Hell, maybe I was a monster.
I shook myself, refusing to wallow any longer. My reflection reminded me it probably wasn’t a good idea to walk around looking like a crazy person no matter how much the shoe fit. I wiped away the mascara residue, readjusted my ponytail, then hopped out of Grandpa’s truck.
Gold glimmered around my wrist in the sunlight. I stopped and removed the bracelet, stuffing it into my pocket. No reminders. I’d have to remember to chuck the thing into the nearest toilet as soon as I got the chance.
As soon as I entered the dark smoky pub, a girl with wayward brown curls appeared out of nowhere, wearing the biggest, toothiest grin I’d ever seen. She looked about my age, had a flawless olive complexion, and wore glasses with neon-purple frames. “I’m Hazel.” She spoke with a British accent, in a tiny, excited voice. “I overheard your grandfather say to my dad that you’re going to Arcadia Academy. It’s my first year there too.”
I forced an uncomfortable smile. “Arcadia…is that like a detention center or something?”
“A detention center?” She tilted her head to the side, chuckling. “No, silly. It’s the most prestigious school in Mythos for both mages and creatures alike.”
Huh. I thought for sure Dad planned to punish me. A school for magical beings sounded more like a reward than punishment.
“I’m freaking out,” Hazel said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I’ve heard the other students won’t welcome us with open arms. Too much resentment, you know.”
“Why?” I said, clearing my throat.
“Because we’re from the human world. My mum and dad wanted live here, and they’ve managed to find their place, but I’ve always felt…well…a bit lost, I guess.”
Lost.
I understood that feeling. As hard as I tried to fit in, to be perfect, and to get the best grades, it was never enough. Even when I succeeded, I still felt like I was trying to find my way through the dark.
“Mostly, I’m tired of applying glamours to my horns and hooves every day,” she said with a sheepish laugh. “Bloody tiresome, if you ask me. In Mythos, I won’t have to.”
I drifted down the length of Hazel’s legs, noticing the large, clunky shoes that stuck out from the bottom of her jeans.
“I’m a faun,” she said, as if on cue. “The hooves are hidden…for now.”
I racked my brain, trying to remember what a faun was. “Half human, half goat?”
“Exactly,” she said, widening her toothy smile. “And your grandpa says you’re an Ares descendant, right?”
“That’s what he says.” I shrugged. This chick was a stranger and batshit crazy, for all I knew. She had to be, especially if she thought she was half goat. Honestly. Just because she had big feet…then again, I hadn’t expected my Grandpa to turn into a human torch either. Anything was possible.
“Ares is a badass bloodline,” Hazel said, sounding impressed.
“I’m still not entirely sure what it means, actually.”
“It means you’re what humans think of as demigods. Or what those in Mythos call guardians.”
“Right, guardians.” I nodded, pretending it all made perfect sense.
She studied me for several long seconds. “You’re pretty, too, just like the others,” she lamented, twirling one of her curls. “We fauns aren’t really known for our beauty.”
“Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself. I like your hair.” The compliment was genuine. Her hair was wild, chaotic, and very different than my own.
“Really?” She perked up. “Thank you.”
I stepped farther inside of the pub, looking around. “Um, Hazel, do you know where my grandpa went?”
The place was empty, the chairs and tables clear, save for one lone customer sitting at a mahogany wooden bar across the room, his face glued to some baseball game playing on TV.
“Mr. Thorne is upstairs, helping my dad open the portal. I wasn’t planning to leave so soon, but if everything works out, we’ll all have booked passage on the Mythos Line Ferry today. School starts next Monday.”
“In April?” It seemed like an odd time for school to start.
“Mythonians use astrological calendars, not human ones. The true beginning of a year starts in Spring, and that’s when our school year starts as well.”
Most of my friends would cry at having to start the school year all over again, especially at the end of their junior year. But ever the academic, I loved school. I spent most summers doing extra classes and reading books by the dozens; otherwise, I’d die of boredom. I was grateful to know I wouldn’t be behind everyone else.
“Follow me. I’ll take you up to him.” Hazel led the way up a curved staircase, talking my ear off along the way. “You have no idea how excited I am to have someone to tag along with. High school is already daunting, but Arcadia is a whole other ball game. My sister, Maple, went there, but she graduated last year. I have a younger sister, Poppy, who will go next year if she decides the human world isn’t for her. Where are you from originally?”
“Davidson, North Carolina. It’s a suburb outside of Charlotte.” I thought of the home I’d left behind, and my friends, too. No more endless texts from Sophia. No more morning lattes with Luke. Dad wouldn’t let me bring my phone, and I hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to either of them.
Hazel led me down a narrow hallway, the walls covered with family photos. It became clear the upstairs was used as the McDerby’s place of residence. There was a picture of Hazel with her sisters that made me wince. They all looked so happy. I bet none of them tried to kill one another.
“This way,” Hazel said, rounding a corner at the end of the hall. I overheard Grandpa and Hazel’s dad discussing the portal from another room.
“Will you make
