Chapter 7

After my grandma left, I leaped into action and got ready for the day. I slipped into a red striped pleated skirt that flared with every twirl and a red long-sleeve top that made me feel like a superhero. I stood in front of the mirror and combed my hair, admiring my auburn locks. Of course, it wasn't my natural hair color. My mom dyed it to auburn when I was young, and I've kept it that way ever since.

As I was combing my hair, I suddenly remembered the dream I had last night. It felt so real, like it actually happened. I hadn't even watched any movies, so what sparked that dream? I shook my head and tried to push the thought away. It was a new day, and I didn't need any negative energy to drag me down.

I made my way downstairs to the dining room, where my grandparents were already chowing down. They didn't wait for me this time, but that was okay.

"Good morning, family!" I said, pecking their cheeks. Grandma smiled at me, and Grandpa beamed.

"Morning, dear. I see you had a good night's sleep," Grandpa said, grinning.

"Well, I wouldn't say good. It was more like... bearable. So, what's for breakfast?" I asked, clasping my hands together.

"I made bacon and eggs. Hope you like it," Grandma said, gesturing towards the plate in front of me.

I used the knife on the plate to cut a piece of bacon and picked it up with my fork. I chewed thoughtfully before giving my verdict.

"I don't like it," I said, frowning.

"Huh? You don't like it? I could change it if you want," Grandma said, looking crestfallen.

"Yes, I don't like it, but I don't want another one-" I began to explain before she interrupted me.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I love it..." I told her, taking another bite. "...I could eat ten plates of this. Like I said earlier, I have an extra stomach," I joked, patting my belly.

Grandma smiled, and her smile made me smile.

"You're such a foodie," Grandpa chuckled. "You're just like her, my Livea," he said, his eyes twinkling for a moment before he shook his head and resumed eating.

Grandma turned to him, her eyes watery.

"Grandma," I called her, and she turned her attention back to me.

"Who is Livea?" I asked her, curious.

"Livea... Well, she was..." Grandma trailed off as a maid entered the room, interrupting her.

"Ma'am, the list is ready, and the driver has gotten the car ready," the maid said, bowing before exiting the room.

"What's the list about?" Grandpa asked Grandma.

"I told you the other day that I'm going shopping today. The list contains the groceries I want to buy," she explained.

"Oh, okay," Grandpa replied.

"Can I tag along? Please!" I begged.

"Yes, you can," Grandma said, smiling.

"Really? Thank you!" I beamed, excited to go shopping with my grandma.

~~~

After breakfast, my grandpa wandered off to who knows where, while my grandma and I hopped in the car. I stared out of the window and noticed the same tree from my dream. This was strange.

“Grandma, what’s the name of that tree?” I asked.

“Why do you ask?” she replied.

“Oh, no reason. I’m just curious,” I said, trying not to sound crazy.

“It’s called Barebola,” she answered.

It was the same tree from my dream, with the same name. Had my dream become a reality? “Just like my dream,” I muttered under my breath.

“What did you say?” she asked.

“Nothing,” I quickly responded.

I was dying to know why it was called Barebola, but before I could ask, the driver beat me to it. “Barebola was named after a man who studied theology in the outside world and came to put his knowledge to use here. He discovered things the gods had created and told the people about them. When he found out about the tree, he told an old man that the gods created it to show they were celebrating with them during their festivals. The old man forgot the name, so he went to Barebola's house to ask for it but he had gone on another adventure, never to return. Since people kept asking about the tree, they decided to name it after the man. The tree was created to show that the gods were celebrating with them.”

“That’s a pretty interesting history,” I grinned.

“Yes, it is. Thank you, Mr. Storyteller. We’ve arrived. Park at the other side of the shop, and we’ll meet you there,” Grandma said as she got down from the car.

When we arrived at the mall, Grandma and I went shopping. She handed me a cart and told me to go pick out my own things while she got the groceries. I didn’t even know where the cash register was, but before I could ask, she disappeared into the crowd.

I wandered around, picking out items and putting them in the cart. I wasn’t paying attention to the prices, but I knew Grandma was going to be mad when she saw the receipt. I was in the mood for some chips, so I approached someone.

“Excuse me, can you direct me to where the chips are usually kept?” I asked a stranger.

“Hmm, there’s a signboard hung on the roof. They wrote ‘Snacks’ on it,” he said.

“Okay, thank you,” I said, walking away and looking for the signboard. When I finally found it, I saw the most devastating news. The chips had finished.

“And I was craving some,” I cried. It looked like God heard my cry because I saw a boy carrying a cart filled with ten packets of chips. It’s because of people like him that others couldn’t buy chips. He couldn’t even leave one. I followed him silently, but he seemed to notice someone was following him and turned around. I quickly turned left and pretended to look at the items there. “Oh my gosh, this thing is so expensive. Can’t they reduce the price? This supermarket has expensive things. I can’t buy this,” I said, turning back. The boy had already left.

“Oh god, where is he? My chips must not go. I have to eat at least one,” I thought, looking around. I saw him in the drinks section and followed him. I was walking behind him when I hit my head on something hard. It was the boy’s back.

“Hey,” I waved at him, smiling sheepishly.

"Why are you following me?" he asked in a harsh tone.

I raised my eyebrows, playing coy. "Are you referring to me?"

"Who else would I be referring to? I didn't see anyone else around here." He spoke more harshly this time.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe I just happen to be walking in the same direction as you."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "That's a bit hard to believe."

I pouted my lips, feigning innocence. "I promise I'm not following you. Do I look like a stalker?"

He scoffed. "I don't know what you look like. I just know you're creeping me out."

I rolled my eyes, placing my hands on my hips. "You don't have to be so rude about it. I was just minding my own business."

He grabbed my shoulders tightly, causing me to wince. "I'm asking you for the last time. Why are you following me?"

I felt a droplet of his spit land on my cheek and inwardly cringed. "I can't feel my blood. Release your grip and I'll tell you why."

He let go of me, his eyes still fixed on mine. "Now tell me."

I took a step closer to him, walking towards his cart. "The reason I was following you is that..." I reached into his cart and grabbed a bag of chips. "...I accidentally dropped one of my items in your cart. I was too shy to ask you, so I tried taking it back. Sorry for the trouble."

I started to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist. "Any problem?" I asked him, noticing for the first time that he was actually kind of cute.

"Drop the chip," he said calmly.

"What chip?" I played dumb.

"The chip you took from my cart."

"Oh, that chip. Well, you see, it was the item that fell in your cart, so I took it back. I'd love to take my leave now." I smiled, trying to tug my wrist free.

"You and I both know that's my chip. I bought ten, and there are only nine left. So that one's mine."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you're great at math. You must be killing it in school."

He sighed. "That's sarcasm."

"Gotcha. Well, keep up the good work." I gave him a thumbs up.

He looked frustrated. "Just give me the chip you stole."

I frowned, crossing my arms. "Hey, watch what you say. I didn't steal anything."

"What do you call what you just did, then?"

"I'd call it retrieving. I didn't steal it; I just took it back. You understand?"

"I don't understand at all," he said, placing his hands on his waist.

I shrugged. "Okay, good for you then."

"Just give me the chip."

"Why don't you be a gentleman and let me go? It's just a chip."

"Well, bad news for you, good news for me. I'm not a gentleman, and it's not just a chip. So give it back."

"Please?" I batted my eyelashes.

"That won't work on me, baby girl."

I huffed. "Fine, take your stupid chip." I held it out slowly, hoping to appeal to his better nature. "Just this one."

"No, give it to me."

"Are you sure you want it?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, but you could just..." I was interrupted as he shushed me.

"Keep quiet and I'll let you have the chip, maybe even add to it."

"Really?" I perked up.

"Yes

"Okay, take your chip," I huffed, stretching it slowly towards him. I knew I should beg him once more, maybe he would agree. "Just give me this one."

"No, give me," he retorted.

"Do you really want to take it?"

"Yeah, I really want to take it," he replied with a smirk.

"You sure?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Yes, I am," he said confidently.

"Okay, you know you could just..." I started to say before he cut me off.

"Keep quiet first," he said, silencing me.

"Don't shush me, I'm still talking," I protested.

"If you keep quiet, I will let you have the chip and maybe I will add to it," he offered.

"Really? Okay, I will keep quiet," I agreed, hoping for a larger share of the chips.

"Good. I just saw a rat," he whispered.

"Where?" I asked, jumping on his back in fear.

"Will you get off my back?" he grunted.

"Oh, sorry," I said as I came down.

"Now to get my fresh meal," he said as he walked silently towards something in the shadows. He returned with a rat in his mouth.

"Throw that thing away," I gagged.

"Why? Xan is hungry. He has not eaten a fresh meal like this," he explained.

"Who the hell is Xan?" I asked, confused.

"You'll see," he said mysteriously. Suddenly, the unexpected happened. He changed into a big dog - no, a wolf, a big bad wolf like the ones in the story of the wolf and the three pigs.

"Wait, you changed into a wolf?" I asked in disbelief.

The animal nodded his head, and I could feel my stomach churn.

"You ate a rat?" I asked incredulously.

The wolf nodded again, and I felt myself getting lightheaded. The scene before me was too much to take in. Suddenly, everything turned black, and I passed out.

~~•~~

I heard a voice say, 'She is waking up.'

I opened my eyes and found myself in my room. "I guess it was just another dream," I muttered to myself.

"Thank God, you're awake," my grandma said with relief.

"Are you okay now?" Grandpa asked.

I sat up and looked around, taking in my surroundings. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a crazy dream," I replied with a chuckle.

"What was the dream? Tell us, dear," Grandma urged me.

I hesitated for a moment before deciding to share. "I dreamt that I followed you to the supermarket and met this cute boy. We were fighting over chips, and then he turned into a hideous beast. He turned into a wolf!"

"Wow, you really think I'm cute, but Xan does not like being called hideous. He's a fine specimen," the voice of the cute boy from my dream said. Then, to my surprise, he walked into the room.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" I asked, bewildered.

They all nodded their heads. "You see, darling, this world is utterly different from where you come from," Grandma explained.

"My mom told me that," I replied, still confused.

"The difference I'm talking about is different from what you think. It's supernatural different," Grandma clarified.

"What do you mean by that?"

"We're not humans," the cute boy said matter-of-factly.

"But I am human," I protested.

"No, dear, you're not. It's just that we don't know your power," Grandpa said sadly.

"But my mom and dad don't have powers," I pointed out.

"They have powers, but they didn't show them. Your dad and I are descendants of Zeus, and your mom is the granddaughter of Mother Earth," Grandpa revealed.

"Zeus? Is that all you can come up with, Grandpops? Your pranks aren't going to work on me. Is it Halloween here?" I asked skeptically.

"It's not a prank," the cute boy said.

Suddenly, Grandpa closed his eyes and opened them again. His slicked-back hair became spiky, and the color changed from black to white with sparks flying around it. His eyes changed to blue, and his skin started glowing. He looked so different.

"I'm not pranking you. I'm telling you the truth. We just don't know what kind of power you have. Don't worry, I enrolled you in the best school where they'll train you to use your powers," Grandpa said before walking away, not giving me a chance to speak.

"I'm sorry, dear," Grandma said before leaving the room, leaving me alone with the cute boy.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you, and nobody will taunt you there," he said, giving me a genuine smile.

"I don't want any of this. I never thought that this would be happening, not even going to school here. I just came here to spend time with my grandparents, not all this. Now I know why Mom didn't want me here. I wish I had listened to her. I wouldn't be facing all this stuff," I cried.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," he reassured me, sitting down and placing my head on his shoulder.

"I don't think I can cope with all this supernatural stuff," I admitted.

"You will, I promise. So, chips?" he said, opening the bag and putting one in my mouth.

I smiled, feeling grateful. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," he said with a smile.

I realized that I didn't have a choice but to accept the fact that things were not normal again, at least I get to have my chips.