We Bent Fate

Chapter 15.

MARTHA

I jump a little from the sound of the door being slammed shut angrily by Austin. In a minute, Lila rushes towards me and that is when I realize that I have fallen to the floor, my vision blurred with tears. 

"I-I am fine." I say as I slowly stand up and wobbly motioned towards the stairs, "I'll get a shower." 

My mind felt empty like nothing had happened at all, like I did not just break up with my boyfriend and as if I did not just found out that I was a living proof of ancient Greek mythologies' existence. 

I had told my sisters that I wanted to take a shower but the moment I entered my room, I sat on my bed and groaned loudly with my hands covering my face, and then surprising even to myself, a scoff escaped my lips. The funny part is that this morning when I woke up, I was worried about asking Austin's parents to make a cup of coffee for me and now.....

"Is this really even happening to me or am I just reading a very good book?" I stood up with my hands on my hips and chewed my lips.

A huff of sigh left my mouth as I tried not to think about what was happening in my life and walked into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and my prior pledge to myself to not think about all this evaporated in the thinness of the air. I caught a speck of black in my bloodshot eyes, widening and almost hallucinated in the process that my eyes turned from green to hazel; a forest green with swirls of yellow near the pupils. 

"Nope. Don't think about it, Martha." I shook my head and for a minute debated with myself speculatively if that even is my real name. I shook my head again, breathing heavily and stepped into the hot shower. 

I hissed through the hot water touching my skin and staining it pink. A deep ill feeling was slowly gauging its way up to my throat and it took a sob from my mouth to realize that I wanted to cry. Why why why. I asked myself repeatedly but obviously I didn't have an answer. Breaking up with him seemed logical at the moment.

Why should I make him suffer? He is a mortal and I am some mythological dateless being who kills people. We are not meant to co-exist. 

Besides, I really did mean it when I told him that we both needed space. I really don't feel like myself anymore. A little break will not take my feelings from him.

But no matter how many times I nod to myself, trying to believe that the decision I made was perfect for both of us, a stab of pain would pierce right through my heart and I would think about calling him and telling him that I was wrong, that I needed him.

A small portion of me was ready to fight out all the shortcomings of being in love and dreamed of getting married to his mortal, humble self but the rest of me thought about the things that could happen to him because of me; the things that had already happened to him because of me. 

I was an immortal lover who tried to make peace with the worldliness of my world but was defeating in every war with myself. 

After a few minutes when I stopped crying and rubbed my eyes with my nicely soaked pruney fingers, I decided to leave the bathroom and get dressed. The winter wind slapped me the moment I stepped out of my shower and I quickly wrapped myself in a towel. I shivered as I gaited my way to my room and decided what to wear. 

I slipped in a black sweatshirt, grey pajamas and a pair of white woolen shoe-socks when I heard a familiar chime of my phone. I swiped up my phone hurriedly, half expecting it to be a text from Austin. It was from someone called Margo. I frowned as I opened the messages.

Margo: Hey, how have you been? Ready for college? I have loads to tell you about. 

Margo: Also, did you finally find that tapestry you were looking for? I am sorry I couldn't ask earlier. 

Why would I be looking for a tapestry?

I scrolled through the previous chats and found a long list of conversations following through. I chewed my lips, thinking. She seems to be a good friend of mine. Maybe I can make her help me remember my past. 

"Martha, the dinner is ready, sweetie." I heard Lila calling and I shoved my phone inside my sweatshirt pocket, leaving the messages on read. I promised myself that I would read every conversation on my chat list tonight before replying to any of these messages. I don't want to ruin things anymore. I need to be very careful. 

I descended down the stairs, blinking furiously through a beam of tube-light attacking my already sensitive teary eyes.

Lila passed me a small sympathetic smile as I took out a chair to sit while Chloe was beaming, sitting across from me.

The black cat, Lulu played with my woolen shoes, pulling off a few threads till I picked her up and planted a kiss on her furry forehead. She meowed and retired to sleep meekly for the rest of the meal in my lap. 

"We understand this is very hard for you, Martha and we are glad to know that you are taking this so well." Lila held my left hand, giving it a little squeeze and I nodded. "But you really have to be careful. If you have any questions, as you should, you may ask us. We would be more than happy to help."

My brain swamped through a million of questions. I opened my mouth and then awkwardly closed it, almost feeling like a volcano mountain debating with itself whether it should explode or not. 

"I do have a lot of questions but let me just....register the already known information within myself, first." I say, heaving a sigh. "I do want to ask though, if I ever went to college.."

"Yes, you did. But I don't think joining back would be a great idea.." Chloe said, her face sullen and I readied myself to contradict my sister but Lila butts in. 

"But I think that she should. She would learn more about herself." Lila suggested and I decided that I really like her. 

"Is it just me or have you really started talking like that mortal?" Chloe set her jaw in a weird angle when she looked at Lila and for a second, I feared that she would dislocate her jaw if she continued to do so. 

"I do get your point that you are concerned if Martha would be safe without our supervision But surely, Austin can make sure nothing happens to her. I'll also make sure our neighbor, Pete takes care of her." Lila gives me a nod and irritation coils through me.

"I can take care of myself." I looked at them and both of them shook their heads. 

"No sweetie, you don't even know your powers yet. You don't remember anything." Chloe said in a stern voice. 

"But Austin hasn't given me self defense classes for nothing. I'll figure it out."

"You do not just pull out an 'I'll figure it out' when it includes original Greek Gods fighting a mythological war against you." Lila says and I clench my fists. 

"What do I do then?" I almost whine out of frustration. 

"Like I said, you'll go to college and Austin will take care of you." 

"But I just broke up with him." I argued. It would have been a normal teen's life conversation over dinner, if it weren't for this situation. 

"I don't care about that. You have to be careful and Austin will make sure of that." Lila snapped. "You don't necessarily have to talk to him, Martha. But talking to him is better than talking to any other mortal for now. I propose that he can watch over you from a distance, if that is what you like."

I felt like an infant who was forcefully being fed. I just broke up with Austin. Do they realize how awkward would this be? Although I still really love him but including him in all this would again put him in danger and this was the only reason why I had decided to break up with him in the first place. What is the point of all this?

But I also want to know everything. I want to know what mystery do I possess, what powers am I capable of. I don't remember anything right now but I will. 

"Okay." I mewl and Lila smiles. 

"I will have your head and of that mortal's, if anything happens to her."  Chloe scrunches her face in annoyance and Lila beams back at her. 

Under the table, I unlock my phone and swiftly sent a message to Margo. 

Me: I am coming. I have loads to listen from you :)