• Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
    Athene groaned and rolled over to push her alarm clock off her nightstand and onto the floor. The buzzing stopped with one last weak bzz.
    Outside her bedroom, she could hear her mother blow drying her hair in the bathroom that shared a wall with her room. The cars in the street outside her window rushed by. Venus, her cat, meowed loudly, obviously asking for food. Athene put her pillow over her head in an attempt to quiet the noises of the world outside her bedroom. But she had no such luck.
    “Athene? Athene!” Her mother had turned of the blow dryer and was calling her name. “I have to go to work now. Just because it’s summer, don’t think you don’t have any work either. I left a list on the kitchen counter.”
    Athene sat up when she heard a hard knock on her bedroom door. “Yeah mom! I got it.” She called.
    “Just checking. Ok, bye now.” The front door opened and closed with a bang. She heard a picture rattle against the wall.
    Stiffly, she got up out of bed and walked over to the bedroom. She peeked outside, and saw Venus sitting next to the wall, opposite the doorway. She meowed loudly when she saw Athene open the door, obviously hungry. Athene walked into the hallway, closing the door behind her.
    “One second, kitty,” she whispered to Venus.
    She stepped out into the hallway, and closed her bedroom door behind her. Venus meowed even louder, as Athene walked over to bathroom and closed the door, leaving her in the hallway.
    Athene looked at herself in the mirror. Her shoulder-length, black straight hair, was a mess, and her usual pale white skin had pink blotches on her cheeks. She splashed water in her face and roughly combed her hair. Then she put her bangs in a clip, back from her eyes. Outside the bathroom door, she could hear Venus yowling now, as if she was in pain. But Athene knew her well, and she was just waiting for her breakfast.
    As she was about to open the door, the phone rang.
    Bringg! Bringg!
    She quickly rushed into the hallway, jumped over Venus who was still yowling, and into the kitchen. She grabbed the phone, which was a table next to the front door, and answered it.
    “Atti? My gosh! You sure do sleep in late when we don’t have school! I called this morning like, 3 times already and Marina said you were sleeping.” It was Priscilla, her best friend since kindergarten.
    Athene sighed. “Well, I’m sorry. But it’s only like, 9 o’ clock, isn’t it?
    Priscilla laughed on the other line. “No! It’s more like, 11 o’ clock!”
    Athene walked into the kitchen, and looked at the lock on the microwave. It said 10:45. “It’s not 11 yet!”
    “Well, it’s close enough. So, are we going to do anything today? It is the first day of summer vacation!” Priscilla squealed in excitement as she said vacation.
    Athene turned around and passed her hand over the kitchen island, looking for her mother’s note. “Um… I have some work to do first. But then we can do something.”
    Silence.
    “Prissy?”
    “THAT’S NOT MY NAME!”
    Athene laughed. “Yeah, but I knew that would get your attention.”
    “Oh, sorry. Uh, well, just call me when I can come over.”
    “Ok, bye” Athene said, but Priscilla had already hung up.
    I wonder what’s up with her, Athene thought. Probably already planning what we’ll be doing today.
    “Mroooow!” Venus yowled from the hallway. She hadn’t moved from her spot.
    “Here, kitty!” Athene grabbed some soft cat food from the cupboard and spooned it into Venus’s bowl on the floor in front of the sink. She heard a bell jingle as her cat ran over to eat her breakfast. She purred loudly and began to eat her fur. Athene laughed quietly and stood up.
    Now, where is that note?
    She looked over the kitchen island again, and spotted it on the corner farthest from her. Reaching over the counter, she grabbed it and read it to herself:
    Atti,
    I’m running late for work. Please clean the kitchen counters and sweep the floor. If you go anywhere, please leave a message on my phone and tell me where you will be. Have a fun day. Love you.
    - Mom

    Athene smiled to herself as she read her mother’s note. So she did want to her actually get out of the house today. Usually she had a long list of chores.
    Setting the note back down on the counter she turned around and grabbed a damp sponge from the sink. She scrubbed the counter and island down lightly, as they were not very dirty. Then she rinsed the sponge off, and set it back in the sink.
    Bringg! Bringg! Bringg!
    The phone echoed throughout the house loudly, catching Athene by surprise. She jumped when it rang and splattered some what on Venus, who was washing herself next to her food. She hissed and ran off into the living room.
    Athene walked over the phone, expecting who was calling.
    “ Priscilla, I’m not ready yet.” She said as she answered the phone.
    “Well, I’m already here! So get ready ‘cause I’m coming up!”
    The line went dead.
    She slammed the phone onto the receiver. Great. Now she wouldn’t be able to finish her chores.
    Knowing that Priscilla would be here any minute, and would not be patient, she ditched her chores and went to her room to find some clothes. She opened her dresser, and rummaged through the shirts and pants until she found what she was looking for: her favorite purple t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Quickly, she changed into them, then combed her fingers through her hair and shook out her bangs as she went to the front door to get her shoes.
    Just as she was tying her last shoelace, someone knocked on the door.
    “Atti! Open the door! I know you can hear me!”
    Athene groaned and stood up. She walked over to the front door, taking one last look at herself in the mirror next to it, and opened the door.
    “Gosh! All that time and that’s all you did?” Priscilla said as she pushed passed Athene and walked into the apartment. “So, what are we going to do today?” She plopped down on the couch as she said this.
    Athene closed the door, and went to sit down next to her. “You don’t have anything planned? I’m surprised.”
    Priscilla laughed. “Oh boy! Do I have something planned for us today! But I just wanted to be polite and see if you had thought of anything. My mom told me I’m very ‘impertinent’, whatever that means.”
    “Rude. It pretty much just means rude,” Athene answered. “So, what do you have planned for us today?”
    “Uh! How dare she call me rude to my face! Oh, we’re going to explore the forest behind the school.” Priscilla smiled at the last part, proud of herself.
    “Explore? Behind the school? Are you crazy?” Athene practically yelled. “That’s totally off-limits! You know that.”
    Priscilla rolled her eyes. “I knew you were going to say that. Well, if you don’t want to come, I can just go alone.” She stood up and walked to the door. “You sure you don’t want to come?”
    “Ugh, please don’t do this Prissy,” Athene said.
    “Stop calling me that! Are you coming or not?” Priscilla cried. She opened the door, and walked halfway out.
    “I’ll come! Please, just don’t yell,” Athene practically begged, “the neighbors don’t like us enough as it is.” She went over and grabbed Priscilla’s arm. “But we better not get in trouble for going over there.”
    Priscilla smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. “Don’t worry. You can trust me, Atti.”
    Athene smiled back. “Just let me lock up, and then we can go.”
    She went back to her bedroom, and grabbed her keys off the top of her dresser. As Athene walked back to the front door, she noticed that Priscilla was gone.
    “Prissy?” She said, warily. She was used to Priscilla trying to scare her.
    “Over here.” A muffled voice sounded from the kitchen.
    Athene turned around and walked into the kitchen, to see Priscilla’s hands full of food. The refrigerator door was wide open, as she rummaged through it. Athene grabbed her hand and pulled her away, let the door close.
    Priscilla dropped the food on the counter. “You know, we might get hungry.” She muttered.
    “Well, when we get back we eat,” Athene said. “Let’s just go and get this over with, while the sun is still up.”

    By the time Athene and Priscilla had gotten to the school, the sun was high in the sky. The sun scorched down on their backs.
    “Priscilla, did you bring any water?” Athene breathed. She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, in exaggeration of the summer heat. “I’m dying here!”
    Priscilla said nothing, and quickened her pace. They were approaching the chain link fence behind the school, separating the basketball court from the thick tree line. Athene looked over her shoulder. Waves of heat seemed to sizzle off the black top. She groaned inwardly and turned forward, noticing that Priscilla was already at the fence, attempting to climb it. She jogged the rest of the way to Priscilla, gasping for breath after the short run.
    “Do you need some help?” She asked after she had caught her breath.
    Priscilla shook her head. “I got it.” She lurched upward and over the fence, tumbling into a bush, giving out a startled cry.
    Athene grabbed onto the fence, and followed after Priscilla, who had not crawled out from the bush yet. She was able to jump off the fence and over the bush skillfully, after noticing Priscilla mistake. Once on the ground, she turned around and saw Priscilla lying face down in the bush.
    “Prissy?” Athene said tentatively, not sure if Priscilla was hurt or not. Priscilla’s head popped up at her nickname, and the scuttled out of the bush.
    “That’s not my name.” Priscilla said through clenched teeth. She brushed leaves and dirt off the front of her light pink shirt, though it was now a greenish-brown in some spots.
    Athene smiled, and reached forward, grabbing a leaf that was stuck in Priscilla’s curly gold hair. “Are you sure you still want to do this? I mean, you know there are a lot of things to trip over in there.”
    “Ha ha. Very funny, Athene. I am fine. I just… got stuck.” She averted her gaze from Athene’s face.
    “No… I think you should have gone a little slower.” Athene sighed, “So, where are you taking me?”
    Priscilla did not reply, and walked into the trees. Athene followed after her. Once under the thick cover of the trees, she felt refreshed. The coniferous trees gave off a piney smell, and the crunch of leaves below their feet was relaxing. They continued forward, Athene still not sure what Priscilla was planning.