Elena's P.O.V.
Have you ever had a crazy friend who won't let you out of their sight just because you almost died? Well, if you haven't, let me tell you this: it's annoying as heck.
Just because I didn't answer my phone when Hazel called, doesn't mean I'm busy serving a criminal guest some tea! Seriously, this girl needs to take a chill pill because I'm not dead as you can see.
Well, at least not yet.
When that damn Hulk came barging into my house, waking me up from my peaceful slumber, I was sure she was going to collect my soul.
However, a much more terrible fate was settled upon me; she was sleeping over the entire weekend.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Hazel's company, but when she's acting like the freaking Grim Reaper, it's not that pleasant to have her around.
"Let go, you idiot!" My friend had a tight grip around my shoulders, trying to tear me from the lamppost, that I was holding onto for my dear life, to get me to school.
"No!" I screamed, not wanting to meet the many eyes of every student and teacher. "I'm not ready!"
"For heck's sake, Elena, you can't be a top student if you don't even go to school!"
I gave her a stone dead look, "Watch me."
That was enough for Hazel to let go of me with a groan. "Since when did you become so goddamn strong?"
A cheeky smile found its way to my lips. "Since I broke the laws of physics."
Literally.
"Laws of physics in my- a broken arm should weaken you, not make you stronger," her words took an abrupt turn as kids passed us with bewildered glances.
"Mind you, my cast is hard enough to kill you," and suddenly, I did the dumbest thing in the history: I let go of the lamppost to prove the cast's iron material.
Hazel took an advantage of my moment of stupidity and ripped me from my safe zone, dragging me to the direction of the school and ignoring my cries.
"No!" I tried to pry her grip off, but since she was fed up with me, that was not happening anytime sooner.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, stop being so melodramatic." She roughly shook my poor arm in a successful attempt to stagnate my desperate efforts to get out of her steel hold. "Earth calling Elena - stop being so childish!"
"Housten, we got a problem - there is an alien abducting me to its torture-chamber," I finally stopped struggling when I saw the school building.
It's over. She won.
A sigh escaped her lips. "How are you even an A-student?"
"Because I am smart, duh!"
"Says the idiot who tripped over a tree root and fell down a hill," she let go of my arm. "You do know that you can't continue to be a top student if you miss classes, right?"
"Please," I started as we walked past the school gates. "I'm too fabulous for my grades to go down," and then I snapped my fingers in a 'Z'-formation.
The brown-haired girl rubbed her face tiredly. "Elena, I don't need your sass now."
"Then you should've let me stay at home and rest," I retorted with a grumpy tone that twisted my voice.
"No, because you need education, and I'm also having my little revenge after you worried me sick Friday night." Her eyebrow arched and a sly smile thrived on her soft features.
"I was sleeping, woman, give me a break!" I exclaimed with annoyance laced in my voice, throwing my hands up in the air as my actions caught the attention of other students for a brief second. "Goddammit, do I feel sorry for your future partner. They have no idea what they're getting themselves into."
"At least my partner won't trip over and fall down a hill."
She's never going to let that go, is she?
"Do you know what God said when he created you, Hazel?" My friend narrowed her eyes at me, not bothered to reply. "Nothing, because it was the Devil behind your creation." And then I walked into the entrance of the school, leaving an irritated Hulk behind.
Her mouth opened to throw a comment, but it was quickly closed when a deep voice 'oohed' from the behind.
Was someone eavesdropping?
I turned my head to scold the person for intruding our private conversation, but that certainly did not happen.
With widened eyes, my words bit me back as I faced the popular boy - the captain of the school's football team - Adam.
"I'm sorry for laughing, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop on purpose or anything, I promise." He looked between Hazel and me with his Neptune blue eyes, carrying the huge helmet he uses in his games on his hip.
Thank Lord our principal is British, or else there wouldn't have been any soccer at this school, I thought as I looked away from the white and beaten-up helmet.
My eyes narrowed in suspicion, occasionally looking around to see if this was some prank. I mean, who wouldn't be suspicious?
If one of the most popular people on your school eavesdropped on a conversation you had with your friend and laughed, wouldn't you also found it quite odd?
Besides, why would the team captain, the star player of our school's football team, a person Hazel and I have never talked to or had any, whatsoever, contact with even eavesdrop on us?
Last time I checked, we were - or actually, I was not popular enough to have- oh, wait. . .
Dammit, it's all that rabbit's fault.
When I didn't say anything, Adam chuckled awkwardly. "I was actually heading over to you-" Me? "-And I just overheard what you said, which was quite of a comeback."
Did he just compliment my insult towards Hazel?
I shared a glance of confusion with my friend, who looked just as surprised as I was to have the Adam Myers talking to us. Most girls and guys would've killed to be in our shoes right now, but not Hazel and I, in fact, we would gladly give up our spots.
Adam may be blessed with great genes and favorited by God, but that doesn't change my mind that personality comes before looks, even if they're very athletic.
Of course, celebrities are an exception to this, because, come on. Who can say no to Dylan O'Brien and Shawn Mendes?
And not to mention, crushing on a guy who is in a relationship with Satan is the worst thing you could ever do, heck, you could just as well throw yourself into a volcano.
Yeah, he's together with the Devil named Annie.
Shaking my head, I snapped myself out of my train of thoughts to not stay silent with a loud awkwardness. "No, it's okay. . . I guess?"
The 17-year-old boy gave me a one million smile. "Well, the reason why I came here is to see how you're doing."
I gave him a puzzled look, "What are you talking ab- oh, that."
Great job, Elena, you deserve an Olympic medal for making a fool out of yourself this quickly.
Clearing my throat, I looked at the smile that was plastered on Adam's face. "Well, I am not dead, so there's that."
The raven-haired boy laughed, "And your arm?"
I shrugged, "It's still broken."
Even if Adam didn't feel awkward about this conversation, I did, and my famous comments weren't exactly a helping hand.
Not wanting to fight Annie this early in the morning, I wanted to end this communication we exchanged before the Devil saw us.
"Well," I started, clearing my throat, "This was really nice, but I think Hazel and I need to go, so - adiós!"
I didn't even let him say goodbye as I was already dragging my friend by the arm, walking at a fast speed down the hall and towards the girl's restroom. Closing the door behind me, I quickly checked the bathroom to find it, luckily, empty.
"Well, who knew that ending up in the hospital would make you popular enough to catch the Adam's attention." Hazel finally spoke after not sharing a word under the strange encounter.
"When did it happen?" I asked, no, more like demanded.
She sighed and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "Already on Monday, everyone knew about your accident caused by your stupidity."
"Hey!"
"A lot of students and teachers came up to me, asking me how you were doing or if you were dead." I almost rolled my eyes at the last one. "Mr. Walter was also one of them."
"Say what?" I blinked repeatedly and cleaned my ear with my finger. "I must have misheard you, because I thought you said Mr. Walter asked about my well-being."
Hazel nodded, "I know it sounds weird-"
"Weird? No, eating cereal with juice is weird, but this-" I gestured my hands to what she just said. "-Is insanely impossible. That robot doesn't have feelings, heck, he's probably living without a heart."
She rolled her eyes. "Okay, now you're just exaggerating."
"No, I'm stating the truth - that dictator must be planning something. . . something essay-related."
Hazel rubbed her face tiredly, a sigh escaping her lips. "My point is, most people were actually worried about you, except for-"
"Annie," I chimed in, knowing there was no doubt that she was dancing happily to have me gone.
"I was actually going to say the school's cleaning team, but sure." My friend finished the rightful words that had rested on her tongue. "I haven't seen Annie at all. In fact, I think she's been gone for almost the entire month."
A confused expression was written on my face, silently asking the lingering question that swarmed around me.
Hazel shook her head with a shrug of her shoulder, "I don't know, Elly. No one has seen Annie or her shiny designer clothes anywhere." Before I could ask anything further to her statement, her lips curled up into a sly smirk. "Just like no one has seen or heard about your brain."
"Oh, just jump into a volcano already, would you?"
She laughed for a moment. "Either way," the smile gradually fell as it was replaced with a raised eyebrow instead. "Because you were in the hospital for your well-known and stupid incident, you became quite the celebrity in a ridiculously fast speed. However, I didn't think you would actually reach that point of popularity to actually have Adam talk to you." Then she looked at me from head to toe and sheepishly added. "No offense though."
I didn't bother to throw a comment back, because her words were pretty much filled with the truth.
"Do you think that this-" I gestured my hands, similar to Pocahontas' 'hello'-sign, to what we were talking about. "-Will stop?"
"What, the working toilets?" Hazel looked at our surroundings, which resulted in me giving her the dead eye.
"No! The fact that everyone would forget and stop talking about me! I don't like this popularity, especially when I'm famous for almost ending up dead." My voice was filled with frustration, dripping with each word coming out of my lips.
She smiled in amusement. "Well, I don't really blame you there." I glared at her, consequently making her fill the empty room with her laughter. "Yes, Elena, it will all stop. Before you know it, they have already forgotten about the stupid idiot who tripped and fell down a hill-"
"Hey!"
"-And be all over the Kardashians and Justin Bieber again." She finished, ignoring my protests and the dirty looks.
"I just hope it happens soon. . ." I muttered.
As a cue, the school bell rang, ending our conversation.
Well, looks like I just have to survive a war of stares and whispers thrown at me. But on the contrary, I can travel through time when I get home.
Wow, who knew that time traveling could be used as a motivation to get through a school day?
Again, how many people can actually say that?
***
The moment the bell rang its last dance to indicate that school was over, I packed my stuff in record time and sprinted out of class.
I would be lying if I said this wasn't an awful day, because it truly was terrible. People looked at me like I had killed someone, which will soon happen if they continue to stare at me like I had grown two heads.
My feet raced towards the small music room where my piano and singing lessons take place. Since I had been gone for so long, I had a lot to catch up to - which I wasn't really looking forward to.
Holding my breath, I stepped into the room to see a woman in her early thirties, talking furiously into her poor phone. The angry expression on her face was so red it made me wonder if she was going on a killing spree.
Ms. Foster - my piano and singing teacher - was practically shouting, making me feel sorry for the person's ears on the other end.
Her strawberry blonde hair was pinned into a bun with two pencils sticking out of it, and it was slowly loosening up every time she moved her head back and forth from the phone.
"If that idiot as much as touched one of my pianos, I swear to God, I will cut him into bits and feed him to the wolves!" She shouted in a dangerous tone, making me take a step back.
I regret coming here.
If there's one thing Ms. Yvonne Foster was known for, it was to be a scary and cold-hearted witch. That woman may look small and innocent at first glance, but you would be quick on the spot to burn those thoughts when you meet her.
"Yes, I'm on my way," she snarled and pushed her square, hipster-like glasses up to her nose. "He should be lucky he didn't break any of my pianos, or else the police would have to arrest me instead." With that said, she hung up harshly and began to pack her belongings.
Did I forget to mention that she's very protective of her instruments and her music store?
"Ehh. . . Hi, Ms. Foster." I said in a weak voice, practically walking on eggshells.
"Elena," the hazel-eyed woman acknowledged me, not looking my way. "You've not shown up to any of your lessons for the past month."
I picked my words carefully, "Well, I've been in the hospi-"
"I don't want to hear your excuses, Ms. Campbell, you're behind the schedule and therefore-" She suddenly handed me a Bible of songs. "-You will be learning all of these songs, and it's all due to next week."
Oh, give me a break, woman, I just got out of the hospital!
My mouth was hanging open, almost touching the floor. "What? But I can't even play! My arm is broken!"
Not bothering to even give me a second glance, she walked towards the door. "Well, find someone who can play for you while you practice your vocals instead."
"But-"
And then Ms. Foster slammed the door in my face, making me mentally strangle her before I screamed out in frustration of what came out like a choked groan.
She's trying to drown me in papers, was my first thought when I saw the amount of song sheets that she had so rudely 'given' me. There must have been at least three hundred songs.
I groaned and smacked myself with the stack of papers. Goddammit, how am I supposed to time travel if I have so much homework to do in this little amount of time?
"Wait a minute," I thought out loud and chewed on my bottom lip, dwelling between my options as the little bulb slowly began to light up. "Francis, of course!" A smile danced on my face, "He would surely help me."
Maybe homework isn't that bad after all?
Yeah, no, it's still awful.
And with that settled, I walked out of the room and the school building, feeling satisfied with my resolved answer.
I wonder what happens if I wear a dress instead of pants when I go through the portal. Will my clothes change into pants instead of a dress, or become a double dress?
Damn, that's a good question. . .
Shaking my head, I avoided creating a paradox inside my head. I certainly won't go down that path again.
Would Francis be in the theater? Am I going to meet Aria again? Will I avoid falling into another pile of rocks this time? For some odd reason, just by thinking of all these thoughts made a bolt of electricity tingle all over my body.
Would I see Ethan again? I shook my head to answer my own question.
No, His Majesty probably has better things to do than looking for me. I mean, he can't be that desperate to find me and possibly get his revenge for that stunt I pulled on him. It would just be-
"Elena!" The distant, shouting voice made me hop out of my pool of thoughts, almost making me jump out of my own skin as well.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if I actually heard someone or if they were calling for me - but considering that I'm the only person around here, there couldn't have been that many alternatives.
Carefully and slowly, I turned my head around so it wouldn't look like I actually heard him, but enough for me to catch a glimpse of the person's identity and do an evaluation of whether I should respond or not. I'm not doing this to be rude, but I prefer to travel through time than being social.
Wow, these statements are seriously getting out of hand.
My apple green eyes widened in surprise when I saw Adam smiling and waving, trying to catch my attention - which he had succeeded in but was unaware of.
What the heck does he want, or should I say: why the heck is he calling after me? I thought our conversation ended when I spoke Spanish?
Instead of thinking of a reasonable resolution and act like an adult in the situation, I hurriedly walked at a faster pace and ignored him in a small hope that he would disappear.
This is one of the reasons why I can never work in a reconciliation-related job - I only make things worse than they were to begin with.
I may not be a saint - okay, I'm not even close to it, - but that doesn't mean I'm being completely impolite.
"Wait! Elena!" He shouted, making me run this time.
Go and talk to someone else who isn't about to time travel! I wanted to tell him, but I knew I would regret it instantly if those words ever slipped out of my mouth.
What can I say? Being locked up in a crazy-house wasn't where I imagined myself in the future.
Or actually. . .
I knew that continuing to run away from him was to no avail. Even if I was fast, Adam was faster. After all, you don't exactly become the team captain of a group of football players if you're a slowpoke.
My eyes landed on a big, green dumpster that was glued to a brick wall by an alley, and against my nose's protests, I quickly sprinted to it.
"Ugh," I almost gagged, trying to even my heavy breath with the poisonous air filling my lungs.
Oh, God. . . why do you hate me so much? I hoped my question reached this certain person. The smell was unbearable, and I'm positive that the Guy Upstairs is trying to poison me.
"Elena!" I heard Adam's voice call again, making me peek behind the nasty dumpster to see him standing right beside it.
Aw, crap. . . Literally.
I pressed my back towards the solid, dirty metal, hoping that if I stayed quiet long enough, he would become bored and eventually leave.
Keyword: hoping.
Slowly, I leaned forward in an attempt to see what he was doing, but I quickly withdrew when his eyes landed in my direction.
Shit. Unfortunately, that's also literally.
Fortunately for me (this time), I didn't hear him walk towards the dumpster, which dunked my body in a pool of relief.
Thank God- No! No 'thank God', it's your fault that I'm in this mess in the first place!
After a couple of seconds passed by, I heard the tall boy's footsteps slowly fade away into the distance. When my ears could only detect silence, I finally let out the big breath in my lungs - which I should have held until I got out of the smelly place.
Finally! I got up from the cold, hard ground, clapping my hands to get the dust off me. Without letting another second go to waste, I quickly moved my feet to the direction of the woods, heading straight towards my destination with no obstacles this time.
The moment I reached the bottom of the hill, I raced to the 16th century and jumped into the hole of the tree. It was actually fun to go through the portal, it felt like I was some superhero flying out of an explosion.
Brushing my hands over my ocean blue dress, I looked down at the brown shoulder bag made out of leather. Out of curiosity, I opened it to see all my books and papers transformed into a handmade appearance.
Every word was messily handwritten in ink, probably by a feather it seemed like. Although it wasn't entirely unreadable, I still had to squint my eyes a couple of times to make out a sentence.
I shook my head, quickly putting everything back and scrambling my way up the hill.
"Theater, here I come."