Okay, maybe my dad was right. Maybe I do have an overactive imagination. But that might be a good thing. It might be why I can listen to all of the crazy talk around me and not go completely insane.
“That had to be the most vanilla conversation I have ever been granted free access to. Thank you, Sailor. You are officially the most boring human I have met,” Jinx says as he plops down beside me.
I ignore his jab. My head is too full to worry about what some stranger thinks. Ya-Ya picks at a cuticle. Grace goes away again and returns with a tray of cookies and a pitcher of water, while Mel and Sunday take a seat in a pair of recliners, picking up PS4 controllers and turning on the big system. Are they seriously going to game at a time like this? My world is crashing down and they are going to play video games?
“Not now,” Rye orders, before they even get past the loading screen. “And if you even think about sitting here wasting time playing, I will destroy that console.”
“Great. As if eternity with your ugly face isn’t punishment enough, you would take away the one good thing humans created.”
Sunday puts down his controller and crosses his arms. Mel follows suit. So, I was definitely right earlier. Rye is the leader. They all snap to attention under his command.
Mel and Sunday seem a bit goofy, Grace is very motherly, and I can’t quite figure out Jinx and Ya-Ya. Plus, Aziza just seems to think I am more of an inconvenience than whatever the others seem to think I am. And they think I will save the world? Who are they kidding?
I jump up and call for Loki.
“I think this whole thing has been a huge misunderstanding. I can’t possibly be the Paradox or the one to save, well, anything really. So, thank you for saving my life and washing my clothes. But I’m going home. You heard my dad. He needs me, we just moved here, and I am about to start my senior year, so I really can’t be involved in whatever this is. So, bye.”
“No, Sailor, wait,” Rye starts.
Jinx, Sunday, and Ya-Ya all start talking at me in unison.
“Please, just stay. Have a cookie and some water. It’s not going to take too long to explain,” Grace adds, but even she has concern in her eyes that doesn’t give me a lot of confidence.
Aziza doesn’t say anything or even try to jump in.
“Aziza, a little help please?” Rye insists.
She rolls her eyes and squares off at me.
“You should stay, but I don’t think it will really matter.”
“Aziza!” Rye snaps.
I am already almost to the door when Mel’s soft voice stops me.
“Look, Sailor, if you let us tell you everything, all that we know, and you still don’t think you can be a part of this, okay. You will be free to go. But, just, please, at least let us explain before you walk out that door.”
My curiosity gets the better of me and I know I can’t just go now. Not without a full explanation. Isn’t that what I’ve been begging for since the demon in the forest? Isn’t this exact scenario what I’ve been begging for my whole damn life?
I reluctantly turn back to Mel and give her a small, silent nod. She smiles and I move back to the center of the room. After a few brief glances around the room, we all seem to both stiffen and relax; it’s honestly the strangest sensation. Like, we don’t really want to be here together, but we also don’t want to leave this spot. Something big is about to happen, or so the tingles in my fingers seem to be saying.
“Anything you want to say before I jump in, Rye?” Mel asks.
He shakes his head and retreats from the room. My heart drops. I was really hoping he’d be here. I tell myself to get a grip, stop acting like such a flake, and listen to what the group has to tell me.
“The first thing you need to know is that the supernatural world does in fact exist,” Mel begins.
“Yeah, got that part,” I reply as I flash back to the fight in the forest.
Trust me, that is forever imprinted in my brain.
“Beings with powers are actually known as Avo. Some Avo look like humans while others look like creatures from a Brothers Grimm novel. But what they all have in common is that they have special abilities. The most powerful of all Avo are the gods. They reside in Mensa, the hidden city. In Mensa there are gods from all different faiths and belief systems. There has been a long-standing argument among the gods as to the fate of humans. Half of the gods thought humans were selfish, a self-centered race that never learned from their mistakes. The other half were more sympathetic and felt that because the human race was so young they could still find redemption.
“The argument came to a halt when a sorceress named Imelda plotted to end the human race. As a child, Imelda was given to a human family that tried to repress her powers. When she was a teenager she was sent to a mental institution because she spoke about the supernatural world. As she grew up, her hatred of humans didn’t diminish. She longed for a way to bring humanity to a fiery end. She traveled across the globe, siphoning powers from other supernatural beings, hoping to gain enough strength to bring about the end of humanity.
“Soon, she had amassed enough power that she was actually a threat. The gods had to decide if they were going to help the humans or let them face the evil alone. They couldn’t agree, so
