Status: Currently on hiatus
Zero
Madeleine Setchfield
“Madeleine, come down for dinner!” a voice called.
Up in her bedroom, the lonely, dark girl was practising her artwork. She had stood before her painting for nearly half-an hour; just staring. On the white board, she had made a blurry gray shadow in the center, and dressed a spectacle of a dagger pointing out of an abstract face that appeared on a crooked angle in the picture.
“Madeleine!” the same voiced echoed again. It was her father calling from below asking her to come downstairs. “My friends call me Zero.” She whispered to herself, and after a second she let out a sigh.
Zero placed her paintbrush back down on its case, and went over to sit in front of the mirror that was standing on her dresser. On her bedroom walls were more paintings and unusual-looking artwork she had drew. She sat down in front of the mirror, and picked up a brush. She then gently brushed it once against her long black hair, and placed it back down on the table in front of her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long minute. After that she uttered a very monotone voice at her reflection and said: “I hate you.” Zero stood back up, and started to acknowledge the calling of her name, as she ventured out of her room to make her way downstairs.
On the way down she was greeted by the cat. The cat was covered with a deep black coating all over, and its eyes were like a golden yellow, with black pupils. Zero knelt down to pick up October, who was coming towards her. October had uttered out a gentle meow at Zero as it came to greet her, as it had come up the stairs, from which it saw her. “Hello October.” Zero greeted back softly, as she stroked its soft fur, and carried it with her to the kitchen where her father laid out the supper for the night. As Zero entered the kitchen, she placed October back down on its feet. Once again October let out a gentle ‘meow’ at her, and ventured off on its own feet to the other ends of the house. “Good, you’re finally here.’ Harley said to Zero, as he was happy that she had finally come down. Zero sat down at the table, and stared at the monstrosity that she had seen with the look in her eyes before her. On the plate were baked potato, and some unusual-looking casserole. She poked at it with a fork a couple times, and observed it very strangely.
Zero’s father was seen as an old kook in the minds of their neighbours. Just like Zero, he too has his own obscurities among others. His hair was long brown and curly, which mostly, was never washed, and he usually wore glasses. “What’s the matter?” Harley asked, as he grabbed hold of his plate, placing it down on the table, as he sat down aside Zero at the table. “I think I’m not hungry” Zero replied to her father. “Oh” Harley said gently. “That’s fine. You might be hungry later.” Harley picked up Zero’s plate, and placed it in the microwave. Zero got up and left the kitchen, and went back to her usual routine of painting, and drawing in her bedroom.
Zero’s full name is Madeleine Setchfield, but she enjoys being called Zero. When she refers to her friends, she usually talks about the things she’s playing with, or the creatures and people she sees in her imagination. Zero was most fond of playing with dolls when she was younger. While her father would by her Barbie’s, she would disgust over it and rearrange the dolls’ attachable body parts to make her own creation. Usually this meant that the dolls would look almost dead and completely messed up, with raggedy hair, and torn clothes. As she grew older she became fond of puppets, and dead dolls. She would make her old socks into a puppet character and talk to it, as if it was her own imaginary friend for hours. In her own little dream world, Zero believed she could talk to dolls, and thought that dolls could talk back as if they were real.
Zero is also fond of knives. As an infant she would sneak a knife from the kitchen draw, and play with it in her bedroom. Some of the times she would use ketchup sauce to play into her own imagination. As Zero grew older into her adolescence years, her awkwardness never disappeared. She was always the oddball in her school, and the teachers worried about her, and pressured her to act normal. The norm is something that doesn’t exist in Zero’s vocabulary. Her awkwardness as seen by others is her normality, and she enjoys it. As far as her appearance goes, she has always enjoyed playing with dark and dull colours. It was never bright and happy, but it also made her look unique and beautiful in her own special way.
Zero only lives with her father now. Tragedy struck her life when she was at a much younger age. Her mother and older sister died in a fire. Rumour has it that the fire was started by Zero, and that her mother, and sister were caught in the flames inside their old home. Eventually the old house burnt down in the fire, and her, and her father were left to find a new place to live just an hour away from their old home. To this day Zero has felt guilty for causing her mother, and sister’s death. Her father doesn’t know the pain she lives in and is oblivious to his own daughter’s life, but he acknowledges her every now and then for dinner, and whenever he sees her in the family living room or just passing on the stairs of the house. The two aren’t very close, and have limited communication with one another.
***
The next day was the Monday of October 5th, and Zero was attending school at Huntsville Grange Secondary School. The day wouldn’t turn like any other; it would turn out to be day like no other that Zero had felt before.
Up in her bedroom, the lonely, dark girl was practising her artwork. She had stood before her painting for nearly half-an hour; just staring. On the white board, she had made a blurry gray shadow in the center, and dressed a spectacle of a dagger pointing out of an abstract face that appeared on a crooked angle in the picture.
“Madeleine!” the same voiced echoed again. It was her father calling from below asking her to come downstairs. “My friends call me Zero.” She whispered to herself, and after a second she let out a sigh.
Zero placed her paintbrush back down on its case, and went over to sit in front of the mirror that was standing on her dresser. On her bedroom walls were more paintings and unusual-looking artwork she had drew. She sat down in front of the mirror, and picked up a brush. She then gently brushed it once against her long black hair, and placed it back down on the table in front of her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long minute. After that she uttered a very monotone voice at her reflection and said: “I hate you.” Zero stood back up, and started to acknowledge the calling of her name, as she ventured out of her room to make her way downstairs.
On the way down she was greeted by the cat. The cat was covered with a deep black coating all over, and its eyes were like a golden yellow, with black pupils. Zero knelt down to pick up October, who was coming towards her. October had uttered out a gentle meow at Zero as it came to greet her, as it had come up the stairs, from which it saw her. “Hello October.” Zero greeted back softly, as she stroked its soft fur, and carried it with her to the kitchen where her father laid out the supper for the night. As Zero entered the kitchen, she placed October back down on its feet. Once again October let out a gentle ‘meow’ at her, and ventured off on its own feet to the other ends of the house. “Good, you’re finally here.’ Harley said to Zero, as he was happy that she had finally come down. Zero sat down at the table, and stared at the monstrosity that she had seen with the look in her eyes before her. On the plate were baked potato, and some unusual-looking casserole. She poked at it with a fork a couple times, and observed it very strangely.
Zero’s father was seen as an old kook in the minds of their neighbours. Just like Zero, he too has his own obscurities among others. His hair was long brown and curly, which mostly, was never washed, and he usually wore glasses. “What’s the matter?” Harley asked, as he grabbed hold of his plate, placing it down on the table, as he sat down aside Zero at the table. “I think I’m not hungry” Zero replied to her father. “Oh” Harley said gently. “That’s fine. You might be hungry later.” Harley picked up Zero’s plate, and placed it in the microwave. Zero got up and left the kitchen, and went back to her usual routine of painting, and drawing in her bedroom.
Zero’s full name is Madeleine Setchfield, but she enjoys being called Zero. When she refers to her friends, she usually talks about the things she’s playing with, or the creatures and people she sees in her imagination. Zero was most fond of playing with dolls when she was younger. While her father would by her Barbie’s, she would disgust over it and rearrange the dolls’ attachable body parts to make her own creation. Usually this meant that the dolls would look almost dead and completely messed up, with raggedy hair, and torn clothes. As she grew older she became fond of puppets, and dead dolls. She would make her old socks into a puppet character and talk to it, as if it was her own imaginary friend for hours. In her own little dream world, Zero believed she could talk to dolls, and thought that dolls could talk back as if they were real.
Zero is also fond of knives. As an infant she would sneak a knife from the kitchen draw, and play with it in her bedroom. Some of the times she would use ketchup sauce to play into her own imagination. As Zero grew older into her adolescence years, her awkwardness never disappeared. She was always the oddball in her school, and the teachers worried about her, and pressured her to act normal. The norm is something that doesn’t exist in Zero’s vocabulary. Her awkwardness as seen by others is her normality, and she enjoys it. As far as her appearance goes, she has always enjoyed playing with dark and dull colours. It was never bright and happy, but it also made her look unique and beautiful in her own special way.
Zero only lives with her father now. Tragedy struck her life when she was at a much younger age. Her mother and older sister died in a fire. Rumour has it that the fire was started by Zero, and that her mother, and sister were caught in the flames inside their old home. Eventually the old house burnt down in the fire, and her, and her father were left to find a new place to live just an hour away from their old home. To this day Zero has felt guilty for causing her mother, and sister’s death. Her father doesn’t know the pain she lives in and is oblivious to his own daughter’s life, but he acknowledges her every now and then for dinner, and whenever he sees her in the family living room or just passing on the stairs of the house. The two aren’t very close, and have limited communication with one another.
***
The next day was the Monday of October 5th, and Zero was attending school at Huntsville Grange Secondary School. The day wouldn’t turn like any other; it would turn out to be day like no other that Zero had felt before.