The Fillmore Ch 4

Hey there! First of all, thank you for taking the time to read my work. This is my first attempt at a novel, and it is proving to be a challenge! I welcome encourage any and all feedback. Tell me what you think, good, bad, or otherwise. I try to always return the favor with a review or gp's, so don't hold back! Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy...
NM

Chapter 4
         Zoey stood in the middle of her backyard, face upturned to the sky. She was not supposed to go outside during the day, when her father was at work, but the sun had been teasing her from the window all day. It was early spring, and the rain had parted for the first time in months that day. The sun peeked out from behind the cloud cover and seemed to kiss the world in greeting. The little girl decided to risk a short walk outside, just long enough to kiss the sun back.
         As she wandered down the garden path alongside the house, she noticed the neighbor woman working in her garden, and her little daughter playing close by. She knew little about the family, but what she did know was that the lady’s husband had died a few years ago, when she was still pregnant with her daughter. The girl never knew her father, and though she couldn’t name it, Zoey was slightly jealous of her.
The young girl had two little dolls and was busily undressing them, and redressing them with different outfits. Zoey had never been allowed toys like those, and had to pause and watch in fascination. The lady spotted her after a few minutes.
         “Zoey, right?” she asked in a kind voice. Zoey paused, not sure if she should respond. After a moment, she nodded.
         “Do you have any dolls?” The pause was much longer this time, as Zoey contemplated the question. She wasn’t sure what the woman’s motive in asking was, but she soon shook her head, no.
         “Oh every little girl should have a doll.” She turned to look at her daughter. “could Zoey have a doll, Sissy?” she asked. The toddler looked up at her mother, smiling, and held one of the dolls out to her. The woman took it and walked to the fence, handing the doll over it to Zoey. She paused and regarded the woman with some suspicion. She took it in shaking hands and looked at the lady in awe, when she didn’t take it back.
         “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I have to go back inside now..” She tore off down the garden path, running straight to her room. She held the doll in her hand as she watched the little family from her window. She smiled for a moment before hiding the doll under her bed.          
         
         Zoey woke with a gasp, hot tears pouring down her face. She sobbed harshly, pulling her pillow against her face to muffle the sound. She had not thought about Sissy in a very long time. Seeing her like that, happy and with her mother, innocently playing dolls in the yard, it had hurt her heart, but warmed it at the same time. Those days of happiness had been short for the little girl.
         Laying back down in her bed, she breathed deeply, calming her nerves. She only allowed herself a moment, remembering Sissy that way. Then she pushed thoughts of her past from her mind. A shaking hand reached out and flicked the lamp on. As the warm yellow light filled her room, it seemed to chase away the darkness in the corners. She slowly began to relax in the early morning light. After while, she got up and headed for the shower.

         An hour later, she was standing in front of the mirror, smoothing her clothes. Claire had allowed her the privilege of taking her meals in her bedroom for the last two days, but said it would be good for Zoey to be around a larger group of people. She had reluctantly agreed, she’d been acting like a hermit, holing up in her room.          
         She finally decided her outfit was as good as it got and readied herself to leave. She gathered her courage and stepped out into the hallway. She knew where the dining room was, Claire had explained it to her earlier. She was standing in the doorway minutes later, mouth dry, watching the crowd of people gathered there. Zoey understood that this was only a small portion of the residents, as the dining hall was open all day, and one could eat whenever they had time between classes. Still, she was astonished at the diversity of the residents that were present. They ranged in age from young teenagers to middle aged adults. Color did not seem to be a dividing property here either, as all races, ranging from white, to Asian and everything in between, sat amongst each other.
         Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the door and got into the back of the line for the salad bar. She was mildly relieved to see one of Sarah’s friends standing in the place before her.
         “Hey Audrey,” Zoey said just loudly enough to get the girl’s attention.
         “Hey, Zoey right?” The familiar words sent a brief pang of sorrow through her, which she quickly suppressed.
         “Yeah,” she replied brilliantly.
         “Um, so, how are you settling in?” the girl asked, seemingly uncomfortable.
         “Oh, I’m…you know…adjusting.” She let out a short laugh, which the other girl returned.
         “I know what you mean!” They chatted  about menial things a few minutes longer. When Zoey had filled her plate, she looked up from the aimless conversation realizing she still had to find a place to sit. Her eyes almost immediately fell on Alyssa, the mysterious girl from the library. Her resolve was quickly hardened when she saw the girl sitting completely alone again. Her nose was stuck in a book, much like the last time she saw her, and she was eating without seeming to pay any attention to the food.
         “Hey, uh, Zoey do you want to sit with us?” the other girl asked.
         Zoey frowned slightly and replied, “Oh, I think I’m going to sit with Alyssa today.” The other girls eyes widened slightly.
         “Seriously? You’re going to sit with Alyssa,” she said slowly, as if talking to a small child, “like on purpose?”
         It was Zoey’s turn to looked shocked, “well, yeah actually. I haven’t met her yet, and she’s eating by herself. I thought she might want company.” Zoey was actually slightly naïve concerning sarcasm, as she’d been mostly shunned during high school. The life she suffered at home had an effect on her ability to connect with other people.
         “Huh,” she replied before walking off, “well, okay then.”
         Zoey rolled her eyes and headed over to the near empty table. She set her tray down loud enough to announce her presence and sat across from Alyssa. She didn’t acknowledge her after several moments, so Zoey cleared her throat.
         The book snapped shut, and Alyssa said, “what?” Her blue eyes sparking. Zoey looked taken aback, but went on anyway.
         “Uh, hi. I’m Zoey. I’m new here.” She said bravely.
         “Oh good for you! You know, I think they hand out stickers for that at the admissions office!” The girl replied with sarcastic enthusiasm. Zoey frowned, not sure what she had done to irritate her.
         “Why are you sitting all alone?” She blurted, before she could stop the words from coming out. Alyssa looked alarmed for a minute, but the cool mask slid back in place a second later.
         “Oh what, you don’t know? I’m an evil demon that feeds by raping the minds of those around me.” Zoey was shocked. She had no idea what the girl meant by raping minds, but whatever it meant, she had been snubbed.
         “Fine. I came over here to offer you some company, but it is obviously unwanted. If you thaw out any time soon, do let me know.” she replied, just as coldly as Alyssa had spoken. The other girl just opened her book and hid her face behind it again. Zoey sighed in frustration and moved to an empty table. She finished her lunch that way, silent and alone.