Chapter 1
Emilia walked carefully through the empty halls, praying her teacher wouldn't notice that she was late. The stillness was almost eerie, and it gave her the chills.
She slipped quietly into 10th-grade Spanish class, wincing as the door creaked when she opened it.
All eyes turned on her.
"Emilia," the teacher called. "You're late. Again."
"I know, I'm sorry," Emilia said softly.
The teacher clucked her tongue and motioned for Emilia to take her seat. Emilia sat down and took out her textbook.
If only she could be early for class. Then, maybe, the teachers might like her.
She read the chapter, focusing on the uses of words and their placements in the sentence. She tucked away some interesting ones in the back of her mind.
The bell rang a few minutes later, and everyone ran out of the classroom, except for Emilia.
"Emilia, please come over here," the teacher said, beckoning Emilia to her desk.
Emilia obeyed and sat across from her teacher. She already knew what her teacher would say.
"Emilia," her teacher started. "I understand why you're late. But this cannot continue if I'm going to have you in my class."
Emilia hung her head. "I know. I'm sorry."
The teacher gazed at her pupil sadly. She knew that Emilia meant well. The poor girl just had too much on her plate.
"I should go," Emilia said quietly. "Thanks for the class. It was great."
Emilia exited the classroom in a state of deep melancholy. If only she could be on time for class more often. Then, she might get a good education as her parents had wanted.
Someone bumped into her in the hall. She turned, hoping to catch a fugitive glimpse of their face.
It was an 11th grader. He apologized and asked if she was okay. She nodded to show that she was fine.
He walked her to her next class.
"I'm Cameron," he said. "Cameron Miller."
"I'm Emilia Foster," Emilia replied.
"See you around, Emilia," Cameron said, and he walked away.
Cameron Miller. The name sounded familiar. Was he a jock?
Emilia shrugged off the thoughts. It'd come to her later. These types of things always did.
She went through the rest of the day, thinking about Cameron. Where had she heard his name before?
Finally, it was time to return home. Emilia picked up her bag and boarded the bus.
She stared out the window and watched her city as it flashed by.
People waited at bus stops, checking their watches to make sure they weren't late. Trucks honked at nearby taxis, signaling for them to move. Kids danced around, their parents not far behind.
Emilia watched this with interest. Every single day there were new scenes.
And then it was her stop. She thanked the driver and got off the bus.
She trudged up the stairs to her apartment. Fifteen flights of stairs was a breeze for her.
Emilia sank onto the couch and turned on the TV. The National Geographic channel was on.
She half-listened to a British guy talking about the flight patterns of geese.
She hated having her apartment to herself. The constant silence was maddening. But, ever since the crash, things had been different.
Emilia sighed and stood. She should probably start her homework before she had to go to work.
She pulled out her binder and set it on the coffee table. She flipped to the homework section and got to work.
Emilia checked the clock an hour later. Time to go to work. She set her homework aside and grabbed her bag.
She walked along the busy streets of Manhattan to La Grenouille. She went through the employee entrance to the back.
Emilia quickly tied her apron around her waist and grabbed her pen and pad. She went out into the restaurant.
Tonight it was packed. Couples dined in the beautiful, romantic setting.
She walked over to a table.
"Hello," she said. "My name is Emilia. I'll be taking care of you tonight. Are you ready to order?"
The couple she asked nodded and ordered. Emilia dropped off the order in the kitchen and went back out to greet more customers.
The night continued very slowly. Emilia dashed back and forth from the dining area to the kitchen, carrying food and taking orders.
Finally, her shift ended. She packed her apron into her bag and left.
The walk back to her apartment felt like an hour. She dragged herself into bed.
She laid there for quite a while. And then she discerned where she'd heard Cameron's name before.
He worked at Blue Bottle Coffee, the company next to La Grenouille. His father owned the company.
She drifted off to sleep, thinking about Cameron the whole time.
--
Emilia's alarm went off, startling her. She quickly halted it and threw on some clothes.
She skidded to a stop when she realized it was a Saturday. No school.
She smiled to herself. Thank goodness. She still got ready for the day but at her own pace.
Finally, it was 4:00. It was time to go to work. Emilia seized her bag and left her apartment.
She arrived at La Grenouille a half-hour later.
She toiled until 9:00 and was about to depart when the manager came over.
"Here's your hebdomadal paycheck," the manager said. "See you Tuesday."
Emilia cracked open the envelope. 382.50, not including her tips. Not bad for a New York waitress.
She left the eatery and was heading back home when she ran into Cameron. Literally.
"Sorry," she said. "I didn't notice you."
"It's fine," Cameron said, chuckling. "Now we're even."
She apologized one more time and went back to her apartment.
Emilia plopped down on her bed. The night had been moderately good. She now had enough money to pay the monthly rent, and she had gotten to see Cameron.
She halted her thoughts for a second. Why was she thinking about Cameron all the time? It was eerie and not like her at all.
Emilia gathered her knowledge and formed a conclusion. She must have a crush on Cameron.
If only her mother could be alive at that moment. She would've been dancing for joy over her daughter's first crush.
Emilia smiled at the thought. If only.
She spent the rest of the night in silence.
The next day was very monotonous. The restaurant was closed on Sundays and Mondays, so she sat around and read.
Her book had so much enigma and thrill. It was about a girl who discovered that she was an elf. The girl then left everything she'd ever known to go live in the Elvin world.
Emilia decided that it was her new favorite novel. She purchased the movie, intending to watch it after she finished the book.
On Monday, Emilia arrived at school on the dot. Her teachers were quite astonished. Emilia arriving on time? It was a rare occurrence.
The day went by in a flash. Emilia flitted around the school, trying to catch sight of Cameron the whole time.
She finally found him after the school day had ended.
"Cameron," she called. "Hey, Cameron!"
They gathered up in the foyer, both with their knapsacks slung over their shoulders.
Cameron walked with Emilia for a few blocks. They talked about the academy and the quantity of homework they had. Finally, the walk finished.
Emilia bade Cameron farewell and went to her apartment.
She whirled about for some time ere hunkering down. She was euphoric that she got to kill time amidst Cameron.
She was so thrilled that she got out her old notebook and started to write.
She, as usual, wrote of a goddess named Fertes. Fertes had been an outcast all of her life, especially within her immediate family. But she never acted upon it in anger. Until her brother, Jul, finally arose her temper. He had taken her children captive.
Fertes was angered, so she struck a deal. She would live in the Mortal Universe if he released her children.
And so it happened. Fertes lived in the Mortal Universe until her sixteenth birthday. Then, Jul came for her.
She fought but was taken captive. She escaped after weeks of torture and reunited with her true love.
Fertes then lived the rest of her existence in peace and tranquility.
Emilia planned this on a piece of paper and set to work. She wrote for hours and hours, stopping only to grab a snack or some water.
Emilia heard the tinkling sound of her wake-up alarm, and she quickly grabbed her phone. It was 5:30 in the morning, and she still hadn't done her homework!
She snatched her computer from her knapsack and started to complete her homework. Everything she did marked itself as overdue, so she was freaking out.
Finally, she finished all of her work. She heard a ding. She checked her phone and saw that it was the calendar notification telling her it was her birthday.
Emilia sighed. She always received too much attention on her birthday. Emilia packed up her things, stuffed some toast in her mouth, and she walked into the frigid forenoon, shivering the whole way to school.
--
Emilia sprinted out of school, overjoyed to be out of that living hell. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her all day long. She just needed peace and quiet.
A man up ahead caught her attention, and he almost looked like Jul. But that was impossible because Jul was a character in her stories, so he wasn't real. Unless--her stories were real like she thought when she was a kid.
She decided to investigate the matter. Slipping into a large crowd of tourists, she began to follow the man.
"Emilia!" someone behind her shouted. "Emilia! Hey, happy 16th birthday!"
Cameron. He just ruined her chances. The odd man turned and caught sight of her.
It was Jul. There was no doubt in her mind now that everything she'd written about Jul and Fertes was real.
Emilia ran. Cameron started to run after her, not sure what was transpiring. Jul followed both of them stealthily.
Emilia and Cameron both stopped in Central Park. Emilia leaned against a tree. Cameron came over.
"What's going on? Are you okay?" he asked.
Emilia nodded, breathless.
Jul slithered up behind her. She somehow sensed his propinquity and turned.
Jul sprang forward, tackling Emilia. She punched him in the face and rolled away.
Cameron watched them, uncertain of what to do. He noticed Jul slipping a dagger out to stab Emilia. Cameron dove onto him, knocking the blade out of his hands.
Emilia hauled Cameron away from Jul and made him hide behind a tree.
"Stay here," she said.
He started to protest, but she stopped him.
She then proceeded to sprint into the open, wary and waiting for Jul to attack.
He didn't show. Emilia glanced around and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
She waited a few minutes more and then ran back to her apartment and locked all of the doors and windows. Jul wouldn't sneak up on her tonight.
And when he did finally find her, she'd be ready.