Unconventional Affair book 2

Chapter 3

"I could swear that things weren't normal last night and even this morning," I said to Ava as I took my seat in the class. It was around 9 on dot. Ava turned to face me. She shook her head. 

"Are you alright Inez? Do u need to go see a doctor?" She asked.

"What?" I asked.

"You just vanished from the party and then I couldn't even find you in your room and now you are telling me that last night was strange? Are you sure you weren't wasted?" 

I placed a book on my desk and looked up at her. "Look Ava, I don't expect you to believe me but something is happening in this world that you mortals are unaware of." I stared at her for a bit and finally took my eyes off her. "All my life, everything hasn't been normal, and let's talk about the guy from last night, he..." 

"You mean your Imaginary friend? The one I and Owen couldn't see?" She asked.

"He is real and his name is Theo Moore. He is a..." 

"You even named him?!!!" Ava asked. 

"Never mind Ava, since you won't believe my story." 

She heaved a sigh. "I think you are being paranoid Inez and maybe, just maybe someone spites your drink without you knowing, I think you need to have proper sleep and when you wake up, I guess, the things you think are real, might be imagination. Try laying your head on the desk, I will cover for you when a lecturer comes in." She turned to face the board as I laid my head on the desk. 

I could bet it was real. The demon, Theo, and even the hunter's building. It wasn't imagined. Ava won't get it. She was a human after all.

"Please join me in welcoming Beauty to the university of California." (Head of a faculty.) "After publishing three prized winning books, she was awarded and she is one of the youngest ever to have been awarded that distinction. We are delighted to have her amongst us. She is the daughter of the dean." 

Everyone started to clap. 

I raised my head and met her gaze, she smiled and used her eyes to search the classes. "Thank you, thank you so much. The earliest origins of drama are to be found in Athens where ancient hymns, called dithyrambs, were sung in honor of the god Dionysus... One of these, the 'City Dionysia', a festival of entertainment held in honor of the god Dionysus, featured competitions in music, singing, dance, and poetry. During the mysteries in the city of Eleusis there were plays of the marriage of Zeus and Demeter, a*******n of Cora by Pluto, roam of Demeter in search of her daughter, and return of Cora. Dionysus was considered the god of the creative forces of nature. Later he became the god of winemaking and then the god of poetry and theater. The symbols of Dionysus were plants, especially the vine. On holidays dedicated to Dionysus, not only solemn but also merry carnival songs were sung. The mummers who formed the retinue of Dionysus arranged noisy fun. The participants of the festive procession smeared their faces with wine. They also put on masks and goats' skins because Dionysus was portrayed as a goat." She sighs and continues. " The history of theater can be traced back to 6th Century B.C. were the Ancient Greeks were the first to present dramatic presentations. One of the most popular forms of entertainment for people is a visit to the theater. Thank you." She took a bow and everyone started to clap again.

The head of the faculty walked towards her. "That was stimulating."

"Thank you," Beauty said as she gave a smile. 

"How about you get to know your coursemate more and feel among? I will try to have a conversation with your father about letting you take classes with them. You can also share your knowledge with them and get to be friends." 

"I would like that very much." Beauty said as she walked towards the spear sitting next to me. She sat quietly as the head of a faculty walked out. 

She looked at me and I tilted my head to look at her. "Nice presentation, you know, I don't know much about theatre or even the history." 

"Then why did you choose theatre?" She asked. Without emotions.

I closed the book in front of me. "I have always wanted to become a very popular person." 

"You should have gone for Film instead of theatre," Ava said as she turned to look at us. 

"Too late." I chuckled. And rolled my eyes at her.

"Nah, you can always change your course. It's never too late, you just need to have good grades then you are good to go." Beauty said. "I can help you out if you want." 

I smiled at her. "Really?" I asked. She was a stranger but I wanted to be her friend. 

"Yeah, sure." She replied. 

"You don't even know her," Ava said, trying to make a point. "I don't even know her." 

"Yeah, you don't even know me," I said to Beauty.

"I'm just trying to help and I bet you will thank me later. How about we use this free period to go to the library to research about some poet and the theatre?" 

"Let's go," Ava said excitedly. She wasn't a bookworm but she wanted to tag along. 

"You don't look like the reading type Ava," I said.

"You don't look like it either." She replied as she began to laugh. 

"Let's go Beauty." I grabbed my bag and we all left for the library.

***

"What do you need?" The librarian asked.

"Theatre-related books?" I asked. 

"What?" The librarian seemed clueless.

"Hamlet by William Shakespeare." Beauty said "And...Aristotle poetics." 

"Wow, you are amazing," I said.

"I know." She said as we take a seat near the window.

"So... we're you present at the fresher's party yesterday?" Ava asked as she flipped her hair. 

"Not at all, I was getting ready for my presentation." 

"So you read even after knowing so much?" I asked as I focused on her.

"Of course I read, I'm no god." She shook her head. 

"So, this might sound creepy but do you believe creatures exist?" I asked out of the blues. Stranger but I wanted to seek her answers. Ava wasn't ready to take me seriously. She thought I was mad.

"By creatures, you mean vampires, demons, witches, elves?" Beauty asked Inez. 

"Exactly. Those creatures." Inez said. 

"Inez, will you stop creeping her out?" Ava asked. 

"So, you are Inez?" Beauty asked.

"I told you, you know nothing about her not even her name and you offer to take her to the library? I'm Ava by the way." She smiled.

"Beauty." She introduced again. 

"We know." I and Ava said as we start to laugh. The librarian brought the books Beauty had asked for earlier and placed them on the table. 

"There you go." He said as he walked away. 

"Those creatures have all but disappeared, demons, vampires, and witches. Hiding in plain sight." Beauty flipped the book in front of her, over to the next page. "In every ending,"

I interrupted. "There is a new beginning." We both finish the sentence. 

We looked at each other. 

"Weird." Ava shook her head. "Please let's focus on the book." 

"Hamlet by William Shakespeare." She traced the name on the front cover with her hand as she smiled. She looks up at me and Ava. "This play might likely be our first assignment on this course. I'm just saying so we have to know more about it if we want to write something the lecture might want to know." She started to flip pages again. "Hamlet is a tragic play." 

"Like Romeo and Juliet?" I asked. 

"Even tragic... if there is a word like that...Everyone died."

"All of them?" Ava asked as she seemed interested in what Beauty was saying.

"All but Ophelia." Beauty said. 

"Let me guess, she was meant to be Juliet in this play but didn't get to die due to some circumstances?" I asked. Clueless.

"Act I, Late at night, guards on the battlements of Denmark's Elsinore castle are met by Horatio, Prince Hamlet's friend from school. The guards describe a ghost they have seen that resembles Hamlet's father, the recently-deceased king. At that moment, the Ghost reappears, and the guards and Horatio decide to tell Hamlet.

Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, married Hamlet's recently-widowed mother, becoming the new King of Denmark. Hamlet continues to mourn for his father's death and laments his mother's lack of loyalty. When Hamlet hears of the Ghost from Horatio, he wants to see it for himself. 

Elsewhere, the royal attendant Polonius says farewell to his son Laertes, who is departing for France. Laertes warns his sister, Ophelia, away from Hamlet and thinks too much of his attentions towards her."

"So the brother of Ophelia was against their love story?" I asked.

"Yh, he felt like Hamlet will be a bad influence." She flipped the page to the other side. "The Ghost appears to Hamlet, claiming indeed to be the ghost of his father. He tells Hamlet about how Claudius, the current King and Hamlet's uncle, murdered him, and Hamlet swears vengeance for his father. Hamlet decides to feign madness while he tests the truth of the Ghost's allegations."

"Interesting," Ava said. 

"Indeed," I said as immediately I remembered Chase Parker. Our story was just like Hamlet but just that I was the one from royalty and also an immortal who can't die ordinarily. I cleaned the tears that roll down my cheek without anyone knowing.