HERE WE ARE WITH CHAPTER 10! THE REAL ONE THIS TIME!
FRIENDS, I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT A BUMMER THIS SUMMER IS GOING TO BE IN THE SENSE OF WRITING. I'M GOING TO BE ENROLLED IN DRIVERS ED, I'VE GOT TO GO TO MY BROTHERS WEDDING IN A TOWN THREE HORS AWAY, I'LL BE GONE FOR A WEEK AT SOME EDUCATIONAL THING (ANYTHING THAT'LL LOOK NICE ON A COLLEGE APPLICATION IS A MUST) AND MY MOM IS GOING TO FLORIDA FOR A WEEK AND THE ODDS ARE THAT SHE'LL TAKE THE COMPUTER WITH HER.
ON THE UP SIDE, MY BIRTHDAY'S COMING UP FAST AND A LAPTOP IS ON THE WISH LIST! CROSS YOUR FINGERS THAT D.C WON'T HAVE TO FIND PLACES IN THE FILES TO HIDE HER PICTURES AND FANFIC!
Ch.10: The Real Chapter 10!
We stood, staring at the tall, gate like door imbedded in the hedge. After getting directions, we were directed to Zoe's home…which seems to be completely surrounded by a 10 foot hedge. I laughed a little nervously, "This girl REALLY doesn't like people, huh?" Alice pulled at her collar, "You don't think…that…that she might not like us being here, right? She won't…open fire?" C.J cleared her throat, "Well, I wouldn't put it past a Wonderlander. But we won't know until we try, so let's go."
C.J pushed open the door, pleased that it wasn't locked. We all entered the secluded grounds…and gaped.
The entire enclosure was huge, but it wasn't the size that was impressive. From the door, a dirt trail led down to cute little cottage that had apparently been twisted out of shape by tree roots, yet still seemed to function properly. Dozens of trees of various, unidentifiable species so thick that I couldn't wrap my arms around rose to the sky, blocking out most of the sunlight and leaving a dappled effect. Not that that hindered the vegetation. Ferns such a dark green they looked almost black surrounded the trees, full and lush. And everywhere, flowers bloomed. Up the tree trunks, on the carpeted forest floor, flowers of species I couldn't have identified if I were an expert seemed to glow in the dim light. Spotted, neon, soft, wide petals, sharp petals, squiggly petals…like flowers from a dream.
C.J kept staring at it, "…It looks like something from a kids book. Is anybody else looking for fairies?" Alice clapped her hands excitedly, "Oh, it's so pretty! It's even more beautiful than Blood's rose garden!" I stepped onto the dirt path and squinted at the house, "I don't see any lights on. You think she's in?"
"I'm here."
We spun, startled, to see Zoe coming out from between the trees. She stayed half hidden behind one, seeming a bit scared, "What do you want?" Her voice was small and sweet, like a doll's. C.J blinked and pulled the invitation from her bag, "Umm…we're here to deliver this."
Zoe looked at it, her soft eyes narrowing, "…Thank you for your time, but it's not necessary. I'm not going." Alice blinked, "But…it's a roleholder event. Don't you have to go?"
Zoe hid her face in her hands, "…Would you like some tea?" I blinked at her change of topic. "Umm…sure?" Zoe hopped out from the brush and started trotting down the trail to the cottage, letting us follow.
At the door step, she pulled an old fashioned key with a simple flower design out of her sweaters pocket and unlocked the door. She stepped over the twisted thresh hold, murmuring, "Watch your step…and your head." The inside of the cottage was covered by shadows. I heard Zoe rummage around in the darkness, "Hang on…where did I put…? …Here we are."
The inside light up as Zoe lit a polished glass oil lamp. She scurried off, lighting more lamps as she went, be they fixed to desks or mounted on the walls. Some of the oil lamps were glass, some were bronze and some, some that I personally think were the prettiest, were carnival glass. (Google Images it, you'll learn something.)
Soon, the inside of the cottage was a bright, cheery place full of dancing flames. I blinked as I took in the space. The wooded floor and walls were twisted out of shape, warped into curving by the insistent tree roots. But…it looked cool. And the small entryway we were in was…downright cozy and inviting. There were soft rugs on the floor, small pieces of embroidery, paintings of flowers and landscapes, and other various trinkets on display from walls throughout the home. Honestly, it was a nice change of pace from the super luxurious and fancy areas that the rest of Wonderland seemed to offer.
"If you'll come this way." I blinked away from the room, seeing Zoe move into the next room. I followed the other girls in, seeing it was a kitchen. A cute little wood stove in one corner steamed and puffed as Zoe filled a kettle with water from a pump over the glass basin. Cabinets and pantries filled with provisions and spices of who knows what sorts were situated on the walls and a little round wooden table and a few chairs were nestled in the corner. I couldn't help but smile. Everything here seemed so…old fashioned. It weird to know that the one who owned this place was a 16 year old girl and not an old lady…or Sleeping Beauty.
The three of us settled into the chairs, watching Zoe bustle about the small, well lit kitchen. The little brunette swiped her bangs off of her forehead as she pulled a small burlap bag out of a bucket containing many similar bags, "I'm sorry if it's a little dusty in here. I…I rarely get company…." Alice smiled at the little cutie-pie, "Not at all! Your house is just lovely!" C.J grinned and nodded, "Yeah, so cute and cozy."
Zoe looked back and gave a small smile, blushing in embarrassment. She opened up the little bag and inspected the contents, nodded, and pulled several leaves out of it. They were strange, white leaf with blue spatters on them. She then dropped them into a pestle and stared to crush them with a modar, adding a teeny bit of water.
Alice's eyebrows went up, "Oh, you make your own tea bags?" Zoe nodded, "The petals and the spices are all from my garden." I gawked, "That, THAT outside is your GARDEN?!" She nodded again, "Y-yes…." Alice had stars in her eyes, "Are you serious? It's so beautiful!" The little girl glanced back over her crushing, "Y-you think so?" I nodded, "Yeah. I've never seen most of those flowers before."
Zoe emptied the powered leaves back into the bag. "Most of them are rare. They only grow in mild climate with minimal sunlight. …That reminds me; please don't go poking at them. The ones that aren't very fragile are carnivorous." My eyebrows went up, "You work with CARNIVOROUS plants?!"
She dropped the bag into the boiling kettle on the stove, "They're not dangerous to people. None of the plants I tend are poisonous, or in any way a threat. The very largest keep the rats away."
She trotted over to the table and settled down into the chair, facing all of us. Alice jumped, "Oh dear, we forgot to introduce ourselves! I'm sorry, how rude!" Zoe smiled softly and motioned her to calm down gently, "That's alright; I already know your names. Everyone in Wonderland knows the names of the famous foreigners by now."
We sat in slightly awkward silence for a moment before C.J decided to cut to the chase. "So, why don't you want to go? I mean, it's a 'rule' you have to, isn't it?" Zoe frowned, "I…I don't like the role holders very much."
It only just occurred to genius me to check out Zoe's aura. Giving myself a mental facepalm, I flipped to the colors. Zoe's aura was…odd. It was a light brown, very calm and serene with a deep streak of nervous orange and a panicky yellow coursing through her center. A very faint mist of blue loneliness floated about her, but none of that is what I found odd. Unlike every born Wonderlander's aura I'd looked at, including faceless, Zoe's lacked any sort of real irregularity. No gaps, no cracks, not a speck of violence on her aura. Zoe Doey is a perfectly sane and stable Wonderlander. Now THAT'S something you don't see every day!
Alice looked confused, "Well…why not?" Zoe blushed and covered her face again, "Well, i-it's not just the role holders…I really don't like ANYBODY here. What with all the violence and the killing…I don't like the way they kill people."
C.J and Alice's eyebrows went up upon understanding what my aura vision had already told me. C.J pointed, "You…you ARE from here, right? Born and raised? Clock for a heart?" Zoe glared at her chest, "Yes…unfortunately. It's just that…." She bit her lip.
"I-it's just that…I'm just a gardener. I work with plants. And…the people of this world…even me…we're like plants." I frowned, "What do you mean." She looked down at her lap, embarrassed, "I…I'm not really sure how to put it…. When a flower dies, another takes it place. Those flowers…they can look a lot alike, and act the same…but they're not. When a flower dies, it's dead. And the life that was in them is gone." She wriggled, embarrassed, "I…I-I'm not making any sense, am I?"
We were looking at her as little girls look at a really adorable kitten. Alice broke into a sunny smile that encompassed her whole face, "She gets it. She really, really gets it!" Zoe looked confused, "…Get what?" C.J sighed, grinning, "That killing is wrong! Or at least the way they do it here. We've been trying to explain it to the people here, but it's like trying to explain atoms to cavemen!"
Alice clapped her hands, "I can't believe it; a SANE Wonderlander! My prayers have been answered!" Zoe blushed deeply and hid her face again, "I…I'm not really…." I smiled at her, "Yes, you are. You're saner than anyone I've ever met."
The kettle started to blow on the stove and Zoe hustled to get it, eager to get away from the gushing foreigners. But she returned soon enough, setting out four carnival glass glasses and pouring the fragrant white tea. "I hope you like it strong." C.J picked up her steaming cup, "Strong is perfect." She took a small sip…and made an anime 'I'm in heaven' face.
I picked up my own cup and sipped, my eyes widening instantly. The tea was strangely thick, almost to a milk-like consistency. The flavor…oh god, I don't know how to describe it. It was like drinking cinnamon mixed with a pinch of ginger and a dash of mint. It went down smoothly, pooling warmly in my stomach.
I lowered the hot beverage and licked my lips, "Holly talito…." Alice smiled up from hers in wonder, "This tea is incredible!" C.J nodded in agreement, "And I'm not usually one for tea." The blonde then ignored the hotness of the drink and started to eagerly drink it.
Zoe smiled as she sipped her own, "This is one of my favorites. It's made from the leaves of a perderon flower." Alice smiled, "This puts everything Blood ever served to shame." C.J snickered, "And Vivaldi's rose tea is plant juice next to this!"
"Now then," C.J grinned at Zoe, "us girls have a lot to talk about."
And that's how it went for lord knows how long. The four of us chatted about nothing, about the roleholders, about life in general. I found Zoe to be a very shy, but very enjoyable conversationalist. She asked a lot of questions about or world, and we asked her about her daily life.
…It wasn't hard to figure out she didn't have any friends. I suppose she chose isolation above friendship with people who wouldn't hesitate to shoot her.
Somehow, we got onto this topic. Zoe sighed heavily, "I just don't understand. Why did the Dealer pick ME to be a roleholder, out of all the people of Wonderland who would kill for it? I'm just a gardener. I'm not meant to be some glamorous, bedazzled killing machine." Alice smiled and patted her hand, "It's not that bad. The roleholders aren't that terrible if you get to know them. Besides, if you hadn't become a roleholder, we wouldn't have met you!" C.J paused, "…Except Blood. He is that terrible."
…..
"Zoe, you really should come to the ball." Zoe shifted in the threshold, looking nervous, "W-well, I…." She had just been seeing us off when Alice sprung that on her. Alice pulled the invitation out of C.J's bag, "The ball's not for about a month, so there's plenty of time to decide. In the meantime, you can try to get acquainted with the others." She handed the invitation to Zoe, "If you do decide to go, we can all come and pick you up. You wouldn't be alone! Just think about it? Pretty please?" Zoe looked down at her scrawled name on the envelope and back at us. "…W-well…if I'm among…f-friends…I suppose I could give it a try."
C.J grinned, "Awesome! Tell you what; we're going to the Amusement Park tomorrow. Everyone there is supper friendly, no worries. We'll pick you up tomorrow and introduce you to them. Sound good?" Zoe nodded, lost in thought.
We all waved and said our good byes as we walked down the path, Zoe waving after us. Alice looked at me and C.J, "Can you believe it? She's so nice and sane and adorable!" C.J nodded and I sighed happily, "I think we're all going to be great friends."
…
P.O.V: Zoe
I closed the door as the girls walked down the path, starting to feel the jitters come on. Ohh, I'm so nervous already! I know. I'll make some recaiol tea. It's good for the nervous Nelly's.
After making my tea and settling into the big, faded plaid sofa chair in my little living room. I sipped tea as I looked over the invitation. My first real public event…assuming market day doesn't count. I took a deep swig of the tea.
I remembered the foreigner girls and their bright, happy smiles. Perhaps it was the charm of a foreigner, but I already loved them. And they were right about meeting the other roleholders. For whatever reason, this is my situation. I should try and make the best of it.
I tucked the invitation carefully back into the envelope, washed my dishes, and went upstairs to bed, smiling the whole way. I tucked myself down, thinking about tomorrow. Of course I knew about the Park residents. I know about all of the roleholders, even the new fox eared one. He's very cute…what was his name again, Yuri?
I murmured sleepily as I started to drift off, "…I wonder if I should get them something…."
AND THAT'S THE ZOE INTRODUCTION!
PLEASE VOTE A BIT MORE OFTEN IF YOU PLEASE. NOW THAT YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT HER, IT SHOULD BE EASIER TO PAIR HER.
I'LL BE SEEING YOU NEXT TIME!
DREN P:
BLACK:16
YURI: 13
PEIRCE: 2
ELLIOT: 2
BORIS: 1
NIGHTMARE: 1
ZOE P:
PEIRCE:1
BORIS: 2
ELLIOT:1