NEFARIOUS

CHAPTER 2:SUPERNATURAL CREATURES

"I didn't expect you to be here,"

Terressa turned to look at the source of the voice. She eyed the guy in front of her from tip to toe and took a sip from her coke.  

"What? I'm not allowed to go to parties?"  

"It's not like that!" 

"Then, what is it like?"

"I just thought nerds like you love staying at home in your room surrounded by stacks of books,"

"I'm not like that! I don't sit in between stacks of books surrounding me!"

"Whatever you say, Aldaine. Mind if I ask you for a dance?"

"Don't even expect me to agree, Amherst. Not even in your dreams," 

"It is hard to make you agree, by the way, you look hot," 

"Thanks," 

"You sure you don't wanna dance?" 

"I'm absolutely sure. Now, if you'll excuse me,"

Terressa took her purse and stood up to leave but Dracen held her wrist and stood up. He pulled her towards him, his strong arm wrapped around her waist. The blonde girl was shocked as her body hit his chest. She looked at the taller boy, his gaze was burning. She pushed him away and looked straight into his eyes, anger filling her up.

 She told him in a cold voice, anger lining it. "If you want to dance with someone or flirt, there are a lot of girls here. Don't try me," With that, she stormed off. She told Lia that she is tired and booked a cab to go back home. Being back home, she saw her cousins, Alexa and Mike sitting on the couch watching a movie with her aunt. 

"Hi, Tess," 

"Hello, Lex," 

"How did the party go, dear?"

"It was fun, Mum," 

"DID YOU DRINK?"

"Of course not. I only had a coke. I'm literally fifteen, Mike,"

"I'm just kidding," Mike put his hands up in the air, surrendering.

 Terressa smiled at how her cousin reacted. She said goodnight to the three of them and went to her bedroom. In her bedroom, she put her purse on the dressing table and took off her accessories. She took a quick shower and changed into her pyjamas before going to bed.

 Terressa woke up later than usual that morning. She did her morning routine and went to have breakfast. She planned to finish up most of her assignments that day. After breakfast, she went to her room and turned on some music before sitting to do her assignments. The song played in the background as Terressa sat on the chair and took out her assignment papers.

The world says, 

That it will be difficult and harsh, 

They want us to get discouraged, 

The moment you feel it is all too much for you, 

They again whisper hopelessness and despair on purpose,

Terressa started humming along to the song.

It won't work on me,I believe in myself~~ They wonder how I had fail, They take a poke at me, Like a prickle~~ 

Watch me right now, I scream out loud,

I've been dreaming every day, I've been through a long battle, I've bet everything for this blueprint, It's the tomorrow that I've been waiting for everyday~~

Terressa had finished most of her assignments. Only her English assignment was left. She looked at the time. It was already 2:00 p.m. and she started her assignment at nine in the morning. She was starting to get hungry. She planned to go and make something to eat in the kitchen. "Terressa!" her aunt called out to her. "Coming, Mum," Terressa replied as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where her aunt was. 

"Yes?" "A lot of homework?" "Obviously. Why did you call me?"

"Oh, right. I have to go to a friend's house for some work and will be back late. Dad has gone on a sudden business trip. He will be back in the next two weeks. Mike and Alexa are staying over at a friend's house for a sleepover party, so you'll be alone for tonight. I have made lunch and left some money on the kitchen countertop if you want to buy anything later. Make sure to lock the doors. Take care of yourself,"

"Okay, Mum," "Okay, darling.Bye.Take care," "Bye, Mum," 

 Terressa's aunt kissed her goodbye and went out. Terressa closed the door and went to have her lunch. Her aunt had made spaghetti. After lunch, Terressa went back to her bedroom to continue with her assignments. She decided to do some research on supernatural creatures before reading "World of Demons" which she had borrowed from the library last Friday.She typed 'Supernatural Creatures'  on the search engine and quite a lot of articles popped up. Terressa clicked the first link she saw and read the contents about supernatural creatures.

SUPERNATURAL CREATURES 

A legendary and mythological creature, also called a fabulous creature and fabulous beast, is a supernatural animal, generally a hybrid, sometimes part human, whose existence has not or cannot be proved and that is described in folklore but also in historical accounts before history became science.

In the Classical Era, monstrous creatures such as the Cyclops and the Minotaur appear in heroic tales for the protagonist to destroy. Other creatures such as the Unicorn, were claimed in accounts of natural history by various scholars of antiquity. Some legendary creatures have their origin in traditional mythology and were believed to be real creatures. For example, dragons, griffins and unicorns. Others were based on real encounters, originating in garbled accounts of travellers' tales such as the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary, which supposedly grew tethered to the earth.

A variety of mythical animals appear in the art and stories of the Classical Era. For example, in the Odyssey, monstrous creatures include the Cyclops, Scylla and Charybdis for the hero Odysseus to confront. In other tales, the Medusa appears to be defeated by Perseus, the(human/bull) Minotaur to be destroyed by Theseus, and the Hydra to be killed by Heracles, while Aeneas battles with the harpies. These monsters thus have the basic function of emphasizing the greatness of the heroes involved.

Some Classical Era creatures, such as the (horse/human) centaur, chimaera, Triton and the flying horse are found also in Indian art. Similarly, sphinxes appear as winged lions in Indian art and the Piasa Bird of North America.

In Medieval Art, animals, both real and mythical, played important roles. These included decorative forms as in medieval jewellery, sometimes with their limbs intricately interlaced. Animal forms were used to add humour or majesty to objects. In Christian Art, animals carried symbolic meanings, where for example the lamb symbolized Christ, a dove indicated the Holy Spirit, and the classical griffin represented a guardian of the dead. Medieval bestiaries included animals regardless of biological reality; the basilisk represented the devil, while the manticore symbolised temptation.

One function of mythical animals in the Middle Ages was an allegory. Unicorns, for example, were described as extraordinarily swift and uncatchable by traditional methods. It was believed that the only way for one to catch this beast was to lead a virgin to its dwelling. Then, the unicorn was supposed to leap onto her lap and go to sleep, at which point a hunter could finally capture it. In terms of symbolism, the unicorn was a metaphor for Christ.

Unicorns represented the idea f innocence and purity. In the King James Bible, Psalm 92:10 states, "My horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn." This is because the translators of King James erroneously translated the Hebrew word re'em as a unicorn. Later versions translate this as a wild ox. The unicorn's small size signifies the humility of Christ.  

Another common legendary creature that served allegorical functions within the Middle Ages was the dragon. Dragons were identified with serpents, though their attributes were greatly intensified. The dragon was supposed to have been larger than all the other animals.

It was believed that the dragon had no harmful poison but was able to slay anything it embraced without any need for venom. Biblical scriptures speak of the dragon in reference to the devil, and they were used to denote sin in general during the Middle Ages. Dragons were said to have dwelled in places like Ethiopia and India, based on the idea that there was always heat present in these locations.

Physical detail was not the central focus of the artists depicting such animals, and medieval bestiaries were not conceived as biological categorizations. Creatures like the unicorn and griffin were not categorized in a separate 'mythological' section in medieval bestiaries, as the symbolic implications were of primary importance. Animals we know to have existed were still presented with a fantastical approach. It seems the religious and moral implications of animals were far more significant than matching a physical likeness in these renderings. Nona C.Flores explains, 'By the tenth century, artists were increasingly bound by allegorical interpretation, and abandoned naturalistic depictions.

After reading the contents of that one particular article, Terressa got interested in that topic. She wrote down some notes. She read about a few more articles before looking at the time. It was almost dinner time. Terressa first planned to order takeout but then decided to go to the convenience store to buy some groceries to cook by herself. She had been sitting all day so she wanted to take a walk and give a break from her mind.

She took a quick shower, wore her jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing her purse. she let her hair loose and took her jacket since it was cold outside. She locked the door behind her and walked to the store. She bought all the necessary things and as she was walking out, she heard someone fighting. She decided to just ignore it and not interfere but suddenly a bulky guy came in front of her. He stopped her and demanded that she tell what she saw. When she said that she did not understand what the guy was telling, he pushed her.

Terressa fell on the ground and scratched her elbow. Before the guy could do anything, another figure appeared in front of her and both the men started fighting. The bulky man ran away as the other man approached her. She got scared but as he came to light she was shocked to see who it was that fought for her. She least expected him to be there. She was annoyed but at the same time relieved and sort of confused. She tried to speak amidst the mixture of feelings she felt. Her voice came out like a half-whisper.

"You?"