The Four

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

ZOE

This is an ordinary day in Helsney.

I wake up at 6:00am, brush my teeth, eat breakfast at 6:15am, shower and get dressed at 6:45am. Then I practice magic until 8:25am when I catch the bus to school.

Yes, magic.

As in hocus-pocus, abracadabra magic?

Sort of.

My name is Zoe Tyla Collins.

I have short brown hair and a plain face and I practice witchcraft.

Yes, I can make things levitate.

No, I do not ride a flying broomstick (although I could if I wanted to).

But this was no ordinary day.

This was the day I first met Will Taylor.

It was the first day back at school, and everyone was sat in our stifling form room when a boy appeared.

Well, he didn't just appear, he came through the door like normal people.

He had short honey blonde hair and blue eyes, the same sort of hue as my own. He took small steps, as if he were nervous.

He was closely followed by Mrs Gates, the receptionist at Helsney Secondary.

She introduced him as Will Taylor, the new boy that was going to be joining our form.

A quick glance around the classroom told me that the only spare seat was next to me.

"Hi Will!"my form tutor, Mrs Smith said. "Why don't you take a seat next to Zoe?" she finished, pointing at me.

I scowled inwardly. I liked sitting alone.

My best friend Emily turned around and smiled at me.

She obviously thought I needed more company than a book and a square of strawberry hubba-bubba.

He sat down next to me and said "Hi, I'm Will."

To which I replied "I'm Zoe." and carried on reading.

It went on like this for some time until Amanda-May Willson, of all people, walked up and introduced herself.

"Hello Annabel." I replied, deliberately getting her name wrong just to spite her.

"Hey Zoe." she said, just as sugary sweet as me.

If there was one thing me and Amanda-May had in common it was the mutual hate we both felt towards each other.

I couldn't figure out why she had come over until I realised that Will was kind of hot.

His blue eyes sparkled, and his hair fell into them.

But it didn't matter. Fictional characters have set high expectations for me.

I was snapped out of my reverie by the fact that Amanda was still talking.

I just caught the end, but it sounded like she was asking him out on a date.

Already Amanda? Honestly, he's only been here five minutes and he's already being asked out.

It wasn't until I handed him a pencil and our hands touched that I realised that there was something different about him.

In other words, my witchy powers include seeing into peoples memories just by touching them. I can do it without physical contact, but thats only when I want to.

This was unintentional.

A woman, begging me to hide. A door that was stiff. And a face with papery white skin and black pits for eyes. Sharp white teeth and pale thin lips. A sense of fear, crammed between wooden crates, seeing papery white feet approach, the thing collapsing at my feet as I hit it with a plank of wood. Kneeling by the bodies of a man and a woman with hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

I pulled away, breathing hard.

I looked at Will.

"I know what happened."