UNBELIEVABLE CIRCUMSTANCES
october 11th

( the hardest step she ever took was to blindly trust in who she was )

Was it possible to feel even worse than she usually did? It was rare when she asked herself that question, it never was worse than usual. Until she was met with the unfortunate fate of getting her head split open by a branch.

"Oh my god. You're so dramatic, it's a cut. We already put a band-aid, your precious head is fine." Cass groaned, her voice slightly muffled from behind her sleeve. "Can you not be dramatic for one second?" She questioned, lifting her head up with a curious gaze.

Zelda's hand was cupping her head gently, lips pushed out into a hurtful pout. Her head throbbed from the aftermath of running into the branch, unfortunately she did not have a concussion; meaning she had to go to school. No matter how much she voiced her pain, she was being forced to go.

"Do you know how long the walk is into town? It's probably even farther for school! And I don't want to run into that coyote again! Can't you just drive me this once?" She pleaded, wincing at how that much talk hurt her head.

She was still shaken from last night. Those piercing blue eyes haunted her dreams till she had woken up panting.

Those piercing blue eyes...

"You didn't see a coyote. You hit your head walking into the woods and dreamt it all." Her sister insisted, exhaustion was clear in her tone. Zelda had practically woken her up all night long talking about the mysterious coyote who licked her head.

Zelda only stared at her silently, seeming upset by her words. "I know what I saw. I'm not crazy."

Just as the words left her mouth, she already regretted them.

"Sure you aren't. I have a job interview, I can't drive you. If you want to be there on time, I'd start walking." Those were the last words she spoke before placing some money in front of Zelda and turning to walk up the stairs, muttering something about how 'there was no coyote'.

She liked to pretend that those words never hurt her, it was something that Cass did a lot. She believed most of Zelda's problems were in her head.

A sigh passed her lips as she grabbed the money, shoving it into the pocket of her jeans. She let out a hiss at the throb of pain when she reached down to grab her bag.

"Maybe the uneven jawline dude is out again." She murmured to herself, "Is that offensive to call him?" She wondered once again as she moved to close the door gently behind her.

Was it wrong for her to hope he was out? Her legs ached from using so much energy yesterday, she knew he'd be kind enough to offer a ride to her again.

She still felt weary about him. Something whispered at her to run away, to never even go near him again. A part of her also found comfort in his aura, he did warn her, and try to help her. He was sweet.

Zelda had been walking for minutes, her gaze more focused down on the group than anything. The bag weighed heavy on her shoulder, her steps felt heavy.

"Maybe you should invest in a bike or something." A familiar voice rang out. Humor was laced with concern as he spoke.

She was almost concerned at the sense of relief that filled her system.

"I'd probably crash it. I don't have a good track record with driving things." She replied, a closed lip smile quivering on her lips. She knew her voice sounded weaker than it did the previous, her smile was worse as well.

As if suspected, his features immediately contracted into one of worry before setting back into his kind smile. "Are you walking to school?" He questioned, his head tilting to the side. His question was a bit dumb considering he clearly knew the answer.

She gave a curt nod, "I feel like that is a tiny bit obvious." She replied sarcastically, her brows raising. Her arms lifted to gesture around her, slightly turning as if to show her current position.

He looked mildly embarrassed by her response before his brows furrowed and he gestured to the cut on her head, "What happened there?" He questioned.

Her fingers rose to touch the bandage, wincing at the throb of pain. "I ran into my door, I'm very clumsy." She lied without a blink, only a shift in her form showcased her discomfort in lying.

His eyes flickered back to the cut with a small raise of his brow before he just nodded, looking distant. His lips slowly turned upwards till he released a small chuckle, just like yesterday; he had a helmet in his hands, to which he slowly turned in his hands. That same look of contemplation rested on his features as his eyes wandered her form. "Would you like a ride? I promise I won't kill you on this thing." He sounded sincere.

He changed the subject, why?

She felt herself hesitate, wasn't this what she wanted? That pit in her stomach had returned, it was smaller this time. Instead the feeling of acceptance filled her form.

Zelda took a timid step forward, "I would actually like that." She said sheepishly, her arms snaking around her waist.

Shock became present on his features, his fiddling hands stilling. To which Zelda felt panic, automatically taking a bigger step back as her lips parted to apologize. Though he seemed to realize his mistake and quickly shook his head in response. "Yeah. Yeah, of course! You can have my helmet. I haven't bought another one yet." He explained, taking small steps forward to offer up his helmet.

He stepped forward like she was a scared dog.

Her hand raised up towards the helmet, slightly pausing before gripping it; ignoring the shiver that went through her back at the warmness of his skin. She gave a realistic smile towards the boy, slowly pulling the helmet till she was hugging it against her torso. "Thank you."

She couldn't help but feel warmth in her chest by how pleased he seemed by her response. "Come on. We are going to be late." He said comfortingly, body twisting to throw a leg over on his bike before turning his head towards her. "And I really promise you won't die."

Zelda felt a bit of ease at his reassuring, though some panic at the thought of him somehow killing her this way. She felt shaky as she laid a hand on his shoulder, barely putting any weight on him as she climbed on. Offering no resistance before slipping the helmet onto her head.

"Are you okay with me.. Uh?" Slightly hovering her arms over his sides, hoping he doesn't pay attention to how jittery her arms were.

A chuckle rumbled through his chest, "Oh yeah! We don't want you flying off." She could practically feel his smile from her position.

She didn't realize that her arms had wrapped around his waist till she heard the roar of the engine, causing her to tighten her hold on him with a jolt.

Just as they took off she realized that she doesn't even know the kind boys name.

...

She had safely gotten to the high school. She felt a bit bad for how hard she gripped his middle anytime they turned or sped up, but the way he kept laughing made her feel a bit better. Besides, he was very warm.

"Are you okay?" He asked, not being able to hide the amused smile that overtook his features. He had offered out his hand to help pull her shaky body over the machine. Whereas she automatically tugged the helmet off of her head, offering it to him frantically.

"How do you ride that everyday?" She questioned. She felt a bit sick, woozy, and above all even more tired than before.

He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, placing the helmet on one of the handle bars; still gripping her elbow with one hand to keep her steady.

Her vision was suddenly corrupted by another male pushing in front of her, "Why are you so late? Huh, Scotty? I specifically told you to be at school by seven thirty, to meet me at the library. Do you not look at your phone?" He rambled on, throwing in a few sprattic hand motions and quick shakes of his head.

Zelda's brows rose, shoulders tensing in defence at the tone of voice he used. He came on strong, she wondered if the other boy was used to him. He barely even blinked at how annoyed the boy in plaid sounded.

Wait. Did he just call him Scotty?

"I was waiting for someone, and had to bring them to school today. I may have forgotten to tell you." He explained calmly, that same comforting smile was still present on his lips as he laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"You had to bring someone?" He sounded suspicious, a little too concerned about his answer.

Zelda was met with golden brown eyes, lips parted in confusion where his brows were wound up tight. "Who are you?" He asked judgmentally. His eyes flickered around her features, as if mapping out who she was just by her looks.

She guessed she looked panicked because he moved to step between her and the spastic boy, "She is new in town and she didn't have a ride." He replied instead of her.

From her position, she could see the other boys' features contort into one of understanding; almost like they had a silent agreement.

Her vision was cut off once again by the sweet boy, "The home office is just down the main doors to the right, they should have your schedule and everything. I have lacrosse after school but if you need another ride, just wait about an hour." He was quick to explain, that puppy dog of a grin still gracing his features.

Zelda only nodded because she felt discomfort from this situation. She did not want to be stuck there any longer. She glanced once behind her before gripping her bag tighter against her chest and began walking to the school doors, using the side of her body to push open the main doors.

...

The grass felt nice underneath the grip of her hands, it was soft to the touch. Her legs scratched against the small rocks, causing slight discomfort. Her whole body was aching, she felt as if her limbs had fallen off and been reattached.

But she was certain that the grass felt nice on her hands, it was the only part of her that wasn't in tons of pain.

She could barely feel the moisture from the blood against her anymore, she had gotten used to the sticky substance. The gashes on her legs were tingling, she couldn't move her toes anymore. Her head was throbbing from the loss of blood.

Her breathing was shaky, her chest was rising and falling slowly. Her lungs were on fire, it felt as if they were rubbing against each other; her heart was hurting with every beat.

The moon had finally reached its peak as it shines down on her bloodied and cold body.

Why is it taking so long? She should have been dead hours ago...

Her eyes had met the bloodied scarlet dagger that laid a hand's length away from her, forgotten just as she was.

What had he said again?

'When the moon hits its highest peak-"

What had he said?

A whimper tore past her lips at the sharp pain spreading throughout her body. She was shaking uncontrollably, her limbs moving on their own as they pushed her onto her back.

A hand left the grass to lay on her stomach, she could practically feel all the wounds that were inflicted on her stomach. She could feel the tiny rocks that attached to her gashes on her legs, which were supposed to keep her from running.

Why hasn't she died yet?

...

"Miss Shadows?" She heard the teacher call her.

Her head immediately shot up, her eyes were wide as her features contorted into one of complete shock. Her hand was gripping her jacket, hovering right above her pulsing heart.

Her body felt shaky, and unbelievably cold. It was almost exactly like her dream, she could still feel the blood coated on her stomach even though it was not there.

She had gulped down the nerves in her tone, not even bothering to glance around to see the judgmental stares. "Yes ma'am?" She managed to get out evenly. She hadn't even remembered falling asleep.

"Do you know what we were discussing?" Her tone sounded rude, irritated even. She had the right, Zelda despised people who fell asleep in class; it was something she always avoided with grave difficulty.

Zelda gave a sheepish shake of her head, "No ma'am. I apologize." She said, ignoring the snickers that came across from the room.

She hadn't paid attention to what she responded with, she had instead scooted further down in her chair; her arms wrapping around her lower stomach with instinct. A frown was present on her lips, her eyes were trained on the desk ahead of her.

"What is so important with her last name? You are confusing me." She heard a girl harshly whisper, not even attempting to conceal her sharp tone.

"Oh my god, Malia. There was this whole thing that happened with her family many, many years ago. It was like the Hale fire, it was this huge story." It was the same boy from earlier, his words just as rushed and authorized. She had no idea how they kept up with him.

Her brows furrowed. Her last name being known here was impossible, this was her first time ever coming to this town. She searched her own thoughts, drawing up blanks on what could make her so important.

"Well, What happened?" She heard the girl ask bluntly.

Zelda angled her body to the side, looking through the strands of her hair to see the couple two seats away from her. Which had become a mistake because right when he spotted her, he just dismissed the subject with a wave of his hand; sinking into his seat with a grim expression.

Another pair of eyes flashed towards hers, causing the breath to leave her instantly. The girl's expression looked curious yet angered? The girl's eyes widened for a second, body fidgeting like she was fighting to turn away.

Warmth flooded Zelda's body, almost captivated by her gaze.

Until the boy seemed to notice their staring contest, using his hand to guide the girl's attention back to his own. "What's wrong with you?" He whispered, golden brown eyes flickering to Zelda's judgmentally.

Her interest peaked as the girl leaned in to whisper into his ear, the shocked expression that took hold of him didn't make her feel at ease. He looked speechless as she leaned away.

Zelda craned her neck to attempt to see her expression, yet the bell rang. The boy in plaid was quick to help her gather up her things and drag her away by her elbow. Not allowing her to glance back at Zelda.

She felt that pit in her stomach grow as she gathered up her books into her bag, carefully swinging it onto her shoulder before moving out of the classroom.

Why was that group of friends so weary of her? Well all but the sweet boy, or was he only being nice because he knows something she doesn't.

┇AUTHOR NOTE┇

i have so much planned for this book!!
i know it's still starting out slow but i don't want to push all the plot point on immediately!!
this chapter was kinda slow, but eh 🔪
how did you guys enjoy it?!
why do you think zelda's last name is so important?