Andrea wore the right clothes like every other High School senior, she just tended to stick out in a crowd.  Was it her natural grace which seemed to allow her to trip over thin air?  Or her unruly mop of red curls that refused to be contained by straitening iron or potions that drew attention?  Maybe it was her violet eyes, nobody had eyes like hers?  No matter, she always seemed to be the butt of the jokes, everyone always laughed at her expense. She had friends. She did get along with everyone, she got invited to parties, possibly just for entertainments sake but the invites still came.  She just was never comfortable in her own skin, an outcast in her own world.  She felt different like she just really was meant for something else.  All was not lost she did have Maddie and Dan they were her best friends, the kind of friends  that help you through thick or thin.  Or in Andrea’s case the many up’s and down’s that seemed to curse her.

    Maddie Daniels was pixie like with short blonde hair and green eyes, she was bubbly and popular with most everyone, her one flaw, being Andrea’s bestie.  Not that Maddie would ever change their relationship, she had been Andrea’s best friends since kindergarden, she was not going anywhere.  Well maybe Florida but thats for later. Maddie wanted to work at NASA, she really wanted to travel in space, she even had the brains, who knows someday she could be on Mars.

    Dan Landrey was the third leg of the trio, another friend forever.  His mom and Andrea’s mom went to high school together and basically they were put in a play pen shortly after birth and the friendship was born.  Tall and lanky one of those guys who will grow into himself after high school, with shaggy brown hair and puppy dog brown eyes Dan was the perfect best friend material.  Dan loved cars and computers and did not know if he wanted to race or build web sites after high school.  First graduate, then who knows was his motto. 

    The trio met by Dan’s locker before school.  As they usually did every day, nothing out of the ordinary.  As Andrea approached she tripped over her own foot, quickly catching herself by grabbing hold of the door to Dan’s locker.

    “Smooth Andrea.  Any idea why your mom did not call you Grace?”  A football player called over his shoulder as he passed by.  Great just great Andrea thought something new for the jocks to talk about.

    “Don’t worry Andrea he is a big mouth with a small brain he will forget all about it before he gets to his locker.  There is not room in their for tonights football game and your latest trip.”  Maddie hugged her close then mussed her outrageous curls, as if they needed any help.

    “Oh great Maddie.”  Andrea said covering her head from her friends playful attack.  “As if this mess needs any more help sticking out for gods sake.” 

    “Don’t knock it Andy.  Red heads with wild curls are hot.”  Dan said slapping Andrea on the behind.

    Andrea slapped his shoulder.  “Whatever Dan, you think anyone with boobs is sexy.”

    “Your point would be?”  Dan says one eyebrow lifting as he smiled crookedly down at Andrea.

    “No point I guess just an observation, your opinion of my hair holds very little weight.  Anyways on to more interesting topics, whats everyone doing this weekend?”

    Maddie rolled her eyes.  “ I am off to my dad’s for the weekend.  Seattle here I come!  God enough of this, I just wish my parents would grow up and solve their issues so the rest of the family did not have to deal with their drama all the time.  Driving Leslie and I up for a visit with the 40 something year old child dad not my idea of a good time.”   Maddie’s family was having issues, more like Maddie’s dad decided to date, which would be fine, except he was married to her mom at the time.  Now he lives in Seattle and Maddie has to chauffeur her sister to his house for twice monthly visits until the madness ends.

    “Okay so Maddie is out of the picture this weekend, how about you?”  Andrea turns her attention on Dan.

    “As much as it pains me to ditch you I am.”  Dan smiles and does a little happy dance.  “I got a chance to watch Nascar on a big screen, you know I cannot pass that up, however I will be in Portland at my cousins to do it.”

    “Seriously Dan.  You are truly devoted to cars.  Okay guys I guess I am flying solo this weekend.  It’s all good I will find something to keep myself entertained.”

    As the first bell rang Maddie said.  “I am sure you will just be careful I don’t want to come back from Seattle to find you on crutches, again.”

    “Come on Maddie I have not been on crutches in years!”

    “True but it has not been from a lack of trying!.”  Maddie yelled over her shoulder as she darted through the throngs of students dashing away to her first class and out of the way of Andrea’s wrath.

    Andrea wanders off in the opposite direction, in no particular hurry.  Late or not to gym her first class did not really matter so long as she was dressed down and in the gym in ten minutes for badminton lessons.  Gym first thing in the morning does nothing for her curls but make them frizz the rest of the day, yet another reason she sticks out in the crowd.

    Lunch did not arrive fast enough for Andrea she survived Badminton, calculus, english, and psychology.  Class was never the hard part of school for Andrea, if she read it she remembered it, if you show her something once she knows how to do it.  Her whole life learning has been easy, fitting in has always been the challenge.  

    As she makes her way through the cafeteria line  Andrea was trying to decide between what once was spaghetti and a hopefully reasonably fresh chicken Caesar salad when Dan and Maddie caught up to her.

    “You will be happy to know your slight foe paw before school today was forgotten and the subject of no ones conversation in any of my classes today.”  Maddie says as she grabs a cafeteria tray and steps in behind Andrea in the cafeteria line, Dan follows suit.

    “As if any of the people in your classes would even count.  Physics, Statistics, Advanced Placement English, and Trigonometry are not exactly where you find the social butterflies, present company excluded.”  Andrea says.

    “Well I am in the regular classes and no one was talking there either.”  Dan says.

    “Looks like I managed to escape ridicule for the morning, now to make it through the rest of the day without being noticed and I am home free for the weekend.”  Andrea said as she made her way to the cashier.

    The three amigos made their way to a central table, not close to the kitchen but not at a table reserved for the many different cliques at Centraila High.  From the Jocks in the back corner, the cheerleaders and other jock fans surrounded them.  The brainiaques controlled the other back corner with the drama geeks next to them.  The FFA and horse people took up the tables next to the jocks as they were close to as cool, what with their muddy boots and perpetual baseball caps with John Deere or Ford Tough across the front of them how could the girls resist them.  Yes their many adoring fans occupied the tables around them fading off into stoners corner the table closest to the exits.  The center of the room was left to the kids like Andrea, Dan, and Maddie they really did not go with any of the accepted groups and just sort of floated around in the middle of the room.  These kids were the ones destined to actually make something of themselves if history repeats itself as it usually does.  Jocks peek in high school, cheerleaders get fat, brains just move on, and cowboys fall off sooner or later.  The middle tables they become the senators, the successful business people, the en, even the guardians of humanity.

    Andrea made it through lunch and the rest of her school day without any issues and headed off to her part time job at the bowling alley.  She did all the pre- opening tasks made sure everything was in its place and then she opened the alley and ran the Snack Bar.

2: Chapter 2

 Ugh, after a night at the bowling alley all Andrea could smell was sweaty feet.  She had to make sure all the shoes were sprayed with disinfectant and put away before she left.  She shook her head to clear the smell from her senses as she concentrated on the drive home.  Slightly foggy, cool, but not raining, it was early fall and the trees were just starting to turn on the two lane country road Andrea took home.  She turned up her  Katy Perry, was possibly singing along as the sweaty feet smell began to fade, when a normal thing happened, a raccoon ran out in front of the car.   She saw it in plenty of time, stopped so it could get clear of the car.  It did not cross the road.  The raccoon waddled up to the bumper and climbed up onto the hood of the car.  It continued over to the windshield and knocked with its little paw.  As she sat there staring at a forest creature who should not have the mental capacity to be doing this she was what you could say, shocked.

    What does one do when a raccoon is knocking on the window to get your attention?  She thought about speeding off, this would of sent an exceptionally smart ball of fur flying into the dark, she did not want to hurt it.  She turned down the radio and tapped back in an attempt to shoo it from its perch on my hood.  It just stared at me.  Fine little dude, she thought and went with the windshield washer fluid, a little watered down window cleaner would not hurt him or was it a her?  It looked at her and shook its head.  That was when things got real strange.

    “Really Andrea, I took the form of this harmless creature so as to not frighten you and you squirt me with soapy water?  You must know raccoons love water, the point of this is what?”

    Now she is seriously taken aback.  The raccoon is speaking.  Her mouth dropped open and she sat back in the seat.  Dumbfounded at this point, she just shakes her head, this cannot be happening the sweaty foot smell was causing hallucinations.

    “Okay I see you are shocked.  That is expected.  Now get over it and let me in the car.  We have much to talk about.”  The little masked bandit is barking orders.

    “You’re a raccoon, no way are you getting in my car with me.  You bite and tear stuff up.  I saw Great Outdoors I know what you are capable of.”  She knew this was nuts, carrying on a conversation with an animal.

    “I am the messenger not a real raccoon.  My gods real animals do not talk to people.  I am from the Devine please we must move on, someone is going to happen down this road and seeing us like this would cause them undue stress.”  The raccoon seemed to have a bit of an british accent?  What the heck?  Not only is it a talking raccoon it has an accent.

    “Cause them undue stress?”  She told the forest creature as she decided to go along with him.  She got out of the car, tripped over her own feet, but caught herself.  The little raccoon put his paws up and hid his face.  She approached the hood and the little fellow came over to the drivers fender and set up with his little arms out for her to pick up,  He looked so cute, with his little bright eyes and bushy little raccoon tail, she picked him up and carried him back to the car.  

    “See Andrea, I mean you no harm we are going to be friends, partners even, you will see.  For now lets go to your house.”

    She knew it was so crazy but just went with it. The raccoon climbed over to the passenger seat and put on his seat belt. She shook her head as she put the car in drive and headed home.  The house was cozy, and very comfortable.  It was secluded back off the road in a nest of fir trees so no one was about, to notice her arrival with her new friend.  Her parents were the perpetual early risers and an earth quake would not wake them once they were out for the night. Little did she know how close she was about to come to testing that theory.  As she walked into the house she put her companion down.  He scampered over to the couch climbed up and made himself comfortable.  Little raccoon arm on the arm rest, sitting back one hind leg propped on the other.

    “Okay little dude, why do I have a talking raccoon in my living room?”  She asked as she crossed the room and sat on the couch, not too close mind you, still not so sure about this whole deal.

    “I have a story to tell you.  Open your mind, for there is much you must hear and accept.  You are the Guardian of Humanity, you have a great responsibility and you must know what is coming.”

    He turned to face her, when he looked at her it wasn’t with the cute face of a raccoon. The intelligence that he looked at her with was not that of an animal, or a human either, it was something more.

    “Divinity by all names is real.  Whether God, Buda, Allah, Zeus, or thousands of other forms the gods have taken they are real.  They created Nine realms or realities.  In the beginning crossing between the realms was allowed.  That is how fairytales were born.  Yes there are Trolls, Fairies, Elf's, Dragons, Merpeople, Demons, Angels, Gods, and humans the nine realms of reality.  Every realm was created equal in the beginning.  The gods turned the the worlds over to the creatures that inhabited them.  Not all the realms were treated alike some lands were cherished while others abused. 

     Hence hell was made by the demon’s doing, not anything brought about by gods.  They destroyed their world to the point none of the other creatures wanted to venture there.  The demons became jealous of the beauty of other realms, they wanted more lands, as theirs was ugly, ruined even.  

    They began to invade other worlds and attempt to conquer the inhabitants.  As the divine creators, the gods decided to close the gateways to protect the realms from the demon’s aggression. The freedom to pass between realms was lost to us all.  Many friends, families even, had to be separated. 

     When divinity locked the gates, they did not realize they imprisoned one of their own in the demons hell reality.  To open the gateway to rescue him would unleash the demon’s wrath on all the realms.  He was forever sealed away in a hell dimension.  

    Hades as he was called by the other gods, liked life with the demon’s so the gods hoped he would be happy with them.  Unknown to the gods until recently, he has blamed them for his captivity thinking they locked him away because he did not see things the way the other gods did.  He liked pain and suffering, loved the control he had over the weak minded demon’s.  When the gate closed he was lost to the divine.  

    Over a millennium of time he has been busy.  Unknown to anyone until now he made magical keys, worked spells, tried all forms of dark arts to open the gateway to the other realms.  His tenacity has paid off and he is cracking the gate to humanity.

    So you see the fairytales are real, the legends true, and the folklore facts. All your life you have felt like you do not fit in with your friends, family. You are not as you seem. You, Andrea, are a descendent of a god.  Half god, half human, that is why you are so important now.  You are the guardian of humanity. You will protect the humans from the demon’s. If it comes to a war you will be a leader among humans as you are the only one in the human realm powerful enough to stand up to the demon invasion to come. 

    You are humanities only hope, for if the gods open the gateways the demon’s will have access to the other realms, some of which are defenseless.  The Gods are able to communicate only through me.  My name is Lyle and I am your friend, messenger, ally.”  Through his expressions she could see the truth he spoke.  What she wanted to know is how in the world they were going to pull this off, save humanity from a demon invasion.

    “So Lyle, it is you and me against a hell world full of demon’s?  Thats funny.  And how do you think we are going to get humanity to listen to any of this?  They are going to lock us up.  Fill me full of drugs and dissect you to figure out how a raccoon can talk.”

    “No.  I do not have to stay a raccoon I can shift forms to many different animals, and you will be untouchable by the humans.  Did you not hear me you are a demigod?  You have suppressed your intergod characteristics for so long they are dormant, but they are real, they do exist.”

    “My what?  God characteristics?  What am I like Superman or Spiderman or something?  How is it I am the only demigod exactly only one god have a weakness for humans once?”

    “Andrea, Andrea, Andrea, those are fictional characters.  Amateurs really.  You, my friend are the real thing.  How you are the only one left, I just don’t know I am only the messenger.”  Lyle said with a head shake.  Lyle took that moment to shift on the couch.  No longer a raccoon.  He turned into a Chimp.  Bizarre as all heck but really fit the night she was having.  

    “Take my hands Andrea I will show you your true self.”

    Looking back, she wished she never ever touched that primates little hands, but she did, and there is after all, no looking back.

    What did she expected to happen at that point? Life flash before her eyes? See stars maybe?  What happened was a feeling like she just grabbed an electric fence. It hurt!  The jolt tossed her back onto the couch and wouldn’t you know it that little primate was laughing at her.

    “For cripes sake that hurt.  What did you do to me?”  She may of been dazed but not so dazed that she could not let Lyle have a piece of her slightly singed mind.

    “Are you angry with me?”  He seemed shocked.

    “Duhhh, that hurt I think my hair just got curlier.  But alas I am nonviolent, hence one of the many reasons I still think you have the wrong Demigod.”

    Lyle laughed out loud not a monkey laugh, a real human like laugh,very creepy coming from a chimp.

    “Stop laughing.  I see nothing funny in this entire situation.  Show me my powers huh?  Take my hands. blah blah blah.  Told you It wasn’t me.”  She was irritated.  She was really ready to tear her messenger a new one.

    “Okay I get it your in pain and think its all my fault.  Thank the gods you didn’t blast me with your lightening fingers, not that you couldn’t cause right now you are not someone to irritate.  You are at your most dangerous.  You do not know how to control your powers and you have no idea what they are.  But thats okay, that is what I am here for  My goal in life is to help you through your difficult transition into your guardianess.  Now if you do not mind would you come down off the ceiling please?”

    She looked about and realized she was in fact levitating up near the ceiling of living room.  As soon as she realized where she was, she landed on the couch with a thump.

    “How did I get on the ceiling, exactly?”  she pierced that little ape with one of her best looks of righteous indignation as she sat up and played off the shock of bouncing to the couch from her ceiling perch.

    “You were hurt and angry.  Instead of blowing things up, you floated to the ceiling, Demigods, never know what your going to get out of them.”  Lyle said shaking his head.  “You have vast god like powers right now.” 

    She shot her new messenger a dirty look, guess it had too much feeling cause the little fella bounced off the far wall, yup that left a nice hole in the drywall to hide from mom and dad.   It was the first time she moved something with her mind.  It brought a bit of a smile to her face, not gonna lie.  

    “Oh Lyle sorry.”  She ran over to him and dusted the crumbling drywall chunks off his little back.  “Guess I don’t know my own strength.”

    Lyle gave her a serious look.  He replied, “You have no idea.  We must proceed with caution, we don’t want to attract attention from the humans just yet, that would be a catastrophe.”  Lyle shook himself clean and stood up tall across from her in the middle of the living room.  

    “Okay Obi Wan teach me the ways of the force.”  She responded, with a wee bit of sarcasm.  Lets face it this is so hard to believe, taking all this serious was hard for her.

      “Obi Wan was a wimp, I think I am more of a Yoda.” Lyle said as a smile spread across his little primate face.   “I think thats enough for tonight.  Let us pick up where we left off in the morning. Now clear your mind of all thoughts I do not need you burning the place down in your sleep or tossing me about the room any more.  Rest is what we need.  Tomorrow we begin the task of saving your world.”

    Lyle began walking away what choice did she have but to follow him.  He was the messenger from the gods, at this point she figured he knows best.  She knew she needed to get sleep, tomorrow would be a huge day.  Her first day as the Guardian of Humanity, that so does not have a ring to it.  How did she get myself into this mess?  Never ever should have talked to that raccoon, that much is for sure.

     Andrea took the lead as the odd couple went up the stairs to the bedrooms.  She showed Lyle to the guest  bedroom. The parents don’t even open the door unless company is coming, so he will be fine in there.  Andrea went down the hall to her room.  As she pasted the parents room snores were bouncing off the walls oblivious to their Demigod daughter.  She smiles and move on.  Andrea quickly changed into her favorite nightshirt, Yoda, seemed ironic at this point.  She has her own little Chimpanzee Yoda in the next room.  

    She hoped Lyle would be able to help her figure this whole demigod thing out. It seems like the whole world will be counting on her.  She just hopes she can get it right.  That was her last thought before drifting off to sleep, guess learning your a demigod is exhausting after all.

3: Chapter 3

    When Andrea woke and attempted to focus on, well, anything she thought coffee, coffee will fix this.  Her second thought when her eyes immediately came into focus on the chimp standing beside the bed holding a cup of coffee was,  Lyle was real.

    “Wholly crap! You are real, was kind of hoping the whole guardian of humanity thing was a really waked out dream.”

    “Yes I am real and you are not a morning person so please drink this before you blow something up.”  Lyle answered with his now growing familiar smile.  “The parents are up and gone so we have privacy for training.”

    I took the steaming cup of hopefully delectable yumminess from my messenger and took a hesitant sip.  Absolutely delicious, not surprising, guess they include coffee making 101 in the messenger training manual.  Lyle grinned and waddled off out of the room.  Andrea went, coffee in hand to the bathroom where she showered and got ready for the day.

    Wrapped up in her bathrobe and back in her room Andrea went through the closet looking for something appropriate to wear for the first day of training.  Nothing she doesn’t mind destroying was a safe bet.  Leggings tennis shoes and an oversized sweatshirt seemed logical.  She descended the stairs and made her way to the kitchen, which is where Lyle was.  Andrea froze at the sight before her in the kitchen.

    “You know this chimpanzee form is great for having the hands but they seem to be somewhat vertically challenged.”  Lyle said over his shoulder.  

    He had scooted a dining room chair into the kitchen and was standing on it making pancakes at the stove.  There was pancake flour, milk, syrup, eggs, and some other substances she did not want to attempt to identify covering ever single surface in the kitchen.  Lyle himself had a glob of butter stuck in the fur of his cheek and flour all down the front of him.

    Lyle was dishing up two plates with what appeared to be scrambled eggs and pancakes.  “Breakfast is ready.  Lets eat so we can begin your training.”  Lyle said as he waddle past Andrea handing off a plate on his way to the dining table.  All Andrea had to do was follow the trail of flour primate foot prints on the hard wood floors to find him.

    “We cannot start training Lyle, it is going to take half a day just to find the counter tops in that disaster you just created.”  Andrea said as she gingerly began to pick at the eggs and examine her pancakes.  The pancakes were not exactly golden more of a rust color with a crusty edge.  However when you cut into them with a fork, the raw batter oozed out all over the plate.

    “Andrea, are the pancakes supposed to be like this?”  Lyle asked with batter dripping from his chin.  “They do not taste so good.”

    Andrea stood up and took both plates to the kitchen.  She placed them in the sink got out two bowls and two spoons poured cereal into both bowls added milk, grabbed a banana for Lyle and headed back to the table.  Coffee covered in the manual for messengers, pancakes, not.

    “From now on Lyle you need to stick to cereal.”  Andrea put the bowl in front of him and sat down in a chair.  She glanced back at the absolute mess of the kitchen and shook her head.  Andrea gestured with her hands wildly and thought how much she wanted kitchens to clean themselves. Things started to fly around the kitchen.  Dishes breaking off the walls, cabinets opening and closing, the sink turned on and the spray attachment started to spray randomly in all directions, including the dining room table.  Andrea dove under the table having seen the water coming, Lyle on the other hand had just turned to see what was making all the noise, he caught a snoot full right in the face.  Some garbled noises escape Lyle’s lips before he was suddenly under the table.

    “What did you do?”  Lyle exclaimed, with water running in small rivers down his face.  At least the batter was off his chin now.

    “Nothing I swear.  I gestured with my hand and wished kitchens would clean themselves and all hell broke loose.  We have to get it to stop before everything in there is destroyed.  What do I do?”  Andrea said as the volume began to climb, the dishwasher came on and suds were creeping across the floor towards them.

    “I don’t know say something like stop cleaning.  Messenger not miracle worker here.”  Lyle said with a shrug

    “Stop cleaning.”  Andrea ordered with some degree of force as the dish suds oozed closer.  Silence.  All the action in the kitchen stopped.  It worked yeah!  Lyle and Andrea crawled out from their hiding place, still shocked by the state of the kitchen.

    Of course the original mess was multiplied by a hundred now, and as Andrea grabbed a mop she whispered to herself be careful what you wish for.  Hmmm... that could be interesting...What would Channing Tatum look like with a big bow on his.  Never mind, cleaning the mess, must concentrate on that before a perfect stranger ends up walking around with bows in strange places.

    It did not take as long to repair the breakfast damage as Andrea had thought.  She sent Lyle off to clean up.  When he got wet the flour set into a sort of paste on the front of him.  She had a slight urge to add some newspaper strips and paper mache’ him, so thought it best to send him to wash before he became art.  Andrea was just finishing up when Lyle returned fresh and smelling like her favorite Lavender soap.  She just smiled what other options were there at that point.  Andrea kept her emotions in check as they moved into the living room.  The evidence of her last outburst was the hole in the wall made by Lyle’s little body hurdling across the room still visible,which she needed to cover before the parents noticed.

    “Your yard is private lets go out there where, hopefully, you cannot damage any more of your property with your lack of control.”  Lyle said over his shoulder as he led the way out the back door.

    For the next few hours Andrea felt like the damn Karate Kid.  All that was missing was the classic car’s and wax on, wax off.  Lyle went through many what seemed to be yoga or martial arts moves, supposedly meant to help with focus, mostly they gave her cramps in her neck, back, legs, toes..get the picture?  

    As Andrea attempted a particularly challenging yoga pose she finally gave in to her need to complain.  “Lyle, what is the point of bending me into pretzel like positions?  How is all this supposed to help me take out some damn demon’s?  I am starting to think you are one of them, this is insane.”  She fell, again.  As Andrea was barely getting to her feet, she caught sight of a fuzz ball hurling itself at her at lightening like speed.  She just acted on instinct.  Without thought she blocked Lyle’s attack and was ready for the next, no thought, no oh crap, just bam.  Lyle was sent flying across the yard.  He landed with a thud about 25 yards away.  With a blink he was on his feet rushing her again.  While running he transformed into a Rhino, no time to think just rely on instinct.  I put up my hand like a traffic cop and Rhino Lyle was frozen in his tracks.  I stepped clear of his charge, and he unfroze missed me and transformed back to the chimp Lyle.

    “Well done Andrea.  I was hoping the training was taking effect on your powers.  Disciplining your mind helps build your control as well as your abilities will grow faster.  You must gain your full strength quickly, you must be ready.”

    “Ready for what?  These Demon’s it’s not like they are going to seek me out are they?  Just going to start showing up looking for a fight?  That could be bad I might be at school or something, people would notice attacking demons”  She asked Lyle as they went over to the patio and set at a small bistro set.

    “The demon’s do not know about you.  When they come they will attack power bases.  Like rulers, people of power, try to overthrow them.”  My mouth fell open and I began to speak but Lyle held up a hand to silence me.  “You will feel the demon’s presence, no matter where they are.  When they break through the door you will know.  You will be able to go to the demon’s in an instant, like they have a homing beacon attached to them.”

    “So I have like a built in demon compass?  No matter where I am or what I am doing a demon breaks the barrier of the realms and I know like an instinct.”  Andrea sat in the chair shaking her head.  The realizations of the enormous responsibility of the guardianship hitting full force.  Tears formed at the corner of her eyes.  They began to slowly flow down her cheeks.  Lyle was by her side in an instant he patted her hand instinct of the messenger gave him insight into her thoughts it seemed.  He knew she needed a friend right then.  Andrea was fighting back a sob when the thunder rolled loudly overhead, she looked up, not a cloud in the sky.  She looked at Lyle, and laughed.  The powers were building, she couldn’t even cry without throwing the natural balance of things off.

    Lyle and Andrea had an early dinner.  She made salads.  Andrea thought the chimp in him might enjoy them, who knows? She had no idea what Lyle would really like to have for dinner.  She needed to google chimp food, think it involves bugs?  If so, he is so on his own there.  After dinner they went outside, Andrea’s parents were still not home.

    Lyle had found some boxes and set them up across the yard about 30 feet away.   

    “You are going to practice moving things with your mind with control.  No flinging boxes about.  I want controlled stacking and unstacking of the boxes.”  Lyle smirked and went to sit at the bistro set, propped his feet up on the table and made himself very comfortable. Andrea turned her back on the chimp and spent the next hour attempting to stack and unstack boxes without crushing or dropping them.  

    She did it they were stacked about ten feet high without mishaps.  Where were the words of encouragement?  Lyle had no comment? She glanced back, had to fight to keep from laughing out loud.  Lyle was mouth open, sprawled out in the chair fast asleep.  Oh this was going to be good.  She centered her mind on total control as she lifted Lyle’s sleeping form from the chair.  Andrea levitated him, without disturbing him up over her head and across the yard to place him lightly on top of the boxes.  She maintained control supporting his weight so as to not crush the boxes as she shouted.  “LYLE!”

    He startled awake still not breaking her hold on him.  He looked around and realized he was perched ten feet in the air on top of the boxes.  You also saw the fact dawn on him that Andrea still had control she was not letting him down and was not crushing the boxes.

    “Well I see you have a good grasp on levitation of objects without dropping them.”  Lyle said matter of factly, as he looked around.  “Would you mind putting me down now.”  Lyle smiled sweetly from his thrown of boxes.

    Andrea lifted Lyle from the top of the boxes and began to lower him to the ground when,  it happened.  A demon broke the barrier.

4: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

    Sunday morning at the Campbell house had a routine to it.  Lenaya AKA mom was up early Sunday mornings.  They were her “me” time.  She did not care to sleep in and ruin her routine.  She was a successful florist owning really the most reputable shop in three counties so there was not a wedding or a funeral that she did not attend.  She was a control freak so she insisted on handling most all details herself and only counted on assistants to help her set up events and on some of the day to day activities of the shop. Dad AKA as Shane owned a repair shop.  He worked on everything from lawn mowers to big rigs, there was not an engine he could not fix.  He even kept up with the times staying current with all the computerized technology, a grease monkey he was not.  However he did work six days a week, and loved to attempt to sleep in on Sunday.  

    Lenaya believed the family needed to attend church together, regardless of how much Shane and Andrea happened to protest the process.  Which was substantial protesting from thermometers to the light bulb to puke noises in the bathrooms they were both guilty of attempting to get out of church.

    Would this particular Sunday be any different?  Of course not.  Lenaya had to hit Shane with three pillows to roust him from the bed.  Andrea she just tossed a can of frozen juice into her bed.  It followed her no matter how she attempted to escape it, her only recourse was to exit the bed.  

    Lyle once again had made his way to the guest room.  Andrea giggled to herself as she made her way into the room, mom would have a fit if she realized the animals that were using the guest bed. First night a chimp and today, she opened the door to find a very condescending looking Persian Cat looking at her from the bed.

    “You are lucky it was me.  What would you of done if one of my parents had opened the door?”

    “Oh Andrea ye of little faith.  I knew it was you I am your messenger I know when you are near.”  Lyle examines a paw with mock interest.  “Besides, if it had been your parents how could they resist such a beautiful house companion as this.”  Lyle put on a cheesy smile.

    “Lyle, cats do not smile.”

    “Really?  Well they should.  Anyways why are they still here?  We have our training to continue.”

    “Training will have to wait I have to go to church with my parents.”

    “Church?  Oh gads I did not realize it is Sunday.  Oh well I will just come with you.”

    “You are going to church with me?  And how do you think you are going to get into the church they frown on cats, chimps, raccoons, and most defiantly fire breathing dragons.”

    “Well yes a Fire Breathing Dragon would be a bit of an over kill for church.  I will go small something that will fit in your purse.”

    “I don’t do mice Lyle.  I don’t care if the mouse is you, a mouse Lyle will not be hiding in my purse at church.  I am taking a shower and properly dosing myself with caffeine prior to walking into my church with my new messenger.”  Andrea left Lyle to decide what creature is best suited for church.

    Andrea went to her room and found a suitable outfit for church.  She went with some black pants and a pretty blue and purple shirt a hint of spring that she hopes, might compliment her strange violet eyes.  On to the shower she went.  Not a girl to waste time in the bathroom in the shower, out, wash face, limited make-up, pony tail for the mane, and down the stairs for more important things, coffee.

    Andrea was pouring her coffee when Shane walked into the kitchen, still dressed in sweats, obviously not as motivated as Andrea was to go to church.  Shame on him.

    “So dad, what she do to you?  I got the frozen juice treatment.”

    “Pillows, nearly knocked me into next month with them.”

    “Sorry, think I would take pillows over frozen juice though.”

    He scoots into the coffee area giving Andrea the heave hoe out of his way.  He pours his coffee adds some creamer and looks at Andrea through blood shot blue eyes.

    “Yeah, she only did the juice thing that one time to me.  Very expensive frozen juice it did make a nice hole in the window.”

    “I remember that, it was classic.”  Andrea smiles as she moves over to look in the fridge.  What to take up to Lyle?  Its not like they had any cat food, he is just going to have to change to something that likes fruit.  Andrea made herself a bowl of cereal and snagged a couple of banana’s and an apple.  She was making her way past her dad when he noticed the pile of fruit and jumbo cereal bowl.

    “Jeez girl what are you doing?  You have a ton of food there.”

    “Its a new diet dad.  If you eat a real big breakfast then you won’t be as hungry the rest of the day.”

    “Oh, well I guess that makes sense.  What makes no sense is you dieting you are not fat.”

    “I am just testing it out I wanted to know if it worked.”  Andrea yelled over her shoulder as she made her way up the stairs.  As she passed her mom’s home office her mom was peering out at her.

    “Andrea I better not find those banana peels thrown in your room next week.”

    “You won’t I promise.”  Under her breath she added Lyle does not waste food when he is in chimp form he eats everything peel and all.  No mess to clean up

    Andrea dumped her hoard of food in her room and then went to the Lyle suite to get him for breakfast.  She could not believe what she saw, Lyle had shifted into a Marmoset.  He was the cutest little primate ever, he could ride in her purse any day.

    “Lyle you are adorable, so much better then a mouse.  What are you?”

    “Really Andrea?  Know your worlds animals I am a Marmoset, a primate highly intelligent and ready for breakfast.”  Lyle said as he crawled onto Andrea’s shoulder.  “Onward Demigod this messenger is starved.”

    Andrea peered out into the hall, the coast was clear, she stepped out and there was her dad coming up the stairs.  Lyle dashed under her pony tail just in time.

    “Hi honey mom has brow beat me into the shower, I didn’t even get to finish my coffee!”

    “That is cruel dad just horrible, but you do sorta stink so you better hurrrreee into the shower.”  Lyle lost his grip for a second and was hanging on by a few hairs of her pony tail.

    Shane raised an eyebrow.  “Problem?”

    “No just my pony tail is a little tighter then I thought, I better get into my room and fix it.”  Andrea reached her door knob, Lyle ducked under her mass of curls and she made a hasty retreat into her room.

    “Oh my god Lyle did you leave any hair attached back there, that hurt.”

    “Sorry Andrea, I slipped, not entirely used to this form yet, remember I am this wee creature just for you. Now feed me please!”

    Lyle saw the pile of fruit on her desk and made a beeline for the bananas.  Andrea walked over and set down at the desk to eat her cereal.  The two new friends enjoyed their breakfast together without any more near misses.  After breakfast Andrea went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth then she ran down stairs put her dishes in the sink and grabbed her purse.  Her mom heard her on the stairs.

    “Your dad and I are ready to go we need to leave in like two minutes you are ready aren’t you?”

    “Yes mom I will be right back just running up to my room for a second.”  Back up to her room she dashed.  Once in her room she held her purse open for Lyle to climb in she had a hobo bag so he fit very comfortably.  She ran to the linen closet and got a wash cloth and set it in her purse.  Lyle used it to fashion a very comfortable cushion.

    “Ready Andrea, now take me to church and lets learn about the humans god.”

    “God is god Lyle it is all the same to me.  I have always thought that no matter what name god is called its still going to the same place.”

    “ I agree, I just happen to be friends with the deity so I find it amusing to see how the realms perceive them.”

    “Whatever, just please be a good marmoset and do not pee in my purse.”  Andrea patted Lyle on the head and headed off down the stairs to catch up with her parents.

    The ride to church was uneventful.  They took the king cab truck Andrea sat in the back seat and played games on her cell while she could, church was a cell free zone.  She peeked in at Lyle from time to time to find him kicking back on his make shift bed, looking at her id and other purse products.  Andrea blushed to herself, thank god she had no tampons in her purse at the moment she would of gone about talking with Lyle about those.

    Andrea looked up and noticed they were pulling up to church.  Her dad found a spot in the back of the lot and backed the big truck into the spot, the only way to park the big four wheel drive.

    “Everybody ready for this?”  He said as he pulled the keys and stepped out of the truck.  “Wonder what is in store for us today at the hands of the reverend.”  He walked along side Andrea elbowing her in the ribs jostling her bag about.  He noticed the Hobo bag. He made an attempt to peer inside.  “You got a pillow in that thing its big enough I think you could haul a folding cot in there?”  Andrea scooted out of his range as her bag bounced around, poor Lyle he was getting one heck of a ride.

    “No dad I don’t jeez.  It is called a Hobo bag and it is a fashionable purse, keep up with the times.”

    “Whatever.  All I needed to know was if there was something in there I could commandeer for the service to rest my tired head on during the sermon.”  He was laughing however mom did not find the two of them particularly funny.

    “If you two cannot behave in church today there will be no lunch after church we will be going strait home.”  She shook her head, “I feel like I am attending church with two three year olds, instead of a grown man and a teenage daughter.”  She walks off and leaves them to their own devices, they realize they have pushed her as far as was wise and fell into step behind her as they headed to the church.

    As they entered the building, Andrea took a chance and peeked into her bag.  Lyle looked up at her a little dazed looking, and shook his little primate fist at her.  He whispered “My god Andrea, I have experienced less turbulence crossing through the gates of the Rheims then I just did in this blasted contraption.  I thought I would be safe in here!”

    “Sorry Lyle, now shhh we are going into church, I will be very careful with you.”

    “I hope so, I do break you know.”

    Andrea found her parents and slid into the pew and sat by her dad.  They elbow each other throughout the service making sure neither one falls asleep during the service.  The service was about forgiving and not holding grudges.  Andrea had that down to a science.  So many people have teased her for her unruly hair or less then graceful ways over the years if she held grudges she would be a very angry person all the time.  She just does not have the energy to stay mad at them all.  Besides, she knew her hair was out of control and she most defiantly was not very coordinated.  As the service ended and people began to make their way up the aisle and out the back of the church Andrea attempted to leave her pew caught her foot on the end of the pew and face planted in the aisle of the church.  Thankfully the aisle was carpeted, but still going to leave a mark.  Not to mention Lyle was just flung three feet away when she attempted to catch herself as she fell.  Many around her began to snicker at her act of grace, Andrea managed to grab her purse and get to her feet without much further attention being paid to her.

    “Are you alright?”  Her mom asked.

    “Never better ma, never better.”  Andrea said as she dusted off her palms on her clothes and made her way with the crowd to the back of the church.  As soon as she could she snuck a peek at Lyle.

    “Lyle, please tell me you are okay.”

    “I am okay.  Amazed as to how you have managed not to die thus far in your human form with your propensity to falling down as much as you do.  Your training will take care of this human trait in no time and soon you will no longer be so clumsy.”

    “I am not sure even your training will cure my ability to humiliate myself falling over my feet.”  Andrea gave Lyle a weak smile as she closed her purse and made her way to the truck. 

    From church to Bo’s Diner for lunch, every Sunday Lenaya managed to get Shane and Andrea up that was the tradition.  Bo’s was a diner completely suck in the 70‘s.  Either that or the retro deco was fantastic, however considering the grease stains and the walls that virtually cried out for fresh paint the popular opinion was Bo’s had never redecorated since 1979.  Most days Shane and Andrea had French Dips but today Andrea switched it up and got a chef salad and a side of fruit.  She had her purse strategically placed so she could drop fruit and veggies to Lyle, he would eat some and pack the rest in her purse for later.  She had no idea he was packing some away, but she would find out the next time she reached for her wallet. 

    Andrea had finished eating and was heading for the rest room.  As she made her way across the room she walked past a booth with four of the obnoxious football players sitting at it.  One of them threw out his foot as she passed tripping her.

    “Don’t trip grace.”  He said as she hit his foot.

    Andrea felt her ankle catch on his foot but instead of falling flat she caught herself and did not trip at all.  She had done it she had not fallen down.  Was it her demigod powers?  Dumb luck? Who knew, who cared?  She was still standing.  She looked down at the idiot jock.

    “Did you say something?”

    “Ah no why would I talk to you.”

    “Absolutely no idea.”  she rolled her eyes and walked on to the rest room.  Once in the rest room she checked for other people then opened her purse.

    “Did you notice that?”

    “Notice what?”

    “You did not go flying, Bobby Durham tripped me. Anyone should have went flying, but I did not. It was like I walked right through his ankle and did not notice him at all.”

    “Not surprised you cannot be falling down all the time and be ready for the demon’s. Your natural coordination, which for all these years has eluded you for some reason, has developed even beyond human levels, and quickly might I add.  Not two hours ago even I was a vicim of your unnatural ability to fall flat.”  Lyle said as he munched on a grape.  “How much longer until we can get back to training? This has been a fine break, and interesting look into human customs, but I am quit over it now and would really like to work with you.”    

    “We are about done here then it is home and the rest of the day is ours to work out until dark then I have to get to work on home work, still in high school remember?”

    “Ah yes and tomorrow will be even more time wasted as we must go to school and learn facts that matter not to a guardian.  All you need to know I can teach you.”

    “ I am sure my calculous teacher would argue with you.”

    “Hah, we will see.”

    Andrea washed her hands and made her way back to her table.  She noticed Bobby and the others were gone when she came out of the restrooms.  No great loss there, one less opportunity for them to make rude comments in her direction.

    “You two ready to go?  I want to take a little hike do some research for a biology paper when I get home.”

    “Looky Andrea the studious one.  Wait who are you and what have you done with the real Andrea?”  Shane said as he looked around in a mock attempt to find the real Andrea. 

    “Dad I have always taken my grades seriously, really you are being a dork?”

    “Maybe, but you have never been particularly interested in a nature hike.”

    “I still am not a hiker, I just want a great grade in bio for my transcripts.”

    “Ah now that sounds more like it.  Lenaya come on we cannot keep the biologist from her studies.”

    “Oh no we can’t.  If I had known you wanted to study plants you could have worked a few shifts at the shop.  You would of seen more flowers then you ever wanted to see in your whole life.”

    “Biology and cut flowers for funerals are not the same thing exactly.  Unless of course you are changing the molecular structure of a flower to increase color, or length of bloom time.”  Andrea tossed over her shoulder as she exited Bo’s with her parents behind her.

    The drive home Andrea played with her phone and Lyle caught a quick nap.  Perhaps a little too much lunch was consumed?  Once home Andrea went to her room, her dad went to the shop and mom went to her home office.  Andrea grabbed a change of clothes and ducked into the bathroom.  It was weird having Lyle around she was always having to change in the bathroom, animal form or not he still spoke which made him too human to change in front of.  Andrea quickly changed into sweat pants t shirt and a hoody.

    Andrea looked at her reflection in the mirror.  Demi god huh?  She held up her hand and thought about fire, a under control little candle like flame she quickly added and flames flickered to life from her finger tips.  Very cool.  She added the thought of a warm summer breeze, just enough to feel on your skin the flames began to dance in the wind.  She looked back at her reflection her eyes were glowing an amazing purple blue color as the power coursed from her.   Not too shabby she thought as she willed the elements to rest.  She opened the bathroom door training was needed, she wanted to know more about how to control her powers. 

    She walked into her bedroom.  “Lyle you ready lets get some work done, with school next week we will not have lots of time for working on my control and I need to have total control, I cannot accidentally blow up a house or something.”

    “Do not worry Andrea, you are learning fast it has only been two days and look at what you just did in the bathroom.”

    “How did you know?”

    “I can sense your powers as they ebb and flow around us.  You are learning how to call them and control what you have manifested.  Now we are going to see what your offensive powers might be.”

    “Thats cool so you can find me even if I was missing.  Thats kind of nice if a demon gets me or something I will know at least you will know where to look.  Lets go Lyle we are going hiking remember for bio.”

    “Ah yes the woods, this should be fun.”  Lyle said as he scampered up her arm and made himself comfortable in her hood.

    “Hold still you are tickling me and no hair pulling this time.”  Andrea jigged about the room a bit as Lyle made himself at home in her hood.

    “I will be able to hold still when you stop moving around so much!  Young padawan!”

    “Okay I got it, you got it?”  Andrea said as she froze in place.

    “I got it now lets get going.”

    Andrea grabbed a fanny pack threw her wallet, cell phone, and chap stick in and careened down the stairs.  She yelled goodbye to her mom grabbed her car keys and headed to the car.  She got into the car and headed off down the drive way.  Once away from the house she stopped.  Lyle scrambled down her arm and changed into his familiar  raccoon form and belted in the seat next to her with one of his cheesy grins.

    “Okay its like five minutes to a state park with it being fall we should have the place to ourselves.”

    “That would be good cause this could get interesting.”  Lyle said with a laugh.

    “Oh great.  When you laugh like that I have learned usually means trouble.”

Andrea said as she drove down the road.  As promised they were at the park, in minutes and the lot was deserted.  She parked the car, locked it and walked to the trail head with Lyle ambling along beside her.  They followed the trail about ten minutes in before Lyle decided to speak.

    “I think this area should do fine for your first lesson.”  The trail had opened into a wide area with less dense forest around them.  “Lets begin with your concentration exercises.”  Crouching Tiger Lyle took over from there as he lead Andrea in her martial arts warm up.

    After forty five minutes of work sweat was pouring off Andrea and she shed her hoody to cool off.  “Lyle I am thinking, I am warmed up.”

    Lyle glanced at her as he stood on one paw and repeatedly kicked the other in the air like a karate master.  “Perhaps you are.”  He said as he finished his kicks.  “Now see the boulder over there by the fir tree?”

    “Yes”

    “I want you to think about your energy, your aura if you want to call it.  Aim it at the rock.  You might want to use your hands to like throw it at it perhaps.”

    Andrea winds up like a LA Dodgers pitcher and throws her pretend ball at the rock, nothing happens.  She tries a softball pitch, still nothing.

    “Okay whatever you are doing right now is not the channel your power needs.  Dig deep Andrea feel your power and eject it at the rock.”

    “What the hell Lyle what does it look like I have been doing?  I am throwing power like a pro and nothing is happening.”  Andrea throws her hands up in frustration and flicks her fingers, only not at the rock, brilliant purple sparkles shoot from her fingers and impact a tree stump.  Needless to say the tree trunk, will never be the same again.  Great for kindling not so much for anything else.

    “Oh my god what just happened.”

    “You found your channel, but you lost your concentration and blew up the wrong thing.  You have to control this power like no other!  Frustration cannot rule it.  As you can see it is a great power.”

    Andrea took a deep breath and recentered herself, she even did a few of her warm up exercises to make sure she was not out of focus in any way.  She looked at the boulder, lifted her hands up in front of her and flicked her fingers.  Purple fairy dust like light shot from her hands and the boulder was as good as gravel.  Andrea looked to Lyle.  “How was that?”

    “Well done.  Now concentrate and learn your control.  You must be in control before you need the powers.  In battle you cannot take a time out for a yoga moment.”

    “I understand, I just get so frustrated I have the fate of the whole world on my shoulders and a biology test next week.”

    “Exercise is good for stress.  Grab your sweatshirt, we are going to run, as we run I will call out items I want you to destroy, it will be good for you physically and we can work on control.”

    “I hate running, I have never been good at it, I fall a lot.”

    “Not any more you don’t.”

    “Point.  Very good point.”

    “Now lets move.”  

    The messenger and the demigod spent the next hour running through the forest over logs, under branches, even jumping rocks all the while Lyle would yell out branch on right, stump on left, and with the flick of her fingers Andrea was able to blast them all.  Her control was growing, her powers were growing, and her confidence was growing.

5: Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

    Andrea’s alarm sounded at 7:00am. on Monday morning as usual.  Except this was not your normal Monday morning.  On Friday when she left school she was ‘normal’ now, not so much.  

    When Andrea had got back from training she was exhausted, she had done her homework and crawled into bed, not even eating dinner.  Lyle merely climbed into her purse and ate all the food he had stored there from lunch.  She did not even look in a mirror.  So when she got out of her shower and wiped off the mirror in the bathroom she was slightly shocked by her hair, even wet she could see the highlights that she had not noticed before.  She put on her leave in conditioner and used her blow dryer on cool to dry her hair a little.  It was not frizzy, or out of control, and there was some blonde highlights in it.  What the hell was going on?

    She raced to her room.  “Ah Lyle do you have any explanation for this?”  She said as she pointed to her hair.

    “To what are you referring?”

    “My hair.  It is not frizzy and there is blonde in it.”

    “Well that is to be expected.”

    “To be expected?  When were you going to share this little expectation?”

    Lyle rolled his raccoon eyes at her.  “You have been a power source with no way to let off steam for years, since you were born.  Your hair was frizzy and you fell down a lot as a side effect of the pent up power. You are using your powers now, controlling them.  You are going to see some physical changes from this.  Now how about some breakfast?”

    “So you are saying my hair is going to look normal?”

    “I don’t know what normal would be but it will be less, fluffy.  Food?”

    Andrea looked at her reflection in the mirror over her dresser.  Still pretty much crazy curls, but they flowed down her back in ringlets, not strait out to the side in fuzzy out of control strands that required a pony tail to just get them to lay half way down.

    “Andrea...cereal?”

    She touched a ringlet, it was soft and silky not course or brittle.  “ I am going Lyle.  I just cannot get over the change.”  She looked down at him as a tear escaped her lashes and rolled down her cheek.  “I look almost normal.”

    “No Andrea.  You look like a demigod.  You are powerful, poised, and most of all, going to get my breakfast before I faint.”  Lyle said as he crawled down the bed to stand on the foot rest on his hind feet as he tugs with his little paws at one of the ringlets dangling down her back.

    “Going!”  Andrea said as she ambled out of her room and down the stairs.  As usual her parents were up and gone already so she yelled to Lyle.

    “Lyle come on down the coast is clear we can eat in the kitchen and you can really pig out.”  She turned around to see a streak of grey bound into the kitchen and land on one of the chairs at the table.

    Lyle and Andrea ate a big breakfast.  Lyle in fact finished off all of Andrea’s when she ran upstairs to gather her things for school and apply a little mascara. Lyle said her eyes were a window to her power, then they might as well have nice lashes.  She fastened two little barrettes in her hair to hold it back from her face at the sides and was ready for the day.  She leapt down the stairs not even worrying about tripping, because it wasn't’t an issue anymore.

    “Okay Lyle you ready for school?” 

    Lyle looked up with a piece of apple hanging out of his mouth.  He chomped the apple and swallowed, then changed back into the purse size marmoset. Andrea gathered her backpack and purse walked over to the table where Lyle waited, opened her purse, and the hitch hiker hoped in. 

    “Just thought of a question oh mighty messenger.  You eat like crazy then change into a tiny primate, are you sick to your stomach now that you are so small?”

    “Nope.  I actually do not require your food much.  As the messenger I seem not to require much.  I just really enjoy eating, I have never gotten to do it before.”

    Andrea was starting her car when she asked.  “So what exactly are you if you were to be you and not an animal?  You don’t half to pretend on my behalf anymore I am used to you.”

    “I am energy.  My form would just be a spirit like a voice in your head.  I will be more helpful as animals.  Just think how nice it would be to have a rhino charging demons on your side?”  Lyle said as he looked over the side of her purse.

    “Your right.  A charging Rhino or a crocodile with a toothache is a good thing to have in your corner.”  Andrea put her car in gear and headed down the drive.

    She parked her car in the lot and made her way to her locker without innocent.  Her purse slung over her shoulder was Lyle’s classroom for the day.  Her backpack she quickly unloaded into her  locker.

    “Oh my god what, how, your hair looks hot!”  Maddie was behind her playing with the loose curls, flowing down her back.

    “Thanks.  I have a new exercise program, just burning off some extra energy seemed to calm it down.”

    “You have exercises that can fix your hair?  How about something for zits anything that can help with them, cuz I got this one right here.”  Maddie said pointing to a tiny pimple on her cheek, otherwise she had a perfect complexion.

    “Whatever, you need a magnifying glass to see your zit, stop stressing over it or, it will grow.  Lets go find Dan.”

    “Aren't you going to throw your purse in your locker?”

    “Naw I feel like carrying it today.”

    “Alright but when that thing gets heavy, which by the look of it should be soon, don’t ask me to take a turn carrying it.”  Maddie said as they headed off towards Dan locker the usual meet up spot.

    “Got it no whining.  How was your weekend?”

    “As good as expected.  Dad has lost his mind.  He wants to go spelunking all over the world, he has a map on his computer with his whole trip planned out.  Of course the current eye candy thinks cave exploration is cool so my guess is there is a probable connection to his sudden need to try it out.  Remember the last one had him talked into sky diving, she is gone, and all the flying talk went with her.  Leslie and I just watched TV. alone most of the time, she does not like kids so he ignored us all weekend.  Which may of been a good thing when I told mom she said we might not have to keep going if he is going to act like that.”

    Maddie was putting on a good front, but Andrea could see the pain she was trying so hard to hide.  “Well its his loss.  When he is old and needs someone to take care of him, remind him of this time in your life when you leave him at the old folks home.”

    “Great idea.  I think I will find the cheapest home I can find, and dump him off there, that will teach him.”

    “Exactly what I am talking about.  There is Dan.”  Andrea and Maddie slinked up behind him and grabbed him together while yelling, “Hi Dan!”  together.

    “Oh my god you two gave me a freaking heart attack. You so should not sneak up on someone like that.”

    “You know we do this every single Monday and, shockingly, every Monday you say, about, the same thing you just said.  So how was NASCAR?”  Andrea asked.

    “It was incredible as expected.  My cousin had some like minded individuals over to watch with us so it turned into quite the party.”

    “Goody for you.  Next time Leslie needs to go see daddy, you take her and I will go watch NASCAR!”

    Dan hugged Maddie.  “That bad huh?  I am so sorry, maybe we should make a road trip there without Leslie and let him know what a douche he really is.”

    “That would be awesome, the road trip that is, lets just leave dad out of it.”

    “Hey you guys never know, maybe we will be going on adventures together sometime soon, you know life is all about changes.”  Andrea said, and giggled a little to herself.  she could hear Lyle muttering in her purse, just could not make out exactly what it was he was saying.

    Dan looked at Andrea, then looked again.  “Andy!  what did you do?  Your hair looks hella hot.”  He looked closer and touched a ringlet.  “Did you color it and find a relaxer that actually relaxed your hair.”

    “Jeez Dan no she just changed her exercise program, she figures she is burning more energy and it makes her hair less frizzy.”

    “What?  Ah no I have heard of lots of things being helped by exercise, abs, thighs, even your complexion.”  Maddie quickly covers the mini zit.  “I have never heard of de-frizzing your hair through exercise.”

    “I don’t know what to tell you.  All I did this weekend was start a new training program, and tada my hair decided to look like this.  So you think it looks good?”

    “Seriously?  Are you seriously asking that question right now?”  Dan said looking at Andrea like she had just sprouted a second head.

    “Well yeah, I was.”

    “You look like a woman off the cover of one of those trashy romance novels my mom leaves laying all over the house.  Long flowing perfectly curly red hair with just the right touch of blonde.  Wait. I know what you look like.  Your hair looks like the hair in the pictures of the ancient Greek Goddesses.”

    Andrea’s eyes got wide and she choked a little on her own spit.  “Dan whatever.  Don’t be so dramatic.”

    “No Andrea, he is sorta right about the goddess thing, your hair sorta looks like the pictures of the Goddess of Love.”

    Lyle could hold it no longer and let out a snort and started laughing.  Maddie and Dan both looked at Andrea perplexed by the laughing coming from no where.

    Maddie spoke up first.  “Do you hear that Andrea?”

    “Hear what?”

    “The laughing, I swear your purse is laughing.”  Dan adds just as the first bell sounds.

    “Nope all I hear is the bell which means I gotta go see you two later.”  Andrea says as she hurried away into the crowd of students scrambling about getting ready for their first class.

    Once away from her friends and safely secluded in an empty part of the girls locker room, Andrea opened her purse. 

    “What was wrong with you?  You nearly blew your cover.”

    “Sorry Andrea, but your friends and their comparing you to the Goddess of Love, I couldn't’t help myself.  The goddess, well she looks nothing like you, she does not even have a human form!”  Lyle started to laugh again and roll about inside Andrea’s bag.

    “Art here depicts her as a beautiful human female with long flowing hair.  So you see, we humans can only compare what we know.  We can’t all be messengers.”

    “I mean no disrespect to your friends.  It is just hilarious to hear one of the strangest looking creatures has such a reputation here.  I promise I will lock my lips now, I am rather enjoying this little glimpse into your life.”

    “ I am glade you are having a swell time now hush up before your dissected for being a talking monkey.”

    “Marmoset.”

    “Whatever.”

    Andrea headed to her gym locker and quickly changed into her gym clothes and grabbed her racket for further humiliation at the hands of a birdie.  She arrived in plenty of time and had her toes on the line at the appropriate time.  People kept looking at her out of the corner of their eyes, and then when she looked at them they quickly looked away.  She was starting to feel a little panic set in. did she have toilet paper stuck to her but, when Tiffany Rodgers, a cheerleader finally spoke up.

    “Your hair looks different today Andrea how did you get it to lay down for once.”  Several of her minion giggled and whispered behind their hands to each other at their leaders comment.

    “Its no different.  I have no clue what you are talking about.”

    “Really?  Cuz for the first time, I am not afraid your hair is going to poke me in the eye if I have to walk past you in the hall.”

    “I assure you I have changed nothing. Perhaps you are just being rude and shallow as usual and have decided I should be the one to suffer the rathe of your insults.”

    “Wow, who pissed in your cereal?  Chill out.  You are not worth the time.  Made a comment about the change in your hair, it wasn't’t as spastic as usual.  You know now that I got a better angle it still looks like shit.”  Tiffany said as she turned and flounced off to her groupies.

    Andrea let out a breath, what was she thinking?  That could of ended a whole lot worse like head first in a garbage can worse.  She made a quick escape and went to stand with her toes on the line as the gym instructor blew her whistle.

    As usual she did not enjoy gym, but at least she was not as bad as usual.  She just needed to get to the locker room and on to calc, without attracting any attention to herself.  She got to her locker not an issue.  She opened her locker to see little Marmoset eyes peering over the edge of her purse.

    “Lyle, what are you doing?”  She whispered.

    “I maybe a divine messenger but I still gotta go.  I prefer not to do it in my portable house!”  Lyle was fidgeting horribly, a primate potty dance.  Andrea looked around saw no one about and grabbed her purse out of the locker and headed out of the locker room as fast as she could.  She headed for the closest exit and dashed through the door.  She ran over to the landscaping and opened her purse by a big bush, Lyle dashed out like the hounds of hell were chasing him and disappeared into the bush.

    “The humiliation of it all, I am a messenger and I am peeing in the foliage!” 

    “Andrea what are you doing?  Why are you talking to that bush in a strange voice?”

    Andrea turned slowly around to find that Dan was standing about five feet away staring at her.  “What?  No your crazy I am not talking to the bush, I am talking to myself about calc I always use strange voices when I am getting myself ready for calc class.”

    “Always starting when?  Life long friend here and I have never seen you A. talk to yourself before class or B.  attempt pathetically to lye to me.  Try again.”

    “Trust me Dan you don’t want to know.  Just forget about it and go.  Please.  I got to get back to gym and change before the bell rings.”

    “You are acting very weird and I am not dropping this, however, I got to go but I will catch up to you later.”  Dan said as he turned and walked off.

    “Great Lyle just great.  Look what you and your over active bladder did!  Dan is so not going to let it go.  What am I going to do? I wanted to tell him in time not right now!  I don’t even know what I am doing yet.”  Andrea whispered into the bush.  Lyle hopped out of the bush and back into her purse.

    “Well you said it was best if the friends know about your calling, perhaps this is the plan of the deity.”

    “You would think they would fill us in on their little plan.”

    “Not always they like to keep us on our toes.”

    “Shhh we are going back to the gym so I can get changed and to math.  We don’t need to have anyone else wondering about my sanity.”

    Andrea rushed to the locker room, quickly changed into her street clothes as the second bell rang, she was late to calculus.  Just great.  She ran to her locker, grabbed her books and dashed off to calc class.  She managed to sneak into class unnoticed by fellow students, the instructor merely rolled his eyes at her and continued with roll.  The rest of the morning went as normal as could be expected, a double takes due to the new doo but no near catastrophes.  Lunch hour had arrived, Andrea was going to have to have something for Dan to explain her bazaar bush talking.

    She dragged her feet as long as possible using the restroom, cleaned up her locker, when she could put it off no longer and still be able to eat she went to the cafeteria.  She peeked in her purse, Lyle was asleep, he could sleep through anything.  The feature for the day was pizza, she grabbed a slice and a coke, and made her way to the cashier.  Andrea looked past the cashier as she handed her money to her to the table her and her friends always shared.  Two sets of eyes were watching her, great he shared his knowledge of her odd behavior with Maddie.  Andrea took her change and made her way to the table.

    “So how was your morning?”  Maddie asked with a smirk on her face and one eyebrow raised.  Andrea got the feeling she did not share in Dan's concern for her talking to the landscaping.

    “Nothing much happened.  Had words with Tiffany Rogers in gym about my hair, other than that pretty normal day.”

    Dan chimed in.  “Normal day?  You were outside in your gym clothes talking to a bush.  That is not a normal day.”

    Andrea may have been able to get through lunch without having to explain herself too much to her friends if, at that moment, Lyle had not started to snore and mumble in his sleep.  She quickly elbowed her purse, which was hanging on her chair between her and Maddie, but that did not improve the situation.  As Lyle let out a rather loud snort, which Dan and Maddie both heard easily.  Her friends were now looking at her purse, luckily no one else near by heard the commotion coming from her bag,

    She attempted to play dumb.  “What?  Why are you guys staring at my purse?”

    “Gee Andrea, I don’t know perhaps because it is snoring?”  Dan said with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

    Andrea rolled her eyes, she was had, caught, there was no way out of this her friends were on to her, sort of.  “It is a Marmoset.  You know a little primate.”

    “You are hauling around a monkey in your purse?  Why?”  Maddie asked.

    “Ummm that is a really good question.  And I have a really good answer for you.  It is my new pet.”

    “Ah no.  Marmoset maybe but snoring, mumbling and the talking to the bush?  I am not buying this.  There is something really weird going on her Andrea.”  Dan said he was not letting it go, why wouldn't’t her just take her word for it?

    “Look guys, I really cannot get into this all here in the middle of the cafeteria.  I know it was a really dumb idea to bring my new pet to school with me today.  Please let me get through the day and then meet me at the state park after school and we can talk.  Deal?”

    “Okay, deal.”  Dan said.

    “On one condition, let me hold it.”  Maddie said.

    Andrea laughed.  “Once you meet Lyle, you will so retract those words.”

    “Lyle, its name is Lyle that is so cute.”  Maddie said.  Andrea’s purse snorted.  All eyes turned to the purse, then back to Andrea.

    “After school okay guys?”  Andrea said as she took a bite of her pizza.  She broke off a piece and slipped it into her purse.  She looked up at her friends and smiled.

    “Something tells me regardless of how we thought our weekends went, Andrea can top both of us.”  Dan said as he dropped the subject and got back to eating.

    “No doubt.”  Maddie chimed in.

    Andrea smiled or perhaps it was more of a grimace.  “You guys have no idea.”

6: Chapter 6 (In progress)

Chapter 6

 

    After school Andrea gathered her things and headed to the parking lot.  She managed to get off campus and to the state park she agreed to meet her friends at without any attention.  

    She pulled into the thankfully abandoned parking lot to wait for her friends to arrive.  Lyle had transformed into his preferred form of raccoon.  Andrea watched as he made short work of some half eaten Doritos she had in her glove box.

    “I am just not sure about telling your friends.  I hope they can deal with the responsibility and, well, just plain stress that comes with knowing about you.”

    “I am confident they will do fine, give them time to adjust and it will be okay, you’ll see.”  Andrea watched as Dan pulled into the lot, followed closely by Maddie in her little VW Bug.  Both of her friends parked in spots on the opposite side of Andrea’s car, so neither of them saw the talking raccoon that was munching Doritos.

    “Lay low Lyle while I talk to them first okay?”

    “Whatever you say.  Bet you can’t say that three times fast.”  Lyle said as he waddle around to the back of her car on two legs, never dropping his snack.

    “Whatever I could too.  Just chill a second.”

    “What's the story? You mumbling to yourself again?”  Dan said as he pulled Andrea into a bear hug.  Maddie walked up next to him as well.

    “What was that for?”  Andrea asked

    “Dunno just got the feeling you need a hug.”

    “Well thanks.”

    “Okay enough with the mushy stuff you guys I want to see the monkey.”  Maddie said.

    “Well here is the thing you guys.  There is a lot more to this story then just Lyle.  I have had a crazy weekend, I have changed.  I am not the same Andrea that you guys said bye to on Friday.”

    “You look like the same Andrea, except for the new hair.”  Maddie said.

    “Trust me I am not.  I have a calling, so to speak.  Kind of like, Buffy or something.”

    “Buffy?  Who the hell is Buffy?”  Dan never did mix words.

    “Buffy?  As in Sarah Michelle Gellar the TV show?”  Maddie said arching one pixie eyebrow the way she does when she is perplexed.

    “Sort of except my Giles is Lyle, and well Buffy was a pretend Vampire Slayer and I am the Guardian of Humanity.  There I said it.”

    Dan and Maddie started laughing.  Dan did manage to say “You are what?  Did you hit your head over the weekend?”

    “I am the Guardian of Humanity you guys.  I protect the frigging world.”

    They laughed harder.

    “Enough of this rubbish I will stay hidden no longer Andrea.  Dan, Maddie pay attention and get ahold of yourselves.  Andrea is the Guardian.  I am the Messenger.  And this was a monumental mistake to include you unless you understand the seriousness of the situation.”

    Maddie jumped on my hood and Dan jumped back about two feet as Lyle, shall we say introduced himself to my friends.

    “Guys this is Lyle, he is a shape shifting messenger from the gods sent here to train me how to use my powers.”

    “Your powers?  What the hell Andy?  What powers?  You do both see the raccoon that is talking right?”  Dan said, color had drained from his face.  Andrea smiled.

    “Yes the raccoon is talking and if you piss him off he can change into a rhino and run you over or a rattler and bite you on the ass.  I am not trying to be dramatic this is serious.  I could not hide this from you two and I also think it will be easier with you both supporting me.”

    “Of course Andrea.  I will do whatever I can to help.  This is just a huge shock, like our real lives just turned into some kind of a sci fi movie.  My question right now is, why does humanity need protection?”  Maddie seemed to be dealing well, processing the news without freaking out too bad.  Andrea looked to Lyle.

    Lyle launched into his explanation for Andrea’s friends.  Andrea stood by and watched their faces as they absorbed the information.  It appeared they were processing well.

    “So let me get this strait.  Vampires, Werewolves, Merpeople, basically most the things we heard about in fairytales are real just separated now because of the demons which are also real, and currently trying to break into the human reality.”  Dan said matter of factly.  “And on top of this, my friend I have known my whole life is a demigod that you have awakened while I was watching NASCAR last weekend so she can by herself defend the world from demons that are going to try to take it over.”  

    “Well I am hoping you will join my team, and I have Lyle, he is pretty bad ass Dan.”

    “I am in Andrea.  How will we find the demons, and what can Dan and I do to help?”

    “Honestly I don’t know yet.  I have been a demigod for three days, still real new at this.”

    “I am thinking just knowing you two are there to support her will help.  No one can know about her or me.  People are not ready as a whole for what is really out there, let them stay wrapped up in their little problems, it is for the best.”

    “For sure worrying about my parents and their drama was making me crazy fifteen minutes ago, now it seems so unimportant, let them figure it out.”  Maddie hopped off the hood and grabbed Andrea into a hug, Dan joined in with a mumbled due to Andreas hair.  “I am with you too.”

    As they were hugging Andrea felt a strange feeling deep in her core, she felt like she was floating from the inside.  “Something is happening you guys.  Hold on.”  

    Blue light enveloped them all and then they were gone.  As the light faded and Andrea could see again it was obvious they were no longer in Washington.  She looked around, Lyle was there too.

    “What just happened Lyle?  Where are we?”  Andrea was scared.  As she looked around it was dark, they were outside, it was warm, and the Pyramids were there.  Pyramids!?  They were in Egypt?

    Andrea took in her surroundings  They had materialized behind some large boulders not more then 200 ft from the Great Pyramid.  

    “Andrea we are in Egypt.  That is the great Pyramid. How did we get here?”  Maddie asked, actually sounding quite calm for just having materialized in Egypt, without a passport.

    “Center yourself Andrea, it has to be a demon.  The pyramids are a conduit to the deity they are what make it possible for me to communicate with them.”

    “If that's true one of the first rules of engagement in a battle situation would be to take out communications.  We better find the demon.”  Dan said.  Andrea looked at him.  He was calm and alert.

    “Yes listen to Dan you need to focus.”  Lyle said as he transformed into a black panther.  Neither Dan or Maddie even batted an eye, they were possibly too scared to even notice their raccoon companion was now a one hundred and fifty pound cat.

    Andrea focused as she looked around, her eyes glowing with the power inside her as she did in fact feel something close by.  

    “It is close by hiding in the boulders same as us.  Stay close and follow me you guys.”

    Andrea ventured  forward hugging the boulder with her body.  Peeking around the corner before she inched along the boulder.  Maddie was behind her, Dan behind Maddie, and Lyle covering the rear.  They traveled in this manner for a while searching for the demon.  As she approached the corner of the last boulder between them and the open space between the boulders and the Pyramid Andrea knew the Demon was around the corner all her senses were alive and her eyes were glowing gold with power.  She grabbed Maddie’s arm and turned to look at her, she motioned for her to stop and stay there.  Maddie shook her head in agreement and stopped.  Andrea let go of her friend and dove forward rolling out from behind the boulder.  The Demon jumped down from a nearby boulder shooting fire from his fingertips as he attacked.  Two more Demons following the first.  Andrea froze the fire balls and threw them back at the Demon that attacked first, vaporizing him where he stood.  The other two demons rushed her.  Andrea shot her purple lightening at them hitting one with multiple rays.  The third demon was not rushing her after all, it avoided the fight and ran for the pyramid.  With Andrea distracted with the fight she did not see the third one get by.  Dan , Maddie, and Lyle were on it.  

    Lyle was able to bring it down with one swipe of his powerful claws.  The demon shrieked in pain as it fell to the sand, orange ooze running from its wounded shoulder.  Dan and Maddie were on it in a flash, fists and feet flying as they attempted to subdue the demon.  Andrea turned to see the mad pile of human and demon behind her.  She ran to her friends aid as the demon, temporarily stunned, began to regain his strength and toss his human attackers off.  It turned to Dan with teeth bared and claws wildly swing at him as he managed to avoid the onslaught of the attack.  Andrea wasted no time and slammed into the demon knocking him off his feet.  As she sat on what should be his stomach she fired both hands of lightening into his chest and instantly was sitting in the sand, no more demon threat to worry about.  Dan clamored to Andrea’s side.

    “Oh my god are you okay?  That was some crazy stuff your eyes glow gold and purple shit comes out of your hands.  My best friend is a demigod.  Wholly crap.”

    Maddie and Lyle run over to join them.

    “Wow Lyle your a big cat.”  Dan said.

    “Is that all I get?  Andrea gets a wholly crap and i only garner a wow?  The injustice of it all.”

    “Ah Lyle I don’t know if you noticed or not but we are in Egypt right now, three Americans and a talking feline, the demons are gone so how do we get back before we get arrested?  Although I will admit, when I stopped at the park had I known I was going to orb or whatever you call it, I would of put my cell in my pocket, you really do not get this close to the Pyramids but once in a lifetime I would of liked to get some pics.”  Maddie pointed out the obvious.

    “If these are the conduit for Lyle to communicate with the gods or whatever, I have a feeling we will be back again some day.”  Dan added.

    “Point taken, so what happens now?”  Maddie asked as she looked to Lyle and Andrea.

    “I actually have no idea.  Lets hold hands and I will focus my thoughts on getting back home, and see if that works.  What do you think Lyle?”  Andrea asked as she took Dan and Maddie’s hands and focused her powers on getting back to the state park and their homes.

    “You are correct, now jussssss”  Lyle dematerialized and joined the blue glowing light as they returned to Washington and the state park.

    “Andrea I was not done talking the least you could of done was wait for me to finish my directions.”  Lyle said as he changed back into his raccoon form.

    “You know Andrea you did not have to take us to Egypt to convince us you were the Guardian.  You could of just flashed your purple finger fire and we would of believed you.”  Dan said smiling.

    ‘Well Dan I had no idea we were going to Egypt.  Those were my first demons.”

    “Those things were amazingly disgusting, and the smell, sulfur and soot.”  Maddie said.

    “You know I was so busy beating them I did not even notice so much about how they looked.”

    “Are you kidding me?  They were all red and naked, very muscular, with no hair but like horns or spikes protruding from the top of their heads.  Long, like five inches long claws that came out of their smallish but fat human like hands, oh and they could retract the claws.  Pointy sharp looking teeth, and nothing to tell if it is a boy or a girl no parts.”  Maddie said describing the demons in detail.

    “I can vouch for orange goo when they are cut and really bad breath when they are thinking about taking a chunk out of your hide.”  Dan chimed in with his observations on the demons.