The moment she walked past the school doors, Zenobia was met with blinding sunlight. She cupped over her eyes slightly with her free right hand, waiting for her vision to adjust before she started walking. The teen with an exhausted sigh descended down the large stone steps. Smiling softly, she glanced at the map and written directions neatly done. A stark contrast to the phone number scribbled on the frontside.
Still, she didn't complain as she trudged onto the busy streets of Chizel. Cars honked against one another as lights changed from red to green. People scurried their way on the cracked sidewalks, brushing past her without a second glance. Shop doors jingled with little bells each time someone walked in. All of the noise clashed merrily together.
She tolerated the noise but found herself relaxing when she left the chaotic streets. Her destination, a little park, Valentino Park, was about ten minutes away from the school. It was a popular place for families to play, yet Zenobia was somewhat surprised to find it mainly empty. There were a few mothers with their babies in strollers, or with toddlers running in random directions of course, but there was plenty of space for her to walk without issue.
Zenobia advanced past the benches with wood-chip floors. Maneuvered her body around the playground of shifting swings, bouncing cars, and toy infested sand boxes. Beyond an enormous grassy hill was a series of recreational fields. Two baseball fields spread across the greenery, taking up only a fourth of it.
A good twenty or so meters away was a volleyball court with a little sand base ground. All of it was out in the open, allowing for the wind to come and go as it pleased, but she wasn't concerned about those particular areas. No, she went deeper, towards the great oaks circling the three sport territories. Only when she went through the gaps made by their thick trunks, descending down another little hill did she stop.
Her destination was a little basketball court hidden away from view. Zenobia blinked when she took in the cracked cement ground, full of faded away lines. Beyond the fence that truly barricaded the last bits of the part from the forest she could hear the chirping of birds. Glancing up she noticed the two opposing hoop rims were net free, both rusted poles were painted in pollen. It was such a different atmosphere compared to the other parts of the park. It was quiet, peaceful, yet unkempt. Littered with empty beer cans, broken branches, and weeds as far as the eye can see.
As Zenobia stepped forth, her sandals clapping onto the court, her vision shifted. The trees were greener, the grass was longer, with the sun casting darker shadows at a different angle. There was something there…watching her-she shook her head. Blinking several times, her surroundings shifting with each flash of her lash covered eyes. A headache suddenly came to her, one she ignored while she sat down on the damp tar coated ground.
Just as she promised, her priority was to get a hold of her principal. She took out her phone from her pocket, eyeing the note one more time before typing in her number. A hum escaped the girl as she contemplated what to text to her. There was no way in hell she was going to call Ms. Mude.
Not only did Zenobia not want to disturb the lady in case she was in a meeting…but it just sounded too weird to her. 'Oh hey-I'm calling you like I told you I would. I made it safely to the park…' just didn't sit right with her. It was much easier and better to shoot a text.
Zenobia: Made it to the basketball court.
It took her a solid two minutes for her to come up with that one sentence, and it didn't make her feel less awkward in the slightest. Still, she did what she was told, and it was sent with little issue, so she set an alarm for when school usually ended before putting it away. Satisfied she pulled her backpack off her shoulder, unzipping it in one smooth sweep of her hand.
So originally, she intended to take a nap. To find a quiet place where she could rest her aching head after the rough start to her day, which was her gameplan. It was why she requested a park in the first place. Big or small, popular or not, there were always little hideaways that the court she was currently on could give her the peace she desired.
With that walk however, she was too wired to rest. Even if she did somehow manage to sleep, something told her she wouldn't get much rest anyways. It would be all too easy for a nightmare to creep in on her while she slept. With all this free time, she decided to flip her backpack upside down the flap already open.
The contents quickly dumped, clattering into a messy pile. Her art book, art pouch, the breakfast bar she got from the school cafeteria, her dad's old mask carving tools, and finally, the wood chunk she was slowly chipping away into a practice mask. Her mouth tilted down into a frown as she saw the crooked marks she indented into the piece. Carefully she picked it up, examining it a bit more closely.
"Dammit." Her heart sank as she took in the flaws that were so much more noticeable now. She had started working on it about a week ago. Every night after her sister went to bed, she would quietly scrape the excess away, stopping only when she was too tired to continue. Clearly that was a mistake since her late-night project was done without properly angling the chipped chunks and carved lines.
A hum left her while her thumb rubbed the bottom edge, or rather, what she was trying to make it into. Arguably, it was fixable. Instead of it fitting into her original hand-drawn design, she could make it a more abstract piece. A blur of pattern dents and colors than one harmonized design if she tried hard enough, but she didn't want to.
Closing her eyes, she thought back to her father whenever he made a mistake. He'd keep the piece, using it to experiment with new color combinations or for fun, but would also grab a new block of wood, starting from scratch. A smile came to her lips as she quoted him.
"Each mask is special, made for the specific person who dons it. You need a good eye, strong hands, and an open mind to make the perfect mask." Zenobia was by no means talented like he was, but that wasn't going to stop her. Despite what her mother said, she was going to find meaning in her life. One that would be made by her, on her terms. Starting with the skills she was good at, blending with what she wanted to learn.
Opening up her artbook, she flipped to the page where she sketched the mask she was attempting to carve. It was supposed to be inspired by peacocks. Flamboyant, lively, and exotic. The plan was to attach feathers and jewels that would pair up well with a Mardi Gras color scheme.
Again, she could still work on the block for fun, if not for more practice, however she was going to consider this practice run a dud. She turned her block over, writing in her notebook as many flaws as she could identify before throwing it back in her backpack. Standing up, she cracked her neck, dragging her gaze all around the trees.