The airport was surprisingly busy for seven in the morning and crowded too. The noise and sound of the people trying to get on their flights did nothing to help my headache. "And that is why you don't eat two gallons of ice cream, a bag of chips, and bottle of soda." Ryan joked as he handed me my plane ticket. "Your plane leaves in twenty minutes. Sure you don't want me to come with? I could drive you."
Taking the ticket, I shook my head. "Thanks, but you don't have enough money for a round trip. Use the credit card dad gave you and it'd your funeral. Besides I doubt you fell like going on a three day drive."
"Yeah your right, that's a whole new kind of punishment." Ryan teased but stopped when I moaned in pain. "Are you sure your okay to travel? Maybe I should take you home." He sounded concerned.
I tried to play off how bad my headache really was. "Geez, are you my older brother or mother? Anyway mom, I'm off to find the mystical cure-all for a headache. Or the closest thing to it, water."
Waving by, I ran off before he could offer to get the water for me I love my brother, but sometimes he can take the big brother role a bit to seriously. Ryan's always been overprotective of me and Mel. More so with my because of all the trouble I get myself into.
As I walked to the café downstairs, I felt like someone was watching me. On the other side of the airport, separated by rows and rows of chairs was a boy. From the distance, it was hard to see most of the boy's features. But what stuck out were his honey yellow eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses. With eyes like that, he might be really cute. Than again, the way he seems to be randomly staring at me is kind of creepy.
Thinking nothing more of it and knowing that I was in public and more than capable of beating a gut twice my size, I continued toward my destination. To bad it was packed with people trying to get breakfast before an early morning flight. Wish I'd thought of that.
I chose to skip earing breakfast with the family in favor of sulking in Ryan's room. By the time Ryan had managed to get me out of be, I had to hurry or miss my flight. Why did I hurry when it's ovibiodr I don't want to go? The answer is simple, dad. He was still fuming from yesterday and for both our sakes, its better I'm gone than risk another fight by missing my flight.
Ryan saved everyone from more arguing by volunteering to drive me. Even if he did miss his early morning football practice. That's true love, sacrificing football for me. It brings a tear to my eyes.
Speaking of eyes that stalker boy from earlier has followed me. Now that I think about it, he's been eyeing me all morning. At first I didn't notice because of my headache. Weird how my headache starts to disappear the closer we are to each other.
"You're going to Olympus Academy." This was a statement not a question which came from stalker boy. He was close enough that we could speak without having to yell. Yet he hide around a corner, so all I saw was a head with sandy brown hair, a pair of eyes behind glasses, and a hand. Yep, totally normal.
"How'd you know that?" I asked getting slightly creepied out by the fact he knew that.
All he did was point to the crumpled brochure sticking out of my bag. "What's you canadiatic? Do you know which House you're with?" He asked.
He nodded, but remained quiet for a moment. All of a sudden his head jerked up like a scared rabbit. "Just remember to avoid anyone you get a headache from being around."
"Like you?" I rolled my eyes, growing impatient with the conversation. "Look, I need to go before my overprotective brother comes looking for me."
The kid didn't hear a word, to busy looking around the crowded airport and mumbling to himself. It was like he was expecting something or someone to jump out and grab him. As if on cue, a woman wearing a power business suit, sunglasses, and a turban over her hair walked by and the boy shrieked in surprise. "I know the suit and turban don't match, but man there's no reason to scream."
"You don't see it?" He spoke to me, but was staring at the woman. Honey yellow eyes only looking at me once the woman was out of sight. "You really don't see the grey skin, wrinkles, or even the scales?" He looked at me like I was the crazy one. Not him, who was cowering behind a wall for unknown reasons, shrieking, and seeing things,. "How can toy be going to Olympus Academy if you can't even see through the haze?" He muttered to himself.
Luckily, the boarding call for my flight came from the overhead. "That's my flight bye." I ran off, just as he called, "You're vulnerable if you can't see through the haze!"
I was halfway back to where I'd left Ryan when I realized my headache was gone. Still there was no time to dwell on that, as Ryan was pushing me toward the flight exit. "Geez Veil, cutting it kinda close aren't you?" He joked.
This would be the last joke I heard from Ryan for several months.
We said our good-byes at the terminal, Ryan promising to fly out soon and would call and email every week, if not every day. His big strong arms pulled me into a bear hug, a protective shield that I've loved since I was a kid. "Don't destroy the place until at least a month had passed. And try to stay out of trouble or not get into it too much." He leaned back so he could see my face. "Your wish has finally come true, you're getting rid of us for a while."
"Yeah, but I didn't mean like this." Tears began running down my face. Crying, I was actually crying. Guess I'm going to miss Ryan and this place more than I thought. With one last hg, we parted ways. Ryan watching as I boarded the plane and me, about to begin the adventure of a life time.
Adventure, id I say that? No, I meant annoyance. Annoyance of a life time. Yes, I'm about to go into complaining mode. But you would too after hearing what I went through, so just bear with me.
It was one thing to be given the wrong seat number, but another to be placed ni between two screaming kids. Who, when not screaming, thought my hair made a great toy. When not pulling my hair, they were trying to fight each other. As if that wasn't bad enough, the guy in the seat in front of me, was sound asleep. His chair leaned all the way back against my knees.
Somehow, I managed to survive and even kept my cool. Between the two monkey children finally going to sleep and my legs not becoming pancakes, the four hours could not have passed quick enough. Once the plane landed, I bolted out my seat and straight for the airport. My only luggage with me, was an old beat up army surplus bag Ryan gave me. Everything else got shipped out last night. Ready to go, I waited for my ride. Who wasn't there, even after two hours had passed.
"Screw this, I'll find my own way there" Declaring this, I grabbed my bag and headed for the exit, intending to hail a cab. Until a mousy voice called my name. Of course, I paid no mind to it, no one here should know who I am. But again, that voice followed by my name.
"Veil wait!" Turns out, stalker boy really had followed me. Out of breath and wheezing, he stopped just in front of me. Just shy of six feet, he looked taller when he stood up straight. Now that he's not hiding behind a wall, he's actually kind of cute. In a geeky kind of way. "Man you walk fast."
"Or maybe you just run slow." Sarcasm, it's got a million and two uses. "So stalker boy, how do you know my name? Just because we're go both going to the same school doesn't give you the right to follow me." I crossed my arms, being more curious than mad.
He held up a hand, singling to give him a moment. "You're....brother, I heard him say your name."
I raised an eyebrow at this new information. "So, you have been following me. Nice way to make a first impression, stalker boy."
He glared at me. "My name's Ethan, not stalker boy. And it isn't following, if we're both going to the same place. Speaking of which, you can't leave."
All curiosity gone, I returned the glare. "Yeah, I can. No one's going to stop me Watch." I hate when people tell me what to do, ten times out of ten, I'll do the opposite or what I want.
As I reached for the door, he grabbed my arm. "I'm serious, its best for both of us if we stay here. Someone from the academy is supposed to come pick us up."
I jerked my arm from his hand. "They were supposed to be here an hour ago. Either they forgot about us or something happened."
"All the more reason to stay here and try contacting someone at the school." He argued back. "Besides, going out there when you can't through the haze is like walking through a mind field blindfolded. Both are stupid and purely suicidal. And I rather like living." Stalker boy's got jokes, we may be able to be friends yet.
"Again with the weird nerd speak." Shaking my head, I point at the door. "No one said you had to come with me. Either way, leaving is better than staying here. I don't like the way she's been looking at us."
Ethan turned to see the woman from the other airport. Stilling that business suit turban combo, I somehow got the feeling she was wither sizing us up for a cooking pot or giving us the evil eye. Hard to tell with those sunglasses over her eyes. But that didn't really matter, a sudden chill went down my spine.
Ethan yelped like an injured animal and hid behind me. Yes, the six foot something teenage boy was hiding heind a five foot seven girl. Granted, this girl knew how to kick butt but still. "This is bad, very, very bad. She shouldn't be able to get pass the seal of Hecate."
"Seal of what?" I asked, getting more confused and annoyed with his strange vocabulary.
He sighed and spoke slowly, like I couldn't understand English. "Not what, who. Hecate is ta Greek Goddess, you probably know her as the Goddess witches are rumored to workshop.." I nodded, indication that I understated everything so far. "Well like how witches are rumored to put up or make barriers to keep nasty things out. That's what the seal of Hecate does or it's supposed to. But she," He pointed to the woman, "somehow found a way through."
In a smug tone, I asked, "Still wanna stay here?" He shook his head, "Good no more complaining or I leave you behind."
Once more, I started to leave, only to be stopped again. "Do you even know where or how to get to the school?"
Damn, hadn't thought that far ahead, he doesn't need to know that. "What do you think? I was just gonna get a cab and hoped they knew where the academy is?"
Rolling his eyes, Ethan took out an Ipad from his messenger bag. "Hold on." Tapping on the screen, he looked up the school. "It's on the outskirts of town, in the mountains. The Rocky Mountains, I think."
Armed with this new information, we hailed a cab. Just as we climbed in and tell the driver where to go, that woman hopped into the front passenger seat. What happened next, I still don't believe.
Several things happened at that moment, Ethan yelled for us to get out, the same time the woman took off her sunglasses. I didn't have time to scream at the two serpent like eyes that greeted us. One look an my body was paralyzed. The same thing happened to Ethan, as he was no longer yelling. "Shh, the more you struggle, the less air you get. Your lungs and heart are about the only thing still unparalyzed. Can't have you dying just yet."
At her words, me and Ethan tried to fight against the invisible hold she ad on us. "Children these days, just don't listen. You're going to kill yourself at this rate and my sister will be angry. Time for a nap." Turing around in the seat, she took a glove off her hand, revealing long talons instead of fingers. "Nighty-night." Cutting her cheek with one talon, she stabbed both of us in the neck.
The last thing I remember seeing was a scaly wringed grey face with rows of sharp teeth grinning at me. "Sweet dreams."
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