MARTYR | A Luke Castellan Love Story

8 - The Past

{5 Years Prior}

11 year old Jay walked inside from the busy playground. She didn't enjoy the chaos and cacophony of the area. Instead, she preferred the silence and peace of the empty school hallway.

She enjoyed the tranquility, and often would ask to use the restroom just to enjoy the peace for a while, to clear her head. The small girl then went to the nearest water fountain and bent her head down to get a refreshing drink.

Just then, she heard the doors open down the hall, and the familiar screams and laughter of the playground filtered in as long as the door was opened, and then silenced when shut. She heard laughter and footsteps, and her heart sank as she recognized who it was coming from.

"Hah! Her shoes are so ugly!" snorted a girl with blonde hair and light eyes. Her name was Katherine, or Kat, and she was the popular girl of the school. She often had her minions of friends accompanying her.

Jay quickly started backing away from the sound of her voice, but she wasn't quick enough.

"Look who we got here! It's Jay the ugly girl of the Day! She spat. Two other girls who were beside her snickered. Jay simply bowed her head.

Kat strode up to her and reached into Jay's hoodie pocket, and fished out an orange prescription bottle, dangling it in her face.

"Lookie! She's got meds! She's crazy"

Jay clenched her teeth and yanked the bottle out of her hands, quickly stowing it away back in her pocket.

"Yuck! Don't touch me with those grubby hands!" Kat hissed, before shoving Jay back out of disgust.

Jay wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted someone to help her. Anyone.

Little did she know, that that person would be herself.

Jay's anger bubble felt like it exploded the exact same time the water fountain did.

It sprayed the girls with a stream of cold water, soaking them.

Jay backed up, bewildered and glad.
She began to laugh.

Just then, a man ran over, his bald head shining and his thick eyebrows turned in an expression of rage.

Uh oh.

Kat screeched and pointed at Jay.

"Mr. Gage! Jay messed with the water fountain and sprayed us!" She sobbed.

Jay looked at him and she shook her head.

"No..I didn't.." she whimpered.

Mr Gage took one look at the water fountain and then at Jay. He needed someone to blame, so he unfairly decided to pick Jay, the troubled girl.

The man growled and grabbed her hoodie sleeve.
"You're coming to the office with me." he said sternly.

Kat looked at Jay with utter hatred and a hint of smugness.

The demigod looked down helplessly as the angry teacher took her to the office.

"Why? Why me?" she thought sadly.

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Jay sat on a log in the forrest and thought of memories like those. She had plenty. Now that she was a demigod, she understood now. She understood why the water fountain exploded, she understood why she saw the monsters that no one else saw.

She sighed sadly. She felt hurt, but she was used to being bullied. She thought of herself as naive for thinking she was safe from it here. Just then, she heard a crash and the screech of a horse. The girl quickly shot up and towards the direction of the sound.

She skid to a stop when she saw the sight.

A winged horse had a broken chariot strapped to it, and it was running everywhere, the chariot skipping and sliding behind it.

Instantly, she was hit with voices.

"It hurts! Help! It hurts!"

Out of instinct, Jay ran towards the frightened creature, but it began go run towards some campers who weren't paying attention.

Jay acted fast and intercepted the pegasus before the chariot swung over and hit them.

She immediately put her hand out as the pegasus reared up, flapping its wings wildly.

"Daughter of Poseidon! Help me!"

She waited for it to come back down again before gently stroking its snout, comforting it.

"Shhh...it's okay.." she whispered, her heart racing.

The campers looked at her with bewilderment and shock, and she saw Will quickly run over and start unhooking the horse from the broken chariot.

"It was talking to me" Jay blurted out, amazed.

Will smiled "That's good! Ask it What's wrong and why it went crazy!"

"My hoof! Thorn! My hoof!" it whinnied.

Jay kneeled down and checked the Pegasus' hoof, and sure enough, there was a large thorn in the skin above it.

"Look" she said to Will, pointing to it.

"Oh dear.." he kneeled next to it and began to work on it.

Jay sighed and looked back at the campers whom she saved.

They smiled gratefully at her.

She smiled shyly back.

Luke watched from the edge of the woods, leaning against a tree.
He was impressed and he couldn't help but watch Jay smile at the campers. It warmed his insides, no matter how much he denied it.