"Annie! Wake up, Annie!"

Abby sat up with a start in bed, eyes wide and looking around wildly for whatever disturbed her of her sleep. In doing so, she had accidently thrown Melissa off the bed and the poor doll ended up on the floor with a yelp.

"Ay! I was just trying to help," He whined as he stood up and rubbed his soor rump. He was going to feel that tomorrow. Abby blinked before relaxing and rubbing her eyes with a yawn.

"What time is it?"

"Time for you to meet Kutanagi and prepare for the entrace ceremony!" The brunette paused at his answer and it took her a moment to remember where they were. Oh right, Zeus' garden because a couple of Gods needed to learn the meaning of love and she-

"I don't think I'm going."

"Wha-?!" Melissa's jaw dropped as he stared at her. "Why not? If you don't show up then who will help Kutanagi set up for the ceremony? You want to begin this year off right don't you?"

Yes, begin a year of forced schooling with the man who had kidnapped herself and her friend as their headmaster and their teacher another a-hole who did not know the meaning of personal space. Because that is exactly the type of thing she wants to prepare for.

"I'm sure Yui will persuade some of the Gods to help. She doesn't need me."

As soon as the words left her there was a knock at her door and a familiar voice sang out from behind.

"Abby-Abby! Are you awake? It's time to prepare for the entrance ceremony!"

Abigail sighed as Apollon's over excited voice and slowly climbed out of bed, opening the door to give him a weary smile that should not even be considered a smile. "Alright, Apollo. I'm up and I'll be there after I wash up."

The blonde smiled brightly at her and seemed to bounce on his toes in joy. "Fantastic! I'll tell Fairy that you'll meet us in the gymnasium! Don't take too long!" Then he was scampering back down the hall most likely to go tell Yui of his success.

"Not going, eh?" Melissa smirked in smug victory as Abby scowled down at him.

"Quiet, you. I couldn't say no to Apollo. It wouldn't be right."

"Why do you say his name like that?"

She blinked before realizing that she had been using the Americanized version of the God's name without noticing. He didn't seem to mind it that much or he had not noticed either.

"Oh. It was the way I learned it. It's an old habit."

"Ai. Well, I'll leave you to get ready. I expect to hear good things when you come back!" The doll grinned before he left for his little house back in Yui's room. Abby sighed again as her shoulders sagged in defeat. There was no turning back now. She showered and brushed her teeth then dried her hair before she was throwing open her closet and catching sight of the uniform.

"What is with all the skirts?" She whined, eying the garment with distaste. She begrudingly pulled everything on minus the jacket, finding it a bit too much and the belt was hard to work anyway. The boots were uncomfortable, the heel too high for her liking and she was sure her feet were bleeding by the time she arrived at the gymnasium.

"Abby, you showed up!" Yui greeted her cheerily, looking like she completely belonged in her own uniform. So why did Abby feel so out of place?

"Well, it was hard not to when Apollo drops by your door." Oops, there she went doing it again.

"I'm glad you decided to. I was worried you were planning on not showing up."

"No. Why would I do that?" Abby mentally kicked herself at her own verbal irony, forcing her smile more as Yui returned it with something more real.

"Let's get to work!" Their small group quickly set into making the preparations for the Entrance Ceremony; Setting up Chairs and the podium, dusting and cleaning, and hanging the streamers and banners. Balder tripped and dropped a bucket of water that they had to mop up once more. Humerous albeit adding more work to their already hefty chore list. Abby found it nice to smile, even a little bit, about something.

By the end, the Gym looked fantastic and ready for any kind of Ceremony to be held in it.

"Wow, we actually got that done faster than I thought." Abby glanced around at their work with a small nod of approval then she turned and began her way to the door. "This was fun..I guess."

"Aren't you going to stay for the ceremony?" Yui called after her, jogging and catching her elbow. "You helped us set this all up! You have to stay and be present!" Abby blinked and looked at her in realization.

"Oh.. you were serious about this.. look, Yui, no offense but I don't really like ceremonies."

The purple haired girl frowned, brows furrowing as she removed her hand but balled her fists at her chest. "No one ever does. But we need to attend if we want to return home! Abby, please.. the others are already refusing to show up."

It did not surprise Abby that a few choice gods would choose not to show up. They did not want to be there anymore than she did. But Abby supposed she owed Yui the fact that someone else from her world was with her and that she was not alone. She owed her that much.

With a sigh of reluctance (or perhaps defeat?) Abby agreed to attend.

That was how she found herself where she is, sitting in a chair nestled between two gods whose names she has already forgotten, one of them had platinum violet hair with a blank expression while the other had a mess of burnt red with bright emerald eyes. She pulled the her dress shirt sleeve down out of nervous habit, covering her left arm and palm as best as she could. She was glad she was able to keep her gloves.

The leather still smelled like smoke.

Don't think about it. Don't let it consume you. Numb yourself. Numb means you're okay. You're okay.

"Abigail McKenzie." At the sound of Thoth calling her name, she straightened and replied.

"Here!" She caught his glance for a second before he went back to the paper to continue. He must have expected her not to show up. He was almost right.

She could not breathe. There was something suffocating her, stealing the air from her ungs and replacing it with a thick smog that choked her and left her gasping for breath. She is lying on the ground because that's what she was supposed to do when the room got warm and the smoke got black like this.

She woke up from her dream after hearng sirens outside and feeling much to warm under her covers. Though it was night time and there were no lights on in her home, everything was brightly illuminated and glowing with the light of something red and hot.

Very, very hot.

She had run out to find her mom and her daddy but she couldn't get past the kitchen, where a bright red monster sat. It was spitting at her, hissing and crackling and popping and making the whole apartment unbearably warm. It was blocking the path to her parents' room. She tried yelling at it, telling it to go away and leave her mommy and daddy alone. But the monster only got angry and it spat at her again, sending a ball of fiery spit at her and she raised her arm to defend herself.

The spit ball burned as it hit her pajamas and caused the fabric to sizzle away and bit into her skin with a pain she had never known before. She screamed and dropped and clutched her arm close to her. It hurt. It hurt so bad. She would only ever be able to say it was an indescribable white flash of agony that burnt her flesh.

There was someone knocking at the door, then they were knocking it down and the smoke filtered out for only a moment. They called if anyone was in there and she screamed again, for help, for her daddy. For someone.

Someone was picking her up, another monster of bright yellow and silver that wore a mask with tubing everywhere and bug-like eyes. She wanted to fight but her arm hurt so much and she couldn't breathe and she was just so scared.

Suddenly she's outside and it is cold and she can breathe but not really. She cannot see and from someone where off in her vision, there are flickers of orange and a hellish red and the sound of something crackling. There's a woman over her, but it is not her mother. She is wearing a blue uniform with a bright red cross on the pocket, a light is shining in her eyes and the woman is speaking to someone else.

"Barel-...-scious...-oke ventilat-...sever-..-urn on her arm...parents-...-in the fire.."

There is a large bandaid on her left arm, but the pain is still there. It still hurts and she wants to cry. So she does. She asks for her mommy and her daddy. She asks where they are. Where she is.

"You're safe," The nice lady says as she gently pushes a needle into her unbandaged arm. It takes the pain away and makes her very sleepy. "You're okay."

I'm okay...