She's the Devil in Disguise

27

^^Eris

Zena's POV

I woke to find Eris sitting upright. She appeared famished and a bit exhausted. I sat up and looked around. I wish there was something I could give her.

"How are you feeling?" She questioned.

"Could be better. Could be worse." I shrugged.

"Guess that's one way to- Zena, look!" Eris pointed at unfamiliar objects floating near us.

The objects looked like rose petals that had 8 vines protruding from the sides. They wafted closer and smelled aromatic. I was distracted by them, so Eris pulled me up. She had us slowly back away from the plants.

"Don't let them touch you. They're hallucinogenic plants. They latch onto you and slowly kill you while putting you in a dreamlike state." Eris roughly gripped my arm. "We've got to go!"

Eris pulled me after her, causing the plants to float towards us. We ran, but one of the plants wrapped its vine around my ankle, tripping me. Eris skidded to a halt and turned to help me up. We were close to the end of the path, so we'd just have to run around the corner and hope the path would shift. Unfortunately, the plant slingshotted itself and latched itself to my chest.

"Shit! We need to get this off!" Eris dragged me around the corner, allowing me to watch the path change. "It can't form a bond with you!" Eris tried pulling it off. I felt myself slowly drift and my eyes closed. "Zena? Zena! Zena, stay with me! No, Zena! Fight it, Zena! ZENA!"

~~~

"Z!" I awoke to shaking. "Wake up!" That voice is familiar. I opened my eyes and gasped at Yeira. "Maman made these and they were getting cold." She smiled and placed the plate of chocolate chip pancakes on my chest.

"What are you doing here?" I sat up and was shocked to find me in my Italian bedroom.

"Like I said. Maman made pancakes and they were getting cold because you didn't get up yet. Come on." Yeira pulled me out of bed. "Plus, you should be getting ready. Acacia is coming over soon." She winked and left my room.

Acacia? I quickly got ready and carried my plate of pancakes downstairs. I observed the decor and realized I was back in my Italian home. I entered the living room to see my parents and Yeira chatting with Acacia. Acacia was laughing at something Yeira said. Mum pointed behind her, so she turned to smile at me. I smiled back as Acacia ran over to hug me.

"I missed you." My eyes teared up.

"Missed you too, Z!" She squeezed me tight, resulting in my eyes shutting. I breathed her scent in and smiled.

"Don't be late to school." Maman smiled.

School? Yeira asked if I could play hooky with her today, but our parents shook their heads. She groaned, but relented. Duomo drove us to school and told us to have a nice day. We entered the school to see the students smiling and waving at us. I guess we're popular?

Acacia held my hand and kissed my cheek while giving me a loving look. I melted at the sight of her and didn't realize we walked in the direction of our friends.

"You guys are so cute!" Vera squealed, causing Luca and Mel to nod.

"Literally my OTP!" Nat swooned.

The day went by relatively fast. I had every single class with Acacia and would notice her sending me loving looks every so often. When the bell rang, Duomo was there to pick us up. The moment we got back to the villa, Acacia gave me an impish look. She took me upstairs, causing Yeira to chuckle.