Zero

Suddenly Zero woke up, and yet October was nowhere to be seen in her bedroom. Zero knew October was probably busy chasing mice, but she could not get over the bizarre dream she just had. One of which was the most imaginable thing she has ever been in. She thought for the first time in her life she was so beautiful. She only hoped that if only she could look that way in this lesser of reality. But soon she woke up again, and found herself in tribulation. Not by herself, but with the enemy that was her imposter mother. It was one of the most anomalous dreams she had ever faced. One after the other and first came good, followed by evil. Zero had thought that one day only one of these entities, one of these worlds would exist, and the other will perish, and become non-existent.

Zero was now overwhelmed with nothing but weariness. Instead she fiddled herself with a sheet of paper and a paint brush. Her main focus was to recreate her imaginary world. But every time she would try to create this picture, Zero would feel mediocre. It was never the equivalent to the world that she had dreamt.
While painting did not turn out exactly as Zero had expected it to, she turned to another friend, also known as her puppets and dolls. But of course, this as well, did not turn out exactly has Zero had planned, as she would boiled with frustration over her attempt to recreate the characters in her dream. Priscilla, the fairy, she just would just look like a poodle! Everything in her dream was so unseen. It had saddened Zero more that she could not find a way to create something that she had seen in her dream. Instead she snapped out of her grief, and realised that she had something better that would remind Zero of her imagination. This one was perfect, and it existed in both dimensions. October... what a noble creature… Zero thought that October was the only one that truly understood her.

The very next day, Zero was getting ready for yet another fulfilling day at school. If only something fulfilling could bring something disappointing, than Zero would have little to worry about. The most bizarre thing about Huntsville Grange was getting used to Ms. Thorn looking identically like Zero’s dead mother. This was more than just bizarre to Zero, but to everyone else in that school, Ms. Thorn was just an ordinary middle-aged high school teacher who taught mathematics. If only they knew how shocking and horrifying that Ms. Thorn had impacted Zero’s life. She was just the devil figure of her mother who had risen from her grave to come back for something. To Zero, she was not her mother. She was an imposter who had somehow robbed her mother’s every look and wandered from her dimension. Already Ms. Thorn’s presence at Huntsville Grange left a dramatic impact on the student body. Lucas… so young… And yet, his unusual death seemed to be no coincidence to Zero. She had no evidence to prove that Ms. Thorn was responsible for his death, but eventually Zero could not keep her mouth bottled up for long. Eventually everybody is going to know the truth.

Before her first class, Zero decided to stop at her locker to gather her belongings. She would not have any idea of the new entity that was about to greet her that very morning.

“Good morning.” A young girl introduced herself.

Zero turned her head from her locker and faced the girl. It was shocking to Zero that this girl was dressed so prim and proper. Blue skirt, straight blonde hair, and ribbons all over. Unlike Zero, this girl looked so conservative.

“It’s nice to meet you Zero. My name is Desiree” Said the girl, holding out her hand to introduce herself a second time.

Zero had no intention to shake her hand politely. A simple hand shake to her, just seemed so yellow and baby blue. Instead, Zero represented black and white, and bubbly and sweet just isn’t her.

“Am I supposed to know you?” Zero asked, as she closed her locker.

“My mother has told me a lot about you. I think it would be nice if we became friends” Desiree smiled.

As if I needed anymore friends… thought Zero

“Who is your mother?” Zero questioned.

“My mother teaches here at this school. You know her. You’re in her mathematics class aren’t you?” Desiree replied.

As if things couldn’t get more bizarre. But to Zero, Desiree had looked nothing like her sister. She had dark hair. Instead Desiree had blonde hair, and her features were way off. How could this be? Zero thought.

“Yes of course” replied Zero in a quiet tone of voice.

The time had passed quickly, and already Zero had left Desiree to go to her mathematics class. That day, unlike any others, Lucas was not there.

In a brief announcement that very morning, Principle Diana Fletcher gave the student body a speech about safety, and how everyone should be reaching out to Lucas’ family to give them some support. Zero was sitting there, at the back of the classroom, listening, and also watching Ms. Thorn at the same time. She couldn’t get over how unremorseful her veneer had felt. Zero felt that she had to say something; she felt that someone had to say something. Eventually Ms. Thorn was going to know the truth of what Zero thought about her. Although it may have been hinted that Zero had left a cast of shadow over her, giving her the cold shoulder time and time again, but this time Zero felt that she needed to be gruffer. But something that seemed familiar was holding her back from speaking her mind. It felt like insecurity, but being able to be outspoken for once was so outside of Zero’s nature.

During Zero’s mathematics class, Ms. Thorn was busy handing back quizzes that the class had written recently. Ms. Thorn however, was not pleased with Zero’s mark, after she had gotten only six right answers, out of thirty questions. To Zero, the quiz results proved nothing to her.

Finally the bell had rung, and all students, except Zero had filed out of the door. Ms. Thorn had asked Zero to stay behind so that they could discuss the displeasing mark.

“I’m worried” urged Ms. Thorn, as she held out Zero’s quiz.

Zero gave no reply, and stood quietly in front of Ms. Thorn’s desk.

“I’m going to have to speak to your parents about this.”

“You can’t.” Zero said fearfully.

“You are failing this course; I need to speak to somebody” Ms. Thorn insisted again.

This was horrifying to Zero. Failing her mathematics class meant nothing to her, but Ms. Thorn having to speak to her father was another. She couldn’t let this happen. She could only imagine the look on her father’s face when he meets his dead wife after all these years. Not only was Zero filled with such bewilderment, but she was also boiling was a rare sense of frustration in her mind. The fact that Ms. Thorn would be speaking to her father, and the looming epiphany that Zero thought that Ms. Thorn was responsible for Lucas’ death. The possibilities of this interception would be so catastrophic, and already it was too much for Zero to bear.

“I miss Lucas.” Zero spoke eerily, changing the discussion that they were having.

“What?” Ms. Thorn questioned, feeling disillusioned that Zero had spoke of Lucas’ name.

“You killed him, didn’t you?” Zero said so blatantly.

Ms. Thorn raised her eyebrow, overwhelmed and confused at Zero’s shocking accusation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know you did it. Stop lying!” Accused Zero in such a rare and volatile tone of voice. She began to scream in her face again. “You killed him!” She shouted. “He’s dead!” Yelling again, as Ms. Thorn was startled out of her chair, feeling surprised and disoriented.

Soon Zero’s screams landed her speaking face to face with the principle. She had no idea what came over her, but she knew after her engagement with Ms. Thorn she had felt better, and more relieved to lift the weight off her shoulders. However, Zero was definitely not ready to hear the boring lecture from Diana Fletcher. She may have known what she was doing with Ms. Thorn but she had not anticipated the fact that Diana Fletcher had arranged Zero to see a therapist to discuss her problems. It was odd to Diana, that Zero had never had a therapist to talk to her, but Zero’s father gave little interest to the idea. It was obvious to Zero that she was not pleased with this idea, and she was left to ponder more thoughts that afternoon, as she made her way home.

As she arrived inside her house, Harley had already gotten a phone call from Diana that Zero needed to see a therapist. With careful persuasion he had agreed on this offer, and had already informed his daughter of her first appointment the minute she arrived home. Great… Zero thought. Just more weight to add to her, still building, stress level.

She slouched her way upstairs, and hid her way into her bedroom for the rest of the night, hoping that she would find imagination that she once had before.