Z O E PEÑA
if i am to feel sure of anything,
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzi must learn to feel sure of me.
xx
For all it’s faults, Greythorne really was beautiful in the spring. Zoe hadn’t been the fondest of it covered in a layer of snow (it was so very cold), but now that the sun was shining and the earth was warming up, she felt like she could really take it all in, so she was taking her time with her errands. She considered texting Phoenix: if Alex was in a good mood, he would tolerate her, and she might be able to convince him to talk to her for a few moments. She didn’t know why she didn’t just give up on him, he was a jerk. A part of her wondered what he would be like if their father had spent more time with him. She’d slowly begun to realize the part her father played in all of it, and a part of her wondered if she’d been living a lie her entire life.
But that day, out walking around the town, she really only thought about how nice it was. She’d heard about the recent attacks on the town, but it had been pretty peaceful since she’d arrived, and everything seemed so normal now. People were talking, laughing, enjoying the (relative) warmth and sunshine. All the worries the town had seemed to be long gone. She smiled at the sound of children playing nearby. It made her think of home: she missed the children she taught back at the coven, whether she was teaching them the basics of their powers, or how to play piano. She’d felt so lazy in the weeks she’d been in Greythorne, she needed something more to occupy her time.
She started to pay more attention to where she was going just in time to narrowly avoid running directly into someone. Her immediate instinct was to look down at the ground before blurting out, “Oh, sorry! Are you okay?” Her face was red with embarrassment. The people in this town were still a little wary of her, and she understood that. She was an outsider, they didn’t know her, they’d been attacked several times in less than a year. It was a wonder she was being tolerated at all. So she had been trying to stay out of the way, though she had been prying into Alex’s past perhaps a little more than was normal. She pretty quickly realized that it was Jaiden, though, and relief hit her, then. She flashed a smile at Jaiden, “Hi, I-” She stopped talking as Jaiden addressed a group that was standing behind her. Something about that didn’t sound good, but Jaiden was explaining quickly enough.
Hunters? A part of Zoe had always known this was a possibility. She’d been the one who willingly came to town after it had been subjected to two attacks by hunters in less than half a year. But still, Zoe had no idea of what to do. “How can I help? I mean, I’ll stay with you, and if there’s anything I can do, I want to help.” It didn’t feel right, to her, that hunters would attack this town full of people just trying to live their lives. These weren’t vampires or demons out killing innocent people; this was just a town full of people trying to live their lives.
It wasn’t long before the screaming started, they were there, and yet somehow Zoe felt strangely calm. Not like she was prepared, but like this was just inevitable, or like it didn’t feel real. Everything she knew about the world told her she would likely stand face-to-face with hunters one day. Sure, plenty of witches didn’t, but she’d always known it was likely.
As people ran, and Zoe heard gunshots, everything seemed to become very real. Maybe too real. She looked to Jaiden, and then looked around for some water source. A fountain, pond, hell even a water hose would do in a pinch. She couldn’t pull moisture from the air, but she knew a spray of water could be very disarming.
For all it’s faults, Greythorne really was beautiful in the spring. Zoe hadn’t been the fondest of it covered in a layer of snow (it was so very cold), but now that the sun was shining and the earth was warming up, she felt like she could really take it all in, so she was taking her time with her errands. She considered texting Phoenix: if Alex was in a good mood, he would tolerate her, and she might be able to convince him to talk to her for a few moments. She didn’t know why she didn’t just give up on him, he was a jerk. A part of her wondered what he would be like if their father had spent more time with him. She’d slowly begun to realize the part her father played in all of it, and a part of her wondered if she’d been living a lie her entire life.
But that day, out walking around the town, she really only thought about how nice it was. She’d heard about the recent attacks on the town, but it had been pretty peaceful since she’d arrived, and everything seemed so normal now. People were talking, laughing, enjoying the (relative) warmth and sunshine. All the worries the town had seemed to be long gone. She smiled at the sound of children playing nearby. It made her think of home: she missed the children she taught back at the coven, whether she was teaching them the basics of their powers, or how to play piano. She’d felt so lazy in the weeks she’d been in Greythorne, she needed something more to occupy her time.
She started to pay more attention to where she was going just in time to narrowly avoid running directly into someone. Her immediate instinct was to look down at the ground before blurting out, “Oh, sorry! Are you okay?” Her face was red with embarrassment. The people in this town were still a little wary of her, and she understood that. She was an outsider, they didn’t know her, they’d been attacked several times in less than a year. It was a wonder she was being tolerated at all. So she had been trying to stay out of the way, though she had been prying into Alex’s past perhaps a little more than was normal. She pretty quickly realized that it was Jaiden, though, and relief hit her, then. She flashed a smile at Jaiden, “Hi, I-” She stopped talking as Jaiden addressed a group that was standing behind her. Something about that didn’t sound good, but Jaiden was explaining quickly enough.
Hunters? A part of Zoe had always known this was a possibility. She’d been the one who willingly came to town after it had been subjected to two attacks by hunters in less than half a year. But still, Zoe had no idea of what to do. “How can I help? I mean, I’ll stay with you, and if there’s anything I can do, I want to help.” It didn’t feel right, to her, that hunters would attack this town full of people just trying to live their lives. These weren’t vampires or demons out killing innocent people; this was just a town full of people trying to live their lives.
It wasn’t long before the screaming started, they were there, and yet somehow Zoe felt strangely calm. Not like she was prepared, but like this was just inevitable, or like it didn’t feel real. Everything she knew about the world told her she would likely stand face-to-face with hunters one day. Sure, plenty of witches didn’t, but she’d always known it was likely.
As people ran, and Zoe heard gunshots, everything seemed to become very real. Maybe too real. She looked to Jaiden, and then looked around for some water source. A fountain, pond, hell even a water hose would do in a pinch. She couldn’t pull moisture from the air, but she knew a spray of water could be very disarming.