Zeal grabbed a tissue from the tissue box that Glee had given her and dabbed at her teary eyes. She was sitting on a swing, rocking back and forth in the school's playground. Glee was staring at her in suspicion, and trying to offer the little help she could by rubbing her back, and muttering some incoherent words that was aimed at calming her.

Her mind was in shambles. She didn't know what to think; still reeling from the shock of the paranormal experience, she felt at loss for words.

This was not what she had bargained for, on coming to this town some weeks ago.

This was not how she planned her future.

She thought back to what happened several years back, and burst into fresh tears. Why was misfortune always befalling her, she kept on asking herself.

From her husband's death down to the strange happenings of the town, she couldn't help but feel her luck had run out. White sticky liquid kept on dripping from her nose and, she would use tissue after tissue to wipe it away.

She looked up at Glee through her red rimmed eyes which she had gotten from all the crying, and tried to give a small smile. Her jaw cracked in response and she felt her facial muscles constricting. She was tired of being strong, of holding on, and trying to keep her acts together.

She felt helpless and all alone. If only her husband had not gone out that morning, if only he had listened to her pleas, if only he had not broken his promise to her, then, he wouldn't have been dead by now. They would have still been one happy family, living without a care in the world, and none of this would have happened.

The list of if only's could go on and on but, she was pulled suddenly from her thoughts when, Glee spoke up.

"Zeal," she called out softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can you tell me what happened?"

She merely shook her head, staring at the well worn earth, and bunched her knees together. She was too weak to speak, exhausted from all the crying and drained of every drop of energy in her blood. It was not fair the way death had taken away her husband without reasoning, or being compassionate about her having a kid.

It just wasn't fair.

She could hear Glee heaving a deep sigh, overly frustrated by her lack of response. She knew she had to speak up, but at the same time, she couldn't seem to mutter any coherent words from her mouth.

A light breeze blew, caressing her exposed legs and billowing her skirt about her. She gulped slightly, took a deep breath, and finally decided to speak up.

"There's something strange going on in this town," she managed to croak out.

Glee paused for a fleeting moment, and a knowing look flitted across her features, but it was gone as fast as it came.

She cleared her throat, "what do you mean by that?"

Zeal clasped her hands and looked critically at her. The golden freckles in her honey, brown eyes, shone brightly in the mild rays of the sun. Her brown hair was knotted in a hurried bun atop her head and her small lips, were coated with a bright red lipstick. She wore a pink, long-sleeved shirt and a black floor length skirt that was tucked in.

She chuckled lightly, thinking Glee's appearance very professional as required of Nellyville's teachers. But she wasn't going to be deceived by the looks. It could just be a facade and not reality, she thought.

She snorted, "do you mean you don't know what is going on?" She arched her pencilled brows, and rubbed her hands on her blue, pleated skirt, willing the conversation to be over.

Glee merely shrugged and folded her arms across her chest. Zeal watched her facial expressions closely, hoping something or anything would give her away. She waited for a moment, confirming her suspicions and cleared her throat. She suddenly felt strength flow through her veins and it was all she could do not to scream her lungs out.

"Okay," she started. "Here is the deal."

She spent ample time in relating all her experiences to Glee, from her dreams, to the strange calls, down to the recent paranormal events. Glee would nod her head intermittently, taking in the pieces of information, and appearing to brainstorm.

Zeal concluded, "so we are going to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

At that, Glee paused and gave her a bewildered expression. "What do you mean you are going to leave?" she asked a bit loudly.

She knew it right then. The teacher obviously had something up her sleeves, right from the minute she enquired about Bennie, and was brushed off. Her hunches were correct, something was definitely going on in Glee's head.

"We are going far away," she said sharply. "This town isn't safe as you can see."

The daggers Glee sent her way was enough to make her recoil. But she knew doing that, was going to make her a coward, and she wasn't one by any means.

Now, the plan was to survive the rest of the day, through the night and be safe for Lisie and hers' journey early tomorrow morning. She hoped that stuck to the teacher's brain.

As if on cue, they both stood, their nose barely inches away from each other, their eyes bearing hatred and sending a slight chill but Zeal didn't mind. It was her, and her daughter's safety, she cared about, and nothing else.

A bell gave a shrill cry in the distance, and Glee pulled back and straightened her stance. "It's time I head back in," she stated cooly. "Recess is already over."

Zeal was shocked; the teacher had spoken as if nothing went on between them some minutes ago, she slowly took back her position on the swing, and eyed her warily.

"I don't know why you are doing this," she muttered, suddenly afraid for Lisie's safety. But she knew, it was a school that had proper securities in place and therefore, there was no need to worry.

Before Glee turned, and walked away, she muttered something that Zeal caught on to, and her mouth went agape.

"You what . . .?"