Chapter Text
Hi I'm Ashlyn, Ash for short. And I hate field trips. You may ask, "Ash why do you hate field trips? They're the best!" Funny you ask. My mom is always forcing me to go on them. She always says "You should go out to see the world! You want to be a guitarist, don't you?" Oh, I also play bass guitar. But that's not the point. You get tired of field trips after going on each, and I mean, every one. I don't want to go on field trips. I don't like them. It's also because I'm paired up with lousy, popular kids who never do their work. It just irritates me to the point I lose my mind. I also dont know any popular kids, nor do I like them. That's also not my point.
The reason I bring this up is because our unit for this semester is mythology, and our teacher passed out forms for a trip to this museum in New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I think. Oh no, I thought to myself. I sure hope my teacher doesn't reveal to be a Medusa out to get me. If you can't tell, the mythology we're learning about right now is Greek mythology and that was a Percy Jackson reference.
I almost wanted to crumple up the piece of paper I got but, I knew my teacher would email our parents to let them know about the field trip. Ugh, I didnt want to go to a stupid museum. I sure didn't want to go to New York. I've been to New York twice. The first time I went I was 8, it was New York City and I almost got lost. Second time was last year, when I was 14. In Metropolitan City, where the museum is. I glared at the stupid form thinking that it didn't have to go to New York. My teacher, Mrs. Johnson, explained what we would do on the field trip. I barely listened to what she said but did catch the words, "Group", "Work", and "Random". Dear lord I was going to hate this trip more than I already am.
After what seemed like hours of my teacher over explaining the field trip, the bell rung and a sigh of relief came over me. Everyone started to grab their things, including me. I shoved the trip form into my backpack and zipped it up. I practically ran for the door, since it was my last period of the day, and exited the class with a rush. I slowed down once I got to the hallway and walked. I heard people laughing and talking. I used to think they were laughing and talking about me in middle school, but I eventually got over that. They're just random high schoolers that I don't know. Who cares what they think of me? And who knows if they're actually talking about me?
I eventually got to the school's exit and went through the doors. I walked over to the foyer, sat down and waited for my bus. I pulled out my phone and tried turning it on, it was apparently dead. I groaned and put it back in my school bag. I looked around my surroundings, hoping to find something interesting to do. Then I remembered I had a book on me. I put my hand in the bag and felt around to find it. As I was looking for the book, I heard a scream. I immediately stopped searching and sat up. There wasn't really anyone around me, I was practically alone. I looked around myself for more of my surroundings, trying to be aware. There was no one near that could've made a scream. Unless the person was with the other bus riders.
I stood up and grabbed my things, slinging my backpack over my shoulders. I trotted slowly towards the direction the scream came from. I admit it, I was nervous. But I tried to get over it. Once I got to the scene of the mystery scream, it didnt take long to see why someone would yell like that. There was a spill of blood and green gooey stuff coming from one of the students lying dead in the middle of the road and some sort of... creature? It looked like those monsters that were described in English and Percy Jackson. I'm not even joking. The thing that most likely mudered the kid looked like a big snake thing with two heads. I knew what monster this thing was, it was a Hydra. And it just killed a kid. I didn't believe my eyes. I guess no one else did either. Because everyone else was either, screaming, crying, calling their parents, gaping or all of the above. I, on the other hand, was fleeing away from the scene as fast as I could I did not want to be involved with this.
As soon as I was almost away, I heard hissing behind me. Oh shit, I thought. I tried to remember what the Hydras' weaknesses are. I thought, and thought, and thought. Then I remembered: fire. I had a lighter. But it was in my bag and I doubted the monster would let me have time to get it out and- Someone screamed beside me. I looked and it was one of the popular girls. Patricia was her name, if I remember correctly. She was running away from the Hydra, just like I was. It seemed to take a liking to us. I wondered, why not the other kids? Why us? I let the thought go for now. Right now what mattered was getting this Hydra yo leave us both alone. And I needed to form a plan. Quickly.
I thought of something and decided to go with it. I started to run in a U-turn to buy some time to get out my lighter. I zipped open the front pouch as I ran with Patricia. I grabbed the lighter and threw my stuff to the foyer as I ran out into the school road. Trying to get a lighter to work while running isn't the greatest idea, by the way. Sure the lighter worked, but it also burned me at the same time. I tried to cause a distraction by yelling at it, "Hey! Two headed asshole snake thing! Come here!" In the pain of being burned, I through the lighter at the two headed serpent. It sure as hell killed the thing, but it wasn't quick. It didn't dissolve like books say monsters do. It melted slowly into the ground, just like it's acid with some innocent person. I stopped and stared at the pile of goop left. It must of been some end results of what's left after an acid fight.
I went back grab my stuff and met Patricia along the way. "Hi, you're Ashlyn Heel right?" She asked. I nodded in response. "And you're Patricia Bowen." She also nodded. "You can call me Ash for short." I added on into the conversation. "Well, Ash. What you did was brave, I dont think I would've been able to handle that thing by myself. And I didn't believe what I saw. I wanted to thank you for saving us both." She smiled. I blushed.
This girl was as pretty as an Autumn day, I thought. Patricia had brown, doe eyes and tan-ish brown skin. I'm guessing she liked blue and pink because that was her main color palette. Baby blue skirt overalls on top of a white shirt and pastel pink accessories to match. Her short brown hair pulled her outfit together. I nodded. "Er, thank you. I, mean I didn't really know what I was doing. I was just trying to get it to leave us alone, you know?" I replied. Patricia giggled a bit, and that made my cheeks feel like they were on fire. I knew I was probably as red as a strawberry. "Well, you did great. See you tomorrow?" She asked. "Yeah... yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." I decided. Patricia nodded and went the other way.
Once she was away I went to actually get my things. "Damn it..." I cursed to myself. Because I knew from that day forward, I had feelings for someone I didn't even truly know yet. And she was a girl. I was in deep shit.