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Annabelle’s Sin
Foreword
This is a re-write to the Classical myth of Hephaestus, Aphrodite and Ares. In the original myth, the sun god Helios told Hephaestus that his wife, the goddess Aphrodite, was having an affair with Ares. Hephaestus fashioned a trap for the two lovers and caught them in bed. After they were trapped, he called all the gods to witness her infidelity and demanded justice for the moral crime.
The modern setting is a high school, where gossip and a person’s image is of incredible importance. The characters shadow their ancient counterparts as well, especially when it comes to their names and mannerisms. “Aphrodite” was changed to “Annabelle” (which means “grace and beauty”) and is considered the most beautiful girl in school. “Ares” was altered to “Marc” (“war-like”; most likely a derivation from the Roman god counterpart “Mars”) and carries the label of the school’s “bad-boy teenager”. “Helios” was changed to “Hailey” (the meaning of the latter does not relate; the name change was just due to the writer’s discretion) and continues to be the messenger to the Hephaestus character. “Hephaestus” was altered to “Dexter” (taking the god’s epithet “Ambidexter”) and rather than having a physical deformity, his shortcoming was in the form of his label as “school nerd”. Of course, he still had to maintain a skill: where the ancient Hephaestus excelled in crafts, the modern Dexter was a computer genius. The themes of the classical myth remain in the modern re-telling: a wife’s infidelity, a husband’s craftiness and a lover’s escape from justice.
Dexter raised a brow at his friend. The words hit him like a ton of bricks. He could only utter a “What?”
Hailey stood beside him as he unpacked his backpack at his locker. “At P.E. class, she was talking to her friends about the time she slept with another guy.”
Dexter turned away from her, staring at the inside of his locker. He felt as if someone was squeezing his lungs; he found breathing almost difficult. His girlfriend, beautiful Annabelle, who he had been seeing for four months… “No way,” he shook his head.
“Look,” Hailey sighed. “I know this is hard to hear, but believe me when I tell you this. And it’s not because I hate that superficial bit--.”
“Hey,” he interrupted, automatically defending his girlfriend.
“Fine,” she huffed bitterly. “It’s because I am your friend. Your best friend, last time I checked.”
“But…Annabelle is a really nice girl,” Dexter’s mind swam in a whirlpool, not wanting to believe his friend. “She isn’t like those other snobby girls.”
“She is the ringleader of those other girls!” Hailey exclaimed. “Don’t tell me she is different!”
Dexter said nothing. He could only bite his lip down from screaming out the whirlpool of confusion and trust that was spinning his head. No, she would not do such a thing…however, Dexter was not the most handsome guy in school, so it only made sense for her to seek someone else… He felt his head pounding, ready for a headache to start.
“And also…” Hailey trailed off for a moment. “She said something else. Annabelle said the only reason she is dating you is so she can keep up her grades.”
Dexter threw his calculus textbook into his bag. He zipped it up roughly. “Do you have anything else to say?” he snapped at her, eyes glaring with fire.
“Dexter…” Hailey frowned, small tears welling in her eyes. “I’m just… I’m just worried about you.”
Dexter sighed, flinging his backpack on his back. “You have to be wrong.” Just then, he spotted Annabelle walking down the hall, followed by her group of five other girls. “Hi, Annabelle,” he called out to her with a wave of his hand. He did not notice Hailey turning her back to his girlfriend.
Annabelle turned to her group. “I’ll call you all later,” she told them and then they dispersed. She turned back to him. “What’s up?” she asked, brushing a golden blonde wave from her face.
“Are you busy? Maybe we could, you know, go out?” he asked awkwardly.
Annabelle’s brows furrowed. “I… can’t, Dex. Sorry. I have to study for… a history test tomorrow.”
“Do you need help?” he offered.
“No, it’s okay,” she gave him a friendly touch to his arm. “But if I need help, I’ll call.” She glanced at her cell phone, and then returned it to her purse. “I got to go home. Talk to you later?” She left without hearing his goodbye.
When Annabelle was out of sight, Hailey turned to her friend. “You see? She’s cheating.”
Dexter turned to her, crossing his arms. “What are you talking about? She’s going home to study.”
Hailey’s lips thinned out to a frown. “I know you’re out of the loop, seeing as you’re in every honors class, but there is no history test. I’m in her class.” With that, she slammed his locker door shut and stomped away.
Dexter froze as the window popped up, streaming a video on his monitor. It was an image of Annabelle’s room, no mistake about that. And on the screen was Annabelle, no mistake about that; she was wearing the same clothes as earlier today… at least, half the clothes she wore today. She was not alone in her room. Annabelle was locked in a heated kiss as a young man proceeded to take off her shirt. Dexter leaned towards the screen, trying to get a closer look at the new man.
Black hair with red-fire tips… “Marc?” Dexter felt as if he was punched in the gut. It was Marc, a fellow classmate at Olympus High. Annabelle was sleeping with another guy… and not just any guy; it was Marc, high school rebel, juvenile delinquent… and Dexter’s cousin.
Dexter had to stand up and tear himself away from the computer monitor. In a surge of madness, he threw down his desk chair and hurled his dictionary across the room. Annabelle… how could she? She was the one so persistent to go out with him; he could not understand why she cheated on him. They had so many dates after school… Now that he thought about it, their dates revolved around her schedule, and whenever they did get together, a textbook or two found itself in the mix…
Oh, gods. Hailey was right. And he snapped at her. Would Hailey speak to him again?
Dexter groaned, feeling a hurricane of fire and betrayal consume his mind. Damn that Annabelle; she used him and was gloating about it! And Marc… his cousin, his childhood playmate… Angry tears welled in his eyes. Dexter quickly wiped them away. And then, he was struck with an idea. He turned back to his computer screen. He took a deep breath and pressed the “Print Screen” button. “You’re going to regret using me,” he muttered as white paper was fed into the printer.
Hailey looked up and saw Dexter, the only other figure standing in the hallways. “Hey,” she greeted, readjusting her brown ponytail. She stepped up to him.
Dexter turned to his feet. He knew he should have apologized but he did not know how to start. He had to at least try. “Hi… Um… Hailey, I… er…”
Hailey smiled. “It’s okay. I know, Dexter.” She held out her hand. “Need help?”
Dexter slowly nodded and handed her half of his stack.
The halls of Olympus High slowly filled as students arrived. As each locker flew open, a laugh, gasp or giggle erupted from the crowd. Dexter and Hailey stood at Dexter’s open locker, watching their fellow students’ reactions. “Is she going to show up?” Hailey asked softly.
Sure enough, Annabelle made her entrance. She was welcomed with a mixture of whistles, hollers, taunts and disapproving glares. Annabelle’s perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She shook her head, trying to ignore them, and headed to her locker, across the hall from Dexter. He watched as Annabelle’s five friends approached her, each holding a sheet of white paper. Annabelle took hold of one and stared at it with eyes wide as saucers. The color drained from her face and she began to panic with her friends, looking around to see that the whole senior class had a copy.
“She’s probably asking who did it,” Hailey whispered. “And when she finds out it’s you?” she turned to her best friend. “Her friends can make your life a living hell.”
“It’s alright,” Dexter shrugged. “School is almost over.” He looked up and noticed Annabelle looking straight at him, her cheeks flushed and disbelief painted in her eyes. He narrowed his eyes at her in return. Annabelle briskly retreated with her five friends in tow. As she strutted away, the surrounding male students shouted whistles and bed invitations. Dexter turned back to his locker and shut it closed with a sigh.
“Don’t worry,” Hailey told him. “You’ll find another who…well, you know. Is genuine.”
Dexter smiled sadly. “Thanks.”
Suddenly, as they turned into the adjacent hall, their conversation was interrupted by a single applause. A young man with olive skin and a chiseled chin stood before them. His silver lip ring jingled as his lips curled in a smile and his brown eyes twinkled with amusement. “Good job, Four-Eyes,” he said and reached into the pocket of his black jeans. “Genius,” he held out the printout of his and Annabelle’s sin. “But honestly, you could have gotten a better angle. I think my left side is much better.”
“Shut up, Marc,” Dexter sneered. Hailey took a step behind her friend.
“You know, I thought she wasn’t my type,” Marc balled the paper in his fist and tossed it over his shoulder. “But what can I say? I couldn’t resist.” He shrugged and then continued. “I knew you would find out eventually. But hacking into her web cam? I guess I didn’t think about that.”
“Why do you think it’s Dexter?” Hailey found her voice.
Marc cocked his head to the right. “Because he’s the only hacker-nerd who can get into another computer with no problem and is connected to Belle.” He turned back to his older cousin. “Looks like all that time playing with computers paid off, Four-Eyes. You got to watch your girlfriend have sex with me.”
“Shut up, Marc,” Dexter growled, his face blotched with anger. “I lo--,” he shook his head. “I cared about her a lot, you bastard. You’re going to pay for that.”
Marc stared at his cousin and began to laugh. “Of course I will,” his voice dripped with sarcasm. “Well, like I said: she was so persistent, I couldn’t resist.” He sidestepped. “Especially when she screams out my name at the end of it. She’s just so cute.” He walked down the hall with a hard laugh until his voice diffused with the other voices in the hall.
Dexter stood quietly, his hands in a tight fist. He released a ragged breath and his shoulders fell gently.
“Come on, Dexter,” Hailey tugged on his sleeve. “Let’s go.”
“Yeah,” Dexter spoke and began to walk, one step at a time.
