Zero

While Monday the 5th of October would bring a new surprise upon her life, it would not shake the feeling that she had for any other school day the minute she woke up in the morning at 7.a.m.

Zero had already gotten dressed in her dark usual clothing for the day, wearing a dark greyish skirt that went down to her knees with long black stockings on her feet. She greeted October on her way down from her room, and acknowledged Harley for a split-second as he was waking up. She was now ready, and was about to head out the front door to attend her classes at Huntsville Grange Secondary School.

From the outside of the secondary school the bell had rung several times to tell the students to get to their classes. Zero walked into the classroom. At the front of the desk, standing before the chalk board was the principle, and a mysterious woman that almost looked vaguely familiar. As Zero walked in to get to her desk, the snivelling girls, who were catty and popular, and known throughout the school for their crude behaviour by everyone, were whispering to each other as they took notice the girl coming in. “I bet she did it.” One said. The other girls chuckled and laughed at what the other girl said, as Zero walked by and sat down quietly at her desk, not talking to anyone, but kept her head down for most of the time at the back of the classroom. Upon arriving, everyone else in the class was talking amongst each other about certain things that had happen over the weekend. One of the main topics that came up was the question about their teacher. He was definitely not here to greet the students like he normally did. This seemed odd, and the question on everyone’s minds was about to be answered.

“Okay, okay, settle down” Headmaster Diana Fletcher called, as she raised the volume of her voice amongst the students of the classroom. The volume of the class died down quick, as they began listening to what the principle had to say. “I have some tragic news regarding your teacher, Mr. Morgan.” Diana paused for a second. “It appears he had passed on Saturday evening. I have no clue what caused his death, they haven’t really given me much information.” The principle explained.

“Oh my God” Kendra expressed, one of the popular girls who were sitting at the front, as she bit her nails are couple more times.

“This is your new teacher for the rest of the semester.” Principle Diana acknowledged the mysterious woman standing beside her. “Ms. Thorn.”

“Hello, I’m going to enjoy getting to know each and every one of you.” Grinned Ms. Thorn “I have a daughter of my own who is about two years older than you. I don’t want you kids to give me grief because I don’t understand you adolescences.” Ms. Thorn mentioned to her student body. “Alright, I’ll leave you with your new class then.” Principle Diana noted, and smiled, as she left the classroom to go about her busy schedule.

“Now just because I’m your new teacher, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.” Ms. Thorn explained herself as she walked slowly stepping around the front of the classroom back and forth. “If you have question, just raise your hand.”

At the back of the classroom Zero couldn’t get over how vaguely familiar this new teacher looked. Her eyes, her shape, her hair, it all resembled someone that was in her life, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it.

“Um, Ms. Thorn.” A boy, by the name of Lucas raised his hand. He had an athletic figure, and generally hung out playing sports, and hanging out with the rest group of guys. Zero, however, was quite fond of him, and liked him in an attractive manner, for most of the class, he becomes her biggest distraction as she stares at him time, and time again, taking her mind away from her usual work. However, Lucas never acknowledged Zero. She was just an invisible figure to him, and he had never noticed. “Um, Ms. Thorn” Lucas said, as he called out the teacher’s name, raising his hand, in the middle of the classroom. “Yes sir?” Ms. Thorn replied. “Are we allowed to go to the bathroom?” He inquired. “Yes you are. Just take the hall pass whenever you need to.” Ms. Thorn answered.

After a brief couple of minutes, Ms. Thorn began to take the attendance as she called out their names one by one, in alphabetical order. “Madeleine Setchfield?” Ms. Thorn called, but there was no answer. “Is she here?” She asked. Kendra and her friends Megan, and Heidi giggled at each other for a split second. “Is she here?” The teacher asked again. “It’s Zero” Replied the quiet girl sitting at the back of the classroom. “Zero?” Heidi chuckled again. “What kind of name is that?” Megan said rhetorically to Heidi and Kendra. “I think it’s an interesting name.” Ms. Thorn said. “Is your name Madeleine?” She asked Zero. “Yes.” Zero nodded. Ms. Thorn smiled back at Zero as she acknowledged her on her attendance. Zero stared back with an immovable expression on her face.

For the rest of the class period, Ms. Thorn had set the students on several math assignments. After all, this is a math class. While some of the students were busy working along, Zero couldn’t help but stare again at Lucas who was just sitting just three desks in front of her to the left. Ms. Thorn however kept staring back at Zero, and kept a close eye on her movement. She couldn’t help but notice her fondness over Lucas, as she noticed her eyes were piercing in his direction.

At the end of the class, the bell had rung, and the students were getting ready to move to their second period of the day. The students filed out of the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Zero.” Ms. Thorn noticed her on as she walked passed her on her way out. Still to Zero, Ms. Thorn was someone that she could familiarize with, and yet she still couldn’t place her finger on it, who?

The second period of Zero’s class was English, and time had gone by fast. Within an instant, the bell had already rung, and the students filed out of the class once again. This time Zero ventured towards her locker to place her things from her bag down, and gather the other books for the remainder classes she had for the rest of the day. It was already lunchtime and many students were walking back and forth within the halls. Zero was walking passed the three girls that were in her math class. “When are you going to get some new clothes?” Kendra exclaimed at Zero. “You look so tacky.” The other girls laughed. Zero stopped to reply. “Oh, you mean like that thing you call a face?” Heidi and Megan gasped, as Zero began to walk off to her locker. “Whatever.” Kendra groaned. Zero arrived at her locker to get her belongings. Upon opening her locker, there was a picture she left hanging on the door. She took a second to look at it. “Wait a second.” Zero said to herself, as she took a closer look at the picture. In it were her, her older sister, her mother, and her dad. It was taken before her mother, and sister had died. She took another, deeper look at the picture. Her main focus was drawn towards her mother, and she couldn’t help the resemblance she had with her own teacher, Ms. Thorne. Their hair was exactly alike. Beautiful lush, and long dark red hair that had curly waves flowing just below her neck. The eyes were the same colour and texture, at the same time strong and powerful. Everything about her mother was the same thing that looked upon Ms. Thorn. Could this actually be true? Is Ms. Thorn the woman that died several years ago? All of these questions and more played out several times in Zero’s head, as she could not believe her eyes when facing down at the photograph that was before her. “And yet she has a daughter that is two years older than me.” She said to herself, in an inquiring, but almost dead silent tone.

Zero looked up and placed the photo into her bag. She was standing by her locker getting her usual things together; she turned her head and noticed Lucas coming through the hallway. Suddenly the gravity of everything went completely slow. Everything around her had almost stopped, but were still moving, but at a much slower speed. She could feel numbness in her fingers, and her ears were beginning to pop. The gravity stopped, and Lucas’ jolted for a second. Suddenly a gash of blood started to pour out of his mouth. “Oh my God!” A screaming voice and several others from several students within the hallway came out, as they noticed Lucas wallowing in pain. Zero could not believe her eyes. She held her hands towards her mouth, as she was holding in the tears that were about to pour out before her. Lucas’ organs were beginning to explode within him, he could not understand what was going on; nobody could. A drench of bleak red blood poured out of a puddle on the center of the ground. Teachers, and faculty rushed to help him, they all crowded around him, as his body was hanging on his knees; his life hanging in the balance. No one could understand the pain. Ms. Thorn was watching with mug full of coffee at the side, as she sipped back and forth while standing by the door of a classroom. Soon the teachers had carried Lucas’ body, and he was quickly rushed out of the school to a nearby medical hospital. Zero dropped her hands, and looked at the dense red puddle that lain in the middle of the hallway. She turned her head, and noticed the woman that was staring before her, Ms. Thorn. It was the same woman that was in the photograph that’s in her bag. Ms. Thorn turned around and went back into her classroom to finish other paper work.

The day ended with black misery, and soon the talk of Lucas’ well-being was heard in the third and fourth period classes of the day. It was clear to Zero, that Lucas was never coming back, he’s gone, and has entered another realm, and in his death, a woman, and her daughter stood before him to meet his damnation in burning ash flames of hell.