The Pain Thief

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTIONS

 Nine years later...

Zoe woke up to the sun on her face. She opened her deep gray eyes and sat up in bed. She had a small room, but she didn't mind. She never really needed too much space or too many things. 

Walking to the bathroom, Zoe slipped in the shower before changing into her usual black cargo pants and small gray tee. Over it she wore her white and gray striped sweatshirt. 

Looking in the mirror, she sighed. Her white hair shown brilliantly as she brushed it out, matching with her white eyebrows. No matter how many times she tried to dye it, the dye always just washed right out. After a few times she just gave up, but the fact that she generally wore neutral colors didn't help much. 

Zoe was seventeen now and in her junior year in high school. School was never a good place for her, but at least she'd gotten past the first few months. It was October now, though time made those two months seem a lot longer. 

She cleaned herself up, putting on dark black eyeliner before returning to her room to grab her over the shoulder bag. Zoe walked down the stairs to find Mr. Z, her legal guardian, sitting in the kitchen reading a newpaper. 

After her parents had died, Zoe didn't have anyone to take care of her. Being only eight years old, the state wouldn't let her live by herself, but she was lucky enough that Mr. Z agreed to look over her. 

Mr. Z had lived in the neighborhood for years, and when he'd heard that Zoe lost her parents, he took her in and watched over her. His wife had died a long time ago and he hadn't remarried. He had one son who rarely came to visit, but he used all this to say why he should be the one to watch Zoe. 

Zoe remembered when she first moved in, how sad she was without her parents. It felt like a huge hole had opened up in her chest and she couldn't find something to fill it, no matter how hard she tried. 

Mr. Z had slowly found a way through her sadness, quickly becoming one of the most important people in her life. Now he was about seventy, but Zoe had never really thought of him as all that old. 

"Good Morning Mr. Z," she said politely. 

"Good Morning Zoe," he said kindly, lowering his newspaper. Mr. Z was a thin old man, but not dangerously so. He had close-cropped white hair and a white mustache to match, something the two of them joked about with Zoe's white hair. 

"I trust you slept well?" he asked. His deep green eyes sparkled behind his glasses. 

"Well enough," was her response. 

Looking at the clock, it was time to go if she wanted to be to school on time. Mr. Z had offered to drive her tons of times, and used to when she was younger, but she learned that he wasn't exactly the best driver. It was honestly easier just to walk. 

"I'll see you later Mr. Z. Do you need me to get anything on my way home?"

He chuckled a little and gave her a warm smile. "Some milk would be nice."

Zoe smiled and nodded. "I'll be sure to pick it up." 

They said their goodbyes and Zoe began her walk to school, wrapping her jacket around her tighter. She liked the cold, but didn't usually admit it. There was no reason to give even more people a reason to call her some sort of over-used snow-related name. 

Zoe walked a little while longer until she saw a figure standing on the sidewalk in front of her. Her face morphed into a smile as she approached. 

When she was only a few feet away, he turned. He had jet black hair that hung over his eyes a bit, but that grew forward, leaving it shorter over his ears. He had eyes that were a greenish color, but like Zoe, he dressed in nuetral colors. Today he had on dark blue jeans and a white tee with a black sweatshirt. 

He smiled as she came close, saying, "Mornin' Snowflake."

This was her best friend Jack, and to clarify, the only person she ever let call her Snowflake. Zoe had met Jack on the night her parents' died; he had been the one who woke her up when she was ready to die. He carried her all the way back to his house where his parents called 911 and helped place her with Mr. Z. 

Since that day, Zoe and Jack had been close. Zoe moved schools, attending the same one as Jack. He had always been there for her even when she felt completely alone, beating up bullies for her, and pretty much making her an adoptive part of his family. 

Of course, he was actually adopted when he was a baby since his real parents didn't feel they were ready for a child. He never thought of his family as adoptive though; to him, they were his family, and now Zoe was too. 

Zoe chuckled and said, "Morning Jack."

The two of them walked side-by-side as they began their walk to school. It was still early, with a slight layer of fog in the air. They talked jovially, wondering what the day would bring. 

Suddenly, Zoe came to a stop, extending her right arm out to stop Jack. The two of them stared ahead, both now sensing the impending threat. Their talk died down as they focused on where the energy was coming from. 

Did she forget to mention it? Both Zoe and Jack had special powers, meaning that creatures could sense them and came to fight. Zoe only had one thought as she waited for the fight to start: what could it possibly be now?