Zoella

Part 77

"It's so dusty."

Margaret let out a slight cough as she removed a piece of clothes from the equipment.

"Of course it is. It'd be weirder if this place didn't have any dust when I literally abandoned it for four months."

Zoella wrapped a piece of clothing around her nose and mouth, wore it as a mask.

"What is this place?"

Tyrael asked. His hand waved around his face to avoid the dust.

"Zoe's mini-lab. Used to be so clean, but not anymore."

"Again, Lilian, if this place is still clean after I abandoned it for four whole months it'll be a mystery."

Zoella retorted to her friends with her attention still glued on her equipment.

"In this place, Zoella usually makes something based on her mood. If she's in a good mood, she'll make the highest grade potion but if she's in a bad mood, she'll make a very lethal poison."

"Warren, don't make it as if you are talking about some kind of serial killer."

A mischievous smirk appeared on Warren's face.

"Aren't you?"

"Not wrong."

"The way you said something so nonchalantly like that really scared me sometimes, Zoe."

Zoella let out a small chuckle when she saw Warren's pale face.

"Come on now. We need to get it done before the sun goes down."

The five of them started cleaning the mini-laboratory. As it was his first time seeing the equipment, Tyrael couldn't help but often ask Zoella about them and their use.

Like the good friend that she is, Zoella patiently explained everything to him even though her hands were busy cleaning up the whole place.

"Then, what about this empty cage?"

"That's what I use to store the mice."

Tyrael lifted his eyebrow.

"The mice? Are they your pet?"

Zoella paused her movement for a second as she thought about the nice way to put her sentence.

"Uhh, something like that? Well, I used them for my... experiment?"

"You poisoned the innocent rats?"

Tyrael's voice was full of horror as he moved further away from Zoella. Even Lilian, Margaret, and Warren stopped their activity and stared at her.

"Yes, no. I mean... well, I did poison them but I gave them the antidote later. But, yeah there were some that died and there was nothing I can do. And I also release the rest of the mice right after I'm done."

Zoella looked awkwardly at her friends who didn't say anything after her explanation. After some time, Warren clasped his hands and said.

"May those mice rest in peace. And may they forgive Zoe's cruelty. Those poor mice. Living in the world was hard enough for them and to think they became Zoe's sacrificial mice..."

"Warren."

When Zoella called out his name with a surprisingly darkened voice, Warren slowly turned his head only to see his friends already praying for his life and Zoella was full of rage.

"Y..yes?

His voice trembled and his body was sweating bullets. Warren didn't know what to expect seeing Zoella like that.

"I'll give you exactly 3 seconds to start running. 1..."

"Wa- wait, Zoe. Guys?"

Warren called out to her friends asking for help but Tyrael, Lilian, and Margaret shook their heads.

"2..."

Knowing that his life depended on it, Warren quickly ran from the laboratory as fast as he could. But of course, Zoella could easily match his speed.

"3."

Zoella ran out as soon as she was done with the countdown. It didn't take long before the three people left in the laboratory heard Warren's scream.

"Should we... finish the cleaning?"

Lilian glanced at the two people beside her.

"Let's do that. I don't want to be Zoe's next victim."

Margaret said while Tyrael silently started cleaning up again.

The sun was almost set by the time they return to the dorm with Warren who looked so worn out that Tyrael needed to help him to walk.

"What are you doing to make Warren like that, Zoe?"

Lilian asked with pitiful eyes shot toward him.

"Just... stuff. Anyways, thanks for helping me clean up my lab. I really appreciate that."

"No worries. It was fun."

Margaret replied with a cheerful smile while Lilian only nodded with a bright smile on her face.

"No problem. I'll go ahead first before this guy collapsed."

"Yeah, you do that. And don't worry, Tyrael. I already patched him up so you can just thro- I mean lay him on the bed."

"Okay... sure. See you, then."

Tyrael hurriedly went back to the dorm with Warren. He didn't want to make Zoella angry at him too for asking an unnecessary question like if she was about to say throw Warren at first.

"Let's head inside too. I wanna take a long nice bath."

"Me too. I feel sticky after running like that."

"How nice would it be if my room was on the first floor."

Zoella nodded her head bitterly while Margaret could only chuckle at her friend's grumble. Even though their rooms were on the second floor, it was such a pain in the ass to climb up the stairs.

Margaret offered if they want to rest for a while in her room but Zoella and Lilian refused it. They thought if they touch the bed now they wouldn't want to get up.

When they were about to go upstairs, a woman's voice called out to Zoella.

"Miss Leighton, could I have a moment?"

"You can go ahead, Lilian."

Lilian nodded and left.

"What is it, Miss Milland?"

Zoella asked after she moved closer to Miss Milland.

"You have some letters addressed to you. Here you go."

Miss Milland handed 7 envelopes to her. Zoella was a bit surprised by the number of letters she received.

"Thank you for delivering them to me."

"My pleasure."

Zoella bowed her head and went to her room right away. With the envelopes still in her hand, Zoella dropped her body onto the soft and comfortable bed.

"I didn't feel that tired earlier and now I do."

She mumbled.

Zoella raised her hands and looked at the sender of the letters she got.

"Mother, Father, Brother Noah, Bianca, Harriet... Rowan and Rigel? They can write now?"

Zoella looked at the twins' letter enthusiastically. She remembered that the twins were 6 years old this year. It was normal in her world that kids could write at that age. But she didn't expect it would be the same in this place.

"Those cute kids. I wonder what they write. But first..."

Zoella stretched her stiff body and put the letters on the bedside.

"Let's take a bath."