Seventeen : Past, Present, and Sterling

The next morning, Zelda had to do something she really, really, really didn't want to do.

"Yo, Zel?" It was Link knocking at her door. She sighed, leaning around the entrance to the bathroom to yell a "come in!"

"Where are you? Are you decent?"

"I'm decent," replied Zelda from her oversized bathroom as she dabbed concealer under her eyes, disguising the massive black bags there.

"What're you doing?"

She grumbled her reply. "Putting on makeup." Link peered around the bathroom door, and stopped, staring.

"Makeup?" he asked, incredulous. "Since when do you wear makeup?"

"Since I've lived here." Satisfied at the disguise of the massive purplish bags below her violet eyes, she moved on to smudge foundation across her cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin with a spongy wedge. "I always have to look my best. Thus, makeup."

"Uh huh." He looked her up and down, raising his eyebrows as she began to lightly dust her cheeks with blush. "That stuff's vile, I hope you know."

"I know." She pulled down her lower lid and began to apply eyeliner, earning a disgusted exclamation from Link. Zelda sighed at the distraction. She was too tired for this. "You can sit on the bed and wait, if you want. I'll be done in just a minute."

"Alrighty." Link sauntered out of Zelda's line of vision, and she heard the squeak of him plopping down on her bed, which was still unmade from the night before. "Hey, what's this?"

"What's what?" Zelda carefully applied mascara to her lashes, then removed the globs with a tiny comb.

"This box. It looks really old…"

"It's a jewelry box," Zelda lied flawlessly. "It belonged to my mother, and her mother before her. It's a family heirloom, of sorts. Don't bother trying to open it," she added. "It's a puzzle box."

"Uh huh. What's this weird insignia on the top?"

Zelda poked her head out of the bathroom, hair hanging in its sloppy ponytail all around her face.

"Must you ask so many questions?"

"Yep." Link smacked his lips.

Sighing in frustration and rolling her eyes, Zelda returned her full body to the bathroom and let her hair down from its ponytail, brushing it through and then styling the front pieces of it up behind her ear with a flowered clip, something she had never enjoyed; however, her father liked it, so she did it for him. "Is there any particular reason why you came to bother me first thing in the morning? It's only…" Zelda glanced at the wall clock in the bathroom, "seven forty-five. You're normally not up this early, even for school."

"Ah, couldn't sleep all that well," Link said. "I woke up around six and… I was awake. So I've been sitting around for a while, then I figured I'd come and bug you, since Dad's still unconscious and Mom's getting the girls ready."

"Mmmm. Did your room suit you?" She carefully applied some light pink eye shadow. Very carefully. She didn't want to look like Paris Hilton, after all…

"It's nice," Link exhaled. "Really. I feel so spoiled, and I have my own room even though it's not my house, and the girls have their own room, and my parents have their own room… how many rooms does this place have again?"

"In the main wing, which is what we're in, there are about thirty rooms per floor, two floors of rooms, then there's some guest cabins out back for people who prefer to be separated, you know, weird business men and stuff, and then there's another wing for the live-in servants. They're kept nicely furnished, too," Zelda added as she applied some light pink lip gloss, smacking her lips. "This house was basically built for the sole purpose of entertaining guests. If there's one thing Dad does well, it's that he tries to look after everybody in his house. Note that he doesn't always succeed. That's why he sent me away." Zelda poked her head out of the bathroom again, hair swinging around her in curtains. "Because I'm a teenaged girl and he has no idea how to deal with me, and I don't get on well with the servants."

"Why's that?" Link was toying with the lacy trim on the edge of the blankets, not looking at her.

"I don't know. We've never really gotten along, I guess. They think I'm a spoiled princess or something." She shrugged, then retreated back into the bathroom, examining herself in the massive mirrors once more. "That's just the way things have always been here. Do you think I look tired?" Zelda stepped out of the bathroom, scratching the back of her neck as Link took her in. Her dress was long, coming to about mid-shin, and though on some girls this would have looked odd, it looked good on her. The fabric was a soft, rich purple satin, with a pink ribbon that accentuated the imperial waistline, tying in the back just below her shoulder blades. Above the dress was a soft cream colored designer jacket, and her hair was clipped back half up, falling around her like a waving curtain.

"You look nice," Link said, examining her. "Not tired at all."

"That's a relief." Zelda exhaled, then blew a strand of hair out of her face as she pried the box from Link's grip and deposited it in the back of the armoire. "I hate having my hair down. It's so, so…. I don't know. But it's something."

"It looks good, though," Link stated, grinning at her. "I mean, not that it looks bad up, but having it down is a nice change, too."

"Mmph." Zelda grunted at him, then closed her eyes, rolling her shoulders back, and inhaling deep. As she exhaled and opened her eyes, she smiled. "Let's go down to breakfast. Dad may already be down there. At least the breakfast regime isn't as strict as lunch or dinner," she added. She turned to Link, smiling at him. He looked so…. Link- green baseball cap, green hoodie, faded blue jncos that were ripped up in several spots.

"I feel underdressed," he said, catching her eye looking him up and down.

"Don't worry about it," she said gently, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. "You look fine. I just have to look and act the part of perfect daughter, especially since there's guests here and all right now. Honestly, nobody'll care about you, really. Worst case scenario, I say you're a young, up-and-coming drummer in the next big band. They'd accept you then, if they didn't already."

"Mmmmhm." Link seemed to be thinking as Zelda led him from the room, down the labyrinth of hallways to the massive, ostentatious stairway. "Hey Zelda?"

"Yeah?"

"Why the need to impress?"

She sighed, closing her eyes. "That's just the way things are in this world, Link. Think of it like poker, if that makes sense."

"Poker?" His face contorted into an expression of confusion, then acceptance. "Poker. Gotcha."

"Not strip poker, mind you," Zelda added with a laugh, pushing open the doors to the breakfast corner. "Just regular poker. Like celebrity poker."

"Mmmmhm."

Zelda's father wasn't down at breakfast- in fact, it was only Link and Zelda who were down there, as well as one other person.

"Audrey!" Zelda left Link at once and sprinted over to the young woman seated by herself by a window. She turned and smiled, beautiful face so like the one in the picture that Zelda kept on her bookshelf, yet different- her hair was closer to brown, and wavy rather than corkscrew curly. The eyes, however, were the same, and so were the soft smiles and rose petal lips.

"Zelda!" The woman rose at once to take her niece into her arms, holding on tightly. "Oh, Zelda, I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too," Zelda replied, hugging her aunt tightly. Audrey was the first to step back, her hand on her niece's shoulder. "You've grown."

"You've shrunk," Zelda replied, turning her head sideways. "I can almost see over your head now!" This earned a laugh from the slightly taller woman, who then turned her beautiful blue eyes on Link. "And who is this, Zelda?"

"Oh. Ahm," Zelda cleared her throat, looking to Link as well and marching over to him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him over. "Link, I want you to meet my aunt, Audrey. She's the one I've told you so much about. Audrey, this is Link. His parents are the ones who took me in. Remember, I told you about them on the phone when you called?"

"Ah, yes, of course." Audrey held out her hand and took Link's, shaking it. "It's lovely to meet you, Link."

"Er, you too, Miss…"

"Call me Audrey, please. Everyone does."

"Audrey, then."

Zelda beamed as she looked between the two, Audrey's smiling face and Link's mildly surprised one.

"Erhm, Aunt…" Zelda cleared her throat, "I've got something that needs discussing with you after breakfast…." Zelda lightly touched two fingers to where the golden locket would lie around her neck, and Audrey nodded in understanding.

"I see." She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and sat down. "Eat with me. Tell me how your life has been. And Link, I want to hear about you, too. Any friend of Zelda's is a friend of mine, too."

-

Zelda and Audrey parted ways with Link after breakfast, the two women trooping up to Zelda's room, which one of the maids had magically cleaned in her absence. Zelda opened her armoire and drew out the box as Audrey sat down on the reclining couch. Zelda deposited the box in her aunt's lap, then walked quickly over to the door and turned the old school key in its lock.

"Explain this to me," Zelda said, taking a seat next to the brunette.

"It's a family heirloom," stated Audrey vaguely. "Why?"

"Explain this, then," Zelda replied simply, opening the box and drawing out the locket.

"That's the family locket. Are you getting at something, Zelda?"

"Yes," Zelda replied, shutting the lid of the box and carefully turning it over, its content within, the ocarina, secure in its purple velvet chamber. Carefully, Zelda pressed in the locket to the small insignia on the bottom, and watched Audrey's reaction carefully as the bottom of the box dropped out, revealing the journal within. Zelda held up the journal, waving it before Audrey's eyes.

"Explain this to me."

"You've found it, then," Audrey mused, smiling. "Good for you. Did you read it?"

"Cover to cover, but I'm more lost than I was before I read it."

"Perfect!" Audrey clapped her hands together, smiling.

"Why's that so good? I'm confused," Zelda mumbled.

"But you believe it, which is the first step to accepting it as the truth."

"How can I accept it? How can I possibly even begin to believe it?" Zelda asked, dropping the book on the table. "It's sheer madness! I mean, why on earth should I believe that I am descended from a line of royal women who had magic powers and carried an embodiment of some random obscure pagan goddess in their minds, who they could hear with their pointy elf ears? I mean, it's nonsensical, it's confusing, there's no common sense in it at all, no common links, no logic, nothing. It's like a fairytale that someone on LSD would make up. It just… it doesn't make sense!" Zelda had been pacing back and forth, but she stopped to face her aunt. "I don't want to believe it. I really don't. But I want to understand it, so explain it to me."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Audrey said sadly. "When your mother Aileen died, her knowledge was lost, and our mother had passed not long before she had, so I knew nothing. All the knowledge left of our kind is encased in that book and within you."

"Within me?" Zelda gave a little snort, then shook her head. "I don't see how I could know something I've never heard before."

"You don't know it yet." Audrey smiled, then exhaled. "But you will soon. That book is no ordinary book. Look at the back of your left hand."

Startled, Zelda looked down at the pale flesh there.

"I don't see anything." She scowled up at her aunt. "This is just a really sick joke."

"Look again, and look closely." Audrey's voice was soft but authoritative, and Zelda knew that to do anything other than obey her would be a great insult to the older woman. So, inwardly grumbling, she looked down at her left hand, scrutinizing it. There was nothing special about it- it was just another left hand like any other left hand….

….. wait a minute…

"There's something on my hand. It looks like a light bruise, or a really pale birthmark…"

"Touch it, but carefully," Audrey advised. Fascinated, Zelda obeyed. It felt warm, warmer than the rest of her hand.

"This is so weird," Zelda stated.

"Want to be freaked out more?" Audrey asked, grinning. "Fist your hand, bend your arm up, and slap the bruise."

Feeling rather silly, Zelda complied, and was immediately blinded as a flash of light filled the room. After a moment it cleared, but one thing remained imprinted in her mind… the three triangles she'd seen sketched in the book, the triforce.

"What…" Zelda was confused. Really confused. "What was that?"

"That was the triforce of wisdom," Audrey answered, removing her hand from where she'd moved it to shield her eyes. "It has embodied itself in you now."

It was too much. "Why me? I'm nobody special. You're playing mind games with me, aren't you?"

"No," Audrey answered gravely. "I'm not. I may be the second daughter, but I'm not ignorant in the way of our line, and I know what you are and who you will become. Every fifth generation, or every generation of daughters named "Zelda", the triforce of wisdom becomes manifest. The Zelda who wrote the copy of the lore, Zelda XXI, relinquished the triforce of wisdom when she recopied the words. She was young when she did, but she was afraid that she would die during the war, and her daughter needed a way to carry on the knowledge. Now the triforce has manifest in you."

"But…" Zelda was lost, in a state of near hysteria. Her aunt, her beloved aunt, was crazy. "This isn't possible! There's no such thing as magic or goddesses or the triforce. It's all hallucinations, all tricks of the light… all… all…"

"Zelda." Audrey's voice was something akin to a cold slap in her beloved niece's face. "You must listen. You may not believe what you have read just yet, but you must accept it. It is part of who you are, and attempting to deny this is like attempting to deny that you have arms or legs or a heart. You must accept it." Audrey rose, and for a moment, Zelda hated this woman before her. "It is something that we all have had to learn to accept," Audrey stated coldly. "When you have come to be more open minded about your heritage and are willing to learn, you'll find me in the library. I'll be ready to explain to you everything that I know, but until then, do not seek me out to waste my time with your denials. You have much that you need to learn, and I can only teach you as best I can. You need your mother for this," Audrey seemed furious now, and Zelda didn't know why, "but she's not around, so this is going to be difficult for both of us. You can't give up on who you are, Zelda, and if you even try, you will sorely regret it."

Audrey left the room, leaving Zelda cold and alone. Silently, the young woman stared at the small book before her, thinking hard. Again, she looked to the back of her left hand. It just… it wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. Sighing angrily, Zelda shoved the bottom of the box back and all but threw it into the bottom of her armoire and then, angrily snapping the locket around her neck, went to wander around down in the garden and possibly throw things into the lagoon shaped pool.

God she was pissed.

Of course, it was just her typical luck that, descending the massive, ritzy staircase, she should crash into none other than Jarrett Wiles, possibly one of her very least favorite people on the planet. Too bad he was the son of a famous actor anyhow, and therefore Zelda had to put up with his company.

"Zelda!" He bounded up the rest of the way up the stairs, stopping just below her and bowing, acting every bit the debonair bachelor. "How have you been, my dear?"

Jarrett Wiles was attractive to many- however, Zelda did not include herself in that category. He was well muscled, tanned from so many hours working in the sun, but only about an inch taller than Zelda. His hair was brown, bleached blond from, again, the sun, kept short and spiked. He wore only the best clothes, and Zelda inwardly wrinkled her nose as she thought about how much those clothes must have cost.

Zelda gritted her teeth, forcing herself to accept the fact that, now that she was home, she had to play the socialite once more, looking into Jarrett's not-so-bright brown eyes as she answered his query.

"I've been fine," she replied sweetly. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Let's go for a walk in the garden."

"I was just on my way." Zelda forced herself to sound pleasant, the old acting skills resurfacing. "I assume you're not too busy?" Ah, the beauty of eloquence.

Please be busy, please be busy.

"Nope. Though, I do have a friend that I was going to get, I hope you won't mind if he accompanies us…"

"Not at all," Zelda replied sweetly. He'd always been so damn insistent on courting her, she mused, that a friend of his would be a welcome distraction from his smothering attentions.

"Great. Hang on a minute and I'll go get him- I was headed up to fetch him anyway. I hope you don't mind waiting a minute…"

"Be my guest." Zelda seated herself delicately on the landing at the top of the stairs, her skirts pooling around her as she watched Jarrett hurrying up the next flight to the next floor of rooms.

I could just run away right now, she told herself. Ride the railing down the stairs, run up the back case and hide in the library and get Audrey to explain everything to me. But that would be bad etiquette, and in her father's house, etiquette still ruled all. Plus, she was angry, though acting and smiling on the outside had provided some small stress relief in causing her to displace her troubles, saving them for later.

I should be an actress.

It was just moments later when Jarrett came back down the stairs, friend in tow. Upon glancing at his face, Zelda had to remind herself to breathe.

He was everything that Jarrett wasn't- tall, pale, composed. His hair was longer than Jarrett's, but not as long as Link's wild shag; short, soft brown curls framed the edges of his face, offsetting his intense green eyes. His features were sculpted, reminding Zelda of a Grecian statue, perfect in every way.

Wow, she said inwardly. Wow.

"Zelda, I want you to meet my friend, Sterling Brûlure. Sterling, this is Zelda. You know about her already."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He had the lightest of accents, Zelda couldn't place it- he sounded French, but British, his quiet voice chocolate to the ears. He extended his hand in her direction.

Wow.

"The same could be said of you… is it alright if I call you Sterling?" She took his hand, his large digits engulfing her small ones, and Zelda noted from the callouses on his fingers that he must play a stringed instrument.

"Quite alright." He kissed the back of her hand, and then released her palm. "I understand that it is your father who owns this beautiful house?"

"Yes," Zelda said, trying not to sound breathy. "I hope you've found the accommodations suitable."

"Quite, miss."

Be still, thy beating heart!

"Hah, Sterling, always so formal. So, Zelda," Jarrett began, beaming between Sterling and Zelda, "shall we go down to the garden now?"

"Absolutely," she said, for once being glad that Jarrett had ever been born. "Have you already been through yet?"

"No," Jarrett said. "Sterling and I only arrived last night."

"Your dad's not here?" She was feeling so generous, she even took the arm that was offered her as they walked down the stairs together.

"Not yet. He's still at a shoot, but he's expected to arrive before the wedding."

"Really? He's filming again? I thought he'd retired."

"A good actor never retires." Jarrett laughed lightly, and shook his head. "He's playing the role of a father. His daughter is Reese Witherspoon."

"Really? Have you met her?" Zelda couldn't stop the eagerness seeping into her voice.

"Yeah. She's pretty cool. Sterling met her too. Right, Sterling?"

"Yes. She seemed nice."

"Jarrett, you never told me about Sterling on any of your previous visits here," Zelda said. "How long have you two known each other?"

"He moved here a bit more than half a year ago, I think… is that right?"

"That's right."

"And anyway, we just kind of hit it off. Sterling's mother is a music producer, and Sterling wants to go into performing."

"Performing?" Zelda turned her eyes on Sterling.

"Acting," he said. His voice was so soft, like an intimate caress, yet so deep… "or I want to join a symphony and play my viola."

"You play viola?" Zelda asked, surprised. He didn't look the type.

"And he sings," Jarrett added. And then, to Sterling, "Zelda plays bass, and sings some as well."

"Bass guitar," she replied, and then added, modestly, "I'm not very good."

"Maybe you'll play for us later?" Jarrett asked hopefully. "And sing? You sing like an angel."

She blushed. "Maybe."

They reached the doors to the granite patio and stepped out, the chill December air biting around Zelda's ankles and swirling up her legs, underneath her skirts. She kept herself from shivering, though, and instead led Jarrett and Sterling down a set of stone stairs, to a gate beyond the lagoon shaped pool.

"Jarrett said you just moved half a year ago?" Zelda carefully undid the latch on the garden gate, pushing it open and leading the two young men in.

"Yes," Sterling affirmed, stepping into the garden behind Zelda and looking around. "From England. And before that, I was in France. Both my parents are French."

"Wow," Zelda said. That explained the accent. "Did you enjoy living in England?"

"Yes," Sterling said. "Sometimes I do miss it, as I spent nearly half my life there. But we moved, and I have accepted it, and am grateful that this new place has so many opportunities for me."

"I went to England once," Zelda said. "It was always cold and dreary, it seemed."

"Yes, it often was." Sterling laughed, then shook his head. "Not paradise weather, very unlike this beautiful California, but I loved it anyway."

"Give me sunshine and beaches any day," Jarrett said bouncing about on the balls of his toes and looking around the garden. "Pity it's winter. The garden's really cool when it's in bloom."

"My mother knew about winter," Zelda replied, leading the two boys through the pathways of seemingly dead plants. "When she planned this garden, she planned for all weather."

"Clever woman," stated Jarrett.

"Yes," Zelda replied with a nod, leading the boys down a fork in the path. "Very clever."

"So, Zelda," Jarrett began. "We came to visit a while back, and you were nowhere to be found. Your dad said you were away?"

"Yeah," Zelda replied, sighing inwardly. How to explain… "My father and I decided that it would be good for me to experience life as a normal teenager for a while, so I was put in the care of some family friends, with whom I'll be living with until I graduate high school."

"You weren't sent away, I hope?" Jarrett sounded as though it were a light joke, though she knew if she slipped up once, mis-worded one thing, it would be the hottest gossip about how nice little Zelda had been kicked out of her home, which she hadn't been.

"Not in the least. My father wanted me to broaden myself and my experiences, yet still be close to home."

"Where are you located?"

"Down south," Zelda replied vaguely. "About an hour away from Hollywood. On the beach."

"Beach-side mansion?" It was Sterling's question. "Like a retreat, of sorts, or a boarding school?"

"Family friends, nice big old house," Zelda replied. "It's older than most of the other houses and the city that surrounds it, with a few exceptions." She turned another corner and stopped. "Here we are."

The landscaping in this particular area of the garden was beautiful, natural; bushes that bloomed in the winter, soft, carefully tended winter flowers. Jasmine crept up the trunk and branches of large weeping willows, and were it not for the chill, Zelda would have believed that it was summer in this little corner of the garden. "What do you think?"

"It's nice," Jarrett said, looking around.

"Your mother must have been a wonderful woman," Sterling added, also looking around. "This is lovely."

"Yes," Zelda agreed with a nod as she sat down on a cold stone bench. "It is."

"Too bad my mom never did anything," Jarrett stated. "Just sat around the house, had the maids wait on her hand and foot, and then occasionally yelled at Dad. I'm glad he divorced her, even if it put him in The Enquirer for a month."

"Dirty dogs, all of them," Zelda muttered. "Sometimes, the press really is out of control."

"They're just trying to earn a living," Sterling stated. "Like anyone else." Zelda shivered, and Sterling noticed. "Are you cold?"

"A little," Zelda allowed herself to admit. It was an understatement- she was frozen to the tips of her toes, the dress holding in little warmth against the unusually cold Californian winter.

"Let's go in, then," Jarrett said, hopping in where Sterling had left off. "We can all get hot cocoa."

Zelda allowed Sterling to help her from her seat on the stone bench, and, still talking quietly, the three teenagers made their way back into the house.

Jarrett had gotten better, Zelda decided. He wasn't as intolerable as he'd always been. She didn't like him, but she didn't hate him- maybe she and he would be able to become friends, for once?

And then there was Sterling.

He was very quiet, Zelda noted, only interjecting with well thought-out things when there was a break in Jarrett's babble. Zelda herself contributed only when necessary, not minding that Jarrett was carrying the whole conversation on his back. When they reached the kitchen at last, it was only Sterling that looked composed- even Jarrett had begun to shiver lightly. The three teens asked for a cup of hot cocoa, and, giving Zelda an insolent eye (though neither of the boys noticed) the cook affirmed. The three teens took a seat in the breakfast corner, looking out the window.

"I bet the dogs were happy to see you," Jarrett said, watching as one dog, Julius, snuffled past on the lawn. "They nearly bit Sterling's leg off."

"Did they really?" Zelda sighed, shaking her head. "I hope you're not hurt, Sterling?"

"No, no, I'm fine," he said softly. "They didn't hurt me."

"Here's your cocoa," the cook said, entering into the room with a tray in hand. On the tray were three bowl-sized mugs of hot cocoa, all topped with massive amounts of whipped cream.

"Thank you, Atticus," Zelda said to him, smiling genially. He looked her suspiciously up and down in reply, setting the tray before her, and then walking off.

"This looks good," Jarrett said, licking his lips and reaching for a mug. With very little manners, he slurped the whole thing down, rather reminding Zelda of a dehydrating camel. Sterling, with more dignity, quietly sipped his, and Zelda drank hers, taking in the warmth in the relative silence.

When they were done, Jarrett began to pester Zelda again.

"Let's hear you sing and play bass," he said. "Come on, Zelda, it's been so long since the last time you played for me. Several years."

"I'll just embarrass myself." She knew she wouldn't.

"Please? You won't embarrass yourself."

"Yes I will." She should be an actress.

"I wouldn't mind hearing you sing," Sterling stated, tearing his eyes away from the yard. Zelda heaved a fake sigh, inwardly preening. He'd fallen into her trap! Yay.

"Well, I suppose... Come on, my guitar's upstairs."

She led them up the staircase and into her room, briefly wondering where Link was, and then shrugging it off. He was probably in the lounge, playing videogames or something very typical of him.

"Go ahead and sit down," she said, walking into the bathroom, which in turn led to a large walk-in closet filled with all of Zelda's junk that hadn't gone well with her room. "I'm going to get my amp out."

Zelda had a small collection of amps, a small collection meaning of course two. The kind of crappy older one was at the seaside house she called home- the sparkly expensive one was still up here, at the house. She heaved it out of its corner, dusting it off, and then lugged it into her bedroom, plugging it into a wall socket and then pulling her bass out from where she'd stashed it, beneath her bed. Reverently, she pulled it out from its case, removing the amp cable as well, and then, in addition, she pulled out a nifty little toy she'd bought herself the week before but hadn't had a chance to use, courtesy of finals- guitar effects. She plugged the guitar to the effects to the amp, and took a quick second to tune.

"Let's see…" Zelda thought for a moment, plucking at the strings of her guitar as she debated what to play. Finally, she looked up with a grin. "You should know this song, if you haven't been living with your head in a hole for the past few years…."

"Shoot," said Jarrett, grinning like a wolf.

"Alright then…"

Zelda began to play a steady riff over and over again, and Jarrett shook his head.

"Oh, you're so not…."

And then Zelda began to sing.

"Man it's a hot one
Like seven inches from the midday sun
I hear you whisper and the words melt everyone
But you stay so cool


My mu equita my spanish harlem mona lisa
You're my reason for reason
The step in my groove

And if you say this life ain't good enough
I would give my world to lift you up
I could change my life to better suit your mood
Cause you're so smooth

And just like the ocean under the moon
Well that's the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of lovin' that can be so smooth
Gimme your heart make it real
Or else forget about it …"

She sang on, her voice seeming to ache as she carried on, hitting that same riff over and over again. When she finished, Jarrett was beaming and Sterling was looking mildly impressed.

"Bravo!" Jarrett clapped, standing up and smiling at Zelda. "Your voice has only gotten better."

"Thanks." Zelda took her guitar off and leaned it against her amp carefully, then brushed a stray hair from her eyes. She looked to Sterling, who immediately looked away from her. Zelda's lips twisted in a slight smirk, knowing she'd caught him bait, hook, and sinker.

"So, Sterling," she did her best to sound casual, "do you have your viola with you?"

"I'm afraid I'm not very good," he said quietly, intently studying the lace curtains surrounding Zelda's bed, and Zelda, taking them in, realized that they were not only girly, but sensuous, in their own way. It was a princess bed, but it could be a sex bed, too.

Malon's been a bad influence, she said to herself.

"Yeah, Sterling has his viola," Jarrett said genially. "Come on, Sterling, why don't you play for Zelda? You're really good." He switched his focus to Zelda. "He's first chair, top orchestra, in our private school."

"I've sung for you," Zelda said sweetly. "I'd be honored to hear you play."

Jackpot. Sterling looked at her, the lightest of smiles teasing across his face.

"I suppose I could play," he said softly.

"Great!" Jarrett leapt up from the couch, making his way towards the door. "He's in that one room… with the music and stuff…"

"Ah." Zelda nodded in understanding, then turned her eyes on Sterling. "You can lead the way, if you want."

"Erm, okay. Follow me."

He was so shy, it really was cute.

The three of them trooped out of Zelda's room and down the halls to the staircase, then up a floor to the hall where most of the guest rooms were amassed. Each room had something peculiar about it- one room was done entirely in blues, another was antique themed, there was a third that paid homage to fruit…

It was oddly fitting that Sterling was in the room with the musical motif.

All of the house had been planned by Zelda's mother and decorated by Zelda's mother, who was a master at the fine art of subtlety, or so Zelda had heard. Only the more formal rooms, the family's rooms and the rooms reserved for the close family friends, were decorated more personally, more closely- the rest were "fluff" rooms, as Zelda called them. So up the stairs they went, and Zelda allowed herself to be stopped before Sterling's door.

"Let me check that it's clean," he said softly, before slipping quietly in. As the door shut with a nearly inaudible click, Jarrett gave a snort.

"Of course it's clean," he said to Zelda. "Sterling's meticulous. Everything has to have a place. He's probably smoothing the wrinkles off of the bed or something like that."

"Perfectionist, I assume?"

"In the extreme," Jarrett stated. "He's top of the class, first chair, was voted MVP for the football team…"

"Oh, he plays football?"

"He's damn good at it, too," Jarrett stated.

"I see."

"You can come in," Sterling said, opening the door.

Jarrett had been right about one thing- the room was spotless. There was a chair in the corner of the room upon which sat a blue rectangular case- Sterling walked over to it and proceeded to unzip it. Zelda didn't miss the tenderness with which Sterling pulled out his viola, though his back was turned to her. Carefully, he pulled out the bow and chinrest, setting the bow on the bed as he attached the chinrest to the bottom of the viola. With amazing deftness, Sterling tucked the viola onto his shoulder, holding it in place as he tightened the bow and then turned to face Zelda and Jarrett.

After a brief moment of tuning, he looked up. "What should I play?" The question was directed at Jarrett, who looked up, thoughtful.

"Play that one song. You know, that you're really good at."

"The etude?" He raised one eyebrow, and Zelda was reminded of Link, oddly.

"Yeah, the tude. With all the notes. Play that one."

Zelda remembered why she'd always disliked Jarrett so much. Unintelligence was his weapon of choice.

"Alright then. It's rather long, I'm afraid… you can sit down, if you'd like."

"If you don't mind, I think I will," said Zelda, taking a careful seat on the bed. Jarrett plopped down on the floor, and Sterling, facing them, began to draw the bow across the string.

Zelda was enraptured. He closed his eyes as he played at first, swaying with the melody as the bow traveled across the strings, the tiny instrument secure in his strong grip. His left hand slid up and down the neck, fingers whirling, wrist swaying to give the melody a voice, a singing, moaning longing. Note after note rang out, clear in the early morning. The expression on his face was so serene as he played, Zelda could believe that he was one with the viola, one with the music. Then he opened his eyes.

They were glass green and intense, but within, he was conscious and she knew it. His eyes met hers and didn't leave them- though his face was steadily flushing, he didn't look away. Jarrett was off in la-la land, as was to be expected, and so the moment was intimate for both Zelda and Sterling- deep within her, Zelda mused that it was nearly as intimate as lovemaking, in a different sort of sense. Their eyes never broke contact, and as the music crescendoed, Zelda crescendoed with it, then fell, fell, back down to earth as the last low, slow notes were played.

"Bravo!" Jarrett began to clap, breaking the trance that both Zelda and Sterling had fallen into. "I think that was the best I've ever heard it."

"I messed up," he stated softly, looking at the soft carpet.

"It sounded really good to me," Zelda replied. "You're amazing."

"Thanks." Sterling looked up and shot a fleeting smile at Zelda, then looked back down to the carpet.

"Well, what shall we do now?" Jarrett stretched and looked around the room, ignoring Sterling as he packed up his viola carefully, tenderly, and then stared at Zelda.

"I've got to go meet my aunt Audrey in the library," Zelda replied. "Catch up and stuff. I'll see you at lunch. Do you know what time it is?"

"One thirty, isn't it?" Jarrett asked. "Your dad's a schedule Nazi, right?"

"Only to family. It would be best to be in there at one twenty-five, though. I'll see you later."

"Do you want us to walk you to the library?" Jarrett was desperate for an excuse to stay with Zelda longer, to win her over. Poor Jarrett, Zelda sighed within. He just shot his only chance in the foot.

"No thanks. I can handle myself just fine. I appreciate the offer, though. Remember, one twenty-five," she called as she exited the room. Smirking to herself, she walked down the hallway, down the stairs, and to the second floor, going in the opposite direction of the bedrooms and, instead, to the library, whose gigantic windows overlooked the pool and gardens. Zelda entered the room quietly, shutting the door behind her. Audrey was sitting at a table, reading a book. The rest of the room was empty.

"Ah, you're here," she said without looking up. "Lock the door, if you will."

Zelda obeyed silently, turning the lock and then walking over to sit with her aunt.

"So, you're willing to accept?"

"Yes," Zelda said softly. "I've been mulling it over, kind of, and I figure, if it was something Mom was involved in, I need to know it; my own preference is out of the question if it involves my blood."

"I was hoping you'd say something like that." Audrey smiled, shutting her book and removing her glasses, and she leaned across the table to smile at her niece. "I'm going to tell you everything I know. Everything started with the creation of our world…."

Uploaded: February 19

6:23 PM

dramatic music Dun dun DUNNNNN! Is Sterling not amazing? And don't you feel sorry for Jarrett? And Link? Sorry about the drastic lack of Link in this chapter- I PROMISE you'll see a bit more of him in the next chapter. And, also, he's going to play a major role very, very soon, as he'll be there for Zelda when she most needs it…. But why am I giving this away to you? I don't know.

I know I've uploaded this a lot earlier than I normally do, but that's because I'm going to a concert tonight and I don't expect to be back until late. As in late. As in way too late. So that's that, and I'm uploading early.

Nothing else much to speak of, I don't think. If you're sick of "the house", just wait. There's at least six more chapters of it (or perhaps five, tops, as I'm currently working on chapter 22 and it's still only Christmas) but there's lots of parties and action and moving events and stuff. Not to mention the wedding itself, among… other things.

I'm gonna go ahead and go now, get ready for the concert which is at a pretty big club downtown. Expect the events of tonight to trickle down into future chapters. And for those of you who don't read my author's page and were wondering, yes, the character of Sterling is real.

Signing off!