by Barbara Dee
“Second, Pan: I like you as a friend. But only as a friend. Please respect my feelings and BACK OFF.
“Third, Narcissus: You are the earth’s most beautiful male creature, and I’m madly in love with you. Why won’t you even look at me? I’m not ugly—ask Pan, who won’t leave me alone. It’s so unfair how you never notice me, even though I’m always right behind you. I know I may seem like a creepy stalker—but maybe if you’d stop looking at yourself for just one minute and notice me, I wouldn’t need to follow you around, repeating your words. Anyway, if I don’t get my own voice back, maybe we can sing love duets together. You have a nice voice—so that means I have a nice voice too.”
Malik (carrying a beachball): “You know who I am? I’m Sisyphus, the guy rolling this rock uphill every day. Every night it rolls back down and then I have to start over, so you’re probably wondering why I bother. Believe me, a lot of the time so do I. I’m told it’s a punishment for my days as King of Corinth, when I was mighty and powerful and kept on tricking the gods. Whatever. I’m hoping that one day I’ll be King of Corinth again, but until then, I try to stay positive. At least I have this busywork to keep me in shape. Beats working out on a treadmill, right?”
Harper (covered in fake Halloween-decoration cobwebs): “My name is Arachne. I know the story you’ve heard about me: I’m this obnoxious mortal girl who went around bragging about being the best weaver on earth. But that’s an exaggeration. I never said I was the best; I just really, really love to weave, and I’m incredibly good at it. There’s nothing wrong with taking pride in your work, is there? But Athena is so bossy and stuck-up, and she always overreacts whenever she feels someone is challenging her powers, which I would never do. Because (hello!) she’s a goddess—so when she challenged me to a weaving contest, I had no choice. (Yes, I know you probably heard that I challenged Athena, but why would I? I’m not an idiot.) Anyway, it was so unfair how she ripped up my tapestry just because she didn’t like the scene I wove. Maybe she didn’t like my choice of subject (and I admit depicting Zeus’s twenty-one infidelities was a bit edgy on my part), but that didn’t mean it was bad! And turning me into a spider? Total overreaction.”
Silas (strumming a guitar):
“Eurydice, my beautiful wife
This is Orpheus singing
To guide you back to life.
Don’t think about our wedding
When you got bitten by that snake
And had to go to the underworld
Instead of eating wedding cake.
You are my one true love,
My soul mate and my double—
I’ll follow you even if
It gets me into trouble.”
Aria (in camouflage vest and orange hunting cap, carrying bow and arrow): “Yo, Actaeon, I’m talking to you! This is Artemis! I don’t know how you didn’t get the message, but everyone else on earth knows that I’m not into boys. Or girls, for that matter! I’m totally focused on my career as goddess of the hunt, so get over your infatuation NOW. And stop staring at me, because it’s really creepy! Oh, and another thing: If you ever spy on me again when I’m bathing in the woods, you’re going to be frolicking with Thumper full-time, get it?”
Addison (wearing tiara): “I’m Hera, and I want a divorce.”
Kylie (with smashed-up wings made out of pipe cleaners, and wet hair): “Hey, guys, it’s Icarus, and yeah, I know I screwed up. My dad Daedalus (who I call Daddalus) made these really cool wings for me to escape our prison, and I guess I got a little carried away (literally, haha). Anyway, what happened was, I flew too close to the sun, my wings melted, and I drowned. But omigods—lesson learned. So don’t be so hard on me, okay?”
Harrison (with toy stethoscope around his neck): “I am Asclepius, god of medicine. My father was Apollo, god of sun, light, music, poetry, the arts, archery, and healing. I specialize in one thing: medicine. That may sound boring, but Dad’s life had way too much drama. If you ask me, medicine should be boring. Because when it’s interesting, that means someone’s sick.”
Me: “My name is Persephone. About two years ago, I was snatched away from my happy life and taken to the underworld. I didn’t ask for it, and I didn’t do anything to deserve it. I don’t know why Hades fell in love with me, but he did. The whole time he kept me a prisoner in the underworld, I was incredibly lonely and bored—so bored I thought I’d go crazy. Fortunately, the underworld has a big library, so at least I could catch up on my reading.
“But every day I was in the underworld, all I dreamed about was returning to earth. Sometimes in the middle of the night I’d wake up and start to freak out—because I couldn’t remember where I was, or how I’d gotten there. And the only way I could get through the night was by thinking about my room back home, and about my parents, Demeter and Zeus. They’re not together anymore, but I knew they both still loved me.
“My mom, Demeter, goddess of the hearth and the harvest, had to give up her work to search for me, but she didn’t care. She refused to give up—and when she told my dad, Zeus, what had happened to me, he got just as upset, and was just as determined to get me back. So he sent Hermes to fetch me from the underworld. Hades was an evil, powerful god, but even he had to listen when Zeus said I should be released.
“But when Hermes arrived in the underworld, this gardener told him that I’d eaten the food of the dead—so I was ‘of the underworld’ and couldn’t return to earth.
“Okay. Now my story gets a little complicated. In one version, the gardener said that he found six pomegranate seeds missing, and that I ate them because I was ‘lost in thought.’
“In another version, Hades tricked me into eating the pomegranate seeds.
“Either way, I messed up, right? I ate the pomegranate without meaning to, without realizing I was doing it, but that’s no excuse. I still ate the food of the dead. And that meant I had to spend half of my life back in the underworld.
“Well, what I need to tell you is that both of those versions are wrong. When I ate those pomegranate seeds, it wasn’t a mistake or an accident; I did it on purpose. Just as Hermes came to get me, to bring me back home to earth, I stuffed six seeds into my mouth. I knew what I was doing.
“I know what you’re thinking: But why? Why would you do that, Persephone? You hated every single second you were in the underworld. All you ever dreamed about was returning to earth, having a normal life again. So why would you eat the one food that would mean things would never be completely normal for you, that you’d have to return to the underworld for six whole months of every year, forever?
“This is why: When Hermes came to get me, he said Zeus and Demeter were planning to erase all my memories of the underworld. The underworld was all behind me now, Hermes said. ‘Only good things from now on.’
“Well, I refused to accept that. Because after living in the underworld all that time, it became part of me, part of who I am. I could finally go back to the earth, I wanted to go back to the earth, I wanted to hug Demeter and pick flowers, and do all the normal, regular girl stuff, just like I had before the dark day Hades kidnapped me. But to erase all my memories of the underworld, and pretend that everything was the same as it used to be, would be a lie. I mean, I couldn’t pretend I didn’t know what the underworld is like. I couldn’t tell myself that only good things will be in my future, because how could you be sure of that, anyhow? And having been in the underworld—surviving all that time—made me tough. Made me realize I could survive anything in existence, including evil gods and monsters. So I never wanted to forget that.
“The underworld is real. It’s not like it goes away just because you’re back on earth. It’s always there, part of the whole big universe. And now I knew that.
“The other thing was, I was scared. I know that probably sounds crazy, but it’s the truth: I was scared to go back to the beautiful earth. Because I couldn’t stop worrying: What if no one understood what had happened to me? What if, the whole time I was away, everything had ch
anged? Or what if the earth hadn’t changed at all, but I had? Maybe I’d moved forward, and couldn’t go back.
“The underworld was horrible. But if you live anywhere for a long time, it feels like home, I guess. So I think I was scared to give it up, or maybe just not ready.
“Anyway, for all of those reasons, I ate the pomegranate.
“Don’t ask me what it tasted like. I can’t explain. If you haven’t tasted something, you can’t really ask someone else to describe the flavor. You have to taste it yourself, but truthfully, I hope you never do.
“Just know that I ate it on purpose. I wasn’t only a sort of victim, getting kidnapped and rescued. I wasn’t sleepwalking and I wasn’t tricked. I made a decision; I acted. And here I am.”
LOCH NESS MONSTER
After I finished, the room went quiet. So I thought I’d blown it.
But when I sat down, Harper gave me a hug, and Aria poked me. “Norah, you crushed that thing like a grape,” she whispered. “Like a grape.”
We voted on the three best. At the end of class, Ms. Farrell announced the winners: Aria, Cait, and me. I was the only unanimous vote getter—which meant that everyone in the class had voted for me. Even Addison, weirdly enough.
Ms. Farrell said that we’d be presenting the speeches in a school assembly next week, and Aria, Cait, and I could invite anyone we wanted, not just parents. I knew exactly who I wanted to invite, but before I did, I had to ask Ms. Farrell a question.
So when class was over, I went up to her desk. “This isn’t part of that Overcoming Challenges thing, right?”
Ms. Farrell looked surprised. “Why? Would it be a problem if it was?”
I wasn’t sure. A few weeks ago I’d have said yes without even thinking. Now I just shrugged.
All of a sudden, Addison was squeezing me in a hug. “Norah, that was so, so good!”
“Thanks,” I said. I couldn’t tell if she meant it—if she’d changed her mind about being jealous, or whatever she was. But as I watched her walk away, I realized I didn’t care.
“Ms. Farrell?” Now Aria was in front of me, bouncing. “When I do Artemis onstage, is it okay if I shoot my arrow?”
“Absolutely not!” Ms. Farrell said. She looked horrified.
“But how come? I promise not to aim it at anyone!”
“Aria, it’s a weapon! We’re not taking the chance that your hand slips.”
“I can still bring it with me onstage, right? If I don’t shoot it?”
“I’ll discuss it with the principal.”
“Aww,” Aria said, pouting. But Ms. Farrell wasn’t Mrs. Maldonado, and this time I doubted she’d get her way.
Then Harper and Cait joined us.
“You both did great,” I told them truthfully.
“Thanks,” Harper replied as we hugged, “but I’m glad I didn’t win, because I’d be too nervous to do it onstage. Although I’m kind of sorry Astrid won’t hear it!”
I laughed. “Just say it in Art Club. We’ll pretend you’re rehearsing!”
“Yeah, Norah, let’s totally do that!” Harper was laughing too, so I couldn’t tell if she was serious. But I was.
Then Cait, who wasn’t laughing, said, “Um, Ms. Farrell? I’m not sure about the assembly.”
“What aren’t you sure about?” Ms. Farrell asked patiently.
“The whole thing. If I can do it.”
“Well, your classmates think you can,” Ms. Farrell said. “No one’s forcing you, Cait, but they did choose you to represent the class.”
Aria put her arm around Cait’s shoulders. “Come on, Caitie, you’ll do amazing! Your speech rocked! How do you know sign language?”
“My little brother is deaf,” Cait said. “That’s how we talk at home.”
“Omigosh, that’s so cool! I wish I knew sign language!”
“Me too,” Harper said.
“Me three,” I said.
“I could teach you guys some words,” Cait offered shyly. “Maybe next weekend, at my house?”
“Yes! And we’ll sleep over,” Aria declared.
“Aria, don’t just invite yourself like that,” Harper scolded, smacking her arm.
“No, no, that sounds fun,” Cait protested happily. She turned to me. “Norah, you’ll sleep over too?”
I grinned. “Yes. Definitely. That’ll be awesome.”
I knew it meant declaring war on the Weekend Rule—but I was ready for that fight.
* * *
I didn’t have to wait long.
The next day, Saturday, I was reading on the sofa when the doorbell rang. Dad answered, and a couple of seconds later, whoosh. The air molecules shifted.
“Hey, Norah,” Griffin said. He was smiling shyly, his hair sticking up at a weird angle, a small red zit on his chin. But I still thought he was the cutest boy I’d ever seen, and seeing him in my living room again just made my heart explode.
“Hi,” I said in a chirpy voice. “What’s up?”
“I have a present for you.” He handed me a black tee. With my logo printed on it, and the word KRAKEN in slimy-looking letters. “We had these printed and they just arrived, so I thought you should have one.”
I screamed.
Dad came running into the living room with a pale, freaked-out look on his face. “Norah, you okay?”
“LOOK,” I said, holding up the tee. “MY LOGO.”
“That’s why you screamed?”
“YES. THAT’S WHY I SCREAMED.”
Griffin was laughing behind his hand.
Dad stared at me. Then he stared at Griffin. “Oh,” he said, the color returning to his face. “You shouldn’t scare me like that, Norah.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Dad?”
“Yes?”
I peeked at Griffin. For the last couple of days, we’d been talking about a movie that had just come out, Return to Loch Ness. It was the sort of movie that was either extremely cool or so bad it was hilarious, but we couldn’t tell from the online trailer. And when I’d mentioned to Griffin that I wanted to see it, he’d replied, “Yeah, we definitely should.”
We. Which had to mean something, right?
“Griffin and I were wondering if you’d drive us to a movie,” I said very fast.
Griffin coughed, or possibly choked. I couldn’t tell which.
“Today?” Dad asked. “Now?” In violation of the Resting-on-Weekends rule? his eyes asked me.
Not in violation, my eyes answered. Because I’m communicating with you! And it's time we got rid of that stupid thing, okay?
Yeah, Dad agreed. Okay.
I looked at Griffin. “Unless you have something else to do right now?”
“Nah,” he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Now is fine.”
So I put on the kraken tee, Dad drove us to the mall, and we saw the movie. Not as a date, specifically—although not as a nondate, either. Just a griffin and a norah watching a screen together, sharing a tub of popcorn.
Oh, and by the way, the movie was hilarious.
UNDERWORLD
Five days later, I gave my Persephone speech for the whole school. Dad and Nicole sat in the front row, FaceTiming it with Mom so she could watch from California. Raina and Ayesha sat right behind them, and when I finished, the four of them gave me a loud, whooping standing ovation. It was a bit embarrassing, like they were all wearing tees that said NORAH’S TEAM—but a bunch of kids in the audience stood, too: Harper and Silas, Malik, Griffin (of course), even Kylie and Addison.
When it was over, Ms. Castro smothered me in a hug. “Norah, I can’t even tell you,” she said. “I’m just speechless.”
“Didn’t she do a great job?” Ms. Farrell demanded. “Could she have expressed it any better?”
“Absolutely not,” Ms. Castro said. “Norah, the way you used that story to capture your experience—”
“You mean my cancer?” I interrupted.
Ms. Castro looked like I’d peed on her shoe. “Yes, of course. Your cancer. Exa
ctly.”
And I thought: Woohoo, she said the word. Victory at last!
* * *
A couple of weeks later, it was time for my checkup at Phipps. By then Mom was back in New York, still staying with her friend Lisa but apartment-hunting for a place near Columbia University. Dad was out in Cleveland, interviewing some basketball player, so Mom took me to the hospital herself. On the train, which I hadn’t been on in over two years. I couldn’t stop smiling as I looked out the windows.
“When we’re done at Phipps, I’m taking you earring shopping,” Mom announced. “Do you have something specific in mind?”
I almost told her big fat dangly ones. But by then my hair was almost normal, so I didn’t need the earrings to distract people. “I’m not sure,” I admitted.
She grinned. “Ooh, good. That’s always the most fun kind of shopping.”
My checkup zoomed. All my tests were great. I’d gained six pounds. Raina couldn’t stop gushing about my Persephone speech—she’d videoed it too, and shown it to all the doctors.
The only bad part was when we were in the waiting room, before we saw Dr. Glickstein. Mom went off to get her coffee, and while I sat there on the sofa, watching the sickest kids waiting for their tests, I saw the girl with the bandana and the BAD HAIR DAY tee. It took everything for me not to jump up from the sofa to tell her: A few months ago I was as sick as you. And now I gave a speech in front of the entire school, I have a sort-of boyfriend, my hair is growing in, and I’m learning sign language with my friends! If I can do all that, so can you!
But if I said these words, would they sound like Martian?
Probably yes. Maybe there were better words, a language we could both speak, but I didn’t know what that would be.