5 Chapter 3: Zen

Zen was a girl that had been raised by zombies her entire life. I met her during my time in the hunter's den, having run into her just at the border of the forest and Zombietown. She'd been looking for something, but I'd never learned exactly what. Zen was one of the kindest people I met, but now she looked as though she was going to pass out at the sight of me.

    Once the chaos died down, I managed to slip away from the pack to find my old friend. I found her in the hallway next to three zombies, and I hesitated. What would Willa do if she saw me talking to them? Probably have a hissy fit. With a deep breath, I carefully approached them.

    The female zombie regarded me suspiciously, being the first to notice my presence. Zen herself turned at the other girl's nod, eyes widening momentarily.

    "Guys, this is Waylynn. Waylynn, this is Zed, Eliza, and Bonzo." She pointed to each zombie as she said their name. I gave a small wave in greeting.

    "Zen, I haven't seen you for almost two years. How have you been?" Zed gave her a look of surprise, to which she replied with a glare.

    "My dad caught me sneaking into the forest and put an end to it. Besides, I never found what I was looking for, and I was honestly freaked out by being in those woods. Got caught in a bear trap when I was little. I'm guessing a hunter set it out for you guys." Zen shrugged. I nodded in understanding.

    "Makes sense. Well, I should probably get back before someone points out that I'm gone. I'll see you later." Zen nodded, and I crept back to the pack.

    "Where were you?" Wyatt hissed when he saw me.

    "Finding an old friend. Hadn't seen her for a while."

    "You're lucky I'm the only one that noticed you were gone. Willa would've had your head. Be more careful next time because I know you're gonna sneak off again." He sighed, turning back to the pack. Great. Back to ignoring me in public.

    The next school day started with Willa scoring her claws across a few lockers, scaring some nearby students as Wyatt scolded her. I stuck to my place in the back, spotting Zen with Eliza and Zed. Eliza held a clipboard as she stood between the other two, pointing at some things before looking at… us?

    "Winning the wolves' vote won't be easy."

    "We just need to help them fit in like we did." Pfft. Zed, you adorable, ignorant fool. The bell rang, and I howled alongside the pack until we went our separate ways.

    "I'm going to go find Addison. For your peace of mind." I heard Zen tell Zed before I began paying attention to my group. We had picked up on the white-haired girl's scent the moment we walked in the doors, and now we were following it. It took us to the library, where each wolf split up to subtly surround the suspected Great Alpha. I watched from a corner as Wyatt held a book in front of his face, and it would've been perfect had he been holding it right side up. The girl bravely flipped the book for him, settling down at a table with another cheerleader.

    "Hey, Addy." Zen sat down next to the white-haired girl with a smile.

    "Hey." Willa slammed a few books down on the table after Wynter ate some of the other girl's papers.

    "Lies! These history books say werewolves attacked Seabrook settlers. But they struck first and stole our moonstone!" The alpha spat loudly.

    "Sorry. I didn't know that."

    "There's a lot you don't know." Willa picked up the books, strutting towards the exit.

    "I know the alarm's gonna go off if you don't check out those books!" Addison called, but Willa dramatically threw her necklace at the alarms and disabled them.

    Wyatt leaned closer to Addison, earning a warning glare from Zen. "Our necklaces have a way with technology." Zen's gaze flicked down to her left ankle, but I was the only one to notice. 

What's that about?

    "These are useless. They don't say anything about where the moonstone is hidden." Willa slammed the book shut with a huff. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted three familiar figures approaching us.

    "Hi, I'm Zed. Zombie. Football star. Presidential hopeful." I cringed as Zed held out a hand but received no response. He and Eliza went on about the student presidential election, but I was more interested in the look happening between my brother and Zen. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked away quickly.

Like the Zombies Do

    I looked up at the sky as I waited for my brother to make his grand reappearance. After getting at me for going missing, he disappears for almost ten hours.

    "Waylynn, is he back yet?" I heard Willa shout from inside the den.

    "No, not yet. You'll know when he is." She remained silent, seemingly satisfied. I didn't care much to analyze that, because I caught Wyatt's scent before I saw him. "Where have you been? Willa's livid."

    "I was doing some observations. We don't have much time to find the moonstone." I parted my lips slightly, tasting the air and catching a familiar scent.

    "Why were you with Zen? She was practically killing you with her glares today." I asked, and he only hesitated for a moment before regaining his composure.

    "I was near that house. She happened to be outside, and almost found me before she got called inside." He was lying. Did he forget I could hear his heartbeat pick up?

    "Might wanna calm down our alpha before she tears you apart for disappearing for so long." I commented before heading back inside the den. Better be careful, brother. Zen isn't someone to play games with.