As I slammed the snooze button on my alarm clock, I already knew that I was going to have a bad day. The sun was shining right between the curtains in my room, and directly into my eyes. I groaned and rolled over, covering my head up and refusing to accept that today was the first official day back to school. I mean… the fact that I lived at my school, Edgewater Prep didn't exactly help, but I tried to deny the inevitable anyways. I had an OK summer; all of the kids that stayed at the school year round were either really rich and stuck up or were the 'charity cases', aka the juvy kids. Just imagine being stuck on a bus between a sweaty rock and a snobby hard place… yeah about as fun as it sounds. My summer consisted of 'Education Vacation School', or "EVS". And needless to say that after that, it felt like I didn't even really have a summer at all. I wasn't even tired this morning, either; in fact my squirrely ADHD brain was already thinking about ten thousand things all at once, ranging from "What am I going to wear?" to "If a woodchuck doesn't chuck wood, why is it called a woodchuck?" No, grogginess wasn't the problem; school was. See, I don't really… fit in with the other kids. Oh, most of them treat me just fine, and in fact treat me like royalty, but it's not because I'm the coolest guy in school. It's because of my dad; Jack Lilienthal, the "greatest Olympic sprinter of the century." Having the last name Lilienthal came with a lot of 'extras', like being the only student in the history of Edgewater Prep to have a dorm room all to himself, albeit not because I wanted my own room; my father requested it and the staff 'insisted'. Finally, after going through every stage of grief in about 20 seconds, I hopped out of bed and threw on my jeans, walking over to the closet and grabbing a random tee shirt; this one said "Chemistry is just like cooking… just don't lick the spoon." I yanked it on and walked over to the mirror, raking my hands through my curly hair. I never thought of myself as "handsome"; with freckles splotching my face and cheeks and deep green eyes, "cute" was definitely the word used to describe me if anything. Standing at 5'3", I definitely looked younger than I actually was; along with being the first day of school, today was also my 13th birthday. After taking one last quick look in the mirror, I headed over to the door, before freezing in place. I don't mean to be, but I am incredibly forgetful; it's like a thought will be here one second and just gone the next. I walked over to my dresser, grabbing the worn-looking rubber band and sliding it onto my wrist. One of many gimmicks that the guidance counselor came up with, I played with the rubber band when I got anxious of fidgety. I took in a deep breath, and stepped out the door, walking down the stairs to the main hallway. Once you got out of the dorm area, Edgewater looked just like any other school; lockers lining either side of the hallway and classes splotched here and there. Some students were already rushing all around, talking with one another about what they had done over the summer and what classes they were in; the normal chatter. I made my way over to my locker, and opened it up, grabbing my bag with all my books, and my schedule. My first class was with Mr. Richardson, which meant Algebra. As I trudged to his room, I was intercepted by the self-proclaimed hall monitor Chad. He looked like a bear wearing acne-covered human skin. He had the beginnings of a moustache on his upper lip, and a few stray hairs on his chin. Remember how I said people treat me like royalty? Yeah… there are a few exceptions. A few people here or there who couldn't care less who my dad was. In fact, in Chad's case I had a feeling it just made him hate me even more. He slapped my books out of my hands, grinning down at me as I immediately bent down to pick my stuff back up.
"Oh look; Dakota DOES know how to pick things up. Where's your butler, Lilienthal?" He snarled. Now, my last name is properly pronounced Lee-lin-hall, but Chad always insisted on pronouncing it Lie-lin-thal. I didn't say anything as I picked my stuff up off of the ground. As soon as I stood up, Chad shoved me backwards into the lockers behind me. Almost every head in the entire hallway whipped around as soon as I hit the door, Chad loving the attention as he strutted over to me.
"When are you just gonna leave, Lilienthal? Nobody here even likes you; they're all just afraid of your Daddy." He sneered, pointing one of the sausages he called fingers at me. Despite the situation, I smirked deviously. Here's the problem with me; I always tend to speak before I think. You see, I like to solve my problems with witty comebacks and remarks.
"As soon as Mother Nature apologizes for what she did to your face." I said, trying not to laugh. The few people who had stopped to witness our little scuffle chuckled to themselves, which really got Chad angry. He stepped closer, his grotesque face mere inches away from mine, looming over me like a giant, zitty mountain.
"What did you just say to me, Lilienthal?!" He demanded angrily. I rolled my eyes, scoffing at him.
"Nothing, Chadwick; Just that if your ancestors could see that all their hard work and effort would produce THIS fugly mess, they would have chopped down the family tree and given up!" I laughed, everyone else around laughing as well. Chad grabbed me by the collar and almost raised his fist at me, when suddenly our principal Mr. Shawneson came around the corner, instantly running over and getting between us.
"We will not have any of this; especially on the first day of school!" He commanded, Chad eyeing me like I was lunch. Principal Shawneson looked over at Chad, his eyes narrowing.
"Get to your class, Mr. Thompson." He stated firmly. Chad stood there for a moment before huffing and shouldering his bag, glaring at me one more time before strutting off down the hallway like he had just won some huge victory. Mr. Shawneson turned to me, sighing heavily. I knew what came next.
"I'm so sorry about that, Mr. Lilienthal." He said, saying my last name almost reverently. I ignored it and shrugged.
"It's no big deal." I reassured him with a shrug. He looked me over like he were trying to decide whether or not I needed to be rushed to the hospital for an MRI. After a moment, he nodded, taking a step back.
"Right… well you'd better get to class." He tried to sound serious, but sounded more scared than anything; he felt like if anything happened to me on his watch, my father would personally rain fire down from heaven on him. I turned around and shouldered my pack, making my way to class. I threw my stuff on the floor and plopped down in the seat closest to the window, where I could watch the clouds go by. Look, it's not that I hate learning. I'm just really terrible at it. I can't pay attention to anything for more than 5 seconds, especially when it comes to math and numbers. Or reading. Basically, learning in general. It took a few seconds for the rest of the class to get settled in, but Mr. Richardson soon walked to the front of the class, followed by a student I had never seen before. He was wearing really baggy black denim jeans, and a striped hoodie with a backwards cap on. His messy, shaggy frosty tips jutted out from underneath the cap as he scanned the classroom with a chilled-out looking smile.
"This is Brody Wisteria; he's just transferred in from New York. I expect you all to make him feel welcome." Mr. Richardson droned. My brain pretty much automatically tuned the guy out; he was just so boring. But this Brody kid… he was a different story. There seemed to be something off about him; something that I couldn't really place my finger on. I tried not to stare as he strolled down the aisle, taking the seat next to me. The entire class, I kept glancing over at him, but he seemed to be preoccupied himself, pulling out a leather-bound notebook and opening it up, scribbling something into it. He glanced over at me and smiled, nodding his head slowly.
"Yo dude; what's the haps?" He asked. I really didn't know how to respond; I instantly took off my rubber band and began playing with it mindlessly, my finger feeling like they were moving a thousand miles per hour.
"Nothing really. Um… welcome to Edgewater Prep. Name's Dakota, but my friends call me Dak." I said, forcing a smile. I couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right about this kid. I mean, there had to be a line a mile long to get into Edgewater; it was the most highly respected boarding school on the East Coast; so how in the world did this bohemian kid manage to just… show up on the first day of school? My thoughts were interrupted when he waved his hand in front of my face, that zoned-out grin still plastered on his face.
"Dak… bruh did you even hear me, man?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me curiously. I swallowed dryly, still smiling.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine! ADHD; sometimes I just zone out." I tried to laugh it off, but the moment I said ADHD it was like I had completely triggered him. His eyes grew wide, scanning me up and down like I was a bomb that was about to explode, and honestly it made me feel pretty uncomfortable. Then, just as soon as he freaked, he returned to his mello, chilled out state.
"Oh man; I've heard that stuff is, like, killer." He said with a smirk, leaning back in his chair.
"Anyways, I was asking you if maybe you wouldn't mind showing me around this place; so I can scope out the sitch." He asked, opening back up his journal and beginning to write furiously once more.
"Oh, yeah… uh, sure." I said, though I wasn't even really sure what 'scoping out the sitch' even really meant. For a moment, I wondered what in the world he could be writing in that journal, but I was immediately distracted by the sound of someone's chair scooting out loudly. I shook my head, for once in my life trying to focus on what Mr. Richardson was teaching… something about factoring and decimals. Anything was better than this weird feeling I got in the pit of my gut every time I looked at Brody; I felt like he was dissecting me with his eyes the entire class. Finally, the bell of my salvation rang. I shot up out of my seat and made my way to the door, but Brody was right on my tail.
"Bro-Dude! Chillax!" He called, placing a hand on my shoulder with a smile. He looked around for a moment before looking back at me.
"This place is, like, mondo HUGE, man! If I lose you I'll be totally lost, lil' homie!" He explained. For a moment, I didn't feel as worried; I mean, look at him! He was barely any bigger than me, and I wasn't exactly the biggest guy in school. I knew I HAD to just be being paranoid.
"Oh, yeah sorry about that. Sometimes when I get in a hurry, I'm super forgetful." I explained. Brody slung his arm around my shoulder, gesturing outwards dramatically.
"As my great-great grandfather once said; "Nature doesn't hurry, but everything like totally gets done." He said, as though he were imparting some great and ancient wisdom on me.
"Ok…" I said. I thought for sure that I sounded completely lost, but my response seemed to be good enough for Brody, who nodded his head like I was starting to learn. Suddenly, that familiar feeling in the pit of my gut resurfaced, but this time it wasn't from Brody; it was from our extremely creepy janitor, Joe. It was honestly hard to tell how tall Joe really was, because he seemed to be perpetually hunched over. Between his long, ratty beard, and his shaggy mop top hair, I don't think anyone had ever seen his actual face. He walked by us in the hallway, pushing his squeaky cart along with him. His eyes were a bloodshot red color, and for some reason he felt the need to stare at us as he walked by. I thought I was imagining things, but I could have sworn I saw both Joe and Brody both sniff at the same time, as if they both smelled something funky. Brody seemed to pick up his pace a little bit, and I had to hurry to keep up.
"Hey, what the heck was that? Do you know Joe?" I asked. Brody immediately regained his composure, looking over at me like I was from a foreign planet.
"That janitor? Come on, bro; quit joshing me!" He said with a laugh that sounded almost exactly like a dolphin. For a moment, I almost pursued his questions further, but was distracted when I saw someone drop their book in the middle of the hallway. Apparently Brody shared all my classes, because all day I was the one who showed him all the classrooms and how to get to the bathrooms and such. At lunch, Brody came over to sit with me at my table, plopping his tray down almost as if to emphasize his presence.
"This place is gnarly sick, man!" He said with a laugh, picking up his pre-wrapped burrito and taking a bite; wrapper and all. I was about to tell him, but before I cold he kept talking.
"So, like… tell me about yourself, Dak." He said, munching on the wrapper burrito. I swallowed hard and smiled; I hated telling people about me.
"Well, not much to tell. I like to read and love music. I love making new friends, and just talking and laughing with them." I explained as vaguely as possible, but Brody sat there staring at me like I had just told him my entire life's story.
"You know, my great-great grandfather once told me; 'Behind every mask there is a face, and behind every face a story." Brody said, with that same attempted 'ancient guru' voice. This time though, I kind of understood what he meant; I was hiding behind a mask a little bit. I sighed and looked up at him.
"My um… my dad's Jack Lilienthal." I finally said almost in defeat. For a moment I didn't even look up at him; I figured he was probably half-way between utter shock and falling to his knees in worship, but when I finally forced myself to meet his gaze he was just sitting there smiling at me like I had just won some personal victory.
"...And? What's your point, dude-bro?" He asked curiously. I blinked twice, not really sure how to respond.
"Well… I guess nothing. It's just… I hate the way people worship my dad like he's some kind of god." I stated. Brody laughed out loud, like I had just told some inside joke. After he calmed down, he leaned forwards a little bit on the table, his eyes growing a bit wider.
"So, like… what about your mom?" He asked. By now the question didn't even phase me.
"Never knew her. Dad didn't talk about her much; all he said was that she was an amazing woman who could do amazing things." I said with a shrug. It seemed like that made Brody more nervous than telling him my dad was a celebrity. Before I could ask him what was wrong, I spotted a familiar hideous face in the crowd, making his way towards me; Chad. As he walked by, I could tell by the look on his face what he was planning, but nothing could prepare me for what happened next. Chad 'tripped', turning his tray towards me as he 'fell', but I felt a tingly sensation go up the back of my neck, and time seemed to almost… slow down as he fell. I could see the burrito slowly slipping off of his plate, his face frozen in a really stupid looking expression, and the rest of his food sliding down the plate. I felt as though I were living in a deja-vu moment; but just as quickly as time stopped, it seemed to slingshot back into action, Chad's tray spilling all over me, his ugly smirking face looking over at me.
"Aww… my lunch! At least I was able to hit the trash." He laughed, his equally ugly friends joining in, a few even hi-fiving him. I stood up and scraped off the rest of the food. The lunch monitor was already there, looking at me like I was a bomb that needed to be defused.
"Mr. Lilienthal, are you alright?" She asked. I sighed, nodding to her.
"Yeah… yeah I'm fine. I'm going to go get a new shirt." I explained. She shook her head up and down so quickly I thought it was going to pop off.
"Absolutely! I'll write you a hall pass for your next class." She said. Brody stepped up, slinging his arm over my shoulder, his left elbow now covered in instant mashed potatoes.
"Can I come with? I like, totes want to see the hang spaces!" He asked. Honestly, I was too focused on the fact that he had just put his arm in the potatoes to really process what he was saying, so I agreed. I walked out of the lunchroom as quickly as possible, making my way back to the main hall. I scanned my 'badge', the light turning green as I opened up the door to the upstairs. As we walked, I thought about what had happened in the lunchroom; how time had felt like it had slowed down by a thousand times. That wasn't the first time that had happened to mee, either; in fact, it happened more than I would like to admit. It never lasted for more than a few seconds, and I always chalked it up to nothing more than deja-vu; but it still bugged me. I threw open my door, and took off my shirt, throwing it into the laundry basket and grabbing a new one, this one said "I'm into fitness...fit'ness taco into my mouth." Brody got a huge kick out of it, laughing his head off sounding like a dolphin after 12 energy drinks. I heard the familiar squeaking of the janitor's cart, looking down the hallway to see creepy Joe staring at Brody and I.
"Brody… you ok man?" I asked. He had seemed to visibly pale, staring Joe right in the eyes with terror.
"Dak… Dak we need to go, dude." He stated firmly. I looked over at him confusedly.
"Dude, class doesn't start for another-"
"No, bro; I mean we need to GO. Now." He said. Before I could ask him if he were completely insane, I saw one of the weirdest and most horrifying things I had ever seen; Joe the Janitor seemed to be… growing. At first I thought that he was just standing up straight, but realized very quickly that something wasn't right; his head looked like it was going to smash through the ceiling. I didn't really stick around much longer, bolting down the stairs right behind Brody, who was sliding down the railing.
"Brody, what the heck is going on?" I demanded. I suddenly heard a loud banging, the metal door 2 floors above us smashing off of its hinges and flying down the hall, clanging onto the ground floor. I looked up, and instantly regretted it. The stairs were pretty dark, but I swear I could make out the outline of what appeared to be a giant, hairy looking creature staring down at us. It looked almost human, but the dim outline of its hands revealed it's razor sharp claws.
"Brody, what the heck man?!" I squealed, picking up the pace. We made it to the door at the bottom of the stairs, and I scanned my card as fast as I could. We ran out of the stairwell, bursting into the commons area. All the students were in their classes, leaving just Brody and I there panting. I jerked my hand towards the stairs, grabbing Brody by the shoulders like a madman.
"Dude, you had better explain right NOW what the heck I just saw!" I demanded. Brody's mouth moved up and down like a fish out of water, but he grabbed my wrist and yanked me over to the front doors of the school. We made it through the first set of doors, but the security guard on duty instantly stopped us.
"Hey, HEY! Where the heck do you think-" The guard never got to finish as the door to the stairs burst open, and the creature stepped through. Joe the janitor was a 7 foot tall werewolf, complete with deadly sharp fangs and claws. I guess that sight must have been a little too much for the guard, who was so dazed that Brody was able to push us right past him and outside of the school. Joe followed right behind us, smashing clean through both sets of glass doors and roaring at us angrily. We took off running across the parking lot, heading towards the forest. Brody looked over at me, his gaze hardening like he had just signed his own death warrant.
"Split up! He's after me not you! Keep running until you reach the forest and don't stop, dude!" He yelled. Before I could even process what he was saying, Brody split off and ran towards the parking lot, Joe the Werewolf making the split second decision to tear off after Brody, growling and roaring at him. I skidded to a stop, my heart racing a thousand mile per hour. I felt that all to familiar tugging in the pit of my stomach, and an odd tingle right on the back of my skull.
"Brody! No!" I screamed. Time seemed to slow down around me, but this time I didn't even really pay attention; I knew that it was impossible, but I needed to get to Brody. I felt a surge of energy coarse through my body; like I had just been jolted by a lightning bolt. I took off running, and it was the weirdest sensation ever. Imagine running at what feels like normal speed, while everything else around you seems like it's been slowed down a thousand times. I looked behind me, and saw a trail of what appeared to be green light streaking behind me as I ran; it looked like what happens when you shake a glowstick back and forth super fast. I turned back around, focusing on my target until I made it over to Brody, reaching out and grabbing him around the waist, and hauling tail out of there. I didn't know where else to go, so I hid us behind the school buses. The moment I stopped running, I felt drained; like I had just run a thousand miles. I could feel the sweat running down my back as I sat there panting as quietly as possible.
"Brody… what-what the heck is going on?!" I heaved. For a moment, he almost looked like a deer in headlights. I reached over and took his arm, looking him dead in the eyes.
"Don't lie to me, man." I warned. I had just done… whatever THAT time-slowing thingy was called, and it was already freaking me out, so I really wasn't in the mood for games. Brody sighed, taking off his shoes. I'm not gonna lie, I almost screamed like a 5 year old when I saw that, where his feet should be, was a pair of cloven goat hooves.
"Bro, I know this seems freaky, but I need you to, like… trust me, ok?" Brody explained, reaching into his fanny pack and reaching his whole arm in. The thing seemed to be bottomless, but finally Brody grabbed onto something, heaving a giant, golden sword out and holding it out to me. The ADHD in me wondered how in the world that sword could have fit into that tiny fanny pack, but I shook the thought off, reaching out and taking the sword by the handle. It felt extremely heavy in my hands, and I had to use both arms just to hold it up. Brody reached into his pack, pulling out a Ukulele.
"Don't worry; I've got your back, Dak." He said confidently. I really didn't see how Surfer-dude goat man Brody and his Ukulele would really be of much help against Joe the giant wolf-man janitor, but then again, what the heck did I know? In a moment of what must have been insanity, I stepped out from behind the bus.
"Here doggy!" I called. The moment Joe's ugly head whipped around my direction, I froze in place. What the heck was I thinking?! As if things couldn't get any weirder, in the midst of this extremely intense and life threatening moment, Brody decided now was an excellent time to begin madly strumming "Over the Rainbow" on his Ukulele. For a second I almost whacked him upside his stupid head; that is, until I saw one of the nearby trees suddenly reach out and wrap around the Werewolf's waist.
"Bro! No time like the present!" Brody yelled, beads of sweat forming on his brow as he strummed wildly. For a second I had no idea what he was saying, until I realized that he wanted me to attack. I ran forwards, the golden sword dragging along the ground as I did. It took almost all of my might just to lift the thing off of the ground, the sheer weight of the blade almost making me fall over, but I managed to swing the blade downwards. Just then, the tree branches snapped, the Werewolf slashing its claws through the remains of the limbs and narrowly dodging the oncoming blade. At first, I thought that I had missed completely, until I saw it; a trickle of golden blood dripping down its matted fur and onto the ground. I looked over at Brody, but he just stood there looking as scared as I was. Joe on the other hand looked absolutely furious baring his teeth at me before charging. Again, I felt the same tug in my gut and tingle in the back of my skull, time seeming to slow down once more. Joe looked like he was almost at a complete stand-still, his fangs still showing and covered in a thick saliva-foam. For a moment, I couldn't help but look around, entranced by the entire situation, but quickly shook the feeling off, turning around and running a little ways away. The moment I stopped running, time seemed to flow normally, but again I felt drained, though admittedly a bit less than the last time. Joe swiped at the air, looking extremely confused before spotting me. Again, I hoisted up the blade, but this time I closed my eyes and concentrated on that feeling in my gut and on the back of my neck. Sure enough, time slowed down once again, and for the first time I noticed that the blade felt a whole lot lighter than before; it was still heavy don't get me wrong, but still noticeably less heavy. I was able to hold it up off of the ground without dragging it, knowing what I had to do. I ran straight at the werewolf, this time slicing clean through him as he hung frozen mid-jump. When time returned to normal, Joe the Werewolf exploded into a cloud of golden dust, which proceeded to coat me from head to toe. For a moment, I just stood there, before the exhaustion overcame me and I collapsed onto the ground. I felt completely drained, like I was going to pass out and my eyeballs were going to melt. Brody rushed over to me, propping my head up and reaching into his fanny pack, grabbing what looked to be a graham cracker square and putting it into my mouth. It tasted nothing like a graham cracker; it tasted like my favorite blackberry pie. Immediately, I felt a million times better; like the strength had been injected straight into me. I quickly stood up, the fear and panic returning as I looked over at Brody. I didn't even need to say anything; he just started spewing.
"Dude… ok, so THAT was a monster."
"DUH! No, you think so?!" I asked sarcastically and an octave higher than my normal voice. Brody ran his hands through his hair, and when he took off his hat, I saw them; 2 horns that looked like little nubs on the top of his head. Suddenly, it all came to me; the goat hooves and horns, with the human appearance.
"You-you're one of those things from the Greek myths… a Saturn!" I said in realization. I could tell that just me saying that was a huge relief for him.
"Satyr, but yeah. Wait, bro; you believe in those myths?!" He asked hopefully. I threw my hands up in defeat
"By now, I'd be willing to believe freakin' Bigfoot exists! We were just attacked by a Werewolf, Brody; a WEREWOLF! And I remember learning about half-goat half-human creatures in history class." I said, Brody nodding.
"Well, brotato-chip; let's just say that, like… satyrs aren't the only thing from those 'myths' that are real." He said, expecting me to fill in the rest.
"So wait; Are-are you talking about like… Zeus and Poseidon and-"
"Yes! They're all real!" Brody interrupted quickly, looking up at the sky like he expected judgment to rain down upon us, but nothing happened. I looked down at my now shaking hands, clenching them into fists.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with me? I mean, you saw what happened. How the heck did time just… slow down like that?" I asked. Brody looked at me confusedly, shaking his head.
"Slow down? No, dude; You like, totally sped up! You were moving so fast I couldn't even see you!" He exclaimed, "I've never seen any demigod move that fast!". My eyes grew wide in realization; The world wasn't slowing down… I had been speeding up.
"Wait, demigod? Like, child of the gods? THAT kind of demigod?!" I asked, Brody nodding.
"Yeah Dak; exactly like that." For a moment, neither one of us said anything. I mean… it made sense in a completely insane kind of way. It would explain why my mom left my dad, and why I never really knew much about her or ever got so much as a phone call or a single birthday card from her. She was a goddess… holy crap my life is messed up.
"So, what do we do now?" I asked. Brody scratched his chin, looking back at the school then at me.
"Well, we need to get you out of here, dude. Like, after what happened man, this place will be a total monster hot-spot." He said.
"Get out of here? And go where?!" I asked in exasperation. Brody placed a hand on my shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Dak. I, like… totally know a place."