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harrumphs.  That Goddess has no shame!
Glancing over my shoulder, I catch a glimpse of
Aphrodite, who is wearing next to nothing. A denim skirt
that cuts off right below her butt cheeks and a top that
shows her midriff. She s enclosed by a circle of admirers
and I hear her infectious, flirtatious laugh. She playfully
slaps the shoulder of one of the men. I m assuming he just
said something funny.
Mom laughs at Hera s comment.  Hera, one day I
swear your jealousy will eat you alive.
 I am not jealous, Hera snaps. Of course she d never
admit it.  I have morals.
I roll my eyes, looking away, and mutter,  Right.
 I have a surprise for you, mom pipes up.
 A surprise? What kind of surprise?
Mom beams.  I invited Charis and Chloe.
 Really? I stare into the crowd of party guests.  Where
are they?
 Where else would they be? They re outside.
Charis and Chloe are twins, a pair of identical wood
nymphs. Back in ancient Greece they were my best friends.
They were immortal like me, and centuries ago they left
Greece too.
 Ugh. Wood nymph s, Hera scoffs.
For a second, I think about giving Hera a piece of my
mind. Isn t there anybody that she likes? Isn t there anybody
that she doesn t look down upon? She thinks that because
she s married to Zeus, she can treat people how she wants
to, with disrespect. Maybe that was okay five thousand
years ago, but this is the 21st century. Times have
changed. Instead, I remain tight-lipped, dashing through the
sliding back door.
Persephone
 Charis! Chloe! I shout, hopping down the cement
steps of the back porch.  I know you guys are out here!
Cautiously, I march toward the edge of the forest that
encircles our house, eyes darting across a sea of
evergreen and brown. I stop, squinting, trying to get a
clearer view of the carved out muddy path, fenced in by the
trees the size of skyscrapers.
Two heads covered in a mass of thick black curls
emerge from the trees, excitement sparkling in their
chocolate brown eyes as they sprint toward me.
 Persephone! They squeal in unison.
I open my arms and the twins crash into me, hard, so
hard that I stumble backwards and almost tumble to the
ground.  Whoa! Easy! Regaining my balance I begin to
back away and Chloe pulls away first, followed by Charis.
Charis steps to her left, her olive skin shimmering like
droplets of molten gold in the sunlight. A stranger would
never be able to tell which twin was which. Through the
years Charis and Chloe had always thought it was comical
to play the switcheroo game with people they didn t know.
But they ve never been able to fool me.
Chloe has a nervous tick. Whenever she feels uneasy
or worried, she rolls her thumbs and Charis has a small
speckle of a beauty-mark just below her right eye. Chloe
has one too, but Charis s is just a little bit bigger.
 The last time we saw you was , Charis reminisces.
 Two hundred years ago, I say finishing her sentence.
 It s so good to see you, Chloe pipes up.  We ve
missed you.
 I missed you guys too.
The last time I saw the twins we were living in London.
Well, I was living in London. They lived in some cottage, set
deep in the English Countryside. Wood Nymphs could
never live in the city. They belonged outdoors, amongst
rolling green hills, trees, and wildflowers galore. I d also
longed for that life. I d longed to suck in fresh, clean air in
place of smog and smoke. I d longed to pick wildflowers all
day without a care in the world, instead of being cooped in
a London flat. I d longed to lie in the long grass on one of
those rolling green hills, feeling a brush as a gentle breeze
swept through the field and the grass tickled my skin.
I hated the fact that mom kept me hidden away from
the beauty of the earth. The same earth that she d taught
me to love and appreciate. I stare off, trance-like caught up
in my past memories. Chairs and Chloe s feet rustle
against the grass, but I m not paying attention. Then I lift my
head slowly, and the most beautiful flower catches my eye.
 What is that?
Sunlight peaks through the trees and at the edge of my
yard, and the flower glimmers a glowing white with pink
splotches slathered along the inside of it. I know every
flower that grows on every continent. I can name every plant
and I know their purposes. But this flower&
I ve never seen and flower like it, and I don t know
what it is.
Lurching forward, mesmerized, Charis and Chloe s
footsteps pound behind me, but I don t pay attention.
 What are you looking at? Chloe inquires.
I lift a finger, placing it against my lips, silencing Chloe
with the gesture and stop at the edge of the left corner of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]