The New Demigods

Chapter 5: Breakfast

When I woke up, I was relieved to see that I was still in the bed I had fallen asleep in. I climbed down from my bed using the foot holes that had been carved into one of the oak tree bed posts. I didn't know if I was supposed to wait for somebody to knock on my door or if I was supposed to go out alone. I didn't even know what time it was, but light came spilling through the leaves that covered the ceiling. I looked over the room and noticed an envelope on the ground just in front of the door.

Trainee,

Please change into the toga hanging on the back of your door and join us in the dining hall.

I took the toga off the hanger and held it for a minute, with hesitation before I draped it over a low hanging branch on one of the oak trees. I pulled off yesterday's white shirt and hung it over another branch. I looked down at my torso to see the dark bruising had faded substantially overnight. The purple still covered most of my torso, but now it felt like a more familiar shade.

When I took off my jeans I noticed small, faint bruises covering my legs that matched the ones on my arms yesterday. However, the bruising on my arms was barely visible and I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't known where to look.

I took the toga in my hands and didn't even know how to get it on. My first attempt of stepping into the toga and then bringing up the arm straps was a complete failure. I tried again and struggled with it, until I lost my footing and fell into the pool of water under my bed. The water came up to my chin as I sat in the pool with my legs still caught in my toga. My cheeks began to heat up with embarrassment, even though there was nobody to see what had happened. In frustration, I threw the toga onto the moss carpeting. I crawled out of the pool and stood on its outskirts watching the water settle. When the water had calmed, I saw an unfamiliar reflection staring back at me. I ran my hand through my dark-red hair and watched the reflection do the same. I fixed my eyes on the pale green eyes in the pool of water and an uneasy feeling rose in my stomach. I counted 6 bruises across my face and traced my split lip with my finger. When I looked over the rest of my reflection I noticed all of the bruising from my neck down had disappeared. I looked down in disbelief and was surprised to see that my reflection wasn't lying. I knelt down and cupped the water in my hands, then splashed it over my face. When the water calmed again, I looked at my reflection to see the bruising had faded. I submerged my whole head into the pool for as long as I could. When the surface settled again, I had been completely healed. I sat on the moss, staring into the pool, mesmerized. My brain tried to think of a logical explanation, but came up with nothing. Late, said the voice in my head. I was surprised to hear the voice again.

I picked up the toga and was surprised to see that it was completely dry. I decided to try pulling it over my head and it went on without any problems. I searched my room for the beige loafers I had kicked off before getting into bed last night, but they were nowhere to be found. Late, repeated the voice. I rushed, barefoot, to the door and pulled it open. I was blinded by the light that came in and looked at the ground as my eyes adjusted. I didn't understand why everything was so bright, when I hadn't seen any lights or even the sun in the sky since being here. When I could finally see, I noticed a pair of gladiator sandals on my doorstep. I slipped them on and did up the buckles, surprised they fit me perfectly. Late, harped the voice. I stepped out onto the main path and looked around. The path ended with my house on the left and another across from it, so my only option was to return to the warehouse from last night.

I pushed open the giant stone doors with a surprising ease and entered the room. The thrones were gone and in the centre of the room was a long dining table. The table had almost every food imaginable on it, including dishes I had never seen before. Each of the teenagers from last night were seated at the table and the oracles sat at the ends of the table. Everybody turned to stare at me as I walked to the only empty seat. I sat down and noticed the boy to my right was the curly-haired boy who had thrown up last night. I assumed everybody had been avoiding sitting beside him in case it happened again.