Week Three

Author's note: I understand I'm probably going to get a lot of stuff wrong as I feel out this character and their surroundings. Bear with me.

    Athena tapped her pencil against her desk as her history instructor began his lecture. School had just started for the semester and she was already bored by the man's monotone. She stifled a yawn and glanced out the window toward the front gate of the school. St. Mary's girls school sat on top of a hill overlooking the town and specks of people wandered around living their daily lives. All except one. She was certain she'd seen the man before but he leaned against the wall near the gate and stared up at her. She couldn't make much out but he wore jeans and a T-shirt, as he always did, and watched. What he was there for she didn't know but he meant no real harm. She felt no hostility from him, something she'd always been able to feel when someone meant her harm.
    "Ms. Athena?" The instructor called.
    "Yes sir?" She asked.
    "Please read from where I left off."
    "Of course," She said as she began reading through the entry in the textbook.

    Finally the class ended and Athena stretched. Actively trying to get out of the room without appearing to rush she was caught up in the mob and accidentally jostled one of the other girls into someone in front of her. The other girl turned and glared down her nose at Athena.
    "Well what do you have to say to me," The girl said.
    "I don't have anything to say to you Cindy," Athena muttered.
    "What was that?" The other girl demanded.
    "I don't have anything to say to you," Athena muttered.
    "Well a barbarian like you wouldn't know how to act in civilized society."
    Athena balled her fists and fought back the anger that she could feel building. "Deep breaths," she told herself. It wasn't a secret that she'd been thrown out of her previous two schools for fighting but it still stung to be reminded; even obliquely.
    "I hardly think that's called for," A man's voice broke into the discussion. the voice's owner was holding a closed visor motorcycle helmet by its strap and his pale blue eyes twinkled with mirth but the scars that ran across his nose added an element of danger to his face. He was wearing torn jeans and boots that would likely have looked more appropriate on someone less than half the age his white hair declared him to be.
    "Sorry sir," Cindy said mockingly contrite.
    "I'd not go out of my way to piss somebody off who could clean my clock but then again that's me," the man laughed while he walked off.
    Athena blanched and glared after him as the other girls began talking about how handsome the square jawed man was.
    "I can't believe he said that," She groused as she got dressed for her gym class.
    "I wonder who he was," Her friend Michelle said tapping her chin in thought.
    "I don't care who he is," Athena said slamming her locker shut and tossing her red hair back out of her eyes. "He's a jerk."
    Michelle just laughed.
    She was still chuckling when the two emerged from the locker room and took their place in line for the warm-ups.
    The entire class Athena was faster than she'd been in a long time during the timed runs and she went longer without rest. The entire class was amazed when, after the mile run, she continued running laps even after she'd finished her own lap. She'd finished her third mile when the teacher called out for her to come in. The rest of the class had finally finished their own runs. She stopped and followed the others back into the gym where the standard physical tests continued. She ignored the disparaging comments she knew some of the other girls were making behind her.
    "That was incredible," Michelle said, "I was pretty happy going for a ten minute mile and you went through two." She shook her head with a smile, "I need to get in shape."
    Athena nodded absently while she thought. She'd never been that fast. Her best mile time before had been seven minutes and while she'd always been able to run two miles easily but she'd never been able to sprint that far. She shook it off while they changed back into the standard school uniform and went for lunch.