"Jevelene Stacephelce, is that how you pronounce it?" The head of the orphanage asked. Jevelene and Ariel were now at an orphanage in China, right where Aleksei left them.
The orphanage head knew that Jevelene and Ariel were demigods, after all, they weren't the first of their kind she had met. But Jevelene was the first female demigod she met.
"Yes miss,"
"Call me madam Jinian,"
"Yes Madam," Jevelene and Ariel said together.
She smiled at Ariel, "So, what is your sila, Ariel?"
"Atomic manipulation,"
"Wonderful! You must have taken years to master it,"
"Not really, it's not hard to control,"
"We will be teaching you chemistry with magic in that case," She smiled and then glared at Jevelene.
"And what is your sila?" She asked.
"I don't have one yet, madam,"
"As I thought," She smirked and Ariel looked at her, "Women cannot be worthy demigods,"
"But we have a lady gatekeeper so I thought–"
"Huh! Nonsense, she must have slept her way through the parades, I refuse to believe it!" She turned back.
"They kill all female demigods when they are born because they only bring badluck. Heaven knows why your father didn't kill you!" With these bitter, she left.
Jevelene ran behind her, "Madam,"
"What?"
"You forgot to tell me what subject I need to study," She smiled.
"Oh? You want to study?"
"Oh, I'd love to,"
"Well," She looked at the ceiling above her, "You see those cobwebs at the corners,"
Jevelene looked up, "Yes?"
"I want them clean by tomorrow,"
She left.
Jevelene looked at her feet and Ariel looked at her worn out back. He walked towards her but suddenly a boy came between them, "So, you're Ariel? You're new here, right? Nice to meet you! Do you speak Chinese?"
"What?" Ariel didn't know Chinese. He pushed him aside and walked towards Jevelene but she was gone.
"He knows English, right?"
"Wow, your skin is so white!"
The rest of the boys from the orphanage engaged him into a one sided conversation and took him to his class.
Ariel made friends easily. Everyone there seemed to be of his age, everyone, everyone was welcoming.
"Alright, let's start with today's class," The teacher said, "Today, we will learn about the Magixiya of elite stars. Everyone open your books, page 58. Look at this diagram,"
Ariel rested his face on his palms and looked into his notebook. As the breeze flipped the pages of his notebook, he saw the gold water lily laying between the pages. He smiled as he looked at it.
He wondered where she went.
Meanwhile, Jevelene removed her red frock and wore a peach, cotton flared long gown reaching till her shins. She pulled out the rubbed band from her high ponytail and braided her hair into a thick, long snd red braid reaching till her waist. She picked up a bucket of water and walked towards the halls.
She dipped a mop into the water and began working as she sang softly.
Ariel closed his eyes and listened, "Jevelene is singing,"
Everyone looked at each other. The teacher stopped teaching, "Who is singing?"
Jevelene continued singing, "You!" Someone shouted and Jevelene turned back. It was Madam Jinian.
"Yes Madam?"
"Girl, can you stop singing? My head hurts. Work quietly! Stop disturbing the entire school!"
"Yes, I understand,"
"Good, and after this, clean the windows. I want them shining,"
She was given a small room at the attic of the orphanage while the boys shared rooms downstairs, lavishly decorated with carpets, fancy beds and furniture. As everyone else dined, Ariel sneaked out with a bottle of jam in his pocket.
Jevelene held a piece of bread in her hand while sitting at her window in the dark.
"Oh father, how in the midst of this sorrow, do I find strength? You told me I must not cry, but how do I keep smiling through this pain? Is my life nothing but sufferings until death embraces its arms around me?"
"It won't," She heard and turned towards the door of her tiny room. Ariel walked in, his head barely touched the wooden ceiling. He held a bottle of jam in his hands, "I will ensure that your sufferings don't last forever, I promise,"
"What are you doing here?" She got up, "Shouldn't you be dining downstairs?"
"Sue them, I wanna eat with the people I know, not strangers," He sat on the floor and she sat beside him, "Gimme that bread,"
She gave him the piece of bread in her hand and he spread some jam over it, "Now, it'll taste better,"
She looked at the bread, "And what about you?"
"What about me? I can stay hungry for a night, I needed some dieting anyways, my arms are so fricking fat,"
She smiled as she looked into his eyes,
"I am... Not that hungry. You should eat it,"
"How the hell do you work all day and say you're not hungry?"
"I'm fine. I'm used to it,"
"Yeah? And that's why you're as flat as a stick. I got tits bigger than you,"
She blushed, "Why–What–Why would you say that!"
He laughed, "Why wouldn't I? You refuse to listen otherwise,"
"It's so embarrassing," She said and he pressed the bread on her mouth, "Shut up and eat or I'll say more embarrassing things,"
She ate it quickly.
"Good. Now tell me why did you clean the floors today?"
"They asked me to,"
"So? You're not a slave, fight back a little! Or should I go and kick that fat nigga bitch in her ass?"
"No," She said, "Why are you so rude?"
"Fuck that, that is just me. You will meet her tomorrow and tell her, "Fuck you, I'm not your slave, I want to study not do your dishes!". Say that and we can go to class together,"
"But that will make her angry..."
"Then so be it. We don't care. She can't do shit, that fat ugly whore. You can't be such a pushover or people will just fuck you in the ass and leave you in pieces!" He sounded annoyed.
"Then, you can fix me," She smiled.
As she said, his voice mellowed down.
"Of course I can," It sounded soft, "But, what if I'm not there?"
"I'll wait for you."
He clicked his tongue, "Aw Jesus," He pulled his shirt and took out a book hidden between his stomach and his shirt.
"Okay, listen here,"
"What are you doing?"
"Teaching you what I learnt today,"
"Why?" She looked at him.
"Why? What so you mean why? Woman, I take out my precious time to teach you so shut up, you annoying bitch,"
"...Teach me? You'll teach me magic?"
"Yes. They can stop you from going to the class, but they can't stop you from learning,"
The next day, Jevelene approached Madam Jinian with a teapot in her hands, "Erm Madam,"
"What?"
"...I... I want to study too..."
"You wanna study?"
"Y-Yes, I will still work, just for an hour can I attend the class wi-with the boys?"
"Are you a boy?"
"No but I–"
"Listen to me now, girl. Either you get a roof over your head or you study. You are no demigod, you don't need to study magic. Now get out of my sight!"
"Yes,"
That night, Ariel came to her room again, "Did you ask that bitch?"
"Yes, I did," She said.
"What did she say?"
Jevelene smiled, "It's a no but it's fine,"
"Do you want me to talk to her?"
"No, I don't want you to become my crutches. I want to walk with you, but I don't want to walk because of you,"
He looked at her freckles, "I understand,"
She smiled, "Besides, I like my current teacher,"
He chuckled, "Of course you do. I'm so bloody sexy, goddammit,"
"Yes," She laughed.
"Alright, so let's get to studying,"
A few weeks passed, and a letter from Russia met the carpets of that Chinese orphanage. The news spread like fire throughout the orphanage. Someone from Russia was going to visit them, to take only those demigod children who are to enter high school to a supernatural high-school in Moscow. Jevelene has just turned sixteen.
She heard of it.
'From Moscow, I can travel to Siberia and reach Alkamshine where I can look for mother!'
"You want to go to Russia?" Ariel asked.
"I see no point staying in this orphanage because I'm not an orphan. My mother is still alive,"
"Correction, you think she's alive,"
"My heart tells me she is,"
He smiled, "You know what my heart tells me?"
"What?"
"THAT I NEED TO BUST A NUT TONIGHT!"
"Why–Why would you say that?!"
"Why wouldn't I?" He smirked, "I said what I thought,"
"I was talking about something serious!"
"Fuck you, my dick is a serious issue!"
"Okay okay, change the subject. I need to get ready. They will be here tomorrow morning. We only have tonight. I need to wear something better,"
"I can make you a gold armour,"
"I don't want to look like a knight," She smiled sarcastically.
"Come on, you have to say it looks cool,"
"I still have this red frock Mr Maks gave me," She took out that red frock from her cupboard and hugged it, "This is so special to me. An elite star gifted it,"
"Oh God, you're so dramatic,"
She looked outside her window, "Tomorriw will be perfect. I will go to Russia and meet mom. And then, everything would be good,"
"Sounds like a plan. I'll come with you,"
"Yes," She smiled at him, "What about your mom, Ariel?"
"Was an Greek goddess I heard. Aphrodite or some bitch. Don't really care about that because she dumped me the moment I was born so she can just go and kill herself, I don't give a shit,"
"Oh...We were both abandoned by our mothers, I guess,"
"I know right? Which makes it fucking stupid for you to go back to her,"
"I want to ask her what I did wrong to not deserve her,"
"Hmm...It's maybe because you are flat?"
"C–Can you please talk about serious things?!"
"Yes, I can...But I won't," He laughed.
"Go away, I won't talk to you anymore,"
"Aww now I'm just sad and lonely,"
"Don't be sad, Ariel," She moved towards him.
"You're so gullible," He burst into a laughter.
"You're so bad!"
"Yeah, maybe thats why you like me?"
"I don't like you!"
"That is your problem,"
"That is not a problem,"
"But hey, do you really not like me?"
"I am joking. Of course I like you. We are best friends after all," She smiled.
His green eyes mellowed down like a calm forest after a heavy shower of rain and turned slightly brown "I like you too,"
"We are best friends!"
"...Friends, yeah,"
-To be continued
Ariel
Dear Ms Lady Demigod