ZERO

AKEMI CHENG'S DOE-EYED look has always been irresistible and it's a known fact to her family and her relatives. As such, Flo has never once been able to go against or disagree with whatever Akemi says. Even if she tries (very, very hard), she'd still find herself giving in.

Because Akemi Cheng, behind all the sweet laughters and smiles, is one hell of a manipulative girl and she pretty much takes advantage of every situation there is with that infamous doe-eyed look of hers. It's no wonder that everyone would, at the end of the day, end up doing what she wants.

And Flo fucking (that's a dollar in the jar) hates it because it is the twentieth – or more, she doesn't really know – time she's watching this film. Like, the same bloody (another dollar) one she had watched last week, the week before last week and ... just every single week before.

While she knows the plot wholeheartedly, she does not know why Akemi is so insistent on watching Rise of the Guardians, the animated film she has been talking about with a possible burning dislike.

Also, yes, Flo understands what you're going to say next so please hold your horses because she knows that there are better films than that. Like, The Lion King and Up. Even Zootopia, Disney's latest film would've beaten this because Zootopia is fucking (yet another one) ace and Flo could watch it over and over again without feeling bored.

Just not this, Rise of the Guardians, please.

But once again, she finds herself on the couch beside Akemi, eyes fixed reluctantly on the television screen as she watches the characters interact with one another.

Flo parts her lips slightly, contemplating whether or not to break the silence that is hanging in the air. Shaking her head, she decides otherwise.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

But she wants – needs, actually – to move before she ends up pulling her hair out or something because she's simply that bored.

(She doesn't even have her goddamn phone because Akemi had hid it somewhere in the house).

Flo finally parts her lips and let the words roll out of her tongue as she stands up. "Let me go get some-"

"No, you need to stay because the exciting part is coming!"

"Akemi," Flo narrows her eyes, "that's what you say every time I stand up. Besides, I've watched this stu- very great film enough to know what's going to happen next."

"Flo..."

Flo then let her body fall on the couch, groaning miserably as she stuffs her face against the pillow repeatedly and screams in what seemed like frustration.

Because once again, Akemi Cheng has used her puppy eyes against Florence Cheng and like always, Akemi Cheng wins.

• • •

UNLIKE MOST TEENAGERS, Flo hates summer. She has considered staying in her house the entire vacation, just blasting her air-conditioner and lazing round the house because it is much better to be killed out of boredom, than to be killed by the heat out there.

But she decides against it because 1) her mother would make her pay for the extra electricity bills and, 2) staying at home constantly meant that Akemi would be able to come over – like every day; not just the weekends.

And Flo being Flo, doesn't want that to happen. She isn't afraid of Akemi, that's for sure. She just doesn't want to spend more days – as if watching it during the weekends isn't bloody (yes, she knows, that's a dollar more) enough – viewing the same film over and over again. She'd go crazy.

So that's how she found herself in a party, donned in uncomfortable clothes and regretting how she had readily accepted her friends' invitation to this party. It sucks, for they didn't even have sodas. It's either ice water or fruit punch. And Flo doesn't want either of them. In fact, she'd rather punch someone than drink the fruit punch. Or, alternatively, throw ice water at someone than drink that ice water.

She finally excuses herself and leaves the party (if it can even be considered as one), groaning in annoyance at the sudden outdoor heat. She concludes that today is a bad day. With eyes that are squinting because of the sun, she walks down the street, occasionally making sure that she is taking the right path back home.

(She has gotten lost once, you see, and she doesn't want it to happen again).

It is only when she is nearing her street that she first sees it.

A light blue snowflake.

She thinks she's imagining it. Like, perhaps the heat is just too much for her that she's yearning for some coldness (or coolness, whatever) and that's why she's imagining a snowflake.

But that didn't seem to be the case as the others who are passing by her could see it too. One of them even begin screaming hysterically which, honestly, is a little dramatic to Flo. Before she could even stop the man from screaming, the snowflake starts floating towards her, causing the man to scream even louder. She doesn't know what's wrong with him. The snowflake isn't even going near him, for heaven's sake.

"You should run!" The man shouts wildly and Flo thinks he has lost it.

She ends up running anyway, just to appease the man and cease his screaming because they are beginning to hurt her ears. She runs till she lost sight of the snowflake and when she finally reaches home, she heaves a sigh of relief.

Though she cannot help but feel a little put off because the snowflake might have been important and that there was something it wanted to convey to her.

"Flo," she talks to herself, "I think you have lost your mind."

• • •

"AH HA! FIVE bucks, Tooth. Told ya Jack would fail."

"Shut up, Kangaroo."

"You even made a man scream. Shows how terrifying your snowflake was, mate."

"It's definitely not as terrifying as your face."

• • •

AFTER THREE CRAZY days, with Friday finally rolling in, Flo thinks she has really, really gone mad. She doesn't even want to go into extreme details, for everything she has experienced in the past three days seemed like a sick joke. None of them can be real. They're merely illusions and maybe ... fucking (shut up, no dollar is needed) yes, that's right, it's all the animated film's fault. If it wasn't for it, she wouldn't be in this absurd state.

She honestly doesn't want to talk about whatever that has happened on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They were similar to the Monday case. Like, the disastrous, ridiculous snowflake case.

But if she doesn't talk about it, she might go insane thinking about it. This is like a lose-lose situation for her, because even if she does talk about it, the more details she goes into, the more foolish she will sound.

"Fuck," she curses loudly at last and narrows her eyes at her mother's stare. "What?"

"Language, Flo. Akemi's coming over soon."

"What?"

"Akemi."

Flo gasps loudly and points an accusatory finger at her mother. "I wasn't bloody informed about this! I- Mum, please ask her to get back home. I don't want to watch that ... film anymore. It's driving me crazy!"

"Flo."

"What?"

"It's just an animated film."

"You," Flo begins waving her hands wildly in the air, "don't understand. It's not just an animated film. It's" – she drops her voice to a whisper, like a child who is in fear – "cursed."

Her mother laughs in response, patting Flo's head lightly before heading to the kitchen.

Flo is scared. Terribly scared. She wants to talk (more like shout because shouting always provides a form of emphasis) about how, on Tuesday, she had seen a bucket of golden sand in their apartment's backyard and had a screaming meltdown, almost as though she was screaming bloody murder, only to realize that it disappeared seconds after she started screaming; how, on Wednesday, she woke up, went to the bathroom and literally saw a shiny, white tooth at the side of the sink. She had thought it was a tooth of hers, making her go into a frenzy as she tried opening her mouth in front of the mirror for a thorough check. When she was done checking, though, the tooth was gone.

Let's not forget the Thursday one. A fucking (be quiet) vibrant colored Easter egg. She had freaked out, of course. Easter isn't even near, for heaven's sake. She had found it in her refrigerator, among all the other normal eggs her mother had purchased recently from the supermarket. And because it was early in the morning, Flo took the chance to shout for her mother. By the time her mother entered the kitchen, the Easter egg had magically vanished.

"Flo, Akemi's here!"

"What a joy," she mutters darkly to herself, mentally praying that Akemi would, for the first time in forever, decide to watch something that isn't that. Though it's highly impossible, a girl can surely wish, ri-

"Flo! Can we watch Rise of the Guardians again?"

Wrong. Incorrect. False.

Fucking, bloody wrong.

"I honestly think-"

"Flo would honestly love to!"

"Mum," Flo hisses under her breath, "I would honestly love to murder you right now."

"Honey, you won't. Your aunt and I will be out for the entire afternoon so have fun with Akemi!"

Flo senses mockery in her mother's words. She really senses it. But she can't do anything about it, especially when 1) her mother has officially left the house and, 2) Akemi is staring at her with that renowned doe-eyed look. Her life sucks.

"Right, let me just go set up the- holy fuck."

That's when she first sees it. Another one.

"Flo! You owe the jar a dollar!"

"Oh my fuck."

"Flo!"

"Fuck. Akemi, do you see that?"

"Flo! I'm telling Aunt Fran!"

"Francesca Cheng is the least of my worries right now, kid. Do you or do you not see that?"

Maybe Flo has made a mistake. Maybe she shouldn't have asked Akemi that. Shit, she's screwed. She watches as Akemi tilts her head a little to the side, eyes filled with wonder for a moment before realization kicks in as she spots a snow globe on the coffee table and, it doesn't take long for Akemi to start walking towards it in excitement.

"Hey, what are you doing? Don't touch that thing, Akemi."

Akemi blatantly ignores Flo. "Hey," Flo tries again, "sit back down on the couch. Akemi, I swear- I hate my life. Would you please put that thing down? It's dangerous!"

"Flo, it's a pretty snow globe." Akemi bounces excitedly as she sits on the couch and stares at the snowflakes inside.

"Aw, cute. But really, pass that thing back to me."

"No!"

"Akemi." Flo tries to snatch the globe out of Akemi's hands, but fails to do so when Akemi accidentally elbows her while trying to get away. "What the hell, kid. Did you just elbow me? That hurts."

The snatching of the globe slowly becomes a push-and-pull cycle. With the increase level of annoyance from Akemi and anger from Flo, it is no wonder that, after a few torturous minutes, Flo gives up entirely.

"Fucking fine," Flo declares. "You can have this bloody dangerous thing all you want. I've had enough of this ... Rise of the Guardians bullshit. I am- just take this all you want!"

She pushes the globe into Akemi's hands in frustration, only to realize that Akemi did not have a firm grip of the globe, causing it to fall on the floor with a loud thud. And the next thing she knows, Akemi and her are magically transported to somewhere else.

• • •

status: unedited

"finally," you huff and roll your eyes. "zoe has finally updated."

dude, i know. even i myself can't believe i updated this story. but i did. so, like, do vote and comment down ur thoughts regarding this chapter but don't feel obliged ok!! if u have any questions or whatnot, do also feel free to comment them down :-)