turned around. Brody, a boy who loved to make fun of me at school, smirked.

"Leave me alone," I warned, too tired to fight back.

"'Leave me alone,'" he mimicked in a false falsetto voice. "Whatever, biyotch."

I turned my attention back to the children at play, forgetting him. Brody was a nobody in a sea of nobodies that inhabited the world. Despite my obvious attempts to ignore him, Brody continued to harass me, which started to grab the attention of the other families scattered around. I felt tears well in my eyes, unable to control them. Only then did Brody leave, but he saw me break down, which only made me cry harder.

I didn't notice the boy at first, but a boy no older than five came up to me with a flower from a nearby bush. "You're a very pretty lady," he said, handing me the flower, quickly running behind his dad's leg, who was standing nearby.

I couldn't stop smiling. The sweet sensation of a child's innocence is a wonder soon forgotten, I thought.

That's when my mood went from sad to angry to happy, and back to angry again in only a matter of minutes.

Monsters.