Home Sweet Home

"Honestly, what were you thinking?! Walking home in your condition, are you trying to kill yourself? While we're on the subject, the school should've notified me the moment you fell down the stairs!" Zenobia truly was blessed as she sat at the dinner table.

Made it home on time, came up with a decent excuse and dare she say it-her mother actually looked concerned over her wellbeing? She never thought she'd see the day. Sure, she was still being lectured, but at least she wasn't being talked down to like she usually was.

Now…if only Zora could stop looking at her with tears in her eyes every five seconds, things would be peachy. For now, she had to endure the old hag's worry rants while she ate her dinner. She forced the broccoli casserole into her mouth, turning a shade greener with every bite. Raw or cooked...it tasted awful. From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother quietly sigh.

"Well…no use fretting about it now. As soon as you finish eating, get ready for bed." For once Zenobia did as she was told. She took a few more bites of her meal then she limped her way up the stairs. Quickly brushing her teeth and getting changed, she sat on her bed with a sigh. Reaching over towards her desk, she grabbed her phone, putting it on the charger with a mental note to text the principal.

The least the teen could do was warn the poor woman about her mother's wrath. It wasn't going to be fun talk between the two if what she heard downstairs was anything to go by. She wished Ms. Mude the best of luck as she reached for her notebook. Digging through her drawer, she took out a pencil, itching to get some drawing in.

She would do homework, but it was still in her locker. A great shame she'll be sure to worry about tomorrow. Suddenly as she was about to sketch a new potential mask design, she heard something tap on her window. At first she thought it was an acorn from one of the big oak trees outside her house.

Not even a minute later she heard it again, now two taps. With furrowed brows she glanced up. She found herself surprised. It…it was the black fox from her childhood. Everything from the fur coloring to those beautiful, mystical eyes matched from what she remembered. It was pawing at her window, its nails gently scraping against the glass.

Immediately she went to stand, only to wince when she tried putting pressure on her leg. She sat back down, bouncing slightly on the bed. The fox was still there, pawing for her attention. Zenobia stared into those deep eyes. Her room and the window separating them vanished, replaced with dark green flames.

"What is this?" Images of people flashed in front of her within the flames, transparent images that disappeared as quickly as they came. Each and every single one of them were maskless, staring at the teen with fierce, piercing eyes of all shapes and colors. It was hard for her to meet their intense gazes. An intense weight stacked on her with time that she stayed there, glued to what had to be the fox's illusions.

"That's-" She gasped when she saw red and black eyes. Unlike the others that kept forming and vanishing, Ms. Mude's brother remained. He had his arms crossed; his mouth was tilted a tad up into a smirk. It didn't look like he aged a day, as if he just took the photo Ms. Mude had shown Zenobia earlier that day.

Why was he there? Why was this happening at all? According to her principal, he ran away, disappearing without a trace to never be found. Zenobia glanced at the fox, wondering why it was showing her all these people. What was the point of showing her one person she recognized in a sea of strangers?

Then she heard screaming amongst the fire. Terrified shouts of surprise. Agonized screeches that seemed to echo longer than they should. Sharp gasps that cut off just as it began. It was horrible to hear ears as Zenobia gripped her head. They created a chorus of horror flick victims that showed no signs of stopping. The only one that had no sound or even reaction was Ms. Mude's brother, alongside one other that remained.

"Dad?" There was no way she could forget those warm, pained eyes. His hands were in his pockets while his body was somewhat slouched, making him look shorter than he actually was. A gentle loving smile was on his face, one she missed so, so much. This wasn't some weird trick of the mind. It was him. Why, though? What was the point of doing this?

"Sis?" Zenobia blinked; her hand was outstretched towards the window. The fox less window. Lowering her arm, she turned towards her sister. The five-year old was at the door, frowning at her. Clearing her throat, Zenobia got comfortable. Acting like she wasn't going insane or having wild hallucinations.

"What were you doing?"

"I thought there was a…spider's web in front of me. I was going after it. What's up kiddo?" Zora hesitated, fidgeting in place. Her hand was still on the knob, clenching it one final time before releasing it. She was already dressed for bed, a hairbrush in her free hand. Immediately Zenobia knew what she wanted, so she patted the space next to her.

The younger girl wasted no time in rushing over, but instead of jumping on the mattress like she usually did, she stopped in place. Her yellow orbs cast a worried glance at Zenobia before she carefully climbed up. Her leg slipped, causing her to nearly fall if her sister didn't catch her.

"Oof! Getting heavy." Despite her dramatics, the injured teen was easily able to lift her up onto the bed. She wasted no time grabbing the brush, eyeing the little purple hairpieces on each of Zora's wrists. With one little circular motion of her hand, the somber child silently turned around.

Her bunny buns were somehow still in place, but floppy. They were barely hanging in there. For a few moments there was silence. Each bunny bun was undone, the long hair falling down her back. The brush carefully went through the strands, occasionally tugging at a small tangle. Her hair wasn't so bad, all things considered.

"How about a braid?"

"..."

"What's wrong Zora? If you don't like the braid, I can put it up into a loose pony? Either way, your hair will be much easier to maintain if it's up."

"...Does your leg hurt?" Zenobia paused mid-stroke. She couldn't see her expression, but she heard her voice. How quiet it was. She could imagine Zora pinching her face with her hunched shoulders while playing with her fingers. It was so strange seeing the usually excited, hyperactive girl so reserved.

"A little, but it's ok. I'm ok."

"You lied to mommy…didn't you?"

"What?"

"You didn't fall down the stairs, you can't get hurt from them!"

"Yes, you can, Zora. I just got unlucky at school."

"You still lied." It astounded Zenobia with how confident she was. She had hoped that Zora would simply believe her like her mother did. She didn't want to worry her, so she hadn't intended to say anything about what happened.

It wasn't a horrible experience per say, but as far as she was concerned, the fight, the dog, the old doctor and the boy that connected every other incident that occurred during this afternoon was not worth worrying or remembering. She had no intention of ever seeing those people again. Zenobia had her little adventure, that was it. Tomorrow would be a normal day; with the typical nonsense she had been dealing with and all would be well. Still, under those yellow eyes, she caved.

"How'd you know?"

"You got all dirty and your mask has rocks in it." She had to give it to Zora. The kid was way more observant than she gave her credit for. Which really meant something since mother dearest didn't notice at all. Said observant punk looked so smug when she glanced over her shoulder. Her smile was the widest it had been all night. A spike of nervousness shot through the older sibling.

"Don't tell mom?"

"I won't…for two things." Zenobia could only shake her head. For a moment she stared at the ceiling, praying the two things weren't overly ridiculous. As much as she didn't want to admit it, her hands were tied. If Zora decided to squeal, she was screwed.

"Ok, let's hear it."

"I want two braids in my hair tonight."

"Sounds doable. What's the other thing?"

"I wanna hear what really happened. How'd you get boo boos?" With a sigh, she agreed. She raised her hand, showing her pinky finger. Zora spun around, reaching to wrap her pinky around the bigger one.

They shared a small smile before Zora twisted back into her comfortable position, waiting for those twin braids. With another sigh Zenobia parted it into separate strands, ready to tell the glorious tale that was her afternoon. There was not a doubt in her mind she'd at least cheer when Rosette was introduced.