Lilan (We Bought a Zoo) Fanfiction

Dead or Alive?

   Lily joined the group tentatively, making her presence known to her classmates as the new kid in school. She had come all the way to the city from the countryside where there were sweeping hills, pastures and of course the animals. Where she had lived was set in a declining population and within it, there had been barely any kids her age. There were only the grownups in her presence who had homeschooled her for long. Until they decided a new environment and a new school would be good for her. They had told her; It would be a breath of fresh air, darling. 

However, when she sauntered up to the group of her classmates, it was as if she had worn an invisible cloak that left her in a void, all alone. Alone..and invisible. Hadn't they already seen her by now? Or were they just looking past her? It was like she had turned into a ghost, dead to the world. Lily made the concerted efforts to do something about this, which materialized through her feigned confidence. "Hey, guys! I'm right here!" She said. People went about their work, as if they were busy all of a sudden...all the while they seemed to talking to each other vacuously under their breaths, gossiping about the new girl. Spreading rumors. Bad rumors. Her countenance went through a different shade of colors. It started with the whiteness that enveloped her cheeks and now a shade of beet red was visible, a mirror of her shame.

Then, there was that loud noise again. The constant non-stop jabbering filled her ears. Everyone, except her followed and mingled in with the voices of the 'people'. If this is what really 'people' in the city had to sound like, she would as easily unfalteringly have made the choice to rush back to her old home, where the sound of the animals, with the lemurs, the bears and the tigers imbued a different array of personalities. There was a deep contrast between animals and people. She saw the synchronized mobs of the 'people', together, uniform in their movements that all-together dismissed her existence. Tears pooled in her eyes. She shook her head a couple more times, disbelieving. She felt it.......hurt. Her wallowing in sorrow was implacable in that very moment.

Not long after the school incident, she had moved back into her old country life. Thankfully, Lily never had to open up a sequel of such pain with these circle of people. She was after all, a country girl and would always be. Knowing of what she just needed in her life, her cousin Kelly, her hero and one of her best friends (She actually came in second to 'Spar' her tiger buddy, although Lily would never admit it in front of Kelly.) had saved her from the extension of pain in her life by bringing her to this place with so many wonderful animals.

Lily had always been happy about the way it had been in her life and never was open to changes....until..until this one precise moment. The moment when her heart palpitated, like the firing of the bullets in a rapid succession, like the triumphant sound of the bowling ball that made its perfect hit on the pins, leaving them tumbling down, one by one. It was the boy standing there, just a distance away. It was like she had turned herself into one of the animals from the zoo, testing the waters. She went after the boy, like a slithering snake. The boy had a brooding frown on his face. There was distress written on his features. "My name's Lily. You are-?" The answer came out very quickly, but gruffly. Lily had never been so intrigued before.

"Dylan."

Lily smiled, that hypnotic smile of hers that either drew in or drew out 'people.' Lily hoped it would be the former, because she thought silently, the boy was......she wracked her brains for the word. From not having been around many people, it did take her time to decide on a word. Finally, Lily had to settle on, 'exotic.' The boy was exotic. There it was, EXOTIC.

"I'm 13 and I work here in the zoo," she introduced herself, thrusting her hand out to him. Then, Lily glimpsed of his tiny smile, before it disappeared. All too soon. Lily wanted to see more of it. She wished to bring the rays of sunshine into his world. "I'm 14," he said tersely. With that, the exotic boy walked past her. But this time, his walking past her did not make her feel dead or invisible. The boy did remind her of the rowdy complacent people in the city. But, he also reminded her of everything that wasn't. For, within the darkness of the boy, she saw light. And, she felt alive for the first time in years.