Hestia's Daughter

~~Chapter One~~ Going Swimming With Strangers

~~Chapter One~~

Going Swimming With Strangers

I was hungry and tired. I had nothing but the clothes, notebooks, and pencils in my bag. Why did I have notebooks and pencils in my bag?

     To keep track of time. I'm all alone out here, and I have no sense of time. So whenever the sun comes up, I mark it as a new day. When the moon comes up, I mark it as the ending of a new day. I've been doing this for a year now.

     My clothes have grown a bit too tight on my body. My once brown hair became red due to the exposure of the sun. And yes, it is possible. My once blue eyes suddenly became gold. A fiery kind of gold.

     "Hey! Hey watch it!" An older man that looked about twenty bumped into me. He looked tone and lean, with sparkling blue eyes and surfer blonde hair. My eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful man.

     "I'm sorry." I sputtered. He flashed me an award winning smile, then held out his hand.

     "I'm Cyrus. Who are you?"

     "I go by many names. Vesta, Sahara, Safara. I don't have a true name." He looks at me shocked, then started to analyze my face.

     "You look like an Amazon." I looked at him strangely.

     "Amazon?"

     "Yeah, like the tribe. Your eyes have that amazing fierce color." I blushed.

     "Cool."

     "But if I had to give you a name, I would call you Avalon or Arron." His smile was so pretty. It was contagious too, and I found myself smiling.

      "I like them both." I say shyly. He looks around and I notice that we've walked onto the beach. He shoots me a sly smile.

     "Wanna go swimming?" He asked boldly. I didn't say anything, but he still took my hand and dragged me closer to the water. He took off his shirt and jeans, leaving him in nothing but his boxers. My eyes widened and my cheeks felt like they were on fire.

     "Come on." He says, tugging at my shirt. I felt a little shy, just at the thought of swimming with him. He sensed my hesitation.

     "Either you undress yourself, or I undress you." He smirks and starts to tug my shirt upward.

     "No! I can do it myself." I squealed. He smirked and took a couple steps back.

     "Okay then, do it."

     "Not while you're watching. It's uncomfortable." He smiles, places his hands on his eyes, and turns away. I look around to make sure nobody is around, then start taking off my shirt and jeans until I am left in nothing but my underwear and bra.

     "Are you done?" He asked. I look down at my body, and run into the water.

     "Yes." I call out. He turns around, a shocked expression on his face when he doesn't see me. But he then turns again and looks out to the water where I am. He runs out to the water and splashes me. I laugh and splash him back.

     "You're very pretty, has anyone ever told you that?" He stated.

     "I've been called a pig or a donkey before." I muttered. He looks at me with confusion clear in his eyes.

     "What?"

     "My step-mother's husband. My best friend's father. He hated me and I despised him." I say bitterly.

     "Wow. You must've had it pretty bad. Did they leave you behind or something?"

     "No. I left. Something with fire happened, it was awful. I couldn't see anything but red, and my body felt like I was being burned alive. Then I thought up of all these really bad things, and it all stopped," I glanced at Cyrus.

     "Sorry. You must think I'm a monster. But when I thought of those things, I was in pure bliss." I move away from him and face the sun, right over the water, and let it hit my face. I close my eyes at the warmth.

     "You don't sound like a monster. You sound like me." He comes up behind me and puts his arm around me. I open my eyes and look at him.

     "Who are you really Cyrus?" He sighs.

     "Someone who should't say. You'll learn, just not right now. I'll see you later Avalon." He swims out back to shore, puts his clothes on, and walks away. I watch as he leaves.

     "What does that even mean?" I mutter. I look at my palm and think of David. How evil he was to me. My hands glow ablaze and the water starts to boil.

     My eyes widen and I run out of the water. I look at my hand, still ablaze with white and black flames. I suddenly have an idea. I hold my hand to my dripping hair and I dry it completely. I mimic the action to my body and soon, I am dry again.

     I put my clothes on, then look around to make sure that no one saw anything. I look up at the buildings.

     "Where am I?" I murmur.

     "You don't know?" A new voice sounds from behind me. I turn and gasp.