I never asked for any of it. I never requested the nightmares, never wanted the shadows that I perceived as him. I didn't need to see his face in every mirror I saw, or even catch a glimpse of his eyes as I looked into my own reflection.

My feet dragged along the white tiled hallways. The joyous time had begun again. School was just as loud, obnoxious and crazy at it had always been. The freshmen boys pushed each other around in the hallway while the freshmen girls clumped together like grapes, trying to find the cutest boys or their classrooms. The sophomore boys were walking around like they owned the place, big whoop and the sophomore girls were drowning each other in make-up. The junior girls stepped back into the fading light, like usual, and the junior boys were just older sophomore ones. The senior guys were, well, typical, beat-up-on-everyone guys, and the senior girls were the rudest and snottiest. No surprise. I didn't fit in with the freshmen, I was much too old. I couldn't cope with the sophomore. They were too stupid. It seemed like the junior girls group is where I fit in, although I was a senior. I was very much alone. I didn't have many friends… and if I ever did have some, I couldn't trust them.

My black and green checkered backpack hung on my shoulders as it always did carrying "necessary items" that I could easily live without. I hated it here and everyone knew it. I would rather be at home. Studying classical poems or Epics, or even drawing out the characters I saw. I never talked to anyone, never socialized, never answered a question aloud in class; nothing. I would've preferred to be left alone, actually.

School had never been a good time for me, but I did what I had to do to make the grade, and once again, be left alone. It's not that I hated everyone, because it obviously wasn't true. I just couldn't seem to grasp how stupid most of them were. Why couldn't any girl comprehend that it didn't matter how attractive a guy was, if he was being a jerk to another girl, then he would do the exact same thing to her. Why couldn't anyone understand that not everything was always as it seemed?

Everywhere I turned my eyes, there was some tragic event going on. Just the other week, some girl was charged with murder of her best friend. There was rumor that a sophomore kid raped his girlfriend and left her pregnant. Needless to say, life is a beautiful thing, no doubt. Despite all the bad things that could be going on, there was still a lot to look forward to. There was so much beauty in the sky and nature, and even a smile that a (true) friend could pass on to another. Why couldn't anyone else see that?

Anyways, I slid into the back of the rows of desk as the bell rung. I noticed that the same idiots were with the same idiots they sat with last year, in practically the exact same row. I took the AP course so I wouldn't have to deal with these imbeciles, but low-and-behold, they were still here.

My head fell to my sketch pad, and my side bangs and shoulder length hair was gracious enough to cover my face. I didn't want any attention drawn to me. I came dressed in jeans and a green shirt that was much less fancy than the high heels and dresses the cheerleaders wore.

"Did you hear about that Thor guy?" The preps whispered amongst themselves.

"Ohmigod. He's so hot." Another replied, gasping for air.

My eyes rolled in agony. Ah yes, the famous superheroes that saved the world. Let's see, we have the brunt of the group, Thor. Then there's the Tin-man guy, Stark, and then there's the 70-year-old virgin, Captain America. Who else? Oh, right. The other members were the green gamma monster, Hulk, and then the two sidekicks that no one really cares about; the bird-man and the arachnophobic woman.

The damage had been done years ago. Couldn't the world just move on already? There were bigger and better things to worry and fuss about. Obviously, the world was defended. It was by far time to get over it, but of course not. Thor had come to back and stay with his precious Mrs. Foster, and unfortunately, they stayed in my hometown most of the time. Yes, Thor and Jane had finally settled down after their wedding tour of the nine realms. Thor was still the protector of the Earth and the other realms, and Jane remained as her normal occupation, they were just closer to my home. I mean, I was happy that they were finally together, but I was tired of the fame that became of my small, middle of nowhere town.

I wanted to get out of this dreadful city as soon as I could and escape the fame. Maybe I'd even live in a quiet house in Ohio, I don't know! I was too late, though. It wasn't soon enough. He found me before I could escape.

I lived a perfectly average life in a perfectly average town… give or take the occasional demigod… but still! I didn't have a tragic back story, or even a surprising, alien childhood! I looked perfectly normal! I had a normal body with a nice curve thrown in here or there. What could he want with me? My brown hair and hazel eyes couldn't off-set a boy if I tried! What made me so special?

It started with a voice. A small and soft whisper in my ear.

"Now class," Mrs. Marrow inquired of us as she finished the blackboard-long equation, "Can you tell me the answer to this problem?"

"The answer is: 16." He told me.

My head jolted to either side of my desk to see who had spoken, but no one had ever dared to sit by me. There was no trace that anyone had said one word at all. Before I could raise my hand, the know-it-all of my class shouted out the answer:

"18.5!"

Mrs. Marrow checked her calculations then replied, "No, Paul. That is incorrect. Does anyone else want to take a gander?"

"Is it 16?" I quietly piped.

"Yes! Correct! Good job, Layla!"

All of the classmates spun around in their chairs to face me as if they'd never heard me talk before. Oh. That's right. They hadn't. I hung my head down to my sketching pad as the blush radiated like a tomato off of my face.

"Thanks…" I whispered to whoever gave me the answer.

"You're quite welcome." He replied.

As soon as the bell rung, I sped out of class to avoid conversation, but I just missed it.

"How did you know that?" A band kid asked.

I shrugged in reply and bolted to the bathroom. The boys and girls bombarded me with questions about similar math equations and tutoring sessions. My hands ran under the cold sink water and splashed on my face, ridding myself of my cares and worried. Why did I hear that voice again? And why did he reply?!

"I could've done it, father…" The same voice whispered as I dried my face with a towel. I turned to grab my backpack when I heard it again.

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help." I looked around just to make sure no one was pulling a trick on my, but of, there was someone.

In the mirror stood a man, not in the bathroom with me, but actually in my mirror, looking satisfied with the view of me!

"…Hello…" My eyes were wide at the pale man.

He nodded, "Hello." It was him, the holder of the voice. His bony hands were neatly folded behind his back and his facial structure was like a stone. His hair was jet-black, much contrasting his white face, and was sleeked to the back in long shoulder length strands. His outfit was most peculiar. He was clothed in green and black, like my backpack, with a few gold artifacts here and there. It was like a mythology costume that I had only seen in history books.

"You do know that this is a girl restroom… right?"

"Oh yes," He smirked, "I'm well aware. And of all the things you could be asking, you wonder why I am in a girl restroom."

"It's a good thing to wonder…" I fiddled with my brunette braids, "What sort of illusion is this? You can't really be here…"

His face gave off an expression of delight and amusement, "Simple magic, really."

I rolled my eyes, "I don't think magic exists."

"Well," He began, turning his watchful gaze to his pale hands, "You'd better start believing, my dear." The man flung something at me, twirling his arms around. My body flinched at the commotion of shattering glass… but when I looked up, there was no sign that the mirror had been tampered with… and there was no sign of my mystery man. The chills ran down my side as I stumbled outside.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Marrow finished locking up her classroom door. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

My face went as cold and white as the man's. "I think I might've."