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MidReal Story
Chapter One Abigail A junior, a senior, and a freshman walked into a bar. No, this isn’t the beginning of a dirty joke. This is my life. The three students at New York University sat around a small table in a booth in a small Italian joint near the campus. The bar was only a few blocks from their dorm, so it was one of their favorite hangouts to grab a beer and commiserate about their classes. “Oh, come on, Abi,” said Ethan. “I’m not that old. I only just graduated last year.” “Yeah? That’s because you’re a genius. You skipped a grade.” Ethan smirked at her. “I am pretty smart.” Abigail rolled her eyes. “We get it. You’re brilliant. It’s like you were born reading and writing, and you were doing calculus in the womb, but the rest of us had to go through the normal four years of high school.” “I know you’re just making fun of me because you adore me.” “I’m not sure she knows what ‘adore’ means,” said Hunter, taking a sip of his beer. “Do too,” said Abigail. “I adore my cat.” Hunter huffed out a laugh. “I’m sure Ethan is flattered.” “Thank you, Abby,” said Ethan, draping an arm around her shoulders. “It’s Abigail,” she said, laughing as she pushed his arm away. “What are you guys doing for Halloween?” asked Hunter, changing the subject. “I don’t know,” said Ethan. “We’re too old for trick-or-treating, but not old enough to drink legally.” “Speak for yourself,” said Hunter. “Lucky for me,” said Abigail. “My birthday is tomorrow.” Hunter grinned. “That’s right. You’ll finally be twenty-one. We should take you out to celebrate.” Abigail smiled softly. These boys were her best friends at NYU, and she loved them like family. “That sounds great. But let me get through my birthday first.” Hunter clinked his glass of beer against hers when it arrived. She took a long sip and sighed as the alcohol burned its way down her throat. “So good,” she said with a smile. “You wanna go to that new club?” asked Ethan. “What new club?” “On the East Side. There’s been some buzz about it. It’s called The Underworld.” Abigail frowned and looked at him. “That sounds… ominous.” Ethan shrugged. “It’s supposed to be really cool inside. You know, like the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece.” “Like… fraternities?” asked Abigail. “More like Bacchanalian debauchery.” Abigail snorted out a laugh. “I’ve seen Animal House. I’m good.” “I think it sounds fun,” said Hunter. “Of course you do,” said Abigail. “You’re always up for an adventure.” “That’s why he’s my favorite,” said Ethan. “I thought I was your favorite,” said Abigail. Ethan smiled at her like she was being adorable. “You two can be my favorites.” “Like I don’t know how that works,” muttered Abigail. Just then, the door to the restaurant opened and the bell above it jingled. Abigail glanced up and found herself staring at Professor Hades. She couldn’t help it. He was gorgeous, with dark hair that fell into his eyes and a strong jaw and sharp cheekbones that gave him an aristocratic air that made her stomach flutter. She quickly looked away when he started walking toward them.
Scenario:Abigail is a junior at NYU. She is majoring in literature. She asks her favorite professor to be her advisor. When he agrees, adventure ensues. Abigail has no idea her beloved professor is Hades, Lord of the Underworld.
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Chapter OneAbigailA junior, a senior, and a freshman walked into a bar.No, this isn’t the beginning of a dirty joke. This is my life.The three students at New York University sat around a small table in a booth in a small Italian joint near the campus. The bar was only a few blocks from their dorm, so it was one of their favorite hangouts to grab a beer and commiserate about their classes.“Oh, come on, Abi,” said Ethan. “I’m not that old. I only just graduated last year.”“Yeah? That’s because you’re a genius. You skipped a grade.”Ethan smirked at her. “I am pretty smart.”Abigail rolled her eyes. “We get it. You’re brilliant. It’s like you were born reading and writing, and you were doing calculus in the womb, but the rest of us had to go through the normal four years of high school.”“I know you’re just making fun of me because you adore me.”“I’m not sure she knows what ‘adore’ means,” said Hunter, taking a sip of his beer.“Do too,” said Abigail. “I adore my cat.”Hunter huffed out a laugh. “I’m sure Ethan is flattered.”“Thank you, Abby,” said Ethan, draping an arm around her shoulders.“It’s Abigail,” she said, laughing as she pushed his arm away.“What are you guys doing for Halloween?” asked Hunter, changing the subject.“I don’t know,” said Ethan. “We’re too old for trick-or-treating, but not old enough to drink legally.”“Speak for yourself,” said Hunter.“Lucky for me,” said Abigail. “My birthday is tomorrow.”Hunter grinned. “That’s right. You’ll finally be twenty-one. We should take you out to celebrate.”Abigail smiled softly. These boys were her best friends at NYU, and she loved them like family. “That sounds great. But let me get through my birthday first.”Hunter clinked his glass of beer against hers when it arrived. She took a long sip and sighed as the alcohol burned its way down her throat. “So good,” she said with a smile.“You wanna go to that new club?” asked Ethan.“What new club?”“On the East Side. There’s been some buzz about it. It’s called The Underworld.”Abigail frowned and looked at him. “That sounds… ominous.”Ethan shrugged. “It’s supposed to be really cool inside. You know, like the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece.”“Like… fraternities?” asked Abigail.“More like Bacchanalian debauchery.”Abigail snorted out a laugh. “I’ve seen Animal House. I’m good.”“I think it sounds fun,” said Hunter.“Of course you do,” said Abigail. “You’re always up for an adventure.”“That’s why he’s my favorite,” said Ethan.“I thought I was your favorite,” said Abigail.Ethan smiled at her like she was being adorable. “You two can be my favorites.”“Like I don’t know how that works,” muttered Abigail.Just then, the door to the restaurant opened and the bell above it jingled.Abigail glanced up and found herself staring at Professor Hades.She couldn’t help it. He was gorgeous, with dark hair that fell into his eyes and a strong jaw and sharp cheekbones that gave him an aristocratic air that made her stomach flutter.She quickly looked away when he started walking toward them.
“Hey, Professor Hades,” Hunter said when he reached their table.Professor Hades smiled at Hunter. “Good evening, gentlemen.” He turned his attention to Abigail, and she felt a thrill of excitement when their eyes met. “Ms. Stewart,” he said, nodding at her.“Professor Hades,” she said as she blushed.He looked good enough to eat in a dark gray suit that perfectly fit his athletic frame. His dress shirt was black and open at the neck, and it made her want to see more of him. She’d been taking his class on The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer for the last month, and she was pretty sure that she’d been nursing a crush on him from the start. He was only a few years older than she was, but he had a way about him that made her think he was older. He seemed larger than life, with an aura of darkness that surrounded him.Or maybe that was just her imagination running away with her. It wouldn’t be the first time.“Join us for a drink?” asked Hunter.Hades shook his head. “No, thank you. I was just dropping by to have dinner. I’m meeting someone for drinks later.”“Oh,” said Ethan. “A date?”Hades smiled mysteriously. “Perhaps.” He turned his attention back to Abigail. “How are you faring with your paper?”She rolled her eyes. “I’m afraid I’ve been procrastinating.”Hades grinned at her. “I’m not surprised. The material can be daunting.”She nodded. “I’ve read the Iliad before, but Odyssey is a different beast.”“Pardon the pun,” said Hunter with a chuckle.Hades smiled at him. “Of course.”Abigail put her hand on Hunter’s arm and squeezed it, smiling at him in thanks for making a joke that took the focus off of her.“You have until next Friday to turn it in,” said Hades, turning his attention back to her.
She smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you.”“Enjoy your evening,” he said with a nod. He turned and walked away from their table.Abigail stared at his broad back as he walked away. When he got to the door of the restaurant, he looked back at her and smiled before pushing through the door. Her heart fluttered in her chest.“Wow,” said Ethan. “It’s like you’re his favorite or something.”Abigail sighed and leaned back in her chair. A date. She wondered who Hades was going out with. Someone worthy of his time, no doubt.“I don’t know about that,” she said with a shrug. “I know I’m not his only student.”“He looked at you like you were special,” Ethan said.She blushed and shook her head. “You’re just saying that.”Hunter shook his head. “No. Ethan’s right. He did look at you like that. Like there was no one else in the room.”She ducked her head and sighed. It would be nice if that were true, but she doubted it was. He probably just had that effect on all of his students. She was probably just reading too much into it because of her crush on him.“You should go to The Underworld,” Hunter said with a grin. “Maybe Professor Hades will be there that night.”“No way,” she said, shaking her head. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about why she’d gone there. And anyway, it was already clear that he wasn’t interested in her like that.
Abigail decided that the best way to get the professor's attention was by embracing the subject and doing well in her classes. After all, she knew she couldn't date him, but perhaps she could work with him someday.The next week, after working with her friends on their group project for their advanced writing class, she found herself alone in the library. She was having trouble finding sources that pertained to their topic, so she’d sent Ethan and Hunter back to their apartment.“I’m going to stay here and do some research,” she said. “I’ll meet you guys back at your place later.”They’d said their goodbyes, and she’d settled down at a table near one of the windows. It was late, so the library was mostly empty. She liked it this way. She’d always been more productive at night than during the day.She’d been working for about an hour when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned around, expecting to see one of the library’s employees.When no one appeared, she frowned and shook her head. She must have imagined it. She’d been studying for hours, so it was no wonder she was hearing things.But then she heard the footsteps again. This time, they were closer.Her frown deepened, and she started looking around for whoever was walking around.“Hello?”
She heard a whisper filled with malice. "Don't scream or try anything stupid. You're coming with me." Abigail was terrified. She knew that not many people were at the library this time of night. Clearly, this was a madman. She slowly began gathering up her things, wracking her brain to come up with a way out of her predicament. "Ms. Stewart," came the voice of Professor Hades. She wanted to tell him she was in danger, but knew that she could not. "Act normal. Send him off." Her attacker whispered, but before Abigail could react, the professor looked at the attacker with a look so cold liquid nitrogen would have felt like an inferno. Then, to Abigail's amazement, a horde of the undead descended upon the attacker, making short work of him.Abigail couldn't help but stare as the professor's eyes glowed with a strange light. "Come," he said, turning back to her. "We must leave at once.""But—"He held out his hand. "Now, Ms. Stewart!"His voice brooked no argument. With shaking hands, she took it. He led her out of the library and into the night. When they were a little ways from the building, he let go of her hand and kept walking. She followed him, crying softly. He hadn't said anything about her friends.When he finally stopped walking, she asked in a small voice, "My friends?"He looked at her with a frown. "They are fine. I sent them home."Her eyes widened in shock. He'd been in the library with her the whole time? Then why hadn't he done anything when that man had tried to take her?He looked away from her and ran a hand through his hair in what seemed like a nervous gesture. "Forgive me," he said quietly. "I didn't want you to know about me.""About what?" she asked. Her voice sounded strange, like it belonged to someone else.He sighed. "About what I am.""What are you talking about?" she asked, frowning at him.He looked at her with sad eyes. "It is dangerous for me to be around you.""Dangerous?" she echoed.He nodded. "Yes." He took a step toward her. "That man who tried to take you . . . He is a minion of my uncle's."Her eyes widened. "Your uncle? You mean—"
