New Zoo (Original Series by Wallace111)

New-Zoo-Seal

Elizabeth looked up, eying at the stone archways of the New Zoo as she rifled through the large stack of keys she had been given by Rebecca. She grumbled softly to herself as she tried key after key, yielding no success at opening the gates in front of her. She glared at the gates, the lock just slightly out of her reach as internally, she was demanding them to open.

"C'mon, I'm certain I've tried all of these keys at least once. My toes can't take much more of this" moaned Elizabeth as she grabbed one more, getting back on her tippy toes as she tested it on the lock in front of her. Fortunately, this time the key turned around completely, unlocking the gate doors with a soft 'click' which caused Elizabeth to breathe in relief.

"Finally, I've got to talk Rebecca into labelling these keys" she grumbled as she opened the gates, letting herself in as she looked around, entering the Main Hallway as she eyed the vast amount of enclosures.

Elizabeth looked around, temporarily speechless as she just took in the vastness of the Zoo.

"Gotta say, Rebecca thinks big. I was anticipating the Zoo to be much smaller. Oh well, it gives Charlotte paperwork to do...she really does enjoy that for some reason. It also gives us all options of what animals to add to our collection and maximises what we can have" said Elizabeth, genuinely smiling for a moment as she thought back to her best friend before remembering the task at hand.

She had been informed by Rebecca that there was someone who had expressed interest in joining the Zoo in a staff capacity. Rebecca had instructed her to maintain a facade, take advantage of her smaller height to lower their guard. The Managers had no intention of hiring any new staff at this stage, but a new addition to their enclosures wouldn't go amiss.

"While the idea of pretending to be a child annoys me...I accept at this time it's probably for the best. We are definitely in a vulnerable position right now" thought Elizabeth as she looked down, noticing the whistle around her neck.

Before she had met Rebecca, she used to travel around the world alongside Charlotte. They had gone on adventures which had been great fun for the pair of them. It had also proved to be rather educational.

"Ah, I remember now. Those were the days" thought Elizabeth as she remembered how she had come into possession of her whistle. It had been a hot day as the pair had stopped in a small market village to restock their supplies.

A particular merchant's booth had caught her eye that day, appealing to her as she had decided to approach it. She had walked, cautiously as she eyed the items he had for sale. There appeared to be various items for sale, ranging from the unusual to the outright mystical.

It was then she had seen the whistle for the first time. It had immediately caught her eye as she had enquired with the merchant who offered a fair price, claiming it to be magical. He elaborated that it would allow the user to control others. When she questioned why he hadn't used it, he clarified that only certain people could truly tap into its power.

Elizabeth had scoffed at the notion initially but decided to humour the merchant, paying for the whistle as she liked the woodwork and design regardless.

"In hindsight, it did feel rather foolish to dismiss the possibility," thought Elizabeth who snapped out of the daydream for a moment.

"It would take a few more years before I discovered magic actually existed. I wonder if more people are aware of it. It'll be important to consider that if we continue with this" continued Elizabeth as she soon stopped herself, realising she had become distracted from her train of thought as she thought back to acquiring the whistle, soon catching up to where she had left off.