2- Music from within

Penelope turns on the player, and Coldplay’s "Paradise" begins to play. She walks naked around her house, swaying her hips and singing along. “Ohh, ooh, ohhh,” she dances gently as she cooks her toasted bread, frying eggs, and preparing a broccoli salad for breakfast, getting ready for a hot, bubbly bath. Dancing and being naked in her Valencia apartment is one of her favorite morning pastimes. Her neighbors are the best and never complain about the noise coming from her apartment, where music is always playing— in the mornings before heading to university, and in the afternoons when she returns, immersed in some archaeology or ancient history research required by the press department where she works. When she researches and studies, she also listens to music, so being Penelope's neighbor means getting used to her natural, melodious state, where she has a soundtrack ready for any situation.

She wears sunglasses, white jeans, a pastel pink blouse, and low-heeled black shoes, rushing out of her property’s parking lot, praying not to get caught in traffic. She has lost track of time due to spending too long in the shower, as the chilly weather this morning kept her under the hot water for a few extra minutes. Penelope does not like to drive fast; she has always been cautious behind the wheel, even though driving is one of her greatest pleasures in life, and she considers herself a responsible driver. She arrives at the university just as a single thought and song continue to play on repeat throughout her journey.

"Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol plays, her favorite song since the first time she heard it. The only thought accompanying her is how beautiful the rainy weather feels. She enjoys listening to music on her way to the university; moreover, the weather seems perfect this morning—driving in cool, fresh weather feels just right, like the clouds from her beloved hometown, for although Penelope lives in Valencia, she was born in the Venezuelan Andes. She takes off her sunglasses and places them in the case on the car’s dashboard; upon exiting the car, light drops of rain fall on her chestnut hair. She tilts her head toward the sky, her eyes squinting at the white clouds beginning to spread across the gray sky, the cool breeze swaying her hair. She sighs and walks toward her class on Egyptian History.

Upon entering the classroom, her friends save a seat for her, right in the last row of desks. Akiro takes the bag from the empty desk, allowing Penelope to sit down. She enters class with her pastel pink blouse now damp from a few drops of rain, and her hair seems freshly showered, the waves of her thick, chestnut locks cascading down her back, complementing her pale shoulder skin. Her face looks natural and fresh, with thick eyebrows framing her features and her striking brown eyes sparkling on her cheekbones. Penelope wears a light pastel pink makeup and a cranberry lip gloss that stands out along with a slight blush on her cheeks.

As she enters, the classroom seems imbued with the scent of vanilla that everyone can detect, as some discreetly turn to look at Penelope.

"Sorry, I lost track of time because of the rain," she whispers, kissing the cheek of a smiling girl with straight black hair, and another girl with Asian features. At the front of the classroom, a professor keeps talking about the XVIII Dynasty alongside a photograph of Nefertiti reflected on the laptop screen.

"Getting here is chaos when it rains," assures a girl dressed in a black skirt and lace leggings, along with braided boots; she has a kind expression and a smile on her Asian face, her cheekbones rounding perfectly, giving her a doll-like oval shape, and her almost imperceptible eyes shining slightly under her short, abundant lashes.

"Hi, Aiko," says Penelope, kissing Aiko’s cheek.

"I actually love this weather; it’s charming."

"It's charming when you're at home," remarks Fabiana, who listens attentively to her friends while taking notes. "Not when you're outside and have to go somewhere else."

"I understand," Penelope chuckles.

"But whether at home or out on the street, I love the rain."

"You say that because your hair is pretty and natural in the rain," Fabiana remarks.

“I dry my hair; if I get it wet, I ruin the style.”

Penelope laughs and looks at Fabiana compassionately, who lets out a soft giggle. She observes Fabiana’s shiny, smoothly straightened black hair falling brilliantly and silkily down her back; she wears black overalls and a white turtleneck that make her look very elegant; generally, Fabiana has great taste in clothing, sporting black platform heels.

"Well, if I don’t ruin the style..." Fabiana says, staring intently at her friends. "Tonight we can go out; there’s a costume party at Professor Jaqueline’s house, the philanthropy professor."

“The parties at Professor Jacqueline's place are the best," affirms Aiko. "She has a huge library in the upstairs living room; they say it’s the library of kisses, everyone who goes up there is a couple ready to kiss,” she says, winking.

“Yes! I’m in; during the last party, they put on an Oscar Wilde play, and I met Ernesto,” Fabiana concludes.

"Which Ernesto?" Penelope asks in a whisper so the professor doesn’t scold them; inviting her friends to lower their voices delicately.

"Ernesto, he played the lead actor in the show," Fabiana replies in a hushed tone, leaning toward the girls. "I met Ernesto, the character; I don’t remember the actor’s name, he was Christian and didn’t want to have sex even though he had an erection."

“Oh my God!” Penelope bursts into laughter, covering her mouth to stifle the sound of her laughter.

“How did you know that?”

“Because it was very noticeable while we were dancing; besides, we went together to the professor’s library, and he started reading me a book, and we kissed, but then he got excited and said sex was a sin."

"Wow!"

"That’s rough, girlfriend," says Penelope.

"Super rough," said Fabiana. "Literally."

"Well, I have to work all afternoon, but I'm free tonight; we could go. I hope I don’t run into any Christians; I don’t think they’ll accept me much."

"With your paganism and your Greek goddesses, I also don’t think that."

"An eclectic like my Jean would be better," assured Aiko.

"Or an Asian man. You should marry an Asian, right?" Fabiana asks looking at Aiko, whose father’s side is Asian.

“If I marry Jean, I’ll break the family tradition,” Aiko says, sighing as she leans her face into her wrist, staring intently at the back of the classroom.

"That’s why I love Jean; I could tell him I’m a non-binary Asian, and I would feel completely supported by him."

"Well, the most important thing is to be yourself," Penelope said softly.

“What time is the party?” she asks, looking at Fabiana.

"At 8:18."

“Noted,” says Penelope, winking at both her friends with two light shoulder movements and a magazine smile. Aiko smiles, letting out a light giggle; the professor stops for a moment, watching the back of the classroom. The entire class turns their heads and sends glances toward Penelope, Aiko, and Fabiana, and they remain silent, seriously observing the professor. Penelope begins to take notes on the XVIII Empire and the infrastructures that Nefertiti included during her reign. After a day full of laughter from her friends and timely assignments from her professors, she finally has time to be at peace in the privacy of her home. She takes off her shoes as she enters her house and begins to undress until she reaches her room. Her cat, Charlie, walks toward her, meowing and wrapping her with his thick, striped orange tail. She bends down, now barefoot, and kisses Charlie on a little white-fur spot on his blonde back with orange stripes.

“Hello, love! I’m so happy to see you!” she assures him.

Charlie meows, staring back at her with his big, green, water-colored eyes.

"May Goddess Aphrodite bless you," she whispers, gently petting his little cat face while smiling.

She picks up the clothes she just took off and puts them in the laundry basket in her room. She takes a loose, soft, chiffon robe that coolly hugs her body; it’s a sort of Roman tunic made by her favorite tailor. Generally, when she’s at home, Penelope enjoys wearing flowy dresses and skirts reminiscent of ancient Greece; however, when going outside, she prefers to look more casual and conventional. She gazes out the window, and the weather seems to portend a severe storm, as the clouds turn gray, and distant thunder rumbles across the Valencia sky.

Immersed in words dancing across a blank Word page, while her long, coral-painted nails dance on the laptop, she remains focused, her mind far away. She lifts her shoulders, gathering her chestnut hair long enough to reach her hips while dancing seated at her workstation, allowing the music to envelop her.

"I am titanium" - Penelope sings and dances.

Now "Something Just Like This" plays, and Penelope begins to type in front of her laptop. She is researching Greek Islands for a tourism article about the best destinations for historians and geologists specializing in Greco-Roman culture. In reality, she plans to pursue a postgraduate degree in ancient history and Greco-Roman geology once she finishes her degree in Ancient History. But she truly enjoys researching and writing about tourism and geography, including the best destinations in the world and other curiosities that travelers yearn to learn about, for some odd reasons that seem to call them to certain lands or regions worldwide. Penelope asserts that these are reincarnations, other lives from ancient times where people lived, and that is why in this life, they are born with a strong desire to return to those lands. If her theory is valid, Penelope will likely have an irrational desire to live in Venezuela in her upcoming lives, as in this life, she is Venezuelan, and she loves her country.

She begins to browse images of the Greek Islands, when suddenly, the screen next to her laptop shuts off. She lets out a scared gasp and turns the screen off and on again. Then a map appears before her, seemingly pulled up by Google and enlarged on the screen.

"Great, my laptop has gone crazy," she says, rolling her eyes. She tries to return to her browser for her research on the Greek islands, but the image seems to remain frozen on the screen. She looks at it more closely, “Cyprus Island, pilgrimage for this year,” she reads aloud, observing a photograph of a beautiful island with crystal clear waters, next to a map. Suddenly, Penelope hears a whisper filled with freshness and calm, and the curtains in her apartment sway with the cold breeze as the rain resonates. The breeze enters, bringing with it a scent reminiscent of lavender and canola that fills her apartment.

The screen revives, showing a page discussing the Pilgrimage to Cyprus Island. The breeze lifts the curtains ever so slightly and sways the flame of a candle, which decoratively illuminates the room.

"The island of Cyprus is located in the Mediterranean Sea; it's a paradise island where its beautiful landscapes capture the hearts of travelers. It is situated in the Mediterranean Sea, 113 km from Turkey and 120km west of Syria; it also borders the Greek island of Kastellórizo, located 150km from Cyprus. Cyprus became a member of the United Nations on September 20, 1960. It is known as the Island of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, come enjoy an unforgettable trip to the Island of Cyprus this September 20 on a pilgrimage to the ancient goddess of love, Aphrodite."

Behind Penelope’s desk stands a painting of Goddess Aphrodite on a suspended wooden stand in her living room, and an altar filled with sea corals, roses, and vases with water, an authentic pearl necklace, and a vanilla candle that remains lit until it suddenly extinguishes due to the breeze flowing through the window. Penelope turns to look at the now extinguished candle while curiously gazing at the painting of Aphrodite, which was a gift from a friend on her 25th birthday, as she assured her that Botticelli's Venus was the living image of Penelope.

“Could that be true…” Penelope wonders, thinking that perhaps the goddess has sent her a signal.

She returns her focus to her laptop screen and clicks on where it says, "Get your tickets now for the Pilgrimage in Cyprus with Apollo Travels." Then the page directs her to a travel agency in the city of Valencia, where she can purchase her tickets to travel to Cyprus. Penelope carefully observes the prices of the tickets, quite affordable for her income, and this trip indeed feels like a dream come true for her. But she thinks no further and continues with her research on the Greek Islands while a new song, “Secrets” by OneRepublic, plays.