It was Friday, the last day of school for the week and Ethan was sitting with Kirk along with a group of boys in the cafeteria. It was time for lunch and Ethan was sharing food with Kirk as usual.
He was famished since he hadn't eaten dinner yesterday. After Dred had let out that teasing laugh, Ethan had excused himself out of anger and gone straight into his room. He was so angry that he had forgotten to eat.
Why didn't Dred stay wherever he was prior to yesterday? Ethan had asked himself whiles laying in bed. Many thoughts such as this had gone through his head until he had fallen asleep.
He had regretted not eating the previous night the moment he woke up the next day. In fact, his growling stomach was what had roused him from sleep in the first place.
He quickly made his way to the kitchen to see if the food his mother told him about was still there. Alas, there was nothing when he got there. All he had made out was an empty plate with only traces of the previous night's food left in the kitchen sink. Dred had eaten his food.
He had left the house for school in anger and had barely spoken to anyone the whole time at school until it was time for lunch. Now he was eating and conversing with the boys around.
"I tell you man. Francis was bitten yesterday. Chris too. That's why they're absent today. They're probably taking anti-rabies shot as we speak now". Joseph, a school jock said.
"When did rabies become so high in Mid-mount?, Thank heavens I was already asleep yesterday when those sick people started their thing", Vidash, an Indian said a silent prayer to Krishna.
"I don't know if it really was rabies man. I mean yesterday I had a run-in with one of my co-workers. She had pinned a guy called Jake on the floor and was grinding her ass all over his crotch whiles struggling madly to kiss him.
She looked more sex-starved than rabies-infected. She had only tried to bite me when I interrupted her. I mean, whoever heard of a rabies patient trying to kiss or fuck their victim? It's insane." Ethan put in.
"Now that you mention it, what I heard this morning is beginning to make sense," Joseph said with a single finger propped over his chin.
"What did you hear?", John, a skinny but tough kid asked Joseph.
"On my way to school this morning, I heard two guys talking about what happened yesterday. One of them said a friend of his had called him the previous night, screaming about a woman who had bitten him on the ass.
The guy said he hadn't taken his friend seriously and dismissed his friend as trying to pull a prank on him but today, when he heard what had happened, he had called his friend to ask if he was okay, only to be informed by his wife that his friend had really been bitten on the ass by a woman and had passed out from the bite so was receiving medical attention in a nearby clinic.", Joseph finished.
"That sounds...Intense.", Kirk finally said after a long time of staying silent.
"Maybe it's a new form of rabies that increases people's sexual urges or something", Daniel, another boy said. One of the boys whistled.
"Maybe I should let one of these guys bite my girlfriend after all.", Joseph said thoughtfully.
Everybody sitting around the table burst into laughter.
They were still laughing when a girl walked behind Ethan and tapped him lightly on his shoulder.
Ethan turned, expecting to see someone he didn't know but nearly choked on his food as his eyes fell on the person Infront of him. Cough! Cough!! Cough!!!, The boys around the table started laughing at him whiles others whistled.
Ethan's face went red from embarrassment. Kirk was gently patting him on the back as he coughed.
"Are you okay?", Ellie asked.
"He's fine. He just needs some water. Here bro", Kirk passed Ethan a bottle of water which the latter wasted no time in downing.
"Sorry bout that..it's nice seeing you Ellie.", Ethan greeted.
"Likewise", Ellie answered with a smile. "I just wanted to inform you that Megan called me yesterday. She's back in town. Apparently, she had lost her phone whiles going to visit someone elsewhere hence the period of no contact. Just wanted to tell you that you were right when you said she'll be back in no time.", Ellie told Ethan.
"Yh...I said that." Ethan replied awkwardly.
"Well I gotta go back to my friends.", she said whiles pointing to a group of girls who were giggling as they looked at Ethan.
"See you later at work Ethan.", she said with a smile as she turned to head toward her friends.
"Later..", Ethan said softly and regretted it the moment the words escaped his mouth as he heard the boys burst into loud laughter.
"That is one beautiful girl...does she-"
"She's off-limits!", Ethan interrupted Joseph which only led to more laughter from the boys.
In a small office in Mid-mount. A semi-bald man with round owl-like glasses sat in his chair inspecting a beautiful golden chain that looked like a single closed eye.
This chain was none other than 'the eye of the gods', and the man was none other than Hermes. He was lost in his thoughts whiles checking every part of the chain.
Just who was fit to wield such power?. It was common sense that absolute power corrupts absolutely. This was even more true for humans who had the worst history of corruption in the whole universe. Well, maybe the dark forces would bypass them a little in that regard but that was still a lot of corruption for a race.
who was to say that this person he was going to choose wouldn't be the same?. What if he or she turned their back on the war and refused to participate? What If they chose to protect only their friends and loved one's whiles leaving the rest of humanity to its own fate?
Should he even keep staying in Mid-mount or should he leave with the chain to a different place? Surely, he would have a better choice elsewhere. Oh, who was he kidding? His best chance of choosing a worthy person was right here in Mid-mount where he knew the people well.
Besides, he just felt like Mid-mount was the place to be. But just who was the right candidate? He could feel a raging headache coming as he continued racking his brain for the right person. This whole 'choosing the best candidate' thing was harder than he had thought.
He was still lost in his thoughts when he heard his door open and in walked his assistant. He had traveled the world with this person and he was the only person he trusted completely. "So that is it...the eye of the gods. Magnificent.", The new person who had just entered the room complimented the chain.
"And you claim you still don't know who to bestow this gift unto?", The assistant asked Hermes who only nodded. He was totally at his wit's end.
"Calling this a gift is a little weird but I get where you're coming from. The reality is that this is one huge responsibility. Bigger than the punishment we gave Atlas. Which is why I need to choose wisely. I'll be glad if you could suggest someone to me." Hermes finished with a sigh and a pleading look.
The listening assistant smiled as he heard this. "I believe I know just the person you can give this accessory to." The assistant announced.