The Animalia

Chapter 1

I woke up to the sound of scratching at my door.

"Really, Apollo? The door's open.", I whispered to my dog, "Stupid dog, come here.", I called quietly, annoyed with the dog's lack of intelligence. When he didn't come, I started speaking in a language almost unintelligible to the human ear. As a response, He barked and wagged his golden tail.

"No, Apollo! Bad Dog!", I said, my sentence being received by offended whimpers. He continued to scratch at the door, and I gave up on trying to calm him down. I looked up at my boring gray walls, imagining, as I often did, what they would've been like had my mother still been around. If she was here, they would be painted and covered with posters and pictures. But I had to deal with a blank surrounding because my dad likes to have everything in its place, and thinks that blank walls would increase my focus.   

"Artemis! What are you doing still in bed? If you're awake you should be getting ready for school, not playing with the dog! I'm not letting you fail because you decided to make yourself late for school!", My father shouted from his room down the hall. 

"Okay, dad. Come here Apollo, come here boy! Good boy!", I said, finally catching his attention by heightening my volume above a whisper. Even after being yelled at, I was going to miss my dad,  but I knew I had to go. I was going to run away. First, I was going to go to school and see Diana one last time, but then, I was going to find the "beasts". 

I convinced my dad to let me walk to school, and as I left the house, I looked back and wondered if he would even miss me. He always acts as if I'm just a nuisance, and I know I get in his way, and that he hates to look at me because I remind him of my mother. I did have to tell him what I was doing, or he would call the cops to find me, thinking I'd been kidnapped. Then he'd call me and leave messages about the stress headaches from worrying so much. He'd try to guilt me into coming back. But I won't. So I left a note on his dresser, along with my phone. 

Dear Dad, 

I'm fine. By the time you read this, I'll be gone. I'll be looking for others like me. I know they're out there, and I need to find them. And yes, I need to do it now. School isn't going to do me any good anyway. I don't have to pay taxes if I pose as a dog, or if I make my way North to Yellowstone.  Or maybe I'll find a place with the others. 

 Love, Artemis        

P.S. Wet food gives Apollo diarrhea, and yes I expect you to keep him. If I find a place with the others, I'll be coming back for him.

~~~~~~~~

At the break, I meet with Diana and her friends, who talk and joke, because, for them at least, it's a regular Friday.  I pull Diana aside, but before I can tell her what I'm doing she says, " I think Leslie likes me. Do you think so?", She pauses to wave at Leslie, who caught Diana staring, " So, what do you think? She's cute, and it seems like she likes me, should I ask her out?", She said, before staring at Leslie again.

"I think she may be the gayest person in this school, second only to you of course.", She rolls her eyes as I say this, "Sure ask her out later, but I need to talk to you.", Diana snaps out of her daze when I say this. We may have only known each other for two and a half years, but she's my best friend, and I'm going to miss her. A lot. 

"What's wrong? Did you and Gabriel break up? Do you need a hug? Come here!", She blurts out, rapid-fire, before trying to pull me into a hug, I push her away.

"No touchy-touchy!, Yes me and Gabriel broke up, but that was last week, and I told you, but you were too busy ogling at Lucy Salisbury, who has a boyfriend." I  say, rolling my eyes " but that's not the point. Diana, the point is that I'm finding them. The other animal-people. Old Man Patterson's 'beasts'", I say, not meeting her gaze. I can't stop myself from saying 'beasts', but that's not what they-we are. We're people, and animals too, but mostly human. I think.

"No. You are not leaving me. At least wait until after I ask Leslie out, I might need your support if she rejects me", Diana says, even though we both know Leslie's not going to reject Diana, and even if she did, Diana would just start chasing some other girl, and not give Leslie another thought. 

"I'm leaving. Today. And you can't stop me, Diana. I need to get away from my dad, he's like alcohol, and I'm like water, I keep waiting for something to set us both on fire, a fire I can't put out. Besides, already left a note for my dad. If I don't leave, I'll be grounded. ", I said, just before the third period bell rang, and I walked to math class, the opposite direction of Diana's Art class.                                                                Warning: random talking below

Hey y'all, how you doin'?  This is edited, but if you find any inconsistencies or mistakes, please tell me.  A huge thank you to Tamakisayshi and Spidercam for helping me write the story and LexiconLullaby for helping me edit the story.