𝔻𝕦𝕤𝕜 𝕋𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝔻𝕒𝕨𝕟

~Kamari~

    I don't know what I was thinking. All I remember was running, my twin at my side. We ran for hours before we finally took a stop. We had always been the ones to run when getting bullied, and that didn't change that day. We ran, not even caring what the others at Camp Trojan would think. We ran till our legs were sore, and our breathing was shallow. We ran until our foreheads were as wet as the ground in a rain forest.

    We were, admittedly, crybabies.

    Looking back on it, I cringe every time I think about how weak I was. That is, before I realized that crying was okay. 

    I should have told the counselors, or even my older siblings, but I didn't. And neither did Koen, my twin brother who had been by my side ever since birth. We were practically conjoined at the hip, as they say. We were all we had.

    I just wish it would always be as such.

    Anyway, we ran our little 12-year-old legs as far as we could. We kept running. Through trees, bushes, creeks, we ran. And we didn't stop until we reached the city of Chicago. Once we reached the windy city, we decided it was a good idea to eat. The only problem? We had no money.

    After we realized we had no money, we chose to sit outside on the wet concrete of the parking lot of Chick Fil A. My loose brown curls were frizzy from the humid weather, and the clouds were gathered in the sky, indicating there was a storm on the way. My brother sat at my side, his brown curls also frizzy.

    We sat in silence for about 30 minutes before a woman with light skin and straight, chestnut colored hair who looked around the age of 35 came up to us, a worried look on her face. She carried a toddler with a pink beaded ponytail and blonde hair.

    "What are you two kids doing here? Where are your parents? Do you need food?" She questioned, her light blue eyes were watching us sadly. She felt bad for us. Koen and I glanced at each other.

    "We don't have parents. And we are really hungry" Koen spoke the truth. We had sat there for 30 minutes, and hadn't ate since that morning at 10 am, which was quite a while ago considering it was now 7:30 pm according to my phone.

    "Oh my goodness! Please, come with me, my dears. I will buy you some food, anything you wish!" Her voice was sincere and worried. Me and Koen glanced at each other once again, coming to a silent agreement, and looked back at the woman. 

    "Thank you so much, ma'am. You really don't have-" I was cut off.

    "I insist, children. Please, let me buy you some food" She didn't look like she planned on backing out of this anytime soon, so I finally nodded. She seemed nice. I was thankful for her kindness, and I just hoped that she wouldn't be secretly evil or something. That sounds ridiculous, but I've seen some things. I've heard some things.

    "Wonderful!" She exclaimed. She seemed very happy about our decision, and Koen and I smiled at her. "I'm Evelyn, by the way." she introduced. Me and Koen stood.

    "I'm Kamari, and this is my twin brother Koen. It's nice to meet you Evelyn." I looked at the toddler. "What's her name, if you don't mind me asking?" The baby's brown eyes watched me as she smiled a toothless grin. I smiled at her cuteness.

    "This is Sarah, she's my niece." Evelyn smiled and turned her attention to Sarah while adjusting her arms to hold her better. "Now come, kids. Let's get some food." 

    We walked with her inside just as thunder rumbled in the sky. "Looks like a storm is coming." A man sitting at a table said, a drink in his hand as he looked out the window. "You're right. Weather reports said that there might be a chance of a tornado in a county not far from here. I hope it won't get that bad." The woman at the other side of him said. 

    The restaurant was almost empty besides us and those people at the table. Evelyn walked up to the counter. "What do you want, kids?" she asked us. "Chicken strips!" Koen and I say in sync. We look at each other with a playful glare. "With ranch" I add. Koen nods.

    "And to drink?" The waitress said, now in the conversation. "Coke" "Dr Pepper" Koen and I were in sync again. Evelyn laughed softly. I gently shoved Koen with my arm, a small smile on my face.

    After we gave our orders, Evelyn asked us to pick out a table. The other two people had left, meaning we were the only ones there now. We picked a table next to a window and sat down, watching the cars pass on the wet road as rain started to fall.

    "Where are we going to go after this?" Koen asked, looking at me seriously with his light green eyes. He had always been the serious one of us two, and before now, I never had the ability to understand it. We ran because we were made fun of because of our parentage. We should have fought back, or told someone at the very least. We were foolish to run.

    It was too late to turn back now, though. We were 12-year-old kids in the middle of a large and very populated city. 

    "Well, it depends on what Evelyn does after we eat. If she takes us home, if she leaves us here, whatever she does, it will affect what happens to us after this. He sighed. Evelyn came to join us. 

    "So, what got you both to Chicago?" Evelyn asked while setting Sarah on the seat beside me before turning and taking a seat next to Koen. 

    I looked at Koen in a silent question. Should we tell her?

    He nodded softly.

    "We ran" I answer her. Her eyes widened, and she looked at us like we were crazy. "What do you mean you ran? Where from? Why?" she seemed genuinely worried, her light blue eyes flickering between us as she waited for an answer.

    "We're...not really...human" Koen said, carefully. He seemed scared of her reaction. Evelyn's eyes widened even further. "What!?" she squeaked. 10-year-old me would have probably giggled at the 30-something-year-old woman squealing, but I knew better. If I were completely human, I would be just as shocked.

    "What he means is that we're demigods," I clarify, shooting Koen a small glare. He raised his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "We are children of Demeter." I continue. 

    "Table 10!" The waitress called for us. Evelyn snapped out of her daze and went to collect our food. She still looked in disbelief when she came back.

    "Demeter...as in the goddess of the harvest, agriculture, wheat, and a few other things Demeter? Or is that just your moms name as in she was named after her?" Evelyn asked. 

    "No...we mean our mother is the Demeter." Koen answered. I bit my lip as I watched Evelyn's face carefully. 

    "Well," She paused for a moment and looked at Sarah dipping one of her French fires into ranch and eating it. "Hello, my children." 

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HEHEHEHE cliffhanger. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I hope I'll finish this because I actually had a lot of fun writing this!

-Meh

What's your favorite color? Mine's sea green!

Bye y'all! <3