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Chapter Text

Sitting at the desk on the college's library, I pick up my journal and reread my plans for today:

𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 done.

𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 done.

𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 halfway done, still have other aspects to cover.

𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 well, it's still 4pm.

𝘙𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 I underline the sentence, trying to force my brain to remember it later. I can't risk failing any classes, and if that means I'll have to take extra lessons, then so be it.

𝘔𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘕𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬 (𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴) my hand automatically draws a heart next to the phrase. Oh, my beautiful Narcissus, how in love I am with you.

I put my things back in my backpack and ran to my dormitory. If I'm quick, I can guarantee that I'm pretty enough for him and still be on time for my date.
Narcissus and I have been hanging out for a while, it isn't official yet, but it isn't casual either. He's going to ask me to be his girlfriend today, I just know it. That's why I have to be perfect today.

In the middle of my daydream run, I end up tripping over someone. I turn around to apologize, but I stop myself the moment I see the bright red hair and the frown face of Ariel trying to kill me with her eyes.

"You freak," she whispers before continuing on her way to... I don't care. I'm not letting Ariel infect my thoughts and ruin my perfect day.

Finally, I arrived at my room, time to find the perfect outfit.

There's no need to spend a long time searching, I know exactly what I need: my favorite lilac dress, the one that accentuates everything good about my body. I keep it in a special place in the wardrobe, waiting for the right time to use it, which is now.

As I arrived early in my room, I took the opportunity to put on makeup and fix my hair. I was done just in time for my date to start, and Narcissus might already be waiting for me at the park, so I walked as fast as my shoes allowed us to our spot. Since I can't walk too fast, I take my time to do one of my favorite things of all: think.

My thoughts first landed on my parents, whose letters are still on my desk, I have to answer them soon. I tried to call them a few times, but it never worked, I guess the telephone in my old house broke after I left. Our only alternative to keep in touch is by those letters, and that sucks. By the time the letter leaves Canada and reaches my parents in Greece, all the news are already old, and I have to write a new, more updated one. The same thing happens to my parents, and that means I'll never really know what's really going on with their lives — I'm always a few steps behind. But after a year of that same routine, I got kinda used to that, I mean, who wouldn't?

My parent's opinion about me attending college was controversial. While my mom was against it, saying that I need to focus on getting a husband and starting a family soon, my dad didn't care, in fact, he even convinced my mom to let me join it, saying I could find a good Canadian man in college. Even though I knew I would still keep studying no matter what they said, I would be lying if I said I didn't care for their validation, that's why I put so much effort into my yet to start relationship with Narcissus. He is exactly what they want for me, and I can't wait to write to them about my boyfriend; all I need is him asking me to be his partner.

When the view of the spot finally grasps my eyes, I get confused to see that it's empty. Isn't he supposed to be here already? I tried to shake my confusion away, maybe he is just late, maybe he's planning a surprise for me and lost track of the time. I sit by a tree nearby, picking a book from my bag and starting to read. The book is "The Greater Hippias" by

Plato, a book I need to read for a future philosophy essay. The professor said we have plenty of time to do it, but I like to stay ahead in class. I need to be perfect, I need to prove to my parents that going to college was the right thing to do, and how am I going to do that if I fail all of my classes?
I read about thirty pages of the book before being interrupted by the only person I would ever allow to do so. My beautiful Narcissus, do you even know how you look in the sunlight?

"Sorry that I'm late, I was chatting with my friends and practically forgot about our... hangout," he sounded almost uninterested, and did he just call our date a hangout? He's probably just playing hard to get, what if he's pretending this is nothing so he could get me off guard? I wonder what his mind would think of doing to impress me. I hope he knows that, whatever he does, I'm willing to do twice as much for him, for us. I will do anything to be the most perfect girlfriend, the most perfect wife, whatever he wants me to be, I will be perfect at it.

"What really matters is that you're here now, with me," I tap the grass, inviting him to join me. "So, do you have any plans for us today?"

"Of course I have, I was planning on watching the sunset right here, below this tree, and then we can have a drink at the pub. What do you think?"

"I couldn't think of anything better," I replied, lost in his eyes. Then I lay my head on his shoulder and started to talk about my day. He didn't respond, but I'm sure he was listening to every word that came out of my mouth. I had just finished describing what my boring friday had been so long, when he unexpectedly got up, walking away from me.

"I have to go, can we do this another day? I have basketball training right now," but his tone wasn't urgent, it lacked the passion he had when talking about his favorite sport.

"Okay..." I answered, not sure if he had heard it, feeling my heart break a little. Wasn't this day meant to be perfect?

Chapter Text

𝘔𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳,
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐'𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥.
𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴.
𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.
𝘟𝘹, 𝘔𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘢.

I finish writing the letter, enveloping it and thinking about how my parents would react to my words. Will they be proud of me? I really hope so. I don't have time to go to the post office now, I have class in ten minutes, so I just keep the letter envelope in my room. If I leave at this exact moment, I may be able to make it to class in time.
It's an English class, and I confess that I need to pay more attention to it. Maybe I will be lucky enough to get a seat at the front of the room, which is improbable since I'm heading too late for class. It’s just that I can't bring myself to think straight after all the events of yesterday, I couldn't even pay attention to the mass. But it's okay, I can compensate for my acts at the mass today, and I know my heart won't be broken for long, and soon I'll come back to the same state of mind I had before yesterday's disappointment.
I'm not really in the mood for class, and if it was any other subject, I would absolutely miss it on purpose. I normally don't skip classes, but I give myself the luxury to do so when I'm heartbroken, I've been like this since highschool, and I guess I'll keep this habit forever; but because it's a subject I have difficulty with, I spare myself this privilege, regardless of the state of my heart.

I get to class one minute before it starts. My mind must have forgotten how empty Saturday morning classes normally are, almost half of the seats were free, and there I was, afraid that there was no place left for me. I let out a sigh of relief before sitting next to Hercules, one of the first friends I made when I entered college. Narcissus and I were both friends with him, and that's how we met. I can't be more grateful to Hercules for introducing him to me, even if he thinks it was a bad idea.

"Meg being late to class? Is the apocalypse starting? Should I hide?" He jokes, and I just tap his arm, laughing with him.

"Oh, come on now, I'm not even late."

"You're late enough for your liking. What happened?"

I was about to give Hercules the excuse that I overslept, because I know exactly how he would react if I tell him about my failed date with Narcissus, and that's the last thing I need to deal with today, but I didn't need to say anything, because the teacher entered right away.

English, especially writing, is hard for me. Learning a whole new alphabet from scratch when I've spent most of my life used to a completely different one is not for everyone, even after years studying, my muscle memory always makes me write in Greek.

Fifteen minutes had passed already, but it felt like an eternity. Even though it's one class (thank God, I don't think I could survive through two or more), who approved that? Saturday classes should be illegal, and I think my colleagues agree with me.

"Especially Ariel" I mutter under my breath, watching her enter in the classroom late, with a new boyfriend, I suppose. I know that guy, his name is Eric, he's Hercules friends too, but not one I'm very used to. He is a freshman, and I ask myself if that's all Ariel can achieve. I laugh with myself at the thought, Ariel, with all her "mermaid-like charms" settling for a freshman that honestly, with no offense, looks like he's gay.

I watch her mumbles an apology to the teacher, and by his face I can tell he's used to that; and run with her new man to sit next to her sister. I turn my attention back to the teacher, trying to obtain as much knowledge as a human can physically can from a class. The results didn't come as immediately as I would've liked, but I like to believe that all will come at the right time, and sooner than I expect I will be talking English like a native.

Thankfully the class lasted just one hour, and it finished quickly. While everyone made their way out of the class, I walked to the teacher, which I was supposed to do yesterday, but I thought it was better to do today.

"Professor Facilier? Do you have a minute to spare?"

"If you promise to be quick, then yes, I do."

"I will be quick, I promise. It's just that I know my grades have been slipping out, and I wanted to know what I could do to improve it."

Mr. Facilier leaves out a sigh, looking me in the eye for the first time. "You problems have not gone unperceived, Megara, and I'm glad you came to see me instead of just letting yourself go like other students did. I noticed that you've been distracted in class, even if you pretend you aren't. Is there anything bothering you?"

"Yes, I've been bothered by someone the last few days."

"Then I recommend you either resolve your problem with them or try to forget it in my classes. I need the lectures to be your main priority the moment you step in this classroom. Am I understood? Is there anything else you need to discuss?"

"You were very well understood, sir. I will try to do my best to concentrate."

"I know you can do it, Megara."

I nodded and left, a little bit unsatisfied with our conversation. I mean yes, I've been bothered the last few days, but I don't know if it's Narcissus's absence that haunts me or if it's Ariel's presence that throws me off. And did he mean "resolving my problems" with them? Okay, I know what he meant, but how would I put this in my life? Should I make peace with Ariel? Impossible. Should I try to make Narcissus fall in love with me? I'm already trying. Should I just let him go and move on? Also impossible, I could never move on from someone like him, we're soulmates, he just hasn't realized that yet. The only thing that lasts is ignoring them in the moment I need to pay attention, and that's a skill I urgently need to improve.

I needed to rest myself a little, so instead of coming to the library or my room to study, I decided to walk around the college. It's a beautiful view, and it's such a shame I don't give myself the time to admire it. And, of course, my eyes catch Narcissus.
It's a bad idea, my mind screams, but I ignore it just like professor Facilier recommended, maybe the person that keeps bothering me is just myself, in the end. I change my path to meet him, calling his name out loud, he turns around, recognizing me. He looked distressed when he first saw me, but he soon tried to mask me, coming in my direction.

"Meg, nice to see you," he said, kissing my cheek, and I swear I could die at this moment. "I am really sorry for that night. It won't happen again."

"What really matters is that you're here" I repeat the exact same words I have said to him in that moment, my feelings won't change because of a simple miscalculation of time.

He smirks at my reply. "Are you going somewhere? I can go with you."

"Nowhere, just walking around, get some fresh air, you know. I would be pleased if you joined me." And he did. Oh my God, we even held hands! This day is so much better than I had planned.

Some eyes locked in us as we walked through the college. Narcissus is very beautiful, and everybody knows that. It's rare for someone to catch his attention, and I did it. I walked around with his hand in mine like a trophy, every person looking jealous at me just made me feel like a true victor. I am the one that has his heart, other people can watch and cry about it. Narcissus is mine, and I am his.

We stopped for a minute because we saw a street flower seller, and he bought me a rose. That's not my favorite flower, I very much prefer poppys, but how could he know? What matters is the gesture, he stopped what we were doing to do something nice to me. I will make sure to guard this rose until it withers, then I may glue it in my journal, keeping forever the first flower Narcissus gave me.

It was the early afternoon, which means Narcissus will have his basketball training soon, and I still haven't eaten anything for lunch, so he walked me to the cafeteria, kissing me before he left.

"I hope we can do this tomorrow." He said, and I simply agreed before entering further into the restaurant. All the memories of today were replaying in my mind while I prepared my lunch. I was almost starving, so I prepared a big plate of food to eat, sitting alone near the window, admiring the rose Narcissus bought me. I decided to guard it in my bag.

When I opened it, the first thing I noticed was a strange piece of paper, one that I don't remember putting in the bag, I never leave loose papers in it. When I picked it up and read the message, my mouth dropped, and anger filled my whole being.

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈

I reread the message over and over again, questioning who wrote this and what they meant by it. But it didn't take long for me to know exactly who wrote this. I could recognize this handwriting everywhere.

Ariel.

Chapter Text

Some days have passed since I received that note from Ariel. I didn't confront her about it, I couldn't, it's almost like she disappeared after she put that note in my bag. I used the time I was free from her to reflect about the whole situation. Why did she do this? Does she still think we're in high school? That is exactly how my bullies from that time would act. But what annoys me the most is that, even when she's away, I can't stop thinking about her. Some part of me wants revenge, but I try to ignore it, since we all know that revenge is the poison of the soul, my parents raised me better than that.

I leave all these thoughts behind as I enter my next class.

History of art, definitely the most boring class of all time. Sure, it is important, but certainly not my favorite subject, and the fact that the professor can't teach for his life doesn't help at all.

Today, we're learning about Ancient Greece, and I could automatically feel some eyes on me, the only Greek student that takes this class. Do they think my people still live in ancient times? I imagine my family, a traditional catholic one, hearing about the mythological heroes directly from Homer right after the end of the sunday mass, yeah, not happening. But that's still a funny thought.

As strange as this may seem, I don't know much about the history of my own country. Just because of the Greek Gods, who were very important in ancient times. I mean, I did learn a little about it in school, but my parents didn't allow me to study further. Even when I was a child I thought these rules were weird, the only moments I could study about Ancient Greece was in class, I couldn't talk about it the moment I stepped foot home. My parents strongly believed that I would stray away from my religion the moment I heard about other gods being workshipped. They always underestimated me and my faith, no wonder why my father is so expectant of my finding a husband in college — he thinks a husband could "fix" whatever flaws they saw in me.

The professor goes on and on about how the ancient times revolutionized the arts, and my fingers did all they could to make as many notes as possible. Now that my parents weren't controlling my every move, I was going to learn as much as I could about every single banned topic in my old house. And it turns out that this theme is actually... interesting? Learning about how the Greek gods were portrayed in that time caught my attention in a way that I wasn't expecting. I may even study more about Greek mythology in my free time. And my free time is really sacred, I only use it to do what I really like.

When the class ended, I sprinted to the library, ready to spend countless hours reading about it. How could my parents hide such an intriguing subject from me? I picked four books and sat at the table. I started with the thickest one, which was almost 600 pages, that contained a detailed explanation about who the gods were, what they represented and their relationship with the other gods. I don't know how long I've been reading, I just know I felt a pair of arms embracing me from behind and a mouth kissing my shoulder.

"Hey Meg," Narcissus stopped his kisses to whisper in my ear. "Are you going to be stuck in this library forever? I was thinking of stealing you for a while."

If this was any other moment, I think I'd be on cloud nine. But if there's one thing about me is that I hate being interrupted, even by my future lover. I felt my cheeks turning red when I untangled myself from him, not from being flustered, but from being uncomfortable from the sudden touch. Even though I craved Narcissus touch more than anything, all I wanted was to be alone.

"I am really busy right now," I said as he cradled me back, kissing my shoulder. "Can, whatever you want to do, wait for later?"

"No, no it can't," he answered, starting to get annoyed. "Come on, these books will be there forever, unlike my patience. Let's go." And then he lifted me from my chair, leading me out of the library.

We walked across the campus, pretty much the only kind of date we could afford, and also were the only ones that we could do without having to officiate things. People here are very strict about two people of different sexes hanging out together. While we were walking, I noticed the Mother Superior of the convent nearby. If I'm not mistaken, she also has a pretty high place in the administration of the college. It's rare to see her out in the campus, she probably has some important works that need to be done here, but I can't complain, as it gave me a reason to distanciate myself from Narcissus, I need to make a good impression of myself to her — a pure lady that waits for the right moment to have anything physical with any man — even if she doesn't even realize I'm there.

Narcissus takes me to the same spot where our failed first date happened.

"I know every encounter we had was flawed," he states. "But that didn't change the way I see you."

I was caught by surprise with the declaration. I know Narcissus is a pretty exaggerated guy, and so, even in my most ridiculous dreams, I thought he was going to do something big to even have the possibility of saying something like that. But this wasn't any of this — this was simple, unplanned, intimate — and I wouldn't expect that coming from him.

But, why wasn't this affecting me the way I thought it would?

"You make me want to do things right," he lifts my face, allowing him to look deeply into me, but there was something in his eye, something I couldn't recognize. "Meg, would you be my girlfriend?"

I was shocked, I was waiting for this moment since the day I first met him. But this was so sudden I couldn't feel anything. Probably because of the way he brought me here, my mind was still on the mythology books I was reading earlier, I'm too distracted for this. But I can't let this ruin the moment. Narcissus is all I want, all I could ever ask for, the key to my salvation, the only good thing my parents thought going to college was going to give me. I have to say yes, and I did.

"Yes, I would love it."

Chapter Text

The stress from exam season was really getting to me. I need to relax, and the best way to do that is to take everything I'm feeling through art. And that's what headed me to the arts studio, tracing endless lines with my pencil on the canvas before I can paint it.

It's a simple painting on theory. A Greek vase with an illustration of Our Lady of Perpetual Help — not something you would find in a traditional Greek vase, but it's what reminds me most of home; my religion and culture all rolled into one — with several daisies, my favorite flowers. I finish the sketch, but I wasn't satisfied with it, almost like it lacked soul.

If I had more time and the mind for it, I would probably discover what it's missing in the picture, but unfortunately, that's not my case. I just drew a bandage over the vase, practically a mockery of my problem with this painting. A bandage won't fix anything, but it made me satisfied, so I stick with it.

The canvas is already on the easel when I hear the door open. I normally don't care, in the end, the studio is open for any student beside the class hours, but that doesn't mean I'm not curious enough to know who I'm going to have to share this space with for the next few hours. To my most unpleasant surprise, the first thing my eyes notice it's that annoying bright red hair, before making eye contact with her blue eyes, and her smirk, oh God her smirk, I want to punch her until she stops doing this face at me.

"Of course it's you," I complain. "Just when I thought I would have some peace." Her laugh fills the room, while she approaches one of the cabinets, picking a ceramic object that I couldn't quite decipher what it's supposed to be. "What's the deal, honey? As far as I know, this studio is open for everyone." My face flushes with the nickname, how could someone be so irritanting? I brush it off, not wanting to waste my energy on Ariel. I haven't forgotten her note, but I can't bring myself to talk about it out loud, as I'm still trying to decode the meaning behind it.

My mind flew to Narcissus again while I picked out the paints, and something snapped in me. Was Ariel... jealous of me? That's why she wrote that note? What if her boyfriend was only a way to hide her true intentions? It's better to just ignore her, Narcissus is mine, and she will never get to put her hands on him, no matter how hard she tries. He will be mine forever.

The time I spent "stuck" with Ariel in the studio looked like forever, but I doubt it lasted even two hours. I just know the sun started to set, and I finished the first layer of paint, and that I can't do another one before it dries, so I leave the picture near the window, hoping no one will touch it. "Cute drawing you have over here," Ariel says as she puts her ceramic thing in the oven. "Such a shame it looks so... Ugly? Unfinished? I can't even find the words to describe it, that means you did a great job." She mocks, opening the door and blinking innocently at me, just to leave right after.

I hate this girl.

I walk as I adjust my hair, I have to be beautiful. I have a date with Narcissus soon, and I can't show up all sloppy in front of him, or I'll just lose him after all the effort I put into winning him over to some random girl he finds on the street, or even to Ariel, which is even worse. Because I know exactly what type of girl she is.

As I continued walking, I got interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to face no one else than the Mother Superior, looking at me, like I was exactly what she was looking for.

"Miss Megara?" She asks in a sweet voice. I nod at her. "That's me". "I really need to talk to you". I know she is an older person, so I help her to get on a nearby bench looking at me, so she can speak more calmly.

"You got my attention lately, miss. And I was wondering how much you could provide for the advanced student group. You would make a huge difference there, so I'm inviting you to their meeting tonight so you can get a firsthand experience and decide whether to join them or not."

I couldn't believe in what I was hearing, Ursula, The Mother Superior, is asking ME to join the advanced student group? While I didn't even notice how good I was going? I already imagine the reaction of my parents when they read this, will they be proud of me? I really hope so. I imagine myself telling this to Narcissus later, and then he will kiss me, a reward for being the perfect girl.

"I would love to go, Mother" she smiles at me, and I already feel the feeling of success inside me, this is just the beginning.

We didn't have much to talk about besides her invitation, so we soon parted our ways and I headed to the pub, where Narcissus promised to find me. And there he was, looking more beautiful than ever.

He looked back at me, apparently already being a little bit drunk, he smiled almost immediately. "Hey Meggy," he sings as I sat next to him, already smelling the beer coming from his mouth, I had to hold my breath for a few seconds. I hate the smell of beer, my parents always taught me how they were, they were an open door for demons to come. I know I can't get away from alcohol in a pub, but I didn't expect Narcissus to let himself go so easily, I had just arrived. "Looking good tonight." Still, I can't help but blush at his compliment, he still sounds like himself, despite being a bit unstable from the drinking. If he stops by now, we may still be able to get a good date, that's rare for us, even after we became officially boyfriend and girlfriend. It's so weird, it's like fate is in our way.

Good thing I don't believe in it. I'm going to make it happen. For me, for Narcissus, for my parents.

We both decided to order something. We ordered some french fries, I asked for a strawberry milkshake, he asked for another beer. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't risk being the boring girlfriend by doing so, so I decided to tell him the big news, hoping this will distract me.

"... And then she asked me to join them tonight!" I rambled, excited. He just hums along most of the time but, the moment I stopped talking, he looks at me a bit uneasy and asks:
"Tonight? But what about us? You aren't planning on coming, are you?" He looked betrayed, anyone outside our conversation would think I'd just committed a mortal sin—like murder, to him, not that my intelligence was recognized by someone in a much higher position than anyone in this pub could ever achieve.

"Indeed, I'm planning to come," I take one of the fries, dipping it in the milkshake, a habit I don't remember getting. "I think I'll leave in about fifteen minutes. I need to prepare myself and make sure I'm not late for the meeting, that would ruin everything."

"And our date? Don't you care about ruining us?" I'm surprised about what he took from what I said. I never told him I didn't care about us, we have a history of failed dates, why would that matter now? "On the contrary, I care about you more than anything, but my academic life is also important to me. I don't need to choose one or another, I can care about two things at once," the stress for early starts to get to me. "You don't get to say what I am going to do or not. I'm going to this meeting no matter what you say."
I got up and left the pub earlier than I had planned, holding back tears while I rubbed my arms, trying to warm myself from the night breeze.

Chapter Text

Since I had more time from my unsuccessful date, I didn't need to rush myself. I could stop by my room and let the tears flow, calm down and then get a coat before the meeting starts. I knew they always met in one of the meeting rooms in a building near mine, so I had a reason to not be late.

I'm obviously not the first one to arrive, but I'm also not the last one, and I personally like to consider this an achievement. I soon notice Hercules standing there, talking to a random guy I don't know. "Hey Meg," he calls me, and I go to meet him. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a date!" I just shrugged it off, saying that it went wrong, like always, and he gave me the look before saying: "I told you that guy is bad news, I don't know what you see in him." Of course Hercules wouldn't understand that. He doesn't get how much I need him, he's everything I've ever dreamed of, it's not some unfortunate event that will change that. Even though I'm still hurting from what happened between us some minutes ago, I know this doesn't change our love for each other.

We sat down in a round table to discuss the best study methods to pass the exams, and I finally took my time to take a look at every single person in there. I knew most faces would be unknown, so getting used to them was a first step, I could learn their names naturally after. While I was on my observation task, I noticed a familiar scent filling the room.

My eyes try to find the origin of it, while my brain tries to remember where I learned it. And then my eyes met Ariel's for the thousandth time that day.

Oh God, no, please, no.

𝘕𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘰.

Ariel is with me in the advanced student group.

Of course she is, that girl can't leave me alone even if her life depended on it. But I guess I'll have to tolerate her, I'm not throwing away my shot because of some random bully that is Ariel.

As soon as the Mother Superior approached the table, everyone stood up to say a prayer, a classic part of every meeting we hold at the college. And then, we were allowed to sit again.

Besides the obvious elephant in the room, which is Ariel sitting right in front of me, the meeting was actually pretty chill, a breath of fresh air after what happened throughout the day. Me and Hercules spent the whole time discussing study methods, and sometimes we would stop to joke around and talk about our colleagues. He even introduced me to a music student called Attina, she was really kind, and we talked a lot about mythologies and the connection they have with our interests. I was having so much fun that I barely noticed the time passing, before I knew it, I was back on my feet saying the final prayer and saying goodbye to my friends.

I knew I was already past my usual bedtime, so I decided to stay awake a little longer, writing another letter to my parents about my day. I was halfway through the letter when I realized it had been two months since I last checked if they had sent something to me, I always just send the letter and leave. My parents probably wrote back to me and I haven't responded to them. Oh my God, how horrible I am as a daughter! But everything will be fine, I will write an apology for them, and they'll surely forgive me when they read about how much progress I've made in the last days, in every sense possible. I will make them proud.

When I wake up the next day, the first thing I do is to go to the post office, excited to know how my parents were doing during the time I last got an answer from them. Did my father start gardening again? Did my mother find a new icon to put in the kitchen walls? Are they happy I got a partner? Am I finally convincing them that my decision to continue studying was not a waste of time? I can't wait to know more about them, I miss my family so much, but for now I can only dream about our reencounter and enjoy the only thing I have of them: the letters.

"Good morning, has anything arrived, a letter or something like that, for someone called Megara?" I asked cheerfully to the worker there, we were definitely familiar with each other, but I never learned his name.

"Let me see..." he checked something behind his desk, I couldn't identify what it was. "No, nothing arrived here."

"Wait, nothing?" I didn't want to believe him, I thought it was some weird prank, but no. Not once did he deny this. "But why? The mail was late getting here? Was there an accident?". "No, everything came today like always, just nothing came to you, Megara. Were you waiting for something?".

I was starting to feel sick, did my parents forget to write to me? They couldn't just have forgotten about me, could they? No, the mail probably got lost in the trip between Greece and Canada. I refuse to believe they didn't write me back like they promised me to, like they did for a long time.

"No, I was just curious to know if anybody has sent me something. Bye." And then I left as fast as I could, I didn't want to be in that place anymore.

After I left the post office, I decided to go back to the arts studio. It was almost seven in the morning, no one had classes at that time, but everything at the college opens at six. It means it should be open and empty there, just what I needed.

My mind was distracted on what colors I would pick to paint the second layer of the painting, my body going on auto mode while I entered the studio. But I but I came back to full consciousness when I went towards where I had kept my painting. And there it was.

My painting was all destroyed. Holes made by scissors all over it. Completely ruined. And I knew exactly who did it.

Ariel. It's always Ariel. I hate her. I FUCKING HATE HER, I'M GOING TO KILL HER!

I took advantage of the fact that this area is normally empty at these times and screamed all my frustration, sadness and anger I've been feeling the last days away. When I was calmer, and my mind was clearer, I started to think about what I would do about this situation. I couldn't let Ariel get away with it, and I knew reporting it to anyone else wouldn't have the desired effect. I would need to take matters into my own hands.

And I know exactly what to do. I will use every weapon Ariel has against her.

God may not approve revenge, but He certainly wouldn't approve of me having my dignity destroyed in front of me without doing anything to defend myself. This isn't about jealousy anymore. This is about me and Ariel, and how I'm going to prove that I won't be affected by her games anymore. I will have the last word, just like everyone in my life wants me to have.

And I will start right here, in the arts studio.