Iliad! Teen Edition

Chapter One: Anybody have a map?

Chapter 1: Anybody have a map?

If you were given the chance to turn your life around with a single page of paperwork, would you do it? Odysseus did. Well, he was not granted that page of paperwork without any effort. It was the four and a half exhausting school years that did, the sleepless nights, the hundreds of books in every possible corner of his bedroom. When the thin red envelope arrived at his doorstep near the end of August, and his thin long fingers traced the ''H. S of Achaea'' signature of its back, it all then had a purpose. Then and only then was he satisfied with everything he'd done and been through over the course of his high school years. His trophy, a cherished reward, was inside the envelope. A certain word, formed by elegant inked loops between the ''c'' 's .... Accepted.

September came quickly after that, with posters being pulled off his bedroom walls, empty closets, packed suitcases full of books and brand new clothes, naked furniture making the room feel more empty that it had ever been. Just like that, he was standing still in front of his bedroom's wooden-framed mirror, black shoes smiling and a uniform that promised him everything he had ever dreamed of. His neck itched from the tight cotton collar, but Odysseus fancied this particular type of clothing. Its dark red leather lapels, the pearly buttons, a still warm-from-fresh-ironing indigo tie made of fine materials. His eyes were fixed upon his own reflection, his straight –almost too- confident posture. He felt handsome and it showed in the brightness of his smile and the restless dimples of his cheeks.

Odysseus saw himself entering the halls of Achaea, being struck with the scent of the fresh, the new, wandering around like the day would never end, his heart at ease. He imagined the dorms, the place he'd be sleeping in, his roommate. The person he'd spent the most of his time with there. He really hoped he'd be interested in books. Maybe they'd become friends. Maybe he'd finally meet new people. Maybe he'd finally make new friends, friends that stayed and sticked around, friends he could laugh with. He craved it all. He saw himself belong there.

''Odysseus come grab breakfast, Ajax will pick you up in 10'!''. The echoed voice from downstairs startled him, snapped his daydreaming in half. And just as his dull expression vanished when he had first seen the enrollment letter, he sprinted out of his room with the most delighted of chuckles.

''Morning baby!''. That was his mother.

''Goodness, that uniform looks tight, how do you breathe in this?''. That was his father.

Odysseus smiled as he stormed in the kitchen, his parents sitting next to one another, holding their identical coffee cups. He pressed a kiss on his mother's cheek, like he always did in the mornings. Looking at both of them, he realized why everyone they'd ever made called them a ''sweet domestic couple''. His momma, Anticlea, was always baking something, cooking and recipes were her passion. Her chef profession, resulted in her son having a sweet tooth. From her, Odysseus had also inherited her warm-looking eyes, their brownish shine. His father, Laertes, was a historian, always doing something restlessly with his hands, and his curious eyebrows –that Odysseus had inherited- looked like they treasured all the knowledge in the world. They also shared a good amount of mutual sense of sarcasm.

''You say that because you've never worn a school uniform in your life.''

''Your son is right, but it does need a bit of loosen up...''

''Not to be one of those back-in-my-day grownups, but you look ready to suffocate. Sit your ass down, your omelet is getting cold.''

Odysseus rolled his eyes and he sat down across his parents, effortlessly grabbing a piece of bread and his burned omelet. His mother put down her coffee to stare at him as he ate, but her husband seemed rather more focused on the newspaper he held rather than anything else.