Writing: Demigod Stories #1: Candice McKay

Candice McKay


Chapter One



Candice sat at her mother’s machinery, fingering a gear. Even though she was twelve and responsible, her mother, Stephaine McKay made Candice walk to her job—a computer factory.


The factory was dark, lit only by a single lightbulb in the middle of the room. The lightbulb flickred on and off, which was extremely annoying. Candice made a mental note to change it when she had the chance.


Lined up against the wall were computer parts, in neat, colour-coded boxes, with labels. The factory was small, and it was rather like a classroom. Candice sat at a desk in the far corner, her mother working beside her.


Often, people said that Candice looked like a minature Ms. McKay. They bother were tall and lanky, with dark skin and kind, gentle, brown eyes. The only difference (apart from age) was that Candice had short and curly dark brown hair, and her mother had long and wavy. In the factory, her beautiful hair was tied back in a ponytail.


The light flickered once more as Candice bent down to pull her homework out of her back pack. She heard a gasp and she sat up straight. The light was out again, but she felt her mother give her a five pound hammer and a phone. “Go,” she could just bearly hear her mother whisper, “Go and call that number I thought you.” Candice sighed.


You see, Stephanie was a mysterious woma. She had Candice memorize a specific number in case of emergency, and not to call the police.


She never explained why.


She told Candice to go somewhere in case of emergency, but told her to never go there otherwise.


Yes, Stephanie McKay was indeed a mysterious woman.

Chapter Two

The lights flicked back on, and Candice saw why her mother had gasped.

A board, bigger than any she had ever seen was pawing the ground nervously. She had seen these wild animals on TV, and did not want to be in its way.

“Go out the back door, it’s you it wants,” Ms. McKay whispered to her daughter.  Candice looked at her mother, perplexed, but as usual, her mother’s face was blank, and offered no answers.

With a sigh, Candice turned.

CRASH.

Candice cautiously turned around. The boar had managed to turn over a box of materials. A normal boar would not be able to do that.

Candice was now terrified, but she gripped the cell phone and the hammer tightly and made her way to the back exit. She pushed the door, and light spilled through. Crap. Now the beast could see her.

The boar growled and ran directly at Candice, trampling the desks. Screwdrivers and nails flew in every direction possible. Her mother lay slouched against the wall dazed. “Mom!” Cried Candice, her eyes wide.

Stephanie opened her eyes. “Go!” Again, Candice knew that it was for the best, so she jumped out into broad daylight, the boar getting  closer and closer. Just in time, the heavy door hit the brute’s head, and Candice pulled out a bus ticket from her jacket.

To her relief, luck seemed to be on her side. A bus pulled up and she ran in it, shaking violently. Candice looked at her hands. She had just noticed in all the action that she was still holding the hammer and phone. Candice flipped open the phone and dialed the number she was trained to know.

One ring… two rings…

“Hello?” The voice startled her. Candice hadn’t expected anyone to pick up.

“My mom’s in trouble!” She cried into the phone. 

“Where are you?” Said the voice on the other end. Even though he probably had no idea who Candice McKay was, his voice was dripping with worry for the young girl.

“Save my mom! Stephanie McKay in the ‘Computer for Gods’ factory!” Candice insisted.

“Alright! Where are you?” The voice sounded exasperated.

“On bus nine. This board thing is chasing me.”

For a moment, Candice thought that the line went dead.

“Go to Long Is—“

“I know. I’m on my way.”

The line really did go dead, and the bus pulled up. Candice looked back, and saw the boar, at the bus stop. She gulped and charged out of the door, her hammer (who she decided to name Hammy) above her head.  Candice brought it down hard on its snout, and began running.

Her brave action had only brought her several seconds, but she managed to make an escape to her mysterious destination.

Get past the tree, her mother had told her.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Dreading what was behind her, she turned around. The boar charged.

Chapter Three

The boar was coming straight at Candice. With a terrifying yell, she jumped out of the way and swung the hammer on it’s head.

The boar glared at Candice in surprise. She took the moment to run up the hill, past the tree.

Much too late, she realized that the boar had pierced her right arm, and it was bleeding greatly. Candice was crying, sobbing for help.

“Help! Someone, please!”

Her pleas of help were answered by a young boy, who was running towards her. He had dark brown hair, bright blue eye and a lanky figure.  He introduced himself as Edwin, son of Hades, whatever that meant.  Candice looked at him, a perplexed look on her face.

“No time to explain. We’ve got to ge trid of him.” He shot a look of disgust at the boar, who was groaning. “So,” he continued, “Here’s the plan. You stay here, and I’ll go in.”

Candice immediately shook her head. “It’ll kill you! We need a spear, or a bow and arrow.” Without another word, she found a bendy twig and pulled out a piece of string to tie at the end, making a bow. Candice then took another piece of wood and shaped it into an arrow.

She handed the two to a speechless Edwin. He shook his head. “I can’t use them. I’m hopeless.” Candice shrugged and Edwin charged. Abashed by the foolish movement,  Candice ran after him and tried hitting the boar. They worked hard and well together, but it wasn’t enough. Edwin was sppn lying on the ground.

He gasped and stuttered in pain as Candice lifted him up and put an arm around her neck. He leaned on her as she trudhed up the hill. Once they were past the boundary line, Candice carefully put him on the ground and ran to get help.

Edwin was soon in the middle of a mob. A few kids picked him up and took his limp body to the infirmary before Candice could thank him.

Candice was once again alone, in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people, with a wild boar pacing close to her. She didn’t know where to go, or what to do.

Luckily, a girl with brown hair and forest green eyes came running towards her.

“Hi,” Candice said uncertainty to her.

“Hi,” she replied. “You should probably go to the infirmary,” she said, regarding the large gash on Candice’s arm.

“Why should trust you? For all I know, you might drug me.”

The girl rolled her eyes, and put her hands on her hips, “I swear on the the River Styx,” was her response.

Candice was shocked. What on earth is that?

But then, another boy came, with a mechanical bird on his shoulder. They explained to her that gods—the Ancient Greek gods are real, and are having offspring’s with mortals Candice understood that the girls’ (her name was Iviana) mother was actually Demeter, the goddess of the Harvest, and the boys’ (his name was Jon) and was the son of Hephaestus, the god of the Forge.

Candice finally agreed to be taken away to the infirmary.  She stumbled upon a white bed. As soon as she closed her eyes, rest fell upon her.