I DID IT!

I DIDN'T TAKE A MONTH TO UPDATE!

(wait, i think i did. crap.)

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Tooth's Cafe

Zell's eyes slowly fluttered open, the mid-morning sun warming her skin. She sat up, as she glanced down at her arms. The markings where barely visible.

She had come straight home after the incident in the woods, and still had no idea what had happened.

Her hair was spread out all around her. How was she going to hide the extra yard?

Climbing out of her bed, Zell approached her mirror. The long, golden locks dragged along the ground. She sighed.

This was going to be difficult.

Suddenly, she had an idea. I'll just trim it a little! She thought as she quickly found her scissors.

She pulled her locks into her lap, and then began to snip. But as soon as the first piece fell, it turned brown.

Surprised, Zell immediately stopped clipping. The hair was a dark shade of brown, and it lost all of its thickness.

They are definitely going to notice the brown. More than the length, at least! She thought as she held the cut piece in her hands.

Luckily, the lock she had cut was very small, so she could easily hide it among the rest of her hair.

She decided not cut anymore off. Besides, she had always wanted extensions…

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"OMG!" Anna exclaimed when Zell approached her. "Your hair looks GREAT!" she reached out to touch the intricate braid Zell had wrapped her locks in.

"Elsa, did your sister have too much chocolate again?" Zell giggled. Elsa nodded glumly. "Yes. She's been like this all morning."

Anna frowned. "LIKE WHAT?!" she was twirling in circles. Elsa face-palmed, and Zell laughed again.

Jack closed the front door, and approached the girls in his driveway. He nodded to Zell. "Hey."

Zell returned the gesture. "Hey." She put her hands in her pockets, before looking at him again.

His eyes were red. Maybe he was crying? She thought. He looked very dejected and sad. She knew something was going on, but how to bring it up?

"Anna and I have to go now." Elsa said, suddenly remembering why they were gathered. "See you both after school." She grabbed Anna's arm.

"School? It's Saturday!" Zell said, confused. Elsa smiled. "Anna and I are in the school play. We have to practice on weekends, since there isn't any space available during school hours. We can hang out later, ok?"

"Ok." Zell nodded. Anna looked up, suddenly. "Zell, do you have any special talents?" she poked Zell's forehead. She frowned. "Special talents? What do you mean?" She asked, confused. Anna shrugged her shoulders. "Well, can you like, dance or paint? What about puppetry? OH! I bet you could rock at puppetry!"

Jack laughed from the porch. "What the hell, Anna?! Where do you come up with this stuff?"

Zell laughed as well. "Seriously."

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As soon as Anna and Elsa where out of earshot, Jack spoke up. "Come on." He tilted his head toward Mr. Frost's car.

Zell stood still, confused once again. "What?" she asked.

Jack opened the passenger door. "I said come on. Let's go somewhere." He smirked. "Or do you already have plans?"

She didn't move. "Uh... no, i don't. but where would we go?"

Jack shrugged. "Anywhere but here. and I'm not going to stand here forever, you know."

Zell walked closer. "Um, ok…"

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Zell sat shotgun in Mr. Frost's car, Jack at the wheel. He was flipping through the radio stations.

"Jack, are you sure your dad is fine with us taking his car?" she asked. He smirked. "No, he's not okay with it. That's why we're doing it." He turned to look at her, his mouth contorting into a smile. "God, relax Punz. It's not a crime."

"I'm completely relaxed." She said, though she really wasn't.

"Lies. All lies!" Jack poked her side, his other hand on the wheel. "Loosen up!"

Zell tried her best not to laugh, but it escaped anyway. He was right. She did need to loosen up. She forced any lingering thoughts of the night before away, then put both of her feet up.

"So, where are we going?"

"The North Pole." He said, calmly. Zell froze again in horror. "WHAT?!"

Jack laughed heartily again. "Punzie, I was just kidding. We're going to Tooth's Cafe."

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Jack held the door open for her as they entered the cafe. Zell's eyes scanned the place nervously; she had never been there before.

Jack picked up on her worried vibes, chuckling softly. "Where did you think I was taking you, a pub?"

She didn't answer right away; she was too busy admiring the interior of the building. Tooth's Café was truly, a beautiful place. The walls where splashed with every color you could imagine, and swirly patterns danced across the walls in graceful circles. Abstract images of fairies and birds seemed to flit along the artwork, like hidden messages you couldn't see unless you were looking. Zell made a mental note to come here often, so she could sketch in peace. Her creative mind was racing, and she had to close her eyes momentarily to calm it down.

"No, Idiot. I'm just not used to this area. After all, I DID just move here like, three days ago."

They both approached the counter, and Jack tapped the bell on top of the display case. With a light ping! A girl appeared. Zell recognized her immediately. "Nia?" she asked curiously as the girl's eyes lit up with recognition. "Yeah! You're Zell, right?" she smiled brightly, her multi-colored locks swaying in her spiky ponytail.

Zell nodded. "Yep. Jack didn't tell me you worked here." She turned to look at Jack, who met and held her gaze. She was beginning to love those incredible, blue orbs of his. They sparkled like freshly fallen snow.

Nia interrupted them after a moment, slightly agitated. "Well, that's typical. Jack doesn't mention people in general." Her eyes quickly danced from Zell, then to Jack. He sighed. "Nia, don't go down that road."

"What road, Jack?" She spoke a little too innocently, her purple lashes fluttering like a young child's.

Zell couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw something shiny flash in the light, on the side of Nia's neck. Like a glittering tattoo. The patterns seemed to trail down her back, but Zell only got a quick glance at them before they disappeared.

Nia looked up, and locked eyes with Zell. She could have sworn she saw her eyes flash red. Nia's eyes quickly returned to Jack's, the flicker gone.

Zell anxiously wanted to change the subject, the awkwardness overwhelming the situation. "Um, anyway... can I get a hot chocolate, please?"

Nia looked away from Jack, and smiled again. "Yes ma'am." She pulled out a notepad covered in stickers and glitter. Jack snickered, earning a glare from her.

"Jack, are you getting anything?" Zell nudged him gently, his eyes widening temporarily. "Oh, no thanks. I'm good." He shrugged, his strong shoulders bobbing up and down.

"Okey-Dokey!" she said, her perky demeanor changing the atmosphere from awkward to normal.

As Nia turned and walked into the back of the café, Zell noticed that she seemed to float on an invisible breeze as she moved. Almost like a fairy princess.

Jack leaned against the counter, pulling out his phone. He sighed heavily, his eyes transfixed on the screen. As Zell studied her nail beds, she suddenly felt someone's eyes on her.

Looking up at Jack, he was still focused on his phone. It couldn't have been him. Then who was it? She thought. She turned around slowly, until her eyes fixed on an old woman outside the café.

She was standing in the middle of the street, a dark cloak pulled over her hunched-over body. The hood fell over most of her bony, sunken face, leaving only her mouth and chin exposed. She was deathly pale, from what Zell could tell.

An oncoming truck approached, and Zell's eyes widened. The woman in the street didn't move, she simply stood there. Zell wanted to scream, to warn the old lady.

It all happened in a flash. The truck approached. The woman didn't move. Zell ran toward the door. She reached the frame just as the truck closed the distance.

Then the woman smiled, and with one movement, she raised her arms and disappeared in a cloud of black sand.

The truck flew by, blowing the sand everywhere. Zell gasped, halting from her previous run. She could hear Jack's footsteps quickly approaching.

What just happened?!

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WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT!

Who knows who the old lady is? (If it isn't obvious)

Please review, I'll answer what questions I possible can without spoiling anything!