It had now been a little over a month since school started, and I had already more than grown weary of it, already skipping a couple days, much to Pandora's disappointment.
This morning too, I was planning on skipping, but much to my horror, I heard the front door open, and two voices chatting amicably together.
"Aw, thanks a bunch! I didn't realize he had an extra key you guys have!"
"Not a problem. You can keep it too; in case he tries to pull this crap again."
Ugh, what the hell? "Pandora and Lachesis?"
"Oh, I heard his voice. Yoo-hoo, your favorite gal is here to play! Is Depra in town?" A couple of footsteps, and I hid underneath my covers right as my door opened.
"Oh, trying to play hooky?" She ripped the covers off the bed, leaving me out in the dark, cruel world.
I opened up one eye to see a smile on Pandora's face. "Good morning sleepyhead!"
"Why are you here?"
"To make sure you don't fail senior year due to attendance," Lachesis said, walking in after Pandora. "I gave her my key, so now if you ever feel the need to try to skip, she'll handle it."
God damnit. I could feel Pandora poking at my face playfully, and I let out a sigh.
"Fine, I'm up already, you hear me?" I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, glaring at the two girls responsible for ruining my morning before letting out a loud yawn.
"Great, you better be outside in 20 minutes, otherwise we'll be late!" Pandora turned away from me before nodding at Lachesis. "Thanks again for the help!"
"Not at all. And if ever really have trouble, my mom is always next door, so she'll lend you a hand. Anyway, I have to go now, but I'll see you at school Depra."
The two girls walked out, and I let out another sigh. I hate early mornings.
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"Glad you're with me this morning partner!"
Pandora and I were walking to school now, the shade highlighting her the purple in her hair. Honestly, I couldn't tell you if her hair was real or not to be honest.
"You're staring at my hair again," Pandora commented, leaning to get a look into my face.
I scowled, rolling my eyes. "It's orange in the sun, purple in the shade and at night, and everything between during all other times. Basically, it's cool."
"I bet you were thinking it's fake."
"It would be the weirdest natural hair color I've seen if it is real," I said, and she nodded in agreement.
"Well, it's very much real, and I'm glad you like it so much." She stopped leaning and started to smile to herself, almost a skip in her step. "You know, I never realized this since you slouch all the time, but you're quite tall, aren't you?"
Huh? "Am I really? I'm not even 6ft you know. I'm 5'8."
"When was the last time you checked your height Depra?"
I frowned, scratching my cheek. "The last time I went to the doctor I think."
"And when was that?"
"Um, maybe a year and half ago? Maybe two years?"
"And you're saying you haven't grown at all?"
Crap, she has a point. I'm about as tall as Hiro, so how tall is he? I think he said he was…
I stopped, the realization dawning onto me. Pandora turned around, tilting her head inquisitively as she put her hair behind her ear.
"I'm 6 ft tall…" Pandora started to laugh.
"I figured as much. No way you're that short." She walked to me, looking at me strangely. "It seems I have to tiptoe to reach you, huh?"
Eh? "Um, what's that supposed to mean?" I was once again caught in her regal purple eyes, as if they had taken ahold of me and wouldn't let go.
"Hmm, I wonder indeed," she said, whispering it to me, her gaze starting to make my head fuzzy.
"BACK STRAIGHT, EYES FORWARD!"
"OOF!"
I got sent tumbling forward, landing flat on my face. "Damn you Aether, what the hell was that for!?" I turned to look behind me, but it wasn't Aether, but instead it was Hiro walking by himself.
"Yo. I heard what Aether taught you, so I decided to give you a helping hand." He started to laugh, and it was then I noticed Pandora to his side frowning at the whole situation.
"How did I not fall?"
"That's a Hiro secret." Ugh, I couldn't tell if he said his name or hero then. "Anyway, you two will be late at this rate you know?" He offered me his hand.
"I wasn't even planning on coming, but no, they had to come ruin my day." I groaned as I accepted his hand, pulling me up with relative ease.
"Well, it's fine. By the way, where did she go?" Hiro asked, scanning the area.
"Who, Pandora?" I looked around but couldn't see her anywhere. Wait, how was that even possible to begin with?
Hiro just simply nodded to himself. "Nah, it's fine. She knows it's bros before hoes after all."
Ah yes, he does like saying that. "Why are you alone? Where's Luna?"
"Oh, she goes with her friends most days, since I wake up later than her for the most part." We both started to walk, the school in the distance.
"I see. Who are her friends by the way?"
"Oh, I actually don't know. She hasn't introduced me, oddly enough. I mean, I'm great and all, who wouldn't wanna know me."
"Apparently Pandora."
"Oof, right to the heart! A critical hit!" He started to clutch his chest, crying out in pretend pain.
I let out a small smile. "You're ridiculous."
"Agh, the insults keep on coming!"
Well, maybe school isn't that bad after all.
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On second thought, it is.
"Ah yes, my dear King, I welcome to my humble abode, where naught but people like us can enter!"
Long story short, I was about to go to lunch before I got kidnapped by Erebus, who took me to a dark, empty classroom, and that's the gist of it.
"Why am I here?" I asked as Erebus lit up the room with candlelight.
"To help you, my dear King! You're quite slow to make decisions, you know that?"
"What the hell does that have to do with anything!?"
(Indecisive.)
I grit my teeth, trying to block out the voice. "Why do I even need help anyway?"
"Well, you're on a quest for betterment, are you not?"
"Quest for betterment…? Oh, that." I honestly didn't really think I could change, but I supposedly don't slouch as much, although that's due to Aether's PTSD he caused, since after my supposed lesson, he continually burned those words into me every chance he got until recently. "Why do you care about that?"
"Because you haven't improved at all since the man who live to crush all those beneath him, one who is a living embodiment of perfection, Aether of the sky! If anything, you've gotten worse King!"
Worse huh? Could I really get any worse than this?
(You are indeed at your worst, you Stupid, Indecisive, Coldhearted, Slothful, Coward.)
"But, since you probably can't get much worse, you can finally climb the long, hard, arduous path to true change, and then you'll be free!"
(Freedom? You know damn well why you can't be free. Your punishment, your curse, all of it is-!)
"I'll teach you the freedom of decision, so you can truly start on the path you wish to partake in!"
I snapped out of my stupor at Erebus' words, panting heavily. I clutched my chest tightly, two contradicting feelings, one of possibility, the other of impossibility.
The possibility to escape my eternal damnation. The impossibility to ever escape my curse. The possibility to escape these feelings I harbor deep within. The impossibility to rid myself of my shackles.
The impossibility that I could ever escape.
But most importantly…
"Is it really possible, for me to be free?" Asking that question meant thinking the unimaginable, but the answer to that would mean something so much more.
Erebus gave me a wicked grin. "Freedom awaits all those seek it. It will never deny a seeker."
I let out an elongated sigh, my body unable to relax after hearing his words. I don't know if I can really gain that freedom. But, if there's even a snowballs chance in hell that it's possible.
"Then please, teach me Erebus, how to be free."
"Of course, I'll be the one to teach you how to fight off that never-ending darkness that plagues you." And I gained my second teacher in my quest for betterment.