First Encounter pt.1

"Marina? Hey Marina! It's late!" A male voice called.

The blonde-haired demigoddess woke up with difficulty, illuminated by the light that penetrated the windows. The curtains had already been opened, a sign that someone had woken up before her. Slowly she got up, remaining sitting on the bed rubbing her eyes which were not yet able to focus. The voice belonged to his half-brother, at least she understood that.

"What time is it?" She asked, yawning.

"Half past nine, weren't you supposed to teach the new arrivals today?" The boy replied.

Little by little, the scene became clearer and Marina was able to admire with annoyance one of the rooms of house number seven. The room was rather simple, after all it had to recall the spirit of a park, so too much sophistication would have been conspicuous. The entire structure was built in reinforced concrete but covered with wooden beams to achieve that effect. Many of her half-brothers didn't even pay much attention to it, but Marina was crazy about architecture. In fact, she hoped to one day go to university to get a degree and practice that job.

"Earth is calling Marina, did you hear me?" Asked the stepbrother again.

The girl's gaze wandered throughout the room, noticing how the other bunk beds had already been properly arranged. The central part of the room was occupied by a series of desks arranged to form a rhombus, where Lorenzo Scala was waiting for her with a worried look. The boy was a demigod like her, they shared the same mother, so they used to call each other half-brothers. Marina remained for a moment contemplating the boy's face. The blonde of his hair contrasted with the teenage pimples that popped up on his face like paparazzi in front of a parade of superstars. Finally, the boy's gray eyes met hers.

"Ah, then there you are! Look, you made me worry."

"Sorry, Lore," she said, stretching. "I got distracted for a moment."

The demigod made a worried expression: "Have you had any nightmares?"

Marina shook her head with a slight smile before replying: "No, don't worry."

"That's better."

The girl's face shifted again to observe the outside window, she was blinded by the light. To her still sleeping eyes, it didn't seem like anything was out of the ordinary, but as soon as her brain started to activate, Marina knew she was in trouble.

"There's a lot of light for it to be dawn..." she commented absently.

"It's not dawn, I told you."

The demigoddess widened her cerulean eyes and nearly fell as she climbed out of bed. She made a quick run until she reached the window, where she could admire the landscape of the Lilies Park dotted with demigods. Marina remained still for a moment and took a deep breath, then looked down to evaluate her clothing: she was in pajamas. Without saying a word, she hurled herself next to her bed and immediately opened the closet.

Lorenzo looked at his half-sister, trying to hide a laugh: "Marina," but the demigoddess didn't take it too far and quickly took the clothes.

Once she made sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Marina immediately ran to the bathroom to get dressed. The small white room, the size of a closet, was not at all suitable to accommodate the eight roommates in that room. Usually Marina avoided using it and took the opportunity to exploit one of those present at the Great Mansion, however the emergency required her to hurry. The girl quickly took off her pajamas, consisting of a light blue top with a pattern created by many printed pineapples and simple white trousers. Next, she grabbed her clothes: light-colored jeans and a gray short-sleeved t-shirt with a seven written on the back. It was the clothing that identified her as a member of the seventh house, the demigods children of Ien. She quickly pulled on her jeans and looked at the shirt for a second. Her gaze casually fell on the mirror and, consequently, on her figure, making her shiver slightly.

She had always been aware of her physique, which is why she avoided standing in front of the mirror. Her roommates often commented on her shape, describing themselves as envious of her being so beautiful. The demigods who first met her always took her for a daughter of the goddess of beauty, although it was the exact opposite. The problem with her body was the myriad of scars, bruises and marks painted on her pink skin. She always looked at them with sadness. They were evidence of her years spent in the park and all those times she had managed to survive against monsters. For demigods like the sons of the god of war they would have been a source of pride, but for Marina this was not the case. The only thing she really wanted was to be able to live a life like a normal person.

There's no point in wasting time, she said to herself with a sad look.

She quickly put on her shirt and left the bathroom. Lorenzo was still waiting for her with an energy bar in his mouth. When he saw it, he quickly took a bite and chewed.

"I thought you were dead," he teased.

Marina rolled her eyes, "Swallow before you speak. You'll just end up choking yourself," she replied, walking towards the door, "And I won't save you again."

"Understood."

The demigoddess smiled, before glancing at the clock hanging on the wall above the door, and gasping. She only had five minutes. She quickly put on his sneakers then, without even saying goodbye to her halfbrother, she dashed out of the room.

Lorenzo swallowed quickly and shouted after her: "Marina! Hey! Look, I brought you breakfast from the canteen!"

A few seconds of silence passed, until Lorenzo lost hope and collapsed onto one of the chairs. Just then, Marina came back into the room, drank the milk and stole some biscuits before running away again like lightning. Ien's son laughed, glancing at the remaining cookies.

"She never changes."