CHAPTER 1: They're probably not real, but what if they are?

Vida

New York City, Planet Earth

"Uhm, hello? Earth to Vida?" Tessa waved her hand in front of Vida in an attempt to pull her back from reality.

Vida looked up from the page she was reading and pulled her glasses that were slipping off of her nose. “Sorry, you were saying something?”

Tessa let out a huff and dramatically sat down beside her best friend. “You never seem to listen to me! You always have your head behind that book.” She took the book from Vida’s hand and playfully kept it out of her reach.

“Hey!” Vida giggled. “Stop it, Tessa. You’ll get my page messed up.”

Tessa would not actually lose Vida’s progress in the book. She still sensibly kept her finger where Vida was reading and turned to take a look at the cover. “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief,” Tessa rolled her eyes. “Ugh, again? How many times have you read this book?”

Vida looked up and actually thought about it. Fantasy books have always enthralled her. There is something about these stories that make her fall in love a hundred or maybe even a thousand times.

Ever since Vida was a little girl, her grandfather would always give her books for Christmas and her birthdays. It started out with picture books until she could read and then she was a goner. Out of all the books she has read, it was Percy Jackson who really left a mark on her heart.

“I think, I’ve read it for about four times,” Vida replied.

“Shut up. Don’t fool me, you’ve read this more than four times.” Tessa said as she handed her the book back to Vida. She looked at her friend to gauge her reaction. “They’re not even real, Sades.”

Vida reached for the bookmark inside the pocket of her Burn’s Bar uniform and carefully placed it in between the pages. She took a deep breath and replied. “I know that. I’m just interested about their lives being a demigod, you know?” She knew that Tessa was genuinely curious as to why she was so invested in this book. Nobody actually really knows the real reason behind why she loves to read aside from Tessa. It was her escape from reality. Something she can call home whenever she hops from one apartment to another. 

“Besides, wouldn’t it be great if the actual Greek gods of many eons ago do exist in this modern times? I mean you could just imagine how they would be so freaked out about cellphones and computers? But in the book, technology is not a thing that jives well with the Mist. It’s what they call the mystical veil that separates the world of demigods and mortals. Like for instance, that man over there,” Vida gestures towards the man across the street with her head, hoping that she was not too obvious about it. “If we were, let’s say, gorgons with snakes for hair, he would see us as normal girls on our way home from Burn’s.”

Tessa chuckled. “Out of all the mystical creatures in there, why would you compare us to snake-haired gorgons?”

Vida shrugged. “It was the one thing on top of my head! I’m sorry. But no worries, you my friend, are no gorgon in my eyes.”

Her best friend rolled her eyes and gave a meaningful glance at the man across the street. “We never know, he might be the gorgon and we are just blinded by the Mist.”

They both laughed. Vida silently thanks the universe for her best friend. She wouldn’t be able to survive life in New York City if it was not for her.

It was nearing midnight and thankfully the bus arrives as scheduled. Friday nights were always the busiest nights of the week at Burn’s Bar. It was always a given that the girls would be staying for more than 8 hours of duty. And since it was Tessa’s turn to render overtime service, Vida was more than happy to accompany her friend in her shift. It was something Peter, the manager and owner of Burn’s Bar, was grateful for.

Vida and Tessa waited as a handful of passengers got off for this stop. Once it was in the clear, they boarded the bus and swiped their bus passes. Since the bus was not very crowded at this time of the hour, they got the luxury of choosing their seats and those at the very back were their favorite one.

Once they got settled in, the bus doors closed and off they went. Vida stared out of the window and watched as the city lights flashed by. New York City at night is not very different from New York City in the morning. After all, it is the city that never sleeps. At 12:00 midnight, people were still out and about doing their usual Friday night businesses of club hopping and getting themselves shit-faced until Sunday. Oh, what would Vida give to have that kind of carefree life? Having the time of her life whenever she wishes to and not having to worry about paying the bills because she has a steady job to support herself.

But sometimes, life throws the worst of all curveballs and hands you the shittiest of cards.

At a very young age, she has seen the world as it is. Hard as it may sound, Vida has learned that people come and go and that you only have yourself to rely on. That is the reason why she relates so much to the characters in her book. She very much feels like her very own protagonist in her own story.

Vida shook her head. What a ridiculous thought. She needs to get a grip because her monthly rent is due next week.

She nudged her friend by the shoulder. “Hey, Tessa?”

“Hmm?” Tessa replied as she was rummaging her bag for a snack bar.

“Have you ever imagined yourself with super powers?”

She stops for a while and considers Vida’s question. “I honestly have not thought about that.” Tessa loves how her friend comes up with these quirky questions that actually makes you think about your answer. Her friend might be a bit out of touch with reality sometimes but that is what makes her unique and lovable in her own way.  She indulged Vida and replied. “I think it would be cool to actually you know, be able to pass through walls and objects? I mean, it would save me some time serving the customers.”

Vida laughed. Tessa can be candid at times and can really take her stress away with her wit and practicality. “Do you think Peter would give you a raise then?”

“He better! He won’t be getting someone as pretty as me with an extra little perk of being able to walk across the tables.” Tessa exclaimed.

They continued to chat about their theories about super powers and the convenience of what a world with magic could bring. When all chatter died down, Tessa asked a question that made her entire night. “But what if magic is real? What if there is another universe where humans have magical powers and they just didn’t want us normies to know? Have you thought about it? With the discovery of UFOs, there might be a possibility to it.”

Vida loves how her friend does not see her as a weirdo and engages with her wild ideas. Vida could not have asked for a better friend than Tessa. She laughed at Tessa and Tessa in return gave her a look of bewilderment, “What?”

“I mean, think about it Sades,” Tessa looked up and saw that her stop was approaching. “The world is big and we haven’t even explored the depths of our oceans. Anything is possible!”

“You know, for someone who does not consume fictional content on a daily basis, your theories are a bit too much.”

Tessa pressed the button near the handle bars to signal the driver to slow down. She got up as the bus slowed down and looked down at Vida with a warm smile. “I swear, Sades. I got it all from you.”

Vida returned it with one of her own. “You’re crazy. See you on Monday, Tess.”

Tessa made her way down the aisle of the bus and before she exited, she looked back and waved goodbye. “Don’t let the gorgons get you!”

The few passengers on the bus looked behind at Vida with weirded out faces. She just gave them an apologetic smile and pulled out her book out of her bag to return to the world of modern Greek gods.

Tessa’s words echoed through her head, as she thought about the possible existence of alternate universes. Excitement flooded her body. What if they are real?