*Eight Months Later*
I walked into Jane's office with a cup of hot coffee, one cream one sugar, just how I like it.
"Hey guys." I said as I strode straight to my desk and began to work. Jane and Darcy smiled at me as they always did. I scratched at the scar on my wrist.
Yes, I tried to commit suicide. I used to cut too, not a ' numb the pain on the inside with the pain on the outside,' type thing. It's a 'I can't feel anything either way so why the hell not?' type thing.
Jane and Darcy knew this, they were there when I tried to kill myself six months ago. They were always there, but I didn't need them. I needed my Cara.
Cara.
"How are you today?"
"How do you think?" I asked not looking up from the readings.
"Aria-"
"Jane." I cut her off and glanced up at her.
"How about we go out today, there's that town festival going around, why don't we go to it?" Jane suggested and I sighed.
"Not today, I've got a lot of work and-"
"Aria, you need to have fun. You either drink yourself to death alone at some bar, or your mourning in a corner. Live a little." Darcy said and Jane looked at me worriedly. She sat down on the desk in front of me.
"Why should I 'live a little' when Cara couldn't even live at all?" I asked and sighed as I thought of Cara.
"Aria, Cara wouldn't want you to be like this. She would want you to move one, or get help." Jane said softly, Jane was always the kindest in these situations.
"I don't need help, I'm fine." I grumbled and scratched my head.
"No, you're obviously not, you need help Aria," Darcy said with her own annoyed tone.
"What I need to do is work, besides, no one can help me." I rolled my eyes and looked down. "Not on this damned planet.
Darcy and Jane shared a look.
"Perhaps not on this planet..." Jane whispered and jumped up. She dashed away quickly leaving me staring after her.
"Okay then..." I trailed and cocked my head to the side.
"I'll... be right back," Darcy said running after Jane. I sighed and pushed my red hair out of my face.
"I'll just sit here then."
-_-_-_-
So Jane left and didn't come back. Neither did Darcy. At one point in the evening I left and stumbled into a bar and got hammered drunk. As usual.
"Aria! Seriously!" Jane yelled as she saw me in my drunken stupor walking around town.
"Jane! Jane! Jane! Jane Eyre! Oh! Is dis Mr. Rochester?" I giggled and drunkenly slurred, and poked the large blond metal covered guy next to her.
"Oh... dis canno be him... he look like a knight. Knight and Shining Armor!" I shouted loudly and stumbled a bit.
"Aria, you said you wouldn't drink." Jane shook her head, and I sighed and sat down on the floor in the middle of the sidewalk.
"I wadn't gonna to... but you said you'd be right back, and you weren." I shrugged and giggled, "This ground is hard."
"Yeah, up ya' go." Jane said as she tugged me up.
"I don wanna." I slurred drunkenly as I made a fish - like pout face.
"Aria, you are hammered drunk and you're embarrassing yourself." Jane laughed and my head lulled back, I stared at the stars.
"Pretty, pretty, pretty. Starlight star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, wish upon this star tonight." I screamed and closed my eyes and whispered, "bring Cara back. Give me back what you took."
"Aria," Jane sighed as I put all of my weight onto her. She struggled.
"Let me take her," the guy said and I rolled my head in his direction so I could look at him.
"Who are you?"
"I am Thor of Asgard." He said proudly and I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah yeah yeah Thor of Asgard, make fun of the drunk." I slurred and yawned, "goodnight."
"Aria!" Jane yelled as I literally fell asleep on top of her. Suddenly I was lifted from the ground and carried.
"She isn't usually like this, she never drank, ever. But her little sister and last living relative just died last year. It hit her hard. They were very close, closer than usual sisters. I let them live with me when I first found them, they were in the streets and they were starving, sick, and beaten."
"That was stupidly kind of you." The man carrying me said.
"I know... it didn't really dawn on me to wonder why they were on the streets and beaten. I just saw two scared, sick, injured girls. I didn't know about their past."
"What was their past?"
"I'm not quite sure, they don't talk about it. Aria always says 'ignorance is bliss' when I ask." Jane sighed and there was a pause.
"She's a danger to herself and a danger to everyone around her." Thor said, "You did the right thing seeking out Asgard to help."
"It was the only thing I could think of."
"It was wise."
"Thank you." Jane said in a fading voice.
Then blackness took over me like a cape covering everything.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
"Ugh, my head hurts." I grumbled as I rolled over in bed. This wasn't my bed... or Jane's, or Darcy's or Eric's...
"What the hell?" I asked and bolted up. This lead to a piercing headache. "Aw fu-"
"Eh hem," a voice coughed and my eyes flashed open. Looking around I found Jane, with some tall built man.
I was in a room made of what appeared stone, I was dressed in garbs of a different place.
"What... the... hell?" I panted and opened my mouth to scream.
"Calm down! Don't scream! Let me explain!" Jane squealed and I stared at her wide eyes.
"What is going on Jane? Where am I? Why does it look like I popped out of a Renaissance Festival?"
"How do I put this?" Jane said and strode over to me. She sat at the edge of the bed.
"You know those books we read. Thee myths and legends? The stories of the gods?" Jane started and I nodded slowly, "just about every one of them, are true."
I looked at Jane wide eyed.
"Are you making fun of me?" I asked in hurt disbelief.
"No! No of course not! Aria, this is Thor. Odin's son," Jane pointed to the man behind her.
"How much did she pay you for this?" I asked angrily and sat up, ignoring the raging headache.
"She did not." Thor said softly, "what she speaks is truth."
"That... is..." What? This is what? Unreal? Amazing? Wonderful? Phenomenal? Frightening? "Wow."
Let's settle with that.
"Yeah." Jane laughed.
"So you're Thor?" I asked and poked his cheek.
"Yes, I am."
"Wow," I breathed out and poked him again.
"You are taking this surprisingly well." Thor and Jane stated.
"Yeah, well, I knew you were true. I knew it." I said and grinned, "I knew it!"
"Did you now?" Jane asked and I nodded.
"Yes!" I screamed and clapped my hands. "So you are really the Thor! Omigod! Is Loki real? Is he?" I asked and Thor hesitantly nodded.
"Can I meet him? Please, please, please? Cara always loved his stories when I read to her..." I trailed off with a frown. Cara.
"I suppose." Thor said with obvious hesitation.
"This is sweet... Jane why didn't you tell me! I mean I guess I know. It sucks that you don't trust me." I grumbled and looked at the wall. "Why am I here?"
"You need a reminder of your happiness." Jane said simply and I smiled at her.
"Thanks." I shrugged and waited for Thor to return.
"Aria-"
Jane was cut off by the door opening.
"Come." Thor said with a small smile. Jane grinned and skipped to his side. I trailed behind the two staring in wonder at everything. Wow.
We walked down a stairway and through corridors after corridors.
"These are his chambers," Thor said and I nodded.
"Want me to just go in?" I asked and he nodded. Opening the door I braced myself.
I was about to meet the myth I had fantasized over for most of my life.
------------- End of Chapter One-------------
This chapter is dedicated to JulliaStark12 who was my first notification that someone actually enjoyed this story! So thank you!