girl meets zentown | kaylee&ellie

[zenevieva mira novell]

freezing .

7TH DECEMBER 2022

THE START OF THE BULLYING...

With Christmas on the horizon and snow covering the floors of the Middle Courtyard that Ilvermorny had, Zenevieva stood near the stone fountain, the water that would usually spout out – nowhere to be seen, while the water that rested at the bottom of it was completely covered in ice. As the Novell took in a deep breath and exhaled just as quickly, green eyes watched as her hot breath completely disappeared in the air. Now you definitely know it’s winter. Having spent no more than five minutes out in the Courtyard waiting for both Ellie and Kaylee after receiving their owls a few days before. The plan was to spend their free session on that specific Wednesday – a break away from their upcoming fourth year deadlines as well as the start of the Novell’s bullying case.

Even though her hands were snug in a pair of navy gloves, Zen knew the cold didn’t really affect her as much – considering her background of being a Dark Creature that was used to the cold. She couldn’t help at times and feign a reaction to the cold, to seem normal amongst others but most people knew by now the cold didn’t bother her anyway. Tempted to sit upon the side of the fountain and pull out a book just to clear her mind, her legs started to move before her mind processed it, pacing back and forth upon the snow that was ruined by the foot prints of other students. The half-vampire’s mind was usually filled with lists of assignments completed and books that needed to be read. But as of lately, she fell victim to the harsh words of Bianca Daniel and her friends. Even suffered under their hands to a glitter charm – which only resulted with Sparkles becoming the brunette’s nickname.

Her hands fumbled with one another as she paced around the courtyard, green eyes wandering amongst the few statues that were scattered around. Zen’s ideal way of pushing past her thoughts was usually to read a book, but with how cold it was to even turn a page and her friends arrival to occur any minute now…What would be the point?

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai, @ellie & order is me! audrey! rissy! hopefully this works!!

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

Being so used to the warmth and sunshine of Hawaii, Kaylee Mahi'ai had never gotten too used to winter in Massachusetts. Ilvermorny winters, since they were atop Mount Greylock, always seemed colder to her than they necessarily should have been, too. Why she, Ellie, and Zenevieva had to meet outside—of all places—was beyond her, but Kaylee had bundled herself up warmly enough that she was convinced that she wouldn't end up with frostbite before they were ready to go back into the warmth (and back to class).

She had been walking a few steps ahead of Ellie, though she must have picked up her pace by accident at some point; she reached the courtyard where Zen was already standing well before her. The half-vampire wasn't far from what was now a thoroughly-frozen version of the fountain that was usually there, though Kaylee could see as she approached that her friend was pacing back and forth. She could see the tracks that Zen had worn away in the snow and realized how frustrated her fellow Horned Serpent must have been.

Kaylee was surprised that Zen hadn't started looking over her shoulder, though she absolutely had reason to. Bianca Daniel—in Wampus and the year above theirs—and her cronies had taken to tormenting Zen lately, and the half-vampire had ended up with the nickname "Sparkles" as a result. There were a handful of older students, unfortunately, who were known for being instigators whenever it suited them. Kaylee tried her best to ignore them and not give them the attention that they so craved. Zen, though, was a quiet person, as it was, which—if Kaylee had to guess—was probably why Bianca and they had chosen her as the target of their bullying. Having the whole school know that she was "Sparkles" couldn't have been very fun at all.

"Zen!" Kaylee called out, feeling the cold air snap at her face as she met her friend where she was pacing, glad that she had boots and multiple layers on over her usual school robes in the snow. "Ellie should be here, like, pretty much any second now," she informed her, pushing a strand of hair away from her face and adjusting her scarf so that she didn't suffocate because of it. "She was literally right behind me as we were heading out here," she noted, turning her head to see if she could see Ellie coming.

@ellie
zenevieva mira novell

[Deleted]

[googlefont="Open Sans Condensed:300"]

I CAN TASTE THE DANGER

[attr="class","next"] The fresh, crisp snow had covered Ilvermorny in all of its glory, and she relished in it. Back home, it very rarely snowed, but here it did a lot more. She enjoyed the snow, thrived in it really, and was always excited to go outside and throw a snowball or two. Just like today, she and Kaylee had bundled up nice and warmly and headed outside of the warm school and into the freezing air. Each breath she took caused smoke to rise from her lips, and she let out a laugh as she blew out the smoke on purpose, turning to Kaylee and saying, “I’m a dragon,” in a somewhat-okay Scottish accent, like Merida from Brave, an old Disney cartoon that her mom allowed her to watch a few times.

When she realized that Kaylee wasn’t beside her, but a few steps ahead, she tried picking up her pace to catch up, almost sliding on the fresh snow that paved the ground. As the drew closer to the courtyard, she could see Zen near a frozen fountain and was rather upset no one had spelled it so that it wouldn’t freeze and would continue to work. She liked that fountain. Not long after Kay arrived and finished informing the half-vampire of Ellie being right behind her, she drew out a breath and put her hands on her knees, as if she were out of breath.

“You were literally running. I don’t know how you didn’t fall. Sorry—I love the snow but the secret ice beneath does not love me,” she said with a soft laugh, brushing off her bottom one more time to remove the wet snow from her pants. Kaylee wasn't actually running, she was moving at a faster pace, yes, but running was not something that had happened. Oh no, Ellie had gotten distracted grabbing snow from a covered bench and started eating it. And then she almost slipped trying to catch up, and then she actually fell halfway to the spot.

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TAG zenevieva mira novell & kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

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[zenevieva mira novell]

freezing .

Hearing her name led to the girl whipping her head around just a tad too sharp. Green eyes lit up at the sight of her friend: Kaylee followed by the late comer of her second friend: Ellie. Zen couldn’t help but laugh quietly to herself, the air that left her lips following itself into the sky. Ellie was always known for getting distracted at the smallest kinds of things and snow was just as evident for it. ”Maybe it’s the snow that got to her.” She murmured, her eyes peering out into the rest of the large courtyard.

But with some huffing and an exaggerated manner on Ellie’s behalf, Zen stifled a giggle, listening to her friends complaints about both the snow and how Kaylee’s movement. ”Kaylee always walks…incredibly fast.” She stated, learning that the hard way when the two first became friends. ”You’ve got some more snow…” The brunette trailed off, bending down to brush her hand lightly against her friends knee – at the spot she missed. ”There!” Standing straight, Zen almost slipped on the icy concrete herself, but held out her arms to gain her balance, a giggle leaving her lips after.

”Why did we agree to meet in the Courtyard again?” While she knew the snow and the cold temperature wouldn’t affect her entirely, it did actually cause problems for her friends. Out of all the places, the three of them just had to meet in the one place Zen genuinely loved – during the hot weather of course. ”And for what reason…” She added with a soft mutter. Christmas was around the corner, so the Novell expected the purpose to regard whether or not each of them would be returning to their families or staying at Hogwarts for this year’s celebrations.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai, @ellie

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

Zen reacted more suddenly than usual at the sound of her name. She didn't seem to be too bothered by Ellie's lateness; she had probably become distracted by the snow, Zen suggested.

Sure enough, though, Ellie showed up a few minutes later. Kaylee had to laugh at her friends' complaints about how fast she walked. Ellie remarked that she didn't know how she hadn't fallen, while Zen commented that she always walked quickly.

"I do not!" Kaylee protested, laughing right along with the other two girls. "I just don't play dragon when I have somewhere to be," she teased Ellie, watching as her breath rose, visible from her mouth in the cold air. She stuck her tongue out at Ellie, only to realize how cold it was and to stick her tongue right back inside her mouth again.

"Why did we agree to meet in the Courtyard again?" It was Zen, rather than Ellie, who had posed the question, which made it slightly unexpected.

"As I recall—" Kaylee cut in, only to hear the next part of what Zenevieva was saying.

"And for what reason…"

"Zen," Kaylee spoke, her tone more stern than it had been. "We can't go home for the holidays without addressing the fact that practically everyone at Ilvermorny is calling you… that stupid nickname now." It wasn't so much the nickname itself; instead, it was how it had come about. If "Sparkles" had been created by Zen's own choice—or even by her or Ellie—it would have been okay. But it was being used by others to mock Zen and her half-vampireness, which absolutely wasn't okay. Kaylee looked expectantly at Ellie for back-up on her point.

@ellie
zenevieva mira novell

[Deleted]

[googlefont="Open Sans Condensed:300"]

I CAN TASTE THE DANGER

[attr="class","next"] ‘I do not! I just don't play dragon when I have somewhere to be,’

Ellie gasped at her friend and narrowed her eyes, “Correction…I was not playing dragons; I am a dragon,” she said, her breath coming out in smoke as she spoke with her horrid Scottish accent one more. Just as those words came out, Zen agreed with Ellie and brushed some snow off her knee, a spot that Ellie had missed from when she fell. Zen, however, as graceful as ever almost did the same thing but was able to balance herself. Must be a vampire perk, she thought to herself with a twang of jealousy; she wanted to be able to not fall in the snow.

Then came the question of why they were here, in the courtyard, and Kaylee was the first to speak. She stated the obvious and Ellie nodded her head in agreement, “The nickname that stupid Bianca started…oh if I weren’t so scared of her I’d punch her,” said Ellie with a bit of an angry attitude, holding up her fist as if she were ready to fight, her face holding determination behind her scrunched nose.

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TAG zenevieva mira novell
& kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

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[zenevieva mira novell]

freezing .

Zenevieva couldn’t help but laugh at her friends theatrics. It was nice to be the quiet friend of the group, watching how your friends would bicker back and forth through simple banter. Ellie was subject to always taking opportunities in her hands, especially using her terrible Scottish accent, watching as air would disappear into the sky. But when Kaylee brought up the situation at hand – including her infamous Ilvermorny nickname, the smile on her lips disappeared, just like the sun did as time passed by. Sparkles was one thing Zen usually loved to see, described in novels or Muggle movies, but now the verb was definitely on her top ten hate list.

”I-It’s whatever.” She muttered, fiddling with her fingers in the gloves. The atmosphere around them while cold turned awkward and quiet. Zen had always had difficulty expressing her emotions, used to somewhat bottle it up to herself, stay quiet while sobbing under the sheets of her Ravenclaw dorm room. But when Ellie’s attitude turned angry, Zen couldn’t help but laugh. Ellie was an innocent person, pure and shy – but not afraid to speak her mind. Although, against Bianca most people tended to turn quiet.

”Ellie…You’re too cute.” The Novell smiled, a giggle not shy from leaving her lips. ”I appreciate the thought but…It’s just a nickname. It’s kind of normal.” Only one could guess.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai, @ellie

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

Even though the words out of Zenevieva's mouth suggested that the new nickname that she had been given by Bianca was not a big deal, Kaylee knew better than to believe that, and especially not when Zen's body language was telling a very different story. It was only in response to Ellie's comment about wanting to punch Bianca that she laughed, which Kaylee was happy to hear. Honestly, she probably would have gone and punched Bianca, herself, but she really didn't want to have to deal with the repercussions of socking the older girl in the face.

Zen said that she appreciated the thought of wanting to punch Bianca, and Kaylee, too, had to giggle at the sight of Ellie's raised fist. Kaylee had never known her to hurt anyone, which was part of what made it so funny, but she also didn't envy anyone who had managed to get on Ellie Nottingham's bad side.

Still, though, Zenevieva continued to say that it was just a nickname and that it was "kind of normal".

"I don't know about punching anybody," Kaylee started, "but what Bianca's doing is totally not normal. Normal people don't try to turn the whole school against you because of something you can't control. You did nothing to her, and yet she thinks she has the right to treat you like crap."

@ellie
zenevieva mira novell

[Deleted]

[googlefont="Open Sans Condensed:300"]

I CAN TASTE THE DANGER

[attr="class","next"] The three girls had been friends for as long as Ellie could remember. Each one of them had a different personality that brought them together and kept them like that. Close knit friends they were and the brunette wouldn’t change it for the world. However, troubling times had started earlier in the year, the bully Bianca had gotten to Zenevieva and began a whirlwind of trouble for the young half-vampire. The three had never had any problem with Bianca, besides the usual bullying, but it seemed something had set Bianca off and started being extra rude to Zen, including a nickname that had gotten picked up by many people throughout the school that was ‘friends’ with Bianca and her group.

Zenevieva muttered that the nickname was of no importance, using the term ‘whatever’ to portray her thought. And Ellie knew, just by looking at her, the awkward and silence that filled the air around them, that everything was not whatever. Once Ellie brought up punching the girl, she was called cute and was offered a smile by Zen, before she went into saying that Sparkles was just a nickname and that it was normal. Ellie’s mouth went agape, as she stared at her friends like she had a second head, and as she went to speak, Kaylee beat her. ‘I don't know about punching anybody, but what Bianca's doing is not normal. Normal people don't try to turn the whole school against you because of something you can't control. You did nothing to her, and yet she thinks she has the right to treat you like crap.’

Ellie nodded her head and pointed towards Kaylee, “Kay is right—it’s not normal. Bianca has no right. We need to tell someone, a teacher…maybe even the headmaster about the bullying, put Bianca in her place since you all don’t want me to punch her.”

---

TAG zenevieva mira novell
& kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

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[zenevieva mira novell]

freezing .

Zenevieva knew that her friends were potentially looking through her nonsense, at her acts of being somewhat confident even though her life had been a living hell in the prior weeks, thanks to Bianca. Her arms folded over one another as she tried to hold the warmth within her self for just a tad longer, a sigh leaving her lips as she turned her head as Kaylee spoke. ”I suppose so.” The brunette muttered, green eyes watching the air leave her lips.

But when you were somewhat pushed and bullied for what felt like weeks on end, it was natural to give up hope on change. Zenevieva had always wondered thee true purpose to Bianca’s bullying, her hatred against her, but the brunette felt no confidence against her to actually ask. It was difficult being quiet, gaining a stutter when the words weren’t comfortable in your mind. And when the bullying had begun, the Novell had been like that. Filled with stutters and a reserved nature. The nickname that had been formed for her, while Zen somewhat lied, saying it had no importance, she knew it had all sorts of importance.

Turning her head back, green eyes noticed the opened mouth that belonged to Ellie, a smile creeping on Zen’s own lips. Ellie always had the strangest ways of making the brunette smile, even when they were all being quiet. ”I doubt…A teacher would do anything…Or even the headmaster.” Bianca seemed to be a vital student within Ilvermorny, known for at least something academic or so Zen believed. ”Even then, being a tattle tale would probably increase my chances of having Confetti charms on me every week.” She said with a brief scoff, looking down at the ground.

It was hard to change Zen’s mind on the topic, from her understanding, something like this was…normal and evidently bound to happen, considering what Zen was and who she was. A quiet half-vampire, who was known to not fight back.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai, @ellie

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

No matter what she and Ellie tried to say to the contrary, it didn't seem to Kaylee as though Zen believed a word that was coming out of their mouths about the severity of the whole situation that had arisen with Bianca. She was getting a little frustrated, but she knew that it wasn't Zen's fault for not believing them—even though they were her best friends. It was what Bianca had done to crush Zen's self-esteem that had made her think of it as being a minor inconvenience. And Kaylee was determined to keep that minor inconvenience from becoming an even bigger one and making Zen's misery that much worse.

Zen expressed her doubts that anyone would do anything—their teachers or even the headmaster. Plus, she said that being a tattletale would only worsen her chances of getting a confetti charm every week, and Kaylee bit down on the inside of her lower lip in thought. There was the possibility that Bianca could make things worse for her if she told someone with the authority to do something, but how were they supposed to know if nobody spoke up about what was happening? They couldn't let Bianca just bully people, and especially not Zen!

"You're not a tattletale, Zen," Kaylee said as reassuringly as she could, given how increasingly frustrated she was getting with this whole situation. She could understand why Ellie's first response had been to want to punch Bianca. "This isn't kindergarten, and it's not tattling on her when she's actually done stuff to you." It would have been different if Zen was accusing Bianca of doing something that she hadn't, but she wasn't.

"Half the school's able to back us up," Kaylee added. Either people had seen Bianca in action, or they had heard about her bullying from someone who had seen it for themselves. Besides, some of the other students in the year above them were just as bad as Bianca was. It didn't matter that maybe Zenevieva Novell wasn't the most "popular" person at Ilvermorny; nor were Kaylee and Ellie, not when there was practically an epidemic on their hands. "And, if the teachers don't believe us, we'll find enough people who do. And then we'll go back until they listen. It's not gonna be just your word against Bianca's, I swear. There's already three of us—you, me, and Ellie."

@ellie
zenevieva mira novell

[Deleted]

[googlefont="Open Sans Condensed:300"]

I CAN TASTE THE DANGER

[attr="class","next"] ‘I doubt…A teacher would do anything…Or even the headmaster. Even then, being a tattletale would probably increase my chances of having confetti charms on me every week.’ Ellie sighed, Zen was right about that. Telling a teacher or some an adult, even if it did do something about the bullying, would only increase it from other people. That’s what sucked about school sometimes and petty teenagers—they always believed that telling on someone else and getting them in trouble is tattling…a childish term. But then Kaylee piped up, reassuring the half-vampire that this wasn't tattling nor was this kindergarten, it was kind of like muggle high school. They were almost adults, they were teenagers, and they were all acting like children.

Kaylee also pointed out that half the school would back them up, and they would find someone to listen until Bianca was taken down. It wasn’t ones word against another; they would team up and prove what is truly going on. “Yes! We’ll take Bianca down the old fashion way and ruin her remaining time here at Ilvermorny. Give her a taste of her own medicine, detention style,”

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TAG zenevieva mira novell
& kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

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[zenevieva mira novell]

freezing .

NOTHING WOULD SWAY Zenevieva’s choice to stay quiet on the matter. Telling a teacher or some kind of adult felt wrong, or even believing anyone as of now. Trust had always been a difficult thing for the Novell to accept, to put in the hands of her...friends. Hell, it felt like she could only trust her parents, as her mother shared the same difficulties as her own considering she was a vampire. She appreciated the reassurance and even the offers to take down the one person who Zenevieva feared most - aside from the entirety of the world - but knew it wouldn't do no good except get into others in trouble.

It was now when she felt the tears well up in her eyes, the overwhelming boil of emotions that appeared from no where. Her fists clenched the more she listened to her friends, listening to how they were willing to help, use their own free time to help someone like Zen. Why? Bullying happened all the time! The hard pill that Zen found difficulty to struggle was the purpose of her friends going to random lengths for her well being. What about them? What if Bianca turned it around? Bullied them instead? Zen couldn't live with that.

"No!" She finally broke, filling the quiet courtyard with emotion, the same ones the half-vampire always found struggle expressing. The tears came streaming down now, especially as she shook her head in protest. "You don't get it! No matter how hard you try, she'll be ten times better." Bianca seemingly had her ways, she would manipulate for her own benefit, somehow convince those who would possibly stand by Zen's side to back down, or face the consequences of it all. "I appreciate it. I really do! Even if I'm the worst person to express their thanks, their emotions...Even speaking. But Bianca will fight back...Even if we stand our ground." Her hand reached up then, the wool of her navy gloves catching the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

kaylee māhealani mahi'ai, @ellie

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[kaylee māhealani mahi'ai]

"No!"

Zen's cry shattered the silence in the courtyard, and Kaylee watched helplessly as the half-vampire shook her head, tears falling. "You don't get it! No matter how hard you try, she'll be ten times better."

The fear of retaliation by Bianca was real, but that didn't mean that it had to happen, Kaylee thought. If it did, it would just prove their point. Bianca, as mean and awful as she could be sometimes, wasn't invincible, though. Neither were some of the other people she hung out with. They weren't immune to school rules just because they might have been more popular.

"I appreciate it. I really do! Even if I'm the worst person to express their thanks, their emotions… Even speaking. But Bianca will fight back… Even if we stand our ground."

It didn't make it much better that Zenevieva had thanked her and Ellie for trying to help her with her bullying problem—not when she was so convinced that what she and Ellie had been suggesting wasn't going to work.

"Zen…" Kaylee pleaded right back with her, stepping towards the half-vampire and touching her on the shoulder. She hated seeing Zen so upset, but that was only going to continue if they didn't tell someone who could actually do something about Bianca's antagonizing her. This wasn't a lost cause; Zen wasn't a lost cause.

Desperately, Kaylee looked back to Ellie again to back her up. She didn't know what to say or what to do to convince Zen that they might actually stand a chance in stopping Bianca. If the adults at Ilvermorny couldn't do something to keep her from being a bully, after all, then who could? "Please," she begged, tears forming in her own eyes, "just let us help you… It's going to keep on going like this if we don't do something…"

@ellie
zenevieva mira novell

[Deleted]

I CAN TASTE THE DANGER BUT I DON'T WANNA RUN
I'M A CAUTION TAKER, BUT BABY YOU'RE A FORCE OF NATURE

Ellie was strong, so were Kaylee and Zen, but why was it that at this moment she didn't feel like it. The tears that appeared in Zen's eyes, that gave away that she wanted to accept their help but couldn't. Why wouldn't she let them help?! They wanted to bring down Bianca, wanted to save their dear friend from her bullying ways, and yet she was telling them no. That they didn't get it and that she was better than them. Ellie opened her mouth, but Zen continued saying that she appreciated it, but Bianca would fight back, even if they stood their ground.

Ellie swallowed, not wanting to say anything in fear of herself breaking, and then Kaylee spoke, begging her to let them help. Ellie grabbed Kaylee's arm gently, "I agree with you, Kay...really I do, but it's up to Zen. Maybe there is another way...without getting Bianca even more pissed and realizing it is us fighting back."

zenevieva mira novell & kaylee māhealani mahi'ai

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