We Faced a Goddess

Tuesday morning, I got up and was very sore. I looked and felt like a total mess. I decided not to go to school that day because I just needed a breather from what happened. No one should have to worry about school when they almost died at the hands of a goddess, got a message from their deceased parents, and witnessed their girlfriend’s mother appear from a ball of light just to vanish once again. It was a wild night.

Telling Aunt Paige about what happened was a fun time. I showed her the cuts and bruises from the night before and I thought she was going to pass out. She lectured me like a mother would then hugged me and patched me up.

I finally talked to her about my dad. I asked her how she felt about him being gone. She hadn’t talked about it much and I knew it hit her harder. I remember my dad telling me stories about them growing up. They were friends. Aunt Paige broke and cried for a bit. Before then I had never really seen her cry. In that moment, I saw Aunt Paige as the strongest woman I knew. I was really lucky to have her in my life.

Wednesday, we had to make up stories to tell people why we were broken and bruised. We agreed to tell everyone it was a minor car accident. I didn’t think people would believe we fought a goddess. Hell, I could hardly believe it and I lived through it… We lived through it.

Thursday Keres, Erik, and I decided to visit Firline after school. Her face lit up to see us out of harm’s way. Erik introduced himself and we told her everything that happened from the floor opening to Chantale visiting us. She was so happy to hear that Ambrus and Keres got to see Chantale and told us if she ever comes back to tell her Firline says hi.

It’s amazing how things go back to normal after something traumatic happens. Erik, Keres, and I hung out like usual. We continued our senior year. Things were peaceful (until semester exams that is). It was a lot better knowing we didn’t have to defend our lives as much.

Life continued and only a handful of people knew what happened. The local news covered the story but they mostly ruled it off as entertainment. No one had any other explanation. We would take this story to our graves.

Life wasn’t as hard compared to what we did. College applications were childsplay. Nothing would ever compare to what we fought. It’s still strange to me that any of this happened. In three months, I went from the worst week of my life to the worst possible problem I’d ever face.

Keres is in college now. She’s studying to become a doctor. Her abilities would be wonderful in a medical profession. She could save a lot of lives. Erik is still working at Ambrus’ store. He and I go to community college. We’re all still dating and we’re all still growing. We’re all stronger than ever.

Everything seemed easier after that one night. It was even easier to breathe. I still grieved for my parents, but it was easier knowing Erik had talked to them. Sleeping at night was easier. My visions weren’t as terrifying as before the fight. Things were just easy going.

We never fully relax, though. The Loa got rid of Nemesis, but who’s to say she wouldn’t come back? We carried on as cautious survivors. We carried on together. We faced a goddess… and lived to tell about it.