The Forgotten Goddess

Chapter Six

Mila

"Good morning, Mila. It’s so nice to have you here with us", Emily greets me with a huge smile and a perky voice.

Emily is a middle-aged woman in charge of all new and transferring students. She’s like the "Welcome Committee" for the Dark Claws High School.

"Good morning, Emily. Thank you so much. Grandma told me to talk to you to get my schedule, locker info and school map." I explain with a smile as I greet my grandma’s best friend.

Emily is also a regular in our home. She has been grandma’s best friend since High School - and for some reason, grandma thinks I’ll be able to finally make friends here.

Not that I don’t have any friends. It's just that the kids in my last school were too … feisty. They were always trying to make trouble and, for some reason, picking on me. It’s also one of the reasons grandpa decided to show them how to fight properly - making the bullies an example.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a great fighter. I might be better than most warriors in our pack. Abuelo trains me since I could stand on my own. Although I’ve learned never to start a fight, I’m pretty capable of finishing it with no problems.

So, usually the girls don’t like me because the boys are either paying attention to me - even though I never liked it - or picking on me because of my fighting. So, it is really hard making friends.

I do have one best friend, though. David Brown, one of the Alpha's eldest sons. We're very much alike, in the same proportion that we’re so different. I guess that’s why I really like talking to him. The girls from my previous school envied me because I was friends with the Alpha’s son. I guess he's cute, but I never paid attention to that.

I met their family when I was 3. My grandparents didn’t like me leaving the army grounds, so I always stayed with Jimmy, Abuelo’s second in command, and his family. I instantly connected with them both because they were the first kids I met that were the same age as me and who wouldn’t be picking on me. We used to play a lot together, since Abuelo and Nanna were always in the pack house.

But it all changed at their 5-year-old birthday party, after I released the animals in the petting zoo. Well, not only me, but David as well. They don’t know that he helped me - that’s our dirty little secret. However, ever since that episode, Mr. Milo lives his life as if I don’t exist.

At first, I was hurt, because I thought we were friends. But, after a while, I realized it was a huge blessing.

We are all going to be together this year, since it's mandatory that all teenagers go to the only High School in the pack's grounds. I hate that I’ll be trapped in the same school with all the teens from my previous school and The Teen Titans (that’s what I call Milo, David, Logan, Jeff and Michael when they’re all together).

I remember when we were ten, and I was so fed up with David’s excuses to see me. So I told him we were best friends, and he didn’t have to lie to me just to come and see me. He could simply come. Ever since then, he would only come up with excuses on his birthday, so I let it slide. I wouldn’t like spending my birthday with his brother either.

I try to soak it all in as Emily grabs a folder with my information and hands me an envelope with all I’ll need. There are a lot of teens this year. There’re about 45 first-year students, so I move aside to make room for the kids in line to get their info as well. That’s when I see The Teen Titans in the corner of my eyes and major eye-roll.

Time to go look for my locker, and I make my exit, trying to make sure none of them sees me.

...

Milo

"Good morning, Emily", I say with a big smile as I get to Emily’s table. "How are you today?"

Emily is grandma’s best friend, and they see each other every other week for tea. So, she’s like family.

"Hey Milo, I'm good, thanks for asking. How about yourself?" Emily says with the same excitement as me.

"I'm great! Can't wait for this year to begin. All teens together! This is going to be just amazing!"

"Well, I'm glad to hear it! Here's your envelope with your information. Have a great day!"

"Thank you Emily! You too!" I reply, grabbing my envelope and going outside.

I glance at Mila and notice that she hasn’t even looked at me once. As I peek at her papers, I see the locker number 1547 and say, "Hey, my locker is 1549", showing her my locker number. "It's close to mine. How about we head that way together?"

I just can't believe the words that just left my mouth. And neither can Mila and my friends, who already have their envelopes in hand. Everyone looks puzzled. But David seems alarmed. "Why would he worry about me talking to her?”

I offer my hand to give her a handshake and say, "Milo Walters. Nice to see you".

She stares at it and then looks at me like I’ve grown another head or something. Then, she turns her back to me and says, while walking towards her locker, "I know who you are, and I’m pretty sure you know who I am. I’d really prefer not to see you ever again."

Come again? Did I really hear it right? Did she just say no to me?

I make a quick run to catch up with her.

"Look, Mila. We're heading in the same direction", pointing to my friends. "We can all walk together. It’s no big deal" I say, trying not to sound so offended.

"Look, Milo", she says with an annoyed tone. "We have similar names. That’s it. You’ve been ignoring me since your 5-year-old birthday party nine years ago. Let’s just continue how we’ve been living, and I’m pretty sure High School will be an amazing experience for both of us."

I really can’t believe it. Is this for real? Who on earth does she think she is? I’m the Alpha’s first son. I’ll be her Alpha in some years. I already carry out some Alpha duties while learning the ropes with dad. I try my best to keep calm. As I’m about to call out for her again, I see David making a quick run to catch up with her.

"Hey Mila! I thought I saw you!" David says.

"Hey David, yeah! Pack rules, so, here I am", she says with a smile, like she knows him. "Sorry I didn’t get to you before. The line is huge at this time and I just wanted to get my information as fast as I could", she explains.

"Yeah, it’s all good. I just got mine too. Hey, yours is 1549. Mine is 1540. How about we head there together?" My brother willingly offers. "Dad brought us here last week to show us around".

"That’d be great! Thanks, David. This school is way bigger than my last one."

Is she for real? Why is she being so nice to him? I’m right next to her and he’s like in the beginning of the corridor. He’s not even that close to her locker. Why didn’t she take my help?

I watch as I see David and Mila walking away from me. David is my brother and also my best friend. I knew I could always count on him. But this was on another level. How on Earth did he know her, and why would she accept his help and not mine? This was going to eat me up, and I had to figure this out ASAP. And why am I so annoyed with all this?

"So you two seem very friendly. May I know how this happened?"

David looked at me puzzled as if not quite understanding my question. Mila looked at me in disbelief. I stood there waiting for an answer from both of them.

David and Mila simply go around me and continue their walk all the way through their lockers, and I was left there looking at them while they would make their own inside jokes and comments.

Why was this eating me up? He is my brother, and she is the girl who ruined my birthday party, so what was I feeling? I really need to sort things out and there's no way I am going to do it here.

Before I could make another quick run and accompany them, Logan and Mike grab my arms to make me stop, standing right in front of me.

"Okay, what's going on?" Logan asks.

"Seriously man! You really can't remember her?" Mike asked me.

"After David mentioned the petting zoo incident, I remembered her. But that's the only memory I have! I swear!" I reply both of them.

"Look, she's David's best friend", Jeff tells me. "They've been best friends since they were 8 or 10. Whenever he's not with us, he's with her."

"Honestly, I think he has a major crush on her," Mike says.

Okay, I did not know that. Why didn't I know it? I stare at both of them walking down the corridor, not understanding what had just happened.

I head to my locker with my friends, not taking my eyes off of my brother and the white-haired girl, feeling betrayed and hurt by both my twin brother and her.