New Kid

"Zara, don't make me repeat myself," Josephine banged her hands on Zara's locked door, while Zara sat at the study table, moving her phone in different directions to get better service and access the internet. All to no success, unfortunately.

Zara had managed to tidy up the room and make it liveable, but she hadn't packed her clothes into the closet because she thought it reeked of dead rats.

Zara ignored her mother, who kept banging on the door. There was no way she'd go to some institution because her mother said so.

The pounding suddenly ceased, and peace returned, with a sigh of relief escaping Zara's mouth as she fiddled with the key that could unlock her room. Perhaps she could spend the day playing some games, or reading the novels she brought along.

That time of peace was short-lived, however, as she suddenly heard the doorknob unlocking, and the door swung open, revealing her mother's beet-red face. Her mother had a spare key. Damn it!

"Zara Anderson! You might be 18, but you will do exactly as I say! Now go and get ready before Bianca gets here!" Josephine screeched at Zara, who just averted her gaze from the anger in her mother's eyes.

"Fine. Now leave my room," she muttered begrudgingly and unzipped her box, looking for something to wear and expecting that her mother would leave. But to her shock, her mother stayed planted on the tiled floor and watched Zara without batting an eyelid.

"Leave, my room," Zara slowly repeated, and Josephine let out a displeased grunt.

"You have 10 minutes," she spoke quietly and closed the door. Zara let out a grumble as she picked a pair of black, crazy jeans and a massive white shirt, along with a pair of Adidas black and white shoes.

Afterward, she picked up her bathing accessories, her bathrobe and slipped into the now cleaned bathtub, switching on the shower and staying under it for a while. The bathroom had both a tub and a shower, but Zara wanted to use the shower instead.

Many thoughts raced through Zara's mind. Thoughts about why her father had told them to move here and for how long they were supposed to stay.

Thoughts about what had killed him, and why he was found in the woods in the first place.

~

"Zara honey, Bianca is here!" Zara heard her mother scream from the living room as she brushed her hair, not bothering to respond. She grabbed a hairband and used it to pack her hair into a bun, leaving some strands falling down her face.

Afterward, she grabbed a small black tote bag and threw her phone, two jotters, a pen, and some money into it before exiting her room. Bianca was standing at the entrance and had on a cold face. Her outfit consisted of a white small shirt and a green, free-flowing skirt. To top it off, she wore a black boot and packed her hair into a ponytail.

"Play pleasant, Zara. And Bianca, if you need anything, you have my cell," Josephine emerged from the kitchen and pushed Zara out, locking the door behind her. The smell of bacon wafted into Zara's nose, and she realized she hadn't eaten anything for breakfast.

"Hi," Bianca grunted, still feeling the effect of Zara harshly putting her off despite her efforts at befriending her.

"Hey," Zara replied quietly, standing on the spot. Was a cab going to come get them?

From the ghostliness of this place, she thought not, and instead bit her lips, waiting for Bianca to say something.

"Come on, we have to get there early," Bianca broke the silence and started walking on the passage walk, leaving Zara bewildered on the road.

"Aren't we gonna get a cab?" Zara screamed, walking up to reach her, but Bianca kept walking briskly.

"Why not call one yourself?" Bianca snapped.

Zara bit her tongue from making a cruel comment about her outfit and let out a heavy sigh, trying not to rile herself up.

Zara followed Bianca, keeping a safe distance as she just kept walking.

The other identical houses looked abandoned and almost haunted, like no one had lived in them for the past 100 years.

But all of a sudden, as if to prove Zara wrong, she caught sight of a cold pair of crimson eyes from behind the curtain of one of the houses, and she screamed, taking to her heels and bumping into Bianca.

"Watch it!" Bianca yelled as she almost tumbled to the floor and turned back to look at Zara, who looked scared.

"What are you looking at?" Bianca's tone softened this time, and she neared Zara, trying to touch her arm. But Zara immediately flinched and glared at Bianca.

"None of your business," she spat coldly, walking past Bianca along the passage walk. She convinced herself that what she had seen was just a hallucination, the effects of her father's death, and just being exhausted.

Without turning back, she kept walking, only slowing down when she heard a car's engine rev from behind her. Finally! A cab.

To her surprise, she found Bianca sitting in the passenger seat, and a ebony-black-haired man in the driver's seat. She couldn't see his features very well, but she was stunned to see Bianca in the car.

"Get in," the man said with a cheery tone, and Zara did as he told, not wanting to spend any more minutes walking in the damp and dreary weather.

As soon as she had settled in and closed up, the car zoomed off, and Zara filled her eyes with more of the town's look. She saw old-fashioned shops and what seemed to be a church, an old-looking church. A male voice suddenly broke into her line of hearing.

"I'm Austen," he said, and Zara took a peek at him through the mirror, her breath hitching when she saw him staring right back at her. He was undeniably handsome, with perfectly carved eyebrows and a chiseled jaw. He had full lips, his black hair forming some tresses by the side of his face.

"Bianca told me you're the new kid," he continued, startling Zara.

"The new kid?" she repeated incredulously, and Austen let out a hearty laugh.

"News travels fast here. You'd be surprised."