Plight Of Olympus

ONE: THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

The sun showcased one of its best and biggest smiles towards our small house in Evenwood.

I hope the letter hasn’t reached home.

I silently crept up the creaking stairs to our front door. Taking a deep breath, I crossed my fingers and tried pushing the door as stealthily as possible.

Almost there… just a bit further…

   The old door made a very loud creaking sound and I scrunched up my face anticipating to see Aunt Jane waiting with a stern face, and holding a letter up. But a younger version of her face swarm into view and Diana’s knowing smirk caught me off guard.

“What are you doing here?!” I whisper yelled at my little sister pushing her small frame away from the doorway and closing the door. It made the same old creaking sound.

   “Is mom home?” I whisper yelled again and she raised one of her perfectly arched eyebrows. I hated it when she did that. It always made me feel like she knew something I didn’t.

“Mother isn’t home. Yet.” She smiled, and held up a white piece of paper. She opened the letter.

Oh no!

“I believe this belongs to you, Cali?” her sweet twelve year old voice sang through the partly empty sitting room. Diana’s voice is never sing song unless she wants something, or is trying to be evil.

In this case, I think it’s both.

“Diana…” I started in an equally sweet voice that was meant to coax her into handing over the letter to me, so I could destroy the evidence. “Have I ever told you how much I adore you? You are simply the best little sister in the entirety of this great universe.” I wore my best fake smile.

   The little devil that stood in a ballerinas’ costume chuckled. “I’m a bit hungry now, dearest sister, could you fix some pancakes for me?” she instructed batting her eyelashes and walking away in a very graceful manner. The letter safely tucked under her small armpits.

I’m not going anywhere with Diana like this.

“Spill. What do you want, Laverna?” I deadpanned in a flat voice, while crossing my hands over my chest. Her royal wickedness twisted back and faced me with an evil glint in her vibrant sea-blue eyes.

   “First, I want access to your computer, because mom has seized mine. Then, I need more colors for my paintings, and a new journal. You have to make pancakes with blueberry toppings for a week for me. And finally, quit one of your part-time jobs.”

  “What?!” I raised my voice a few octaves higher than needed.

“Quit one of your part time jobs Cali. You can’t keep failing your classes at school just to earn more money for me and mom. You have to start focusing on your future. And college.”

“Diana, you’re too young to understand some things…” I started before she cut me off.

“No. I do understand. You want to secure my future, and send me off to a good college when I grow up. And you want mom to have the best clothes, jewelries, and things. You think you owe mom a debt because she took you in, and she treats you like her own daughter, but you owe us nothing. Were family Cali, and it doesn’t matter if we have money or whatever. What matters is that we stay together.” By the time she finished, she was trying to catch her breath and I was completely dumbfounded.

What just happened?

   I tried looking for something to say, but my mouth wouldn’t form words. The only thing I could croak out in a stammer was her name.

“It’s alright, Cali. Mom will not know about this letter from your school. But please stop failing your classes… Here. You can have it.” Diana handed over the letter to me, and I took it my mouth agape.

“Oh, and keep your end of the bargain!” she yelled as she ran deeper into the house.

   Dear Lord! This girl is twelve!

I sat down on the plush cozy sofa and held my face in my hands. The only thing that kept repeating over and over again in my head was how did she grow up so fast?

   I can’t remember when I dozed off, but Aunt Jane woke me up from a dreamless slumber and I staggered back to my room.

Once I was safely in my room, I opened the letter that was initially supposed to be seen by Aunt Jane. It was from our school’s principal asking why I kept failing my classes. Detailed reports of my grades were also attached to it.

I sighed.

Instead of burning the letter, I decided to keep it in my drawer. Nobody would find it there anyways.

     *****     *****

  “Oh, Calista…” someone softly whispered very close to my ear, and I felt like smacking whoever it was. The annoying voice tried to drag me out of my peaceful and fairly needed nap. “Calistahhh…” the voice came again, this time dragging my name like a small leaf in a storm.

“Don’t awaken the Kraken, Helen.” I murmured loudly and turned my face towards the other direction, hoping she’ll find someone else to bother and annoy. But then I heard her laughter.

   “Didn’t you get enough sleep yesterday?” Helen questioned in a lighter tone, sitting on the empty seat next to mine. I turned back to face her, my head still lying on the hard surface of the table. “Your face looks really tired.” She said. Her calm voice laced with slight concern.

“It’s nothing.”

“And by nothing, you mean your night shift at Sally’s Store, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” My murmuring voice thick with sleep answered back. I sighed deeply, and sat upright. My eyes focused on Helen’s figure, and I noticed her once blonde hair was completely dyed black.

    “What did you do to your hair?” I stared at her, waiting to hear an explanation.

“Do you like it?” she hopefully asked. Now that I noticed, it brought out the golden speck in her eyes, but made her skin seem quite pale. I smiled.

“You look like a sexy vampire from the 18th century who wears ethereal dresses and throws extravagant balls to use as a means of feeding on us, poor human souls.”

   “Ya think?” Torren’s loud voice boomed behind me, and I automatically turned to whack him, but he saw it coming and dodged. The bulky football captain grinned and stuck out his tongue, doing his irritating “Na-na-na-na-nah…” that earned a few glances from some of the few students left in the cafeteria. It always seemed like wherever Torren was, the gossip mill always snooped around close by. I guess that’s the price of popularity.

  “Get up, you losers. The bell is gonna ring in two minutes. Better head to class before Mrs. Jennice gets there first.” He called, as he ran off in a hurry towards the hallway.

Holy crap! I haven’t even eaten!

 We made eye contact with Helen, desperate looks on both of our faces, and I beamed. She knew what I was going to say next, because she grabbed her backpack, just when I squealed “Race you to class!”

It was always fun running together with Helen. Mostly because I always won, being taller, and faster than her.