Zanya's first day
Early morning in the Loud House. As usual, it was chaotic. With ten kids needing to get ready for school and one baby for daycare, the line for the bathroom was always a long one. Being at the back of the line would usually be a point of annoyance for many. This time, however, it suited Lisa quite well. Why? Because their guest, Zanya, was right in front of her in line. This was an opportune time for the little scientist to make inquiries regarding the zombie girl's existence. "So, if I understand you correctly…" Lisa started, as she finished taking a tissue sample from her. "...should one of your appendages become separated from your person, you can still feel what happens to the appendage as if it were still connected?"
"I...think that sounds about right." Zanya replied, holding her arm out so Lisa could attempt to get a blood sample. Attempt being the key word, since she didn't have any blood. Instead, it was some kind of bright green ooze. Lola, who was watching from near the front, turned a little green herself at the sight, looking away.
"Ugh….disgusting." she grumbled, fighting back the feeling of nausea.
"You say something, sis?" Luna asked from right behind Lola.
"I said she is disgusting…" she whispered "...that zombie…"
"What? Nah, Lo. She's cool." Luna said quietly.
"She's a walking disease vector! Whatever a vector is…" she snapped as quietly as she could.
"Listen Lola...just because she's one of the grateful dead doesn't mean she's riding dirty."
"That's exactly what it means...and I bet Lisa will say so too after she finishes testing those samples she took." Luna sighed in defeat, realizing she wouldn't convince the prissy little girl otherwise herself. She hoped Lisa's tests could possibly prove Zanya was alright. The line soon started to move, Lisa briefly abandoning her place to put her samples into storage. As soon as Zanya finished with her shower and emerged from the bathroom, Leni peeked out of her room.
"Zanya. Could you, like, come in here a second?"
"Huh? Oh. Sure thing, Leni." The ghoul girl wondered what the ditzy Loud wanted, stepping into her and Lori's room. Leni was smiling brightly, while Lori was putting her shoes on while texting.
"I thought you would totes want to make a good first impression at school, so I thought a new dress would really do the trick. And I have just the thing.."
"Oh...that's rather nice of you, Leni, but…" Before she could finish her thought, Leni quickly swapped her robe for a soft yellow dress, white socks, brand new black shoes, and a teal hair bow in her unkept hair. She had changed her so fast, it was almost blink and you miss it. "Leni! I said….." she was about to scold her, but then looked at herself in the mirror. "...hey, this does look nice."
"Thanks." Leni replied with a big smile. "I made the dress myself."
"Really? You shouldn't have Leni."
"Awwww, it was nothing. I made it a while ago for Lynn, but she...isn't really the dress kind. But I thought the color went well with your skin tone and you're about her size...maybe a hair shorter...so maybe you would like it."
"Thank you very much." Zanya gave the second oldest Loud a big hug.
"You're welcome, Zanya." Leni returned the hug, but then looks the zombie girl over with a critical eye. "Hmmmm. We should do something about your hair before you go to school. It's a little messy. Lori, could you help up a moment?" The eldest sister looked up at them, blinking when she saw their guest from Grimwood.
"Er….I….uh…" Lori's eyes darted around quickly, looking for an excuse to not get involved. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't think of anything. "Uh….sure Leni." Lori put her phone down and cautiously moved over to Leni's bed, where the fashionista had sat Zanya down. She handed Lori a hair brush and started brushing her hair. The phone fancier took hold of the brush with a shaky hand, hesitating to even touch the zombie's hair. She had imagined that her hair was all wirey and loose, like brushing steel wool. And if her head came off while she was brushing… "Your...head isn't going to come off, is it?"
"Nope. I secured it this morning." She reassured her, tilting her head and showing her the extra medical staples around her neck.
"...good to know." Lori said, though she felt a little nauseated by the sight. She had no idea how Leni could be so calm, casually brushing a zombie's hair like it were no big deal. She bit her lip and carefully stroked Zanya's hair with the brush. To her surprise, the brush flowed right through her hair smooth and easy. Her locks were quite soft and manageable, though not as much as any of the Loud sisters. "Huh...her hair is much softer than I thought…" Lori thought out loud as she brushed.
"Thanks. I do try and wash it every day with my own special shampoo." Zanya said with a smile, causing Lori to blink. She accidently said that out loud?
"Ooh! What's in it?" Leni asked excitedly.
"Well, a little swamp algae for vitamin enrichment, crushed centipede carapaces for strengthening and revitalization, a few drops of moccasin venom, good for the scalp, and finally some foxglove leaves for a herbal scent." The corpse children explained, leaving the two Loud teens surprised and speechless.
"I'll take your word for it…" Lori said finally, though a part of her was also thinking 'if that does this for a zombie's hair….I wonder what it could do for mine?'
"There we go." Leni said as she held a mirror in front of Zanya, letting her see her now neat and straight hair.
"Hmmmm. I'll miss my old do, but this does look great. Thanks. Both of you." Zanya hugged the two of them, Lori cringing a bit. Fortunately, Leni didn't see her.
"We...better get ready quick. We don't want to be late." Lori said hastily, hoping to get out of the hug quicker.
"Oh! You're right! Come on, Zanya. We gotta get some breakfast, then get to the car." The second oldest sister grabbed their guest by the hand and ran out of the room. Lori breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed her phone and backpack. She looked at her phone screen for a moment, though she wasn't really seeing it; she was too deep in thought. She wasn't really sure why she was so uneasy around Zanya. Yeah, she was a legit zombie, but she was a far cry from what she knew about the undead from media. In fact, she wasn't really all that different from her own sisters. So why does the thought of being near her make her so uncomfortable? Lori sighed and pocketed her phone before heading downstairs into the early morning school prep chaos.
Vanzilla skidded to a stop right in front of Royal Woods Elementary, two doors on the side flying open as five children came pouring out: Lola, Lana, Lisa, Lucy and Zanya. "Have a good day you guys!" Lori shouted before she drove off in a hurry.
"You too!" Lana and Zanya shouted in return. Lola took the opportunity to slip into the school to avoid being seen around the ghoul girl. Lisa, not wishing to be marked tardy, also hurried inside. The two Louds and Zanya were some of the last students to enter the school. Right inside the door, they could see Principal Huggins standing outside his office, looking kinda on edge. His eyes were practically scanning each student as they came in until his eyes fell onto the Grimwood girl.
"You there. Miss." Lucy, Lana and Zanya all stopped and look toward him in confusion. "Not you, Louds. The young lady with you. Come here." Curious, the zombie girl walked over to him while he motions the Loud sisters to keep moving. "You're the exchange student from Grimwood, I presume?"
"Yes, sir. I'm Zanya." She answered, looking up at him.
"Principal Huggins, principal of Royal Woods Elementary. Would you be so kind as to come with me, Miss Zanya. I'd like to speak with you for a moment before classes start." The thin, balding man opened the door behind him and led the zombie girl across the reception area and into his office. He moved around behind his desk, while Zanya took a seat in front of it. "Now, first off, I'd like to welcome you to our humble little school."
"Why, thank you, Mr Huggins." The corpse girl said with a bright smile.
"Miss Grimwood has already sent me a copy of your personal record, including information pertaining to your 'medical issue', as well as your being…er…" Mr Huggins looked a little nervous as he looked through the file on her desk.
"A zombie?"
"...if that is what you prefer, yes." He said, though he still looked visibly uncomfortable. "I have informed the staff of this as well, but the student body is yet unaware…."
"That's just fine." Zanya shrugged her shoulders in a casual way. "I can tell them myself."
"Actually, I was hoping you would refrain from that, Miss Zanya…"
"Huh?" The zombie girl looked a little confused at this.
"You have to understand, Miss Zanya...children like yourself are uncommon here. The other children may not understand...they may even be afraid or even become hostile. I simply don't wish any trouble, least of all toward you." He explained, looking to her with a look of concern.
"...I think I understand, Mr Huggins." Zanya replied, standing up. "But they're going to find out eventually...wouldn't it be better to tell them right off the bat?"
"With any luck, as long as you don't tell them, they'll never find out. Now, I want you to promise me you won't tell anyone about your being a zombie…"
"But…"
"Promise me!" He shouted, slamming his hands against his desk, making Zanya jump.
"...yes sir…" She responded sadly in defeat.
"Good girl." Principal Huggins said, returning to his original attitude in an instant. "I'm glad we can come to an understanding, young lady. Now, run along to class." He motioned her toward the door, to which the saddened zombie child left slowly. Pleased with the end result, Principal Huggins returned to his work calm as you please.
It took Zanya a few minutes to find her classroom, even though the late bell had already rang and the halls were empty. Fortunately, Miss Johnson had peeked out into the hall, wondering where their guest from Grimwood was. "Excuse me. Can you direct me to Miss Johnson's class?" The ghoul gal asked her when she spotted her.
"Oh. You must be Zanya. You found it, dear." The middle aged redhead said with a smile, stepping out of the room.
"Sorry I'm late, ma'am. The principal wanted to talk to me first." Zanya apologized.
"I imagined as much. I suspect he spoke to you about…"
"Yes….and he made me promise not to say anything about it…" Zanya looked down at the ground, clearly upset about it. Lincoln's teacher noticed her expression and knelt down to her level.
"Zanya, I know it sounds unfair to ask you to lie to the other students…" She started in a whisper. "...but it's for your own good." She then muttered in her breath, "...and to cover his own hide."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing, dear. If it were up to me, I would say you could tell...at least students you felt you could trust...but Principal Huggins is the boss."
"I know...I just wish it didn't have to be this way…" Zanya sighed, shaking her head a bit.
"...do you need a moment before we introduce you to the class?" Miss Johnson asked softly.
"No..no. I'll be alright." She replied, taking a breath and putting on a little smile. The teacher nodded, turning and stepping into the room first.
"Children, allow me to introduce you to our special guest and your new classmate for a few months. Our exchange student from Miss Grimwood's Finishing School, Miss Zanya." The zombie girl adjusted the collar of her dress to cover the staples on her neck before she stepped into the classroom. She was astounded to see so many children in one room, having been used to only having eight other students in her classes.
"Um….hello everyone." She said, feeling a little self conscious. There was a general murmur of polite greeting from the class.
"Why don't you tell us a little about yourself, Zanya?" Miss Johnson encouraged her, patting her on the shoulder.
"Well...my name is Zanya. I recently turned eleven, my favorite color is dark green, my favorite games include soccer, volleyball, hide and freak…"
"Hide and Freak?" Rusty asked, looking confused.
"It's like hide and seek, only the hiders have to try and scare the seeker before they are found." She elaborated.
"Sounds like a hoot. Maybe we oughta try it." Liam whispers to Lincoln's small circle of friends.
"...and my Daddy is a private eye."
"A detective? How exciting." Miss Johnson said. She was about to ask if he was a single father, but she thought he was probably a zombie too. 'Then again, with the guys I've dated before….might be an improvement.' she thought.
"Oh, and I have a condition where I need to eat frequently. Like, every hour or so, maybe less if I'm really active."
"Yes, Principal Huggins warned me about that." Miss Johnson said. "I normally discourage eating in class, but if you really need to, Zanya, just try and do it quietly." Zanya nodded as she popped a bite sized peanut butter cup into her mouth.
"I'll try, Miss Johnson."
"Thank you. Now, why don't you have a seat, so we can begin?" The zombie girl nodded and walked over to the empty seat that used to be Lincoln's, right next to Clyde, Zach and Rusty.
"Hey there. I'm Clyde." He whispered as soon as soon as the teacher turned her back.
"Nice to meet you, Clyde." She whispered back.
"Howdy, ah'm Liam." The small boy with the bowl cut orange hair said quietly.
"And I'm Zach." The red headed boy behind her whispered into her ear.
"Yo. I'm Rusty, ladies man extraordinaire." The tall, frizzy haired carrot top in front of her said in a low, faux sauve voice, giving her the finger gun with a click of his tongue. Zanya had a hard time stifling her giggles. Something about Rusty's confidence she found somewhat cute. Before they could say anything further, Miss Johnson turned back to the class, so they had to look like they were going to pay attention. As they started their first lesson of the day, social studies, Zanya noticed a few things about the class. Not all the students were paying attention to the lesson. A few were chatting quietly, a few focused on their phones, a few even sleeping in class. Miss Grimwood would never let this slide. Then again, there were a lot more students here than at the finishing school. It would be very difficult to focus on so many children at once, especially for one teacher. That said, Miss Johnson did reprimand a few of the sleeping students, but just as many got off scot free. After their first class, they were all escorted down to the gymnasium, where Coach Pacowski was waiting for them.
"Ok, kids. Today, we're gonna play everyone's favorite game." He stated, looking at the line of children before him.
"Parcheesi?" Liam asked, getting laughs from most his fellow students and the coach.
"That gets funnier every time you say it." He replied, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye.
"Can't blame a guy fer trying…" Liam muttered.
"No. Dodgeball!" A few of the students groaned, but some, especially Girl Jordan, cheered. "But first...which one of you is Zanya."
"Here, sir." She answered, raising her hand.
"You're sitting this one out." He instructed.
"What!?" Most of the kids exclaimed, Zanya included.
"Why!?" The zombie girl added, clearly upset.
"Principal Huggins' orders, kid. Because of your condition, you can't play these kinda sports." The coach explained.
"Because she needs to snack so much? I don't see how that can prevent…" Clyde started to say.
"Like I said, I'm just following orders. If he says you're out, then that's all there is to it."
"But that's not fair…" Zanya complained.
"If you have an issue, then talk to the principal. My hands are tied here." The coach said. "The rest of you, pick sides." Zanya frowns as her new classmates split into two teams and she was pretty much forced to the side.
"This is ridiculous…" she grumbled as she watched them prepare to play. "I can kind of understand wanting to keep it secret...but banning me from playing sports because of it? That is just…..ugh…" She sighed, figuring she could air her grievances with the principal after gym class, but for the time being, all she could do was sit there. Lincoln's friends immediately went into their snake formation, but Clyde was too focused on the upset Grimwood girl sitting all by her lonesome. He wasn't the only one either. Girl Jordan, who was usually the MVP on a dodgeball team, didn't have the heart to really play after what happened. By the end of it, no one was really playing; more half heartedly throwing the ball to the other side of the field, and Coach Pacowski didn't like this at all.
"What was that?" He shouted, personally offended by this lackluster performance. "I've seen more energy at the retirement home!"
"Sorry, coach." Clyde said. "But dodgeball isn't much fun unless everyone gets to play." There was a general murmur of agreement from most of their classmates as they all departed for the locker rooms, leaving the furious coach behind.
Back in Miss Johnson's classroom for literature class, the students were tasked with reading 'The Three Musketeers' in and out of class and write a book report about it. Unfortunately, there weren't enough books to hand out to all the students. Fortunately, the school did have a decently stocked library. Zanya volunteered to be the one to go to the library, as she wanted to see more of the school and she was hoping a little walk would help her mood after what happened at gym. Meanwhile, in the hall, a young man with messy brown hair, a green shirt and jeans was leaning against the lockers a little way away from his classroom. He had told his teacher he needed to use the bathroom, but in reality, he just wanted to avoid a particularly boring part of the class. He did this pretty often, but he had friends in the class who could give him the abridged version of what he missed, so his grades rarely ever suffered from it. Granted, he had nothing to do in the hall, but it was still less boring than sitting through that lecture. He looked up the corridor for something to distract him, and he spotted Zanya. His eyes widened as he watched her approach, almost in slow motion. He never saw this pale young lady before, but he found himself instantly fascinated. Sporting a confident grin, he made his made his move. "Hey."
"Huh? Oh, hello." Zanya replied.
"Names Chandler. What's your name, cutie?" The Grimwood girl blushed a little bit.
"I'm Zanya."
"Never seen you around before. New to the school?" He asked, straightening up.
"Yes, actually. I'm the exchange student from Miss Grimwood's." She explained. "In fact, I think I got lost again...am I heading the right way to the library?"
"You're not far off. Just hang a left at that next intersection and keep right on going. It's the big green doors at the end." He told her, pointing down the hall.
"Thank you so much."
"For a pretty little thing like you? Anytime." Chandler flashed her a winning smile, making the zombie girl blush even more. "See ya around sometime?"
"S...sure. See you around." She replied with a shy smile, moving on down the hall with the boy watching her as she left. "Well, at least the other kids are friendly." She muttered to herself. "Maybe this won't be so bad." Following Chandler's directions, she found herself right in the library. It was nowhere near as big as Miss Grimwood's library, but it was brighter and cleaner. Very clean in fact. Too clean. The school librarian, a tall, lean woman with bright yellow hair and a slightly pointed nose, was reading a newspapermat her desk when Zanya had arrived. She was wearing a well pressed woman's suit, flats and a flu mask over her face. Over in the corner of the library, unnoticed by many, Lucy was enjoying a book of Poe stories. "Hello. Do you have a copy of 'The Three Musketeers'?"
"Hello, young lady. Do you have a library card?" The librarian asked in a soft, quiet voice.
"Not yet. I'm new to the school. My name is Zanya." She said, placing her hand on the end of the librarian's desk. The woman flinched and went pale when Zanya introduced herself, which the little zombie girl noticed.
"I see...the exchange student...I heard about you." She said as she pulled several tissues from her desk and used the wad to push her fingers off the desk. "I'm sorry. I cannot help you."
"You don't have the book?" Zanya asked, Lucy looking up from her own book as she heard her voice.
"We have the book, but….I keep a very clean library here, Miss Zanya."
"What does that have to do with me checking out a book?"
"Everything, young lady." The librarian glanced in both directions to make sure no students were around before she said, "I am well aware of the fact that you are a zombie. A living dead body. Dead bodies are covered in horrible germs and bacteria. Germs and bacteria that I don't want on my precious books." Zanya's mouth hung open in shock and outrage. "Now, kindly leave and don't return…"
"Seriously…?" She said quietly, then she shouted, "Seriously!?"
"This is a library. I asked you nicely once. Now I'm telling you. Leave now or I will have you sent to the Principal's office." Zanya's eyes filled with tears as she stormed out of the library, leaving the librarian to begin a new cleaning regiment in order to cleanse her desk and rug of the corpse germs she thought Zanya left behind. As she worked, she started to shiver a little. She thought the air conditioning had kicked in, but the true cause was from the icy glare of Lucy Loud. The distraught young ghoul lady didn't immediately return to class, but instead took refuge in one of the girls bathrooms along the way. Once inside, she instantly slumped in a corner and started crying her eyes out, almost literally. What she didn't know was that there was someone else in the restroom. Stella emerged from one of the stalls when she heard the sobbing, noticing the girl in the corner.
"Hey...are you alright Zanya?" She asked with concern, kneeling in front of her. Zanya sniffled and coughed a few times as she tried to stop crying long enough to speak.
"I..was just in the library…" she sobbed. "...I just needed a book...but the librarian called me filthy and forced me to leave and told me not to come back…" It wasn't necessarily the full truth, but she couldn't tell the full truth without breaking the promise she was forced to make with Principal Huggins.
"Miss Dorreen? Yeah, she is a piece of work, isn't she..?" Stella said derisively. "Nearly banned Clyde for life for almost sneezing in her library. She's kind of a germaphobe."
"I noticed…"
"It's still not right that she turns you away like that...especially if you need that book." Stella said with a frown. "I could go get it for you and then we can go to the principal about it, if you want."
"I already took care of that." Lucy said, startling Stella and Zanya, the latter jumping into the former's arms.
"How did you do that?" Stella asked with a trembly voice.
"You weren't paying attention." Lucy explained. "I have your book, Zanya."
"You do? Thank you, Lucy." She said, climbing out of Stella's arms. "Nice scare, by the way."
"You're welcome and thanks." She replied with a small smile.
"Lucy? As in Lucy Loud?" Stella asked. "I know your brother."
"You must be Stella. A pleasure." Lucy said in her usual monotone, shaking her hand. "I better get a move on. Recess is almost over. I'll give you the book at home Zanya, just in case Miss Dorreen is watching from somewhere."
"Thanks again." Lucy nodded lightly before she exited the bathroom.
"Well, that takes care of that...but you should still go see the principal." Stella suggested. "Because that's just not fair."
"He may be part of the problem…" Zanya muttered under her breath. The taller, raven haired girl looked at her a little strangely.
"What was that?"
"Nevermind...thank you for caring enough to offer to help me." Zanya said with a small smile.
"Anytime. I'm Stella, by the way."
"Pleased to meet you...you're in my class, aren't you?"
"Hehe. Yep. And speaking of, we better get back." Stella offered her a hand up, which the zombie girl took, getting to her feet with her help. When they returned to class, Zanya explained to Miss Johnson what had happened in a whisper. To say she was outraged was an understatement. She was positively livid. So much so she wanted to march with Zanya right to the Principal's Office to complain...but she couldn't, since she had no one to watch the class. The girl from Grimwood calmed her by saying she was already planning to see him after school for another issue from earlier, so she would voice her grievance then too. In the meantime, she had a copy of the book at home, thanks to Lucy, and Clyde was more than happy to share with Zanya for in class. The rest of literature class and math class were uneventful, though even more children seemed to sleep through math. Finally, it was time for lunch. Along with her snack supplies, Zanya had brought her own lunch with her, so she was able to sit with her new friends almost instantly.
"So, what's for lunch?" Clyde asked as he set his lunch box down.
"My favorite. Peanut butter sandwiches." She replied, pulling out a few sandwiches from her backpack.
"Trade one fer a BLT?" Liam asked, offering her his own sandwich.
"Maybe another time, thanks." She replied.
"How about a few peanut butter cups for a bag of carrots sticks?" Stella offered as she joined them at their table.
"Sold. I ate the last of mine during gym." Zanya replied, trading some chocolatey treats for some carrot sticks.
"I still don't get why Principal Huggins would instruct the coach not to let you play." Zach said, eating the salsbury steak he bought from the lunch line...or at least he hoped that's what it was.
"Tell me about it." Girl Jordan said as she joined them, surprising the male members of Lincoln's inner circle. She never joined them at lunch time. "And what'd he mean by your condition? I doubt he was talking about your need to snack…"
"That's what I said." Clyde interjected.
"Is there something you're not telling us, Zanya?" Rusty asked, noticing the sad look on her face.
"More like something I'm not allowed to tell…" she mumbled, taking a half hearted bite from her sandwich, her head resting on her hand.
"Not allowed to tell?" Her friends all looked at one another. What could that possibly mean? "It can't be that bad, can it?" Jordan asked.
"Principal Huggins feels it is…" She groaned.
"Intrigue…." Rusty muttered, rubbing his chin.
"Hey losers...and Girl Jordan." Came a horribly snobbish voice from behind them. Everyone but Zanya turned to see a tall, bleach blonde girl wearing a designer pink jacket with black stretch pants, and silver sneakers. She had black eyeshadow, blush and crimson lipstick on her face
"Malora Lesrec…." Girl Jordan replied curtly. Malora's eyes turned to Zanya, who wasn't paying her any mind, whereas everyone else at the table was either scared of her or glaring at her.
"And who might this be?" She asked, circling the table to step in front of Zanya's field of vision.
"Name's Zanya…" She replied, glancing up at the girl who was clearly judging her.
"Pale as anything….ratty hair…" she started to list off, pulling a bit on Zanya's locks until Jordan stood up. "..passable clothes...if only barely."
"If there's a point, get to it." Stella said.
"...did I say I was talking to you?" Malora replied with venom in her voice, not even looking at Stella. "As I was saying, you look like a loser to me….but there may be hope for you." When Zanya didn't reply, she continued. "I have decided, out of the kindness of my heart, to allow you the golden opportunity to associate yourself with the likes of moi, Malora Lesrec." More silence from the zombie girl, annoying the blonde before her. "...don't you ignore me…."
"I'm not interested." Zanya finally said in a deadpan voice Lucy would be proud of after she swallowed her latest bite of peanut butter.
"Ex….cuse me?" Malora asked in stunned disbelief.
"I said I'm not interested." She repeated herself. "Thank you for your time, but we'd like to finish enjoying our lunch."
"Hmph. Fine. You wouldn't have made a worthy associate anyway. Go on and enjoy your lunch, porky." She spat at Zanya, who looked like she could really care less about Malora's disapproval and her insult. Naturally, this made her even angrier as she stormed off.
"Hmph. Porky. She's thinner than you are, brat…" Girl Jordan muttered.
"So, who exactly was that?" The corpse child asked.
"Malora Lesrec. One of the popular girls of our grade. Her parents are in the movie business, and they like to star their 'little princess' in the starring role whenever they can." Girl Jordan explained.
"She's as mean as a rattler, but because she's famous and looks purty, she pretty much gets everythin' she wants." Liam continued.
"So avoid her at all costs. Got it." Zanya said. 'i have enough problems without someone like her on my case.' The rest of lunch was quieter and more enjoyable, with the melancholy ghoul gal cheering up a little as the boys related some of the hijinx they used to get into with Lincoln. They were being escorted outside for recess when a hand on Zanya's shoulder. She turned to see Principal Huggins, who was shaking his head at her. "What? I'm not allowed to go to recess either?"
"It's for the best, Zanya. We can't be too careful…"
"And why is that?" Stella asked, standing before the two of them, her arms crossed in front of her.
"Why exactly are you keeping Zanya from gym, recess and the library?" Zach asked, him and his friends looking as disapproving as Stella.
"That is no concern of yours, children. Now run along." He said as he pulled Zanya away from the door to the playground, the zombie girl struggling all the way.
"Something's more rotten here than last week's lunch…." Rusty commented with a frown.
"Zanya can't be that fragile, if she's living with the Louds." Clyde added.
"Principal Huggins is hiding something...and I plan to find out what." Girl Jordan said, slamming her fist into her hand with determination.
Meanwhile, inside the school, Zanya was directed to an empty classroom by the principal, though she was not happy about it. "Principal Huggins, this is beyond unfair." She said, finally putting her foot down. "I can understand wanting me to keep being a zombie a secret. I really can, even if I don't like it. But keeping me from participating in gym class and recess!?"
"I can't take the chance, Zanya. One false more and you could lose an arm, leg or a head and the jig is up."
"Seriously!? That's your concern!?" Zanya shouted, pulling down her collar to show him the staples on her neck. "Take a good look! That's well secured. Unless I want it to come off, it's not coming off."
"You don't know that, Zanya." The balding principal retorted, his own irritation building.
"I know that for a fact! I've been hit in the face with a volleyball with these in place, hit by a friend who's much stronger than I am. And it stayed put!" She slammed one of her hands on a nearby desk. "And what about the library!? The librarian banned me because I'm a zombie and apparently that makes me filthy!" The principal's eyes widen in surprise.
"This is the first I heard of this….I suppose I should have expected that...I will speak with her personally about this. But it should serve to prove my point as to why you should keep your secret. This sort of thing could be happening to you from your classmates."
"Because it's so much better to be treated this way by grown ups…"
"You'll thank me for this someday." He said as he left her in the room to spend her recess. Zanya growled in anger, shoving string cheese into her mouth as she paced about. She was ranting quietly to herself when she heard the door opened and saw Girl Jordan sneak in.
"Jordan? What are you doing in here?"
"Trying to get some answers." She whispered in reply. "None of this is making any sense to me. Why would Huggins want you to stay out of gym and recess? What is this condition coach was talking about? And what's all this about you not being allowed in the library either? Why are you being singled out like this?"
"...all those questions have the same answer…and I'm forbidden from giving an answer." Zanya replied with a furious sigh. "He says it's for my own good…"
"For your own good? How can any of this be for anyone's good?" Girl Jordan argued.
"I agree, but there's nothing I can do right now…" Zanya sits down in a chair behind the desk she smacked. "I have half a mind to write to Miss Grimwood about this…"
"Then maybe you should." Girl Jordan said, pulling a chair over to sit by her. "And tell Lincoln's parents too. I bet they'll be able to do something."
"I don't know...this isn't like another kid picking on me or anything...this is the principal…I don't know what Mr and Mrs Loud can do." And in her mind, she was almost afraid of what Miss Grimwood would do. She was not one you want to make angry, and she would no doubt not like hearing what was going on.
"You never know until you try. It beats doing nothing and letting him get away with it."
"...you're right, Jordan. Thanks." Zanya gave her a weak smile.
"What're friend for?" She replied, giving her a smile in return. "I'll see you back in class. Oh..and I don't think he said you had to stay in here for all of recess."
"No...but where am I going to go? I'm not allowed in the library, and I don't think getting caught in the hall without reason will help my cause."
"...good point. Speaking of, I better go before the hall monitors come back around again." She peeks outside the room for a moment before she made her move, slipping out of the room. Zanya was left all by herself for the duration of recess, alone with her thoughts and her snacks. When Miss Johnson (who wasn't any happier when she heard about what happened) came to bring her to class, she had opted to work on some of the homework that had been assigned already. The final lesson of the day was science, where they were studying inertia using springs and little wooden cars. It was mostly uneventful, save for Rusty accidently sending springs bouncing all around the classroom. With the last lesson over, class was dismissed. As Zanya prepared to leave, Clyde, Rusty, Liam and Zach all approached her.
"Hey, Zanya. We were planning to head over to the comic book store later. Wanna come with?" Clyde offered, the other boys giving her expectant smiles. While Zanya wasn't really much for comics, she did think it would be an ideal time to see the town and get to know her new friends.
"Alright. Just let me return to the Loud House to restock my snack supplies, get my pocket money and tell the Louds where I'll be."
"Sweet. We'll meet you there later." Rusty said, giving her a wink before they headed off. Zanya put the books she needed into her backpack and stepped out into the hallway, where the foot traffic was fairly heavy.
"Well, hello again, beautiful." Came the voice of Chandler from beside her as she managed to enter the moving mass of students. She turned to look at him and his smiling face.
"Oh! Hello Chandler. Had a good day?" She asked, smiling at him in return.
"Yeah. Even better now. How about you?"
"Truthfully, it could have been better…my first day here was kinda rough...but I did make a lot of new friends, so I guess it wasn't all bad."
"Well, maybe I can help make it better, if you aren't busy later. We could go get some ice cream."
"That sounds nice, but I'm afraid I have plans already. I'm going to the comic book store with Clyde, Zach, Liam and Rusty." Chandler blinked, looking at her a little strangely.
"I...never pegged you for a comic book ge...er...fan." He corrected himself quickly to avoid possibly upsetting her.
"I'm not, but it would be nice to see the town and get to know them better. And who knows? Maybe I'll see something interesting." Chandler breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"Oh. Well, how about tomorrow after school?"
"Sure. Sounds fun."
"Great. In that case, I'll see you tomorrow, Zanya." He said, giving her a finger gun in farewell as well as a little smirk before he went on his way. The raven haired zombie giggled a little bit as she exited the school and found Lana, Lisa, Lola and Lucy all waiting by the curb.
"Hey Zanya!" Lana called excitedly, waving to her with a big smile on her face.
"Zanya. I hope you're doing better now than you were earlier." Lucy said.
"Hey everyone. Yeah, a little bit, no thanks to Principal Huggins…"
"Yes...Lucy informed us about what happened in the library." Lisa told her with a frown.
"What a witch...kicking you out just because…" Lana started to say, but Lisa and Lucy stopped her. "Oh...right...he made us promise not to say anything about...that."
"He made you guys promise too?" Zanya asked, her mood souring instantly.
"Affirmative. Not long after he had his talk with you, I imagine. I personally do not see the point in such deception, but he refused to take no for an answer."
"He even said he'd suspend us if we told anyone in class." Lana said.
"Not that I would tell anyone I have to share a house with a foul, yucky walking corpse…" Lola grumbled.
"You say something, sis?" Lana asked her twin.
"Nothing…" She replied sourly.
"...there's more I could tell you, but I think it's best if we wait till we get home…" Zanya whispered to them, glancing in either direction. "In case you know who is listening." And as it turned out, she was right...sort of. Watching them from a nearby was the head of the school himself, looking out at them with a serious expression. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he felt he could guess safely enough.
"They're upset, as children tend to get." He said to himself as he observed them till Vanzilla's arrival on school property. "I suspected as much. But even the justly punished throw tantrums and sulk when given what they deserve for their own good. In time, however, they will realize just how right I was, and that everything I've done was for Zanya's own good." He starts to imagine what would have happened if the other children discovered she was a monster girl as he meandered toward his office: students throwing rotten fruit and vegetables at her on sight. Classes being disrupted as students screamed and ran from the zombie, or hurled insults at her. Students chasing her down with pitchforks and torches, leaving his precious school in ruin trying to destroy her. He shuddered at the thought, shaking his head to clear it before saying, "They'll see...it's for the best…"