Monday came quickly, and I didn't bother to hide my excitement. When Travis came home from Caleb's party thanks to a ride from Caleb's girlfriend nearly 18 hours later, he wasn't happy. He showed his anger over my ditching him by vomiting all over the bathroom floor, and then falling asleep on our nice clean bed still in his rancid clothes. Cleaning his mess up made my stomach churn with a wide variety of emotions. Mostly regret though, because I should have waited for him.
The next two days were strenuous. I didn't tell him when I put in an application for Rajaram Industries, Oregon. We argued Sunday night, and I slept on the floor. When my alarm rang early Monday Morning, I practically jumped out of my
I was glad I had an excuse to get out of the apartment, I wasn't sure if I was able to be patient with Travis for much longer. My first class usually started at 9 AM, but just as I'd finished plastering on my full face of contoured makeup, my professor had sent out an email telling us to study on our own because his kid had the flu. Travis scowled in his sleep. No doubt he was dreaming up ways to argue with me over something trivial. I snagged the cutest jumpsuit I could find (complete with a color coordinating purse), finished dressing and doing my hair, and stomped outside our apartment to wait for the bus to take me to campus. There was no way I was going to stay in the apartment when Travis was pretending he was one of the brats from Toddlers and Tiaras.
Outside, the weather was still unbearably hot despite the slightly overcast sky. One of the other apartment complexes was in the process of preparing for Christmas, already a cactus was covered in Christmas lights. Somebody had a light covered deer perched by the sidewalk. Tempe was meticulously clean and organized.
The bus came to a stop a few yards away from me. I boarded and selected a window seat close to the front. With my earbuds in blasting Ingrid Michaelson, I let my mind drift in any direction that seemed appealing. My thoughts soon began to focus on my family. I missed them, but I was far too stubborn to move away from Travis and reconcile with my parents. Soon it was clear to me that I really didn't like thinking about my family. I skipped a song, and soon began listening to Marina and the Diamonds.
Acoustic music made me sympathetic.
I didn't like being sympathetic.
Ages later, the bus rolled to a stop just outside of ASU's campus library. I smiled at the bus driver, and he told me to smile more in a teasing tone. Smiling meant you were happy. It wasn't that I was upset or depressed... Just dissatisfied with life.
Hopefully, Wes had remembered about our plans for the library.
"Ah shoot," I muttered when I walked into the library, realizing that I'd forgotten to bring any kind of food. I doubted Wes really meant having lunch in the library, and I'd been so relieved to leave the apartment that I'd forgotten to get anything.
The library was about as similar to any other library complete with its own classic book smell. I loved the library and the unspoken rule that everyone was required to be as quiet as possible. Had I less library fees, I would have spent more time in the library than the apartment. Nobody could boss me around here, save for the librarian of course, and the wifi never died. I rejoiced when I walked into the nearly vacant building and found that hardly a soul was there.
The building was similar to a ghost town, save for me, the librarian, and a young man sleeping in a chair. A very attractive young man at that too. I turned to the librarian's counter, which caused the librarian- a middle aged woman with greying hair- to holed up a finger as she paused her youtube video.
"Can I help you?" She asked, her glasses perched on top of her head.
"Uh, yeah. Have you seen a guy come in? Tall, blonde? The epitome of a Californian beach boy?" I asked
"That him?" She gestured to Wes, who had rounded the corner carrying a staggeringly tall stack of books.
I thanked her, and rushed to offer any help to Wes. He gave me several heavy books to carry. "Geez Wes, what are you doing? A research paper?"
"Not a paper, just researching," He answered, setting his stack of books on the table near the lounging young man. Wes gestured for me to do the same. "Have a seat."
"I think we're invading that guy's space," I pointed out quietly.
Wes only chuckled, and nudged the young man awake, "This is a friend of mine from when I was teaching scuba diving in India. Nora, meet Damon. Damon meet Nora."
The most herculean man I'd ever seen in person was suddenly looking at me. In such a candid position, he belonged on a magazine cover, or in countless 'Guys' boards on Pinterest. His eyes seemed as if somebody had sprinkled stardust in a vat of liquid gold. I couldn't keep myself from looking at him.
"You're staring at me. Is there something in my teeth?" Damon said, flashing an award winning smile at me.
Everything about him screamed of beauty, from his mussled black hair, to his sunset skin, his caramel voice, and even his hands. You could tell a lot about somebody from their hands, I'd realized. Though his golden eyes perhaps drove me to forget what my name was. I mentally slapped myself into replying, "No. You're just, um, it's nice to meet you. Are you going to school here?"
Damon scoffed, "No, I've got... other duties. I needed a break, and Wes is going to help me through some difficult times in my life. He told me the two of you already had plans, hopefully I haven't intruded."
"Oh no, intrude any time you like," Thank the good Lord for prompting me to put on makeup.
Three more students walked into the library, Wes frowned. "Hate to break up what's sure to be a kindred friendship, but I've got some important stuff to discuss with both of you. Mostly just Nora's encounter with a blue man at a Halloween party, and I've also got something else to drop about my next expedition."
"Wait, what expedition?" I asked with a frown.
Awkwardly, Wes rubbed the back of his neck. Taking credit for the amazing things that he'd done was never one of his strong suits. He began to sort through the books we'd brought over, "I, uh, pulled some strings with a family I used to work with. I'm going to Nepal for a shadowing opportunity with another archaeologist. It's been kept on the down low to avoid major publicity, but a cave was found in the mountain with several passages, and I've got three weeks to shadow and help this guy find a mirror."
"A mirror? Is it safe to guess that this supposed cave is located near Mount Kailash?" Damon leaned forwards, completely engaged in the subject. I labeled him as perhaps somebody who was merely excited about mountains. Some people were like that.
"It's actually in Mount Kailash. Several relics have already been found," Wes said, successfully finishing with the pile of books he'd sifted through. He pushed a pile towards me, "Nora, would you mind checking out these books?"
"Sure," I nodded, finally looking at the books' spines. Each one was focused on Hindu mythology. "Why do you need these?"
"That's gonna bring us to our next conversation, which should be discussed somewhere a little more private."
"Um, what?" I blurted, following Damon and Wes to the checkout counter.
"You're going to learn several things many other people label as fantasy," Damon answered patiently. "I just pray that I don't have to deal with another chosen one."
"Chosen one? Is this a Dungeons and Dragons kind of thing?" Wes avoided my gaze as I tried to get an answer out of him. "I'm so confused."
"Student I.D. please," the librarian droned as she held out a hand for my I.D. I fished it out of my purse, wondering if she was listening to her conversation. Embarrassment soon flustered through me at that thought. "You have two weeks with the books. No damages like last time, Miss Nora."
I was stunned that she remembered the book incident. During my second semester of school, I'd taken on a geological class to widen my major, and in my carelessness, left the book in a pit where it was subsequently buried. Needless to say, I tried to avoid checking out books as much as possible. "I promise, I'm still so sorry about that."
"Next," The librarian waved me off.
Damon had arched an eyebrow at the exchange. At least not everyone knew me as the book murderer. I flushed an even deeper shade of red, and pushed past Wes and Damon. The temperature had begun to rise drastically.
"Grass patch 3 o'clock," Wes directed from behind me, steering Damon and I towards a barely living patch of grass beside a palo verde tree. I sat on the grass, waiting for Damon and Wes to sit beside me.
"Now is as good as ever to demonstrate the abilities I have," Damon said with an innocent shrug.
"Go ahead," grunted Wes.
From inside his leather jacket pocket, Damon withdrew a small bandana. I couldn't believe my eyes when it began to shimmer... And then grow into a lovely pink blanket decorated with little elephants. Damon held out the blanket for show before he set it down. "It may be more comfortable to sit on the blanket rather than on the grass."
This was some level of new magic trick I'd never seen before, it just had to be. I sat on the blanket, still balancing the books, and laughed, "So you're a street performer? That's awesome. Can you pull a rabbit from your pocket too?"
"I could, in a way. But I much prefer tigers over any other animal," Damon smirked as he pocketed the shimmering bandana. He then withdrew a tiny stuffed tiger with embroidered eyes. I took the tiger, frowning as I inspected it.
"This is a whole new level of weird," I muttered. Wes finally sat down on the pink blanket a little ways away from me. "I mean, this guy starts pulling stuffed animals and blankets from his pockets, and Wews over here isn't the least bit impressed."
"You're taking this really well," Damon nodded at me. He remained standing. His comment drew a scoff out of Wes.
"That's only 'cause she thinks what you're doing is some kind of magician's trick. If you had the Golden Fruit, things would be different, but nooooo the only thing you managed to bring with you was a scarf."
"Next time you're banished to an otherworldly hell last minute, you try to pack a travel bag."
"Sounds like you've been cast into a hellish world with enough time to throw a bag together."
"Listen, have respect for your elders," Damon frowned at Wes, and then once again turned his attention to me. "We've tried to ease you into this, to allow you to come to this conclusion alone, but time is running out Nora. There's no time for comfort."
Somebody cruised past us on an electric scooter. For a second, Damon's concentration broke, and he watched the student ride by. The look in his golden eyes quietly screamed of longing. He ran a hand through his deliciously thick hair, once again returning his gaze to me. What was swimming behind those sparkling eyes?
Somewhere in the back of my mind I decided that I was going to pester this man with my presence until he left as quickly as he'd come.
"What did you say?" I blurted, realizing that I'd missed everything Damon had said to me. Wes snickered.
He frowned, "The man you met with blue skin is no ordinary man. He is a divine being in his own right, as am I."
Divine being. The ability to pull stuffed animals from thin air. A blue man with four arms telling me to have faith in myself while mist poured from his mouth. "Are you a wizard?"
Wes burst out laughing at me, "A wizard! Yer a wizard, Damon!"
"Close," Damon shrugged. "I'm far more powerful than any wizard. I'm in fact," he withdrew the bandana, and with it crafted a gold and silver friendship bracelet, which he slipped over my hand. "A god."
A god?! I'd only read of gods among mortals in books, there was no such thing. It just wasn't true, I refused to believe that it was true.
"You both need Jesus," I stood up so quickly, my vision fuzzed for a second. "This isn't funny Wes, I could've made plans with somebody else instead of looking stupid. Are there cameras filming my reaction? There better not be."
"Sit down, Nora," Damon's tone of voice wasn't stern, he was considerate. "I promise I'm telling the truth. Would you like me to prove things further to you?"
I nodded, but avoided looking at both Wes and Damon. Damon sat down as well. Once again, he withdrew a strange looking rock from his pocket. He took my hand, and set the stone in my palm, "This is a truth stone. So long as you hold it, you may know when somebody is lying."
"Sure, and how's that going to feel like?" I grumbled. "This really isn't funny anymore."
"You'll feel a sense of assurity in you heart," Damon explained... And sure enough, I began to feel a strange sensation I didn't feel often. Pure honesty. My heart felt like it had swollen. I didn't look at either man to give them the satisfaction that they were right...
And that everything I had ever believed in had the potential to be completely wrong.
"Tell me everything," I said suddenly, looking between both Wes and Damon. "Why are you talking to me? What's the real story? I've got this magic rock, I'll know if you're being dishonest."
"I should have asked for that back sooner," Damon teased. He sat back on his elbows. "If you truly want to know everything, we will be here a while. I'm far older than you and Wes combined."
"Why are you two talking to me? Why can't you keep this godly stuff to yourselves?"
Damon looked to Wes, who promptly answered, "If you hadn't have told me about your encounter with Vishnu, the blue man, you'd still be at home. That mirror I'm looking for holds the key to giving Damon his freedom back. I can't do the job alone, there's more than just finding the mirr-"
"Freedom? Freedom from what?" I interrupted, genuinely hoping to get back to the rest of Wes's answer.
"I haven't quite confirmed what believe yet, but I've been led to understand that Damon is not my true name, as I was once mortal like the two of you," Damon thoughtfully paused. "There is no joy in being a god. I once foolishly took a boon that stopped me from feeling pain, but in turn that led to my inability to feel joy."
I thanked him for his answer, and then prompted Wes to pick up right where he started much to his annoyance, "Where was I? Mirror, right? The mirror possesses amazing abilities, infinite abilities, but even if I can find it before my few weeks are up, there's no telling if I'd be able to dig through Damon's past quick enough to find his name. As he's said before, time is of the essence. There's more to this cause than we know, there's so many things that we're not going to know until we discover Damon's true name."
"So you want me... to help you... in Tibet..." I started slowly, trying to think of a way to rationalize what I had just been told. "There's not going to be any mythological creatures I have to fight, right? I'm not a chosen whatever? Just a helper? There's too much I have to do, and I won't put my education or my career on hold for anything."
However, I could hear Vishnu's words in my head, telling me to have the courage to trust others. The pressure from Damon's pleading eyes and Wes's already high expectations of me were already beginning to sway my resolve. But what would happen if my application to Rajaram Industries got accepted, but I would be unable to make the interview because I was in a cave in God knows where? The what ifs were too powerful, and despite the small plea in my heart, I set down the truth stone and realized that I didn't want to be a part of this.
"Nora, please," Damon pleaded.
"Look, I don't even know you, for all I know, this could all be some elaborate prank, I can't help you Wes. I just can't." I stood up, ignoring that Damon had grabbed my fingers in that classic Disney prince way.
His golden eyes captured my gaze once again, and I was sure that the little jerk knew it, "Please consider it. I'd owe you ten thousand times over."
"Goodbye Wes," there was no way I would set my mind to this. I didn't dare step out of line. "Damon."
I didn't look back in the fear that if I did, I would crumble, and consent to go with them to Tibet. Confrontation was something I hated more than anything in the world, whether it was for better or worse. I hated telling people no. I hated letting people down. Already I'd disappointed Travis, and now I had let down Wes and his supposed buddy turned god. These feelings only stewed in my mind as I waited at the bus stop to get a ride home. The bus driver told me he hoped I felt better when I left the vehicle and trudged to Travis's apartment.
Thankfully, we both made a great effort to avoid each other.
Hours later when I'd finally had the chance to curl up in my warm bed (alone), my phone buzzed with a notification from Gmail. My heart jumped to my throat the second I read who'd sent the email. Rajaram Industries had seen my application. I clenched my mouth shut as I opened up the email. A small grey circle indicated that it was loading...
And then the internet cut out.