by Clea Hantman
“Oh, please,” I said, wondering if that was true.
Even so, I couldn’t help but wonder if the dream was the key to understanding what went wrong. It was just so real.
“Okay, lunch over,” declared Claire. “That bell’s gonna ring in five, four, three, two, one…”
Dong. Dong.
“C’mon, Thalia, let’s get to Media,” beckoned Claire.
I solemnly bid my sisters adieu and we headed for class.
“I just don’t understand, Claire. How did a football player disappear into thin air?”
“I told you already, Thal, he didn’t disappear. His folks picked up and moved again. Back home to Denver, according to the school office.”
“Yeah, but it’s just so odd.”
“I know. But there will be other guys…maybe not as klutzy as Dylan, but there will be more.”
“Yeah.” But I didn’t want other guys. I wanted Dylan.
We walked into class.
“Class, sit down, please. I have an announcement.” It was Mrs. Tracy.
“I am very pleased to say, most of your films were exceptional. Most.”
Oh, great, it looked like she was staring directly at me when she said that. This would be the topper to my unsuccessful first and only attempt at romance on earth. I was also going to get an F. Hades, here I come!
“Yes, they were mostly good. But the film that stands out in my mind the most is one that really bucked the system. These two students turned lemons into lemonade when they broke their camera, and we’ll be discussing that part more later, but they came through and turned in a fantastic commentary on teenage life today with their own video camera.
“Thalia, your project with Dylan brought tears to my eyes. I thought it was very advanced for such young souls, and I’m honored to be your teacher. I only wish Dylan were here to share in this joy and this A-plus.”
“Me too,” I mumbled. Still, I had to be happy about the grade. I was saved, for now.
“I’ve decided to send your film off to the Georgia Film Festival. I will keep the whole class informed on your progress. Thank you for such a fine piece of work.”
“Um, you’re welcome.”
All this talk of Dylan and the movie just made me more upset. I couldn’t concentrate. I started shaking again, shivering. The dream. It had to be the dream. Mrs. Tracy dimmed the lights to begin showing the class movies so we could talk about them out loud.
I sank deep in my chair and pulled out the note.
It was a piece of paper that I found in my locker the day after I was “stood up.”
It was the only thing I had of his.
I unfolded the paper for the twenty-third time and read it again.
Thalia,
You make me so mad sometimes. And so very happy. Most of all you make me laugh. I just wanted to let you know how special you truly are and how much this has meant to me.
By the time you read this, I’ll be home.
Till you are with me…
XO
It took twenty-three readings, but I finally understood. I knew there was something in this note. Some sort of hidden message.
Dylan wants me to come to Denver!
About the Author
Clea Hantman has written for and about teens since she was one herself. She’s worked on teen marketing campaigns for companies such as Ticketmaster, Wet Seal, Contempo, Skinmarket, and Dawls. She’s written for Sweetie and Phoebe (retailer Wet Seal’s magazines) and Transworld publications like Skateboarding and Warp…and she’s been written about in Seventeen, YM, and Wired. In addition, Clea is a Cancer who collects lunch boxes and likes to boogie.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Credits
Cover illustration © 2002 by Lizzy Bromley
Cover photographs © 2002 by Barry Marcus
Cover design by Marci Senders
Cover © 2002 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Copyright
GODDESSES #2: THREE GIRLS AND A GOD. Copyright © 2002 by 17th Street Productions, an Alloy, Inc. company, and Clea Hantman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition May 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-195415-3
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
* A booty-kicking witch who was dating Jason, one of Era’s first loves. (Era had several first loves.)
** Medea loved Jason. Jason’s eyes wandered toward Era. The Furies stepped in on behalf of Medea, and all Hades broke loose.
* Polly fell for Tim, but he was really in cahoots with the Furies, and he ended up embarrassing her in front of the whole school. But one night at the Grit, Polly’s musical talents, and a little magical tug o’ war with the Furies, put Tim in his place and won Polly a slew of admirers.
* Don’t forget, in total there are nine lovely Muses. We have six sisters back home in Olympus.
* The three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades and Tartarus.
* Daddy walks tall and carries a big stick that he thrusts into the sky whenever he’s angry. Everyone stops, gets a chill down their spines, and goes back to business as usual.
* They execute all the Fates’ wishes, which means that when they are good, they are very, very good, and when they are bad, they are evil. The Keres are just nipping at the Furies’ heels, hoping to one day take over and rule Hades as their own.
* Our pet flying horse.
** One of the youngest and most daring Muses.
* Back home, Hermes told a story so vividly, you’d swear you were seeing it before your very eyes. But that was the closest thing we had to a camera.
* Although once Dionysus has a few glasses of nectar in him, things usually tend to perk up a bit.
* Three goddesses who control everything. Sure, Zeus is like the Big Daddy, but ultimately, the power is in the hands of the Fates.
* Roughly 123 pounds.
* Which by the way is sooo against the rules back home, but you can’t help but try once or twice.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Contents
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
> Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
About the Author
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
