Chapter 5

  She laid on red silk sheets with the sun beaming off her skin. There's rose petals all around her slim silhouette. Although we are in the middle of a field there are no people around. She's covered from her chest to her thighs. Just enough to cover the parts of her that even my imagination can't capture the beauty of. Her soft voice whispered “Come to me.” and sent chills down my spine. I crawled on the smooth silk, my heart beating a thousand miles per hour. I made my way over to her legs rubbing my hand up her smooth calf to her thigh. When my hand reached the silk that covered her I hesitated to move it. I looked up to her sparkling eyes to find some approve to move the thin material that laid across her breast and pelvis. She nodded and smiled, just barely showing her pearl white teeth. I slowly looked down. Inhaling her sweet scent and anticipating the wonders the hide under the velvet red silk. My hands slowly grabbed the material and started to glide it off her body. When something loud shook my body.

I looked up in confusion to see Mrs. Dallas standing in front of me with a ruler in her hand. She glared at me over her glasses.

“I hope I didn't disturb your nap , Hunter.” she smirked and continued explaining our culminating activity. “You will be researching a Greek myth. I will assign one to you and you will have to figure out the lesson or moral of the myth.”

I was excited about the assignment, I have studied myths since elementary school. My nana used read them to me when I was young, before she died. We used to stay up all night talking about Zeus and his many wives and lovers. My favorite story was the one of Echo and Hera. Echo was a nymph who would meet Zeus in the wood and sleep with him and his wife Hera found out. She went to the woods to find her and when she did she put a curse on her so that she could only speak what was spoken to her. So she couldn't seduce anymore men. Hera is a smart woman, instead of taking away her beauty she took away her voice, so there was no possible chance for her to ever be with someone.

Mrs. Dallas started to assign myths to people. Ken got the birth of Athena, ironic because he, like Zeus also needs his head to be cracked open. Pandora got the story of Eros and Pyche.

Pandora leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “Ooo a tale of love.”

“Yeah love and kidnapping.”

“Well it wouldn't be a myth if it didn't involve something twisted.”

I stifled my laugh so Mrs. Dallas would hear. Pandora threw a note over my head and on to my desk. I looked around to see if anyone noticed and no one did. I slowly unfolded the piece of paper. It read:

“You're cute when you're sleeping. It looked like you were having a good dream. Hope I was in it”

She drew a wink and a heart. There was also some weird oily smug on the paper. I raised it to my face to get a better look but all I could noticed was glitter and the smell of oranges. I realized that it was her lip gloss. It was the same one she was wearing in the woods the day we first kissed.

I tucked the note in my back pocket and put my head in my hands to hide my red face. How could someone who I barely know mean so much to me.

Mrs. Dallas called my name. “You will be doing Pandora's Box. ”

The class bursted into laughter. I don't think Mrs. Dallas realized the sexual innuendo in that statement. Ken, who's large stomach is ripping with laughter yells “She wishes she was doing Pandora's Box.”.

Again I am stumped for a witty comeback mainly, because it's true and apparently everyone knows it.

Pandroa sat up and said “Actually, Pandora was the first woman made. She was a gift and a curse to man from Zeus. Her box contained many evils and she was told not to open it . But of course, curiosity got the best of her and she did, releasing evil into the world. Including, 3 qualities that you hold Ken like Envy, Greed and... Gluttony. Thankfully, she closed it in time to trap the last evil called Hope.”

The rest of the day was boring up until 5^th period when Jake and I were attempting to rehearse.

I haven't really spoken to him today, I don't know how to tell him about Pandora and I. I have felt uncomfortable around him knowing that he likes me. When the bell rang I grabbed my stuff but I stopped on my way out. Without looking up I knew it was Jake, he has a certain smell to him. Like Axe body spray and musk. He had a bad case of bed head that looked too good to be natural. His tight grey shirt clung to his slim but chiseled body. The top buttons were undone exposing just enough of his chest to make you want to see more. I have to admit if I were straight he would be on the top of my to do list but unfortunately for him, my heart belongs to a turquoise haired goddess.

“I'm having a costume party tonight, you should come.” His smile stretched from ear to ear and his face radiated excitement like a puppy when their owner comes home.

“Can Pandora come?” Since I haven't spoken to him, I haven't been able to inform him we are back together or what ever we are.

“Oh, I didn't know you and the Siren were speaking again.” He laughed his joke while I struggled to comprehend it.

A Siren is a beautiful woman who sits on a rock in the ocean and sings beautiful songs that distract sailors and cause them to crash to their death. I don't see how a siren and Pandora are even the slightest bit similar but I don't bother correcting him because I don't care enough to elaborate on it.

“Yes we are. So can she come with me?”

“Sure I don't see why not.”

“Alright then we'll be there. I'll see you tonight.”

I swerved around him not listening to say if he said goodbye. I ran up the stairs and through the crowds of people trying to leave the school. After dropping my books several times and being pushed over and stepped on, I finally made it to Pandora's locker.

“How was Drama? I bet it's heaven kissing that godly man everyday.” Pandora spoke before I could even find my breath. She closed her locker and grabbed my hand and began to walk. “You better not got straight on me, Hunter.” she was laughing but I could see the concern in her eyes.

“Don't worry, that would never happen. Speaking of things we'd never be, I was invited to Jake's halloween party. You should come with me.” I smiled and waited for her reply. She stared at me blankly the tried to stifle her laugh with her sleeve.

“That's kind of cruel isn't it?” she asked

“How so?”

“Hunter, the boy is practically drooling over you. Rubbing me in his face would do nothing but damage.”

“Oh, okay then we won't go”

“No. I won't go and you will.”

“But Pandora, I-”

“Butts are for pooping and occasionally shaking. Now come on, I’ll help you get ready.” Pandora pulled me as she ran down the stairs.

When we reached her front porch I stopped. I stared at the old brown house that once used to be my safe haven. The porch that once was home to hundreds of wild flowers now was bare with only a chair and a bar stool with an ashtray on it.

Pandora opened the door and held my hand. “Its okay to be happy here.” she whispered.

She was wrong though. It wasn't okay to be happy in a house that was practically a murder weapon but I still kept a firm grip on her hand and followed her up the stairs. I already knew what one her room would be. The first door to your right. It used to be Jacklyn's room. It faced the front of the house and over looked the meadow across the street. The window were huge with Victorian detailing in the wood. Jacklyn chose it so she could watch the sunrise while reading.

When Pandora opened her door, I was at a loos for words. Her room looked nearly identical to Jacklyn's but instead of a pink and green color scheme, Pandora's was Purple and gray. I turned my back to the room that I spent so many days and nights in. the room that I had my first kiss in, where I learned how to play chess and where I first fell in love. This place felt too personal to share. It meant too much to me.

Pandora grabbed me from behind and buried her face into my hair. “She would want you to be happy, Hunter. She loved you and I’ll never replace her but I can't make you happy if you let me.”

It was like she knew what I was thinking, like we are connected in such a deep way that we are one person. That's what reassures me that this must be right. She was a gift to me from the gods. A real life Pandora.