Demigods in High School(no mist)

Winter Davis

      Sometimes I wonder why people even exist. Lately, nothing seems to be going my way. My marks are slipping, and my best friend won't even talk to me. It sucks. She left me for Sarah and Carson, her new "popular" squad.
       It started when I was having a particularly rough day. It was one of the first times I realized that Adriana, my best friend, was avoiding me. She had been giving me little side glares for a few weeks, but I knew she was having a hard time with her parents right now, so I let it go. Maybe she just needed to let off some steam, and I was fine with her taking out a little bit of her stress and anger out on me if it made her feel better.
But it kept getting worse. That day, I had asked her if she wanted to hang out with me after school, and she said no. She said she was busy. But her Snapchat story said otherwise, it was full of pictures of Adriana and Sarah vaping and laughing drunkenly. I didn't even know she hung out with Sarah until then. Prior to that, I was under the impression that Adriana really didn't like Sarah. She was constantly throwing shade her way, it didn't make sense.
So, as I was being ditched, I had to walk home from school by myself. That's when the trouble started. I had been feeling on edge all day, like something was watching me. The feeling had only intensified since I started walking, and I found myself subconsciously running a hand over the bronze bracelet on my wrist. My grandmother had given it to me before she passed.
"Tap this twice, and all your troubles will fade away." she had said, slipping the bronze band onto my wrist. Her touch was gentle, and light. She was always a little bit of an eccentric old lady, so I didn't take what she said seriously. But having it with me always made me feel a little better, almost as if she was with me, protecting me herself.
I found myself speeding up my walk as I heard a loud crashing noise a while behind me. I had taken the long way, behind the shops and onto a hidden path, so that I could have some time alone with my thoughts and now I was regretting it. It was just a noise, noises were made all the time in New York, but this bothered me a lot, and I couldn't tell you why. Call it instinct, or a feeling, but I broke into a run when a chill went down my spine. I was still another 10 minutes away from my house, but maybe whoever was following me would lose interest.
I lost any recollection of a plan forming in my mind when it jumped on me. I don't know what it was, all I know is it was heavy. It pounced on my back like a cat, pulling me down to the ground. I screamed, claws digging into my back.
"Don't hurt me! Please! I'm just a kid!" I cried. I kicked my leg out blindly, feeling my shoe connect with something. Whatever it was that was on my back whimpered and backed away. I swiftly got to my feet, turning in the direction of the thing that jumped me. I was not prepared for what I saw.
It wasn't a dog, but it sure looked like one. It had unruly black fur covering its body, with a white muzzle. But it was its size that had me reeling. It was about as large as a minivan, with beady eyes like a hamsters and claws about as big as one. It seemed to be recovering from the shock of being hit by my heavy Timberland boot, and it looked ready to strike me again. I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up after being hit a second time, my back hurt and I could feel something warm and sticky running down it. I wouldn't be able to run away like this, so I was stuck.
I was trying to plan another escape route when it jumped again, and my life flash before my eyes. My mom, my little sister and brother, my grandma. My grandma.
Everything seemed to slow down. I tapped my bracelet twice with reflexes I didn't even know I had, and something materialized in my hand. I swung it out of instinct, and immediately there was a pile of gold dust on the ground. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me, and I took a few deep breaths, leaning back against the wall behind me.
"What the—" I thought, my mind whirling with questions. I didn't have time to think about what just happened, the pain in my back reminded me of that. I had to get home. I had to get home fast. I started walking, but my vision went in and out, the alley walls swirling sickeningly beside me. Any adrenaline that had been in my body was gone now, and I was deteriorating fast. I stumbled a few more steps before my knees wobbled and the ground rushed up to meet my. My last thought before I passed out was where the hell did I get a sword.
I came too in a dark room that was definitely not mine. I could tell from the squeaky bed, and the brisk air being filtered in. My room was always muggy. I sat up abruptly in my bed, hissing as a rope of fiery hot pain shot down my back. The lights instantly flickered on.
"Hey, you're awake!" a voice said from the doorway. I instantly whipped my head towards the sound, hurting my already aching temples. My hands flew up to my eyes as breathed through the sudden nausea that came with the sudden movement. I heard footsteps creaking on the old wooden floor as the pain dulled.
       "Woah, not so fast. Chill out, alright?"
        "Who are you?" I mumbled, trying to open my eyes enough to make out the figure in front of me. It was a guy, who was kind of short. Maybe about my age, it was hard to tell through my squinted eyes.
          "It's Leo. From your school?" Leo. The name distantly rang a bell. It took me a second then it clicked. Leo came a couple of weeks ago, he's in my English class. We hadn't really interacted all that much, once I sat next to him when we were reading a short story in class. I found out he was dyslexic, like me, so we struggled together that class.
        "What are you doing?" I asked, finally able to open my eyes completely. It made me a kind of woozy, his pointed face a little distorted but now I could make out his dark curls and darker eyes. I could also see his hands fiddling with a paper clip absently, and it somehow helped me to focus a little bit more. Gave me something to concentrate on.
       "Helping you. You were attacked, remember? Good thing I was there to save you with these bad boys," he said, flexing and winking. I have to admit, he was a little bit annoying, but it was also strangely endearing. I laughed a little.
       "Jeez. Yeah, I remember. What was that thing?"
       "That, my friend, was a hellhound." I looked at him like he was insane. For all I knew, he could have been. Actually, I barely knew Leo. He could be a murderer that sent that giant dog thing after me. I was about to say something, call him stupid, tell him I wanted to go home, but then I met his eyes. They were dark and full of concern.
         I decided in that moment I trusted him. It sounds crazy, but something was compelling me towards him, almost whispering in my ear telling me he was safe.
         "What—who are you? Why do you know that?"
         "I'm a demigod!" Leo said cheerfully, as simple as if he were telling me he was from New York. "And you are too."
     

Woah! Storiesoftheseven actually writes something!! It's been like a year. Part two coming soon guys.