The new Goddess

I was holding Alex hand for a while now. She was so cold and looked so sick. I was really afraid that she wouldn't make it.
Sometimes she drooled something like 'my fault' or 'monster'. I didn't know what had happened but I was sure it had made a lot of impact on her.
'I need gilosa.' Callum suddenly said.
'What?' I answered.
'Its a sort of plant. I need it to heal Alex wounds. I saw it somewhere in the cave.'
'What if you get lost?'
'I found a rope in Alex backpack so we can find the way back.'
'We?'
'Yeah, I'll need Tess and Abby. Do you mind staying here with Alex?'
'No of course not.'
'Great.' Callum said. 'We'll try to be back as fast as possible.' He went to the girls and told them his plan. They nodded and after saying goodby and everything they left. Now I was alone with Alex. I put my hand on her forehead and swept the hair out of her face. Slowly she opened her eyes. I didn't know what to do, did she have to sleep? Did I have to talk to her?
'Uhm hi.' I said awkwardly.
'Hey.' She answered with a broken voice.
'How are you?'
She tried to smile but it didn't really work. I sat closer to her and she laid her head on my lap. Her hands found my face and her fingers ran over my nose, my mouth, my cheeks.
'Its really you.' She said with relieve in her voice. 'I missed you.'
Then her fingers touched my scar and I remembered how I got it. That was weird because I hadn't thought about it for a really long time. I was six or seven and went to preschool. I had a teacher and she was really weird. She always had this really long nails with red nail polish. Her face had the form of a triangle and she always looked like she was smelling burned toast.
Every time I entered the classroom she gave me this creepy smile that gave me nightmares.
I told my best friend Lewis about it and we decided to draw her face on a piece of paper. (Don't ask why) It was really funny but we had to throw our drawing away because the teacher couldn't see it. Then before break she called me to her desk and told me to stay in the break. I was really nervous and while the others left the classroom she came closer to me.
'Finn.' She said. 'Do you recognize this?' Suddenly our drawing appeared in her hand. I could swear I was as red as a tomato but I still said no.
'LIAR!' The teacher yelled and she planted her nails in my eyebrow and left a cut. Suddenly the teacher started to change. She became green and bigger. That was the moment Lewis ran in with a lacrosse club and started to hit our teacher/monster. I was so shocked that I could only look and when I could move again to help fighting it was already to late. The monster/teacher put her hand in the air in stuck it in Lewis chest, she used her fingernails like a sword. Lewis fell on the ground and I rushed over to help him, the monster/teacher pushed me against the wall and told me this wasn't over. Then she disappeared and I got help. They brought Lewis to the hospital and I had to explain what had happened. No one believed me. They thought I was crazy and in a shock. They told my mother I had to go in therapy. I was so angry that I didn't talk for two weeks. And then Lewis died. He hadn't made it through a third operation. My nightmares became worse and I still feel responsible and guilty. I hated that scar.
I looked at Alex and she looked at me like she totally understood what I was feeling. It was like she knew what happened to me, but that wasn't possible of course.
I heard footsteps behind me and the others came back with a weird kind of plant I'm their hands.
'Shes awake!' Tess said happily.
'Yeah but she's going to sleep again as soon as I give her this plant.' Callum said. 'She needs the rest and the healing power of the plant.'
Abby looked at me. 'Finn maybe you should also take some rest. You look exhausted.'
I nodded and suddenly felt how tired I was. I put Alex head back on her backpack (she used it as a pillow) and laid down on the cold hard ground, still holding Alex hand. As soon as I closed my eyes my dream started.
I was sitting in a classroom and I was on my own. Suddenly a teacher appeared in a chair in the front of the class. It was an old man with friendly blue eyes. He smiled at me, hat was a good sign.
'Lets start today's lesson.' He said and I nodded. 'The first question: whats Ares roman name?'
'Mars.'
Excellent! And now, what's the name of the famous roman river?'
'Is today's theme Rome?'
'Yes, will you please answer now?'
'Okay, uhm the Tiber right?'
'Correct! Now a hard question: how are the roman daughters of Athena called?'
'Thats a hard question?'
'Well of it's so easy why don't you answer it?'
'They're called the daughters of Minerva.'
The man laughed. 'You're not as smart as you think my boy. Minerva doesn't have any children.'

Notes