Chapter 3
“Are you ok?” a voice said. “I’ve killed her haven’t I? What’s father going to say when he finds out? That I killed the Guardian of Atlantis. Well, we don’t know that yet. But still!”
His accent was… well the best way I could put it was weird. It was a mix of British with Scottish and maybe a little Irish? I forced my eyes open, ignoring the searing light that burned my eyes. Once my vision cleared, I saw the owner of the voice. Wow. He is cute. His ginger hair was rumpled, but in a way that made him look so good. His eyes were a soft teal, and they had flecks of white. He grinned at me, which made me blush involuntarily. But when I realized he was the one who ran me over, my blush faded, and I sat up furiously.
“You ran me over!” I looked around and saw that my things were strewn all over the place, and my backpack was shredded. I was livid. I stood up, ignoring the pain in my left leg, and slapped him across the face. His whole face jerked with the movement, and he looked at her.
“I like you. But maybe slapping isn’t the best way to introduce yourself. I’m guessing you will probably say–” he said.
“Who are you?” I shrieked furiously. The boy mouthed the words along with me, even matching my facial expression.
“I’m pretty sure that’s classified, but I’ve never been one to follow the rules. My name is Charlie, but my code name is Loki.”
I shrugged. I understood why his code name was Loki. He really reminded me of Loki, but definitely Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.
“So, Loki, what brings you to have the insane idea of running a random person over?” I refused to call him by his real name, as I was still skeptical. And I definitely didn’t want to admit that I loved Thor movies. And Marvel. In fact, I am obsessed with all things Marvel. But I focused on reality which was a lot more annoying. Loki put his hands up.
“I didn’t mean to! You really think I would…” He trailed off, staring deep into my eyes.
“What?” I switched to defensive mode and tugged on my eyelashes.
“Nothing! It’s just…”
“Just…” I prompted.
“Never mind.” Loki turned to me and said, “I’ll be back. Tomorrow. 3:30, on the dot. Don’t be late!”
A fireball erupted behind him and I screamed, “Watch out!” I unleashed some creative words when he disappeared.
Chapter 4
“What did I just see?” I asked myself.
I picked up all my stuff and ran the rest of the way home. I had spent so long on the beach that it was already dark. When I climbed back up, I raced through the disgusting city, the smelly fumes stinging my eyes. But I kept running, all the way to my studio apartment. I took the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the apartment door. Curtains were dividing the ugly place, and it smelled of burnt toast. Maybe because Mom was such a terrible cook. Mom has a talent for burning everything she tries to make. I locked the door and bolted to my room.
I got out a sewing kit. It was my great grandmother’s, and it was passed down from one girl to the next. I sewed my backpack pieces back together. When I was finished, I started my homework. I was so glad no one saw me. Thank gosh for the curtains. My room is about the size of a broom cupboard, and the only things I have in my room are a mattress, and a mirror hanging on top of a mini shelf that holds my clothes. A small stack of books and scrolls were all I had to read. My three most prized possessions are my library card, a book called “The Guide to Marvel,” and a small stuffed elephant that I sleep with. I fondly named her Lala – the name was picked when she was one day old.
James’ room is next to mine, and on the other side is my Mom’s room, and in front of my room is the kitchen. Next to the kitchen is the bathroom, and on the other side is the laundry room, which doubled as any extra storage needed. There is a narrow passageway in between all of the curtains. It connected all of the “rooms” and at the far left end was the door in and out of the apartment. We moved a lot to fit out financial troubles, so we carry only a few possessions.
Once I finished my homework, I sat on my bed in shock. My head spiraled in a million directions, replaying the events in my mind. I eventually decided to try and sleep. My head kept spinning, even when I closed my eyes and laid down. After a while, I finally fell asleep.