"Miss Cordelia? Please turn this way," said our math teacher.
I turned toward her, utterly exhausted. Bianca Loroley—who, for some reason, decided I was her rival—snickered. Blonde, green-eyed, your classic popular girl. Just staying still and being polite was hard enough, but no, I had to deal with her too.
I rested my head on the desk and closed my eyes. I needed sleep. And I needed to hope that Amor Ciro—aka my mom—would somehow save me from this woman.
A paper hit my head. I sat up, cursing under my breath. Casper was smirking at me and pointed at the note in my hand with his eyes.
"Meet me by the bushes during lunch break?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Casper, Bianca's twin, was just like her. Same brain, same attitude.
He leaned toward Eden, who sat between us, and whispered something. Eden nodded reluctantly and turned to me. "He says you'll find out then. He's sure you'll enjoy it."
Eden couldn't walk properly; he had leg issues and was always bullied by people like Bianca and Casper.
"Miss Ciro, Mr. Godden, out! I won't tolerate any more interruptions in my class!"
Of course. Casper stayed. Eden and I got punished. Because their mom was Mathilda's favorite. Rumor was, they were dating.
The Loroleys had privilege.
I leaned toward Eden. "Need help?"
He nodded calmly. We stood up and walked out together.
**
We were in the canteen's garden. Eden and James were on the bench; I sat on the ground, cross-legged. A peach iced tea in one hand, a massive sandwich in the other.
"Eden turns into a different person around the Loroleys," I said. "I don't get it."
"They're just kids—we all are," he said. We groaned.
"I've got issues with my legs. I've made peace with it. When they insult me, I don't even take it personally."
"Forget the Loroleys. We've got a bigger problem. Our attendance is near the limit."
"My mom will take care of it," I said.
Amor Ciro was always proud that I hadn't been expelled again. ADHD made it hard for me to follow rules. I fenced, did taekwondo, and ran every morning just to manage it.
Eden laughed. "I don't need Miss Amor's help. I'm not the one constantly getting kicked out of class."
James and I grinned. He hated rules but loved learning.
"Sorry, bro," James said, "but I refuse to submit to a prison that kills our minds."
"To Leader James Dave and his freedom-loving ideals!" I raised my drink.
"So why'd you get kicked out?" James asked. "Mathilda likes your mom."
"She's dating the Loroleys' mom."
Silence.
"Two moms? That's weird. Do you give two gifts on Mother's Day?"
"Dude," Eden said. "They only have one real mom. Mathilda's just… a bonus. Casper's homophobic anyway. I doubt he even knows."
"We're thirteen," I said. "We shouldn't even be talking about this." I leaned against James's legs. "What we *should* be talking about is…"
"Casper wants to meet me during lunch."
"What? Why?"
"That's why we got kicked out. He told Eden to pass the message. Mathilda caught us."
"Maybe he just wanted you two gone," James shrugged. "Forget the Loroleys. Are you still seeing weird stuff?"
Ah yes. That too. Monsters. From Greek mythology.
"I'm not a demigod, James. We've been over this."
"You have the signs, Cor."
"Oh, sure. Zeus and Poseidon are *super* believable."
"I *am* seeing something," I added. "Blonde. Green-eyed. Probably a demon."
"We see that too," Eden muttered. "Casper's coming."
"Come on, I just want to talk," Casper said with a fake-pleading smile. "Guys, if they're stopping you, Cordelia—"
"Go meow to your stepmom, Loroley," Eden snapped.
"Stepmom? My mom's straight. Can't say the same for yours, Godden—do you even know who she is?"
"You're crossing the line," I said, standing up.
"I'm just saying. Who abandons a kid like that—at least leave them at an orphanage—"
James lunged. Blood trickled from Casper's mouth.
"Maybe she didn't want to leave you—maybe she had to," he sneered.
James nearly punched him again, but Bianca showed up with her minions. The moment she did, the fountain exploded.
"My mom's gonna kill me," I muttered.
"Bianca, can't live without your brother, huh?"
"This isn't about you, Cordelia," she said with a smile.
Leon walked toward James. Leo and Leonardo came at Eden and me.
"Shit," I muttered. A vision. A monster. "Come on, ragazzi. Non aver paura."
Leonardo charged. I kicked him in the face. Blood dripped. I grinned.
Leo lunged. I slipped aside. Moved like water.
But Leon was on top of James. I jumped on the fountain, scanning.
James knew. He smiled.
Leonardo and Leo lined up behind me. Eden shouted, "Formation complete!"
I leapt off Leonardo's back, onto Leo, then Leon. They collapsed.
"Adora questo!" I shouted.
"Still speaking Italian," Eden said. "Don't get cocky."
I saw Mathilda. And something else.
"J," I whispered. "I'm seeing something."
"I see it too, Cor. That's a Good One."
Eden looked stunned. "Wait—what? I found three at once? Oh my gods."
"Okay. I promise I'll explain. But first, we have to find Lorance Lanse Cole. From Class D. Trust me. Don't panic."
***
Hi guys. I'm Turkish, so I used translation when publishing this chapter. (I know English, a little. I can't write a story) I hope it's okay.
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