Mostly Normal: Only Half of the Story

(Ara) Act Two, Scene Four

Both versions of Ara sighed once they entered the Janus cabin and forced themselves to compact into one girl again. This Ara was both miserable and proud, and she didn't have a clue why. But emotions sometimes came randomly to her, which was another mystery no one had ever bothered to solve.

"ARA!"

Ara's head snapped up. She looked out the window. Madeline and Fred were running towards the cabin, panicked looks on their faces. Right behind them was a weird bull thing. Ara vaguely remembered Madeline saying she'd run into a bull thing yesterday. Ara jumped off her bed and rummaged under her half-sister's bed. Underneath the bed, pushed to the very back wall, was Lonna. Ara smirked and pulled the long sword out from under Madeline's bed. The celestial bronze blade shone in the morning sunlight as Ara opened the window and jumped out, grabbing her own bow, named Kahlo, from her nightstand as she went.

She sprinted to her sister and split into two different people, this time on purpose. Though she hated doing it in front of people as they called her a freak for it, but this time it was an emergency. Madeline yelled a quick 'thanks' before she started to slash at the beast with all of her might. Ara knocked an arrow and shot. Kahlo gave a twanging sound as the imperial gold string snapped. Ara ran, breathing heavily as the bull stopped chasing after Fred and redirected its attacks towards her. She dodged the first couple, but by the time that it charged for her the sixth time, she was so out of energy that she fell under it. When Madeline stabbed the beast, it fell on top of the smaller daughter of Janus. Ara could feel what felt like her life force slowly slipping out from her, she looked up at the clouds, above was a pacing Valkyrie. Ara smiled knowing that at least the last thing that she would see before she died, was her first and best friend. Ara felt the last of her energy drain from her body and her eyes fluttered closed.

The last thing Ara heard was Madeline's sob. "Ara, no!" then a sheet of blackness came over her, and she felt herself float away to who knows where.

Madeline sank to her knees and began to cry. Fred came over to her and placed his arms around her. He picked her up and carried her to the infirmary, where he let the children of Apollo look her over. Rio came racing out of the cabin, his face as pale as a blank piece of paper. Lorelai came over and threw the bull off of the fifteen-year-old girl's lifeless body. Elliot appeared out of the showers, his hair still dripping wet, he was shirtless as well. He glanced up into the sky just in time to see Ara's Valkyrie friend disappear with a transparent figure in tow.