Iridescence

CHAPTER FIVE

VANESSA

School was kind of weird that day. For one, I suddenly had some new friends to acknowledge. I figured that's what we were now, considering a bunch of Greek Gods had just informed us we shared a destiny. I mean, what else are friends if not people walking along the same destined path, right?

Eliza, Krissy, and Faith stuck together as much as they could. When they spotted me, Krissy eagerly waved me over. I joined them in the cafeteria during lunch.

One thing I noticed we all seemed to agree on was that cafeteria food in New York City public high schools is toxic and should be avoided at all costs. Krissy was eating chips from the vending machine and had also purchased three cans of soda. Eliza was eating an egg salad sandwich. Faith had grabbed the traditional New York meal of bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll from the neighborhood bodega. I had some leftover chiwada my mom made for dinner the night before.

"Indian food?" Faith asked as she looked at my lunch.

"Yeah. My mom was born here, but her parents are from New Delhi, so she was raised making Indian food," I explained.

"What about your dad?" Krissy asked curiously.

"He was born in Mumbai and moved here as a teenager. He's back there now. My parents got divorced when I was nine. Dad was kind of an asshole. He had a really bad temper, and he hit my mom one day, so she took me and left him. He decided to go back to India and that's when I felt safe enough to tell Mom I was a girl."

"How did she take it?" Eliza asked.

"She said she figured that out when I was a toddler," I replied with a laugh. "Since she was granted full custody, she changed my name and let me live as the marvelous butterfly that I am."

"It's great that your mom supports you," Krissy replied.

"My mom's awesome. I'm really lucky to have her."

Jenna came toward us then. "Hey girls," she said with a smile. "Can I join you?"

"Of course," Eliza replied politely.

Jenna took a seat. Her lunch consisted of an apple and a protein bar. She took a bite of the apple before saying, "So... Yesterday really happened, right?"

"Considering it's today, I'd say so," Krissy replied with a grin.

"We met Greek Gods yesterday... And battled a chimera... And flew through the sky on magical motorcycles... I wasn't dreaming." Jenna shook her head. "Alright, my life has officially gotten weird."

"Weird, but fun," Faith replied.

"At least it's interesting," I added.

"You're all coming later, right? To the woods, to meet up with Artemis?" Jenna asked.

"I'm definitely in," I replied. "I like the idea of being part of something bigger."

"I'll be there," Krissy chimed in. "And so will Eliza."

Eliza looked a little nervous, but she nodded. "I feel like we have to at least see where this is going," she replied.

"It's not like I had anything better to do today," Faith added. "Besides... I want to see Artemis again."

"You do realize she's a virgin Goddess, right? She's not interested in relationships," Krissy pointed out.

"Artemis has a well-documented hatred of men," Faith replied. "That doesn't mean she's opposed to dating girls."

"Are you a lesbian?" Jenna asked in surprise.

"Was my flirting with the sexy Goddess of the Hunt too subtle for you?" Faith asked with a laugh. "I like girls. A lot." She pointed to the button on her backpack that read, Sorry I missed church. I was busy practicing witchcraft and becoming a lesbian. "It's not like I'm even slightly in the closet, Jenna."

"I guess I just don't know you very well... I don't know any of you, really. I mean, I know who you are, but we've never really talked to each other much."

"Let me break it down for you," Faith said. "I'm a crazy pyromaniac with impulse control issues. Eliza's super shy and plays the piano. Krissy's overcaffeinated and hilarious. Vanessa is the star of every school play and she's super creative. Emily's antisocial and glares a lot... That's all I've got on her, sorry."

"She used to be different," I replied.

"She did?" Jenna asked in surprise.

"She was never popular or anything, but she wasn't so angry and dark before. I went to junior high school with her. Emily was a bit of an outcast, but I always try to help people feel comfortable, so I befriended her. She used to actually speak to people, even if she was a little shy and awkward about it. Then... Well, something bad happened."

"Spill, Ness!" Krissy said in excitement. It was obvious she was hooked.

"Emily had an older sister. No one knows how, but her and her friends died in a freak accident when an abandoned house collapsed. That's when Emily stopped speaking, even to me."

"That's horrible," Eliza replied in shock.

"Don't tell her I told you, okay?" I asked. "Emily probably won't be thrilled I said all of that."

"We won't," Krissy promised. "I like gossip, but I'm a vault when it comes to keeping secrets."

"Do you think Emily will join us?" Jenna asked.

"It's hard to say. Emily doesn't let people in anymore," I replied. "Still, if it's destined, I'm sure she'll come around."

"We should tell her we're meeting today after school," Eliza suggested.

"Can you talk to her for us, Vanessa?" Jenna asked.

"I guess so," I replied. "We have art together next period. I can talk to her before class starts."

"She spends most of her classes in the guidance counselor's office," Faith pointed out.

"She's really smart. She does all of her work, but she can't always handle sitting in class with other kids. She usually goes to art, though. She hides in the back of the class and just paints."

"Great. Talk to her, Vanessa. She should come with us," Jenna said.

"I'll try," I replied.

The bell rang. We all began gathering up our things before heading to our next class. Sure enough, I found Emily sitting in her usual spot. She glared at me when I approached her.

"Hey, Em," I said softly. "How are you doing?"

Emily glared a bit harder in response. I sighed. "Look, I know you don't want anyone to talk to you anymore, but we used to be friends, Emily. I care about you," I said. "And yesterday, after you left, I found out I'm part of something incredible and so are you."

She frowned. "No," she replied. "I'm not."

I kind of wanted to cry. It was the first time I'd heard her voice in over a year. I somehow kept myself composed as I said, "Em, come on... You won't know if this is something you want to do unless you try. At least come to the Kissena Park woods today after school with the rest of us. Artemis promised to start training us. Maybe you can get some answers about what all of this means."

Emily shook her head and refused to look at me. She started painting, not waiting for the teacher to tell us the lesson for the day. That didn't matter. Emily always did her own thing in art class, and the teacher didn't care. She appreciated Emily's talent and understood that painting seemed to be the only way she was willing to express herself, so she let her do whatever she needed to do in the moment.

I sat down at my own easel and looked at the blank canvas. I wondered what we'd be painting today. Although I usually expressed my talent through singing and acting, I also enjoyed art, and I was looking forward to releasing some of the chaos in my mind from the day before.

I tried, I thought. Maybe she'll surprise me and show up. The ball's in her court now.

Knowing there wasn't anything else I could do, I gathered my supplies and got ready for class to begin.