"So Chin Up Young One, Make Them All Bow."

"So chin up young one, make them all bow."

— Excerpt from my poem

The Pain That Was Hidden

To be my friend, you must first know how I came to be

And in doing so, you’ll find that there is more to see 

To this persona I built, hidden is a call for plea

After all, I, too, am a human wanting to be free

So ask yourselves, how much do you really know me? 

You see how I laugh with tears in my eyes

Yet not how I cry as I fall from the sky

Don’t you notice how my mouth feeds you lies?

Or do you only see how high I can fly? 

Don’t you realize how hard it is to rise?

I wonder if you notice the sadness in my smile

How about my tears? My struggle? Is it worth your while?

You must understand that I, too, am under trial 

Or you do realize that but are in denial

After all, how can I, of all people, be so fragile?  

One day you’ll realize that I am only mortal

Under pain just like you, don’t be fooled by my chortle

But today is not that day as you go about your way

But do not worry for I promise I shall be okay

After all, one day this will become my yesterday

I will fight until I can no longer, to you I vow

For I am a Queen and my pain is my crown

I shall keep on fighting this war much like how I fight now

After all, I can fight even with a gown

So chin up young one, make them all bow

Enigma - The Prologue

Enigma Series Masterlist

— — — — — — — —

T h e P r o l o g u e

— — — — — — — —

an eerie feeling. that's what it felt like as a girl who looked to be only 14 or 15 neared a very worn down house. the house was like any other house in a horror movie. it had vines everywhere and all of the windows were broken, majority of which were only nailed with two wooden planks in a cross position. the lawn was filled with grass that nearly reached the girl's knees. it looked like it was going to break apart any second now. the fact that it was already sunset added to it's mysterious and scary outlook. still the girl carried on. she wore a baggy sweater, leggings, and running shoes. if you looked closely enough, there was a belt with pouches around the girl's waist. as she neared the house, the girl suddenly stopped. she turned around to reveal familiar brown eyes that were alert and... scared? the girl looked around as if she was looking for something as the eerie feeling grew. after a while, she sighed. whatever she was looking for wasn't there to endanger her. not yet. the girl then tied her hair into a bun and looked off into the distance as the sun finally set and night came. she gulped.

she then slowly turned around and looked at the house that seemed to grow larger under the moonlight. her eyes were transfixed as the eerie feeling grew to the point it was nearly unbearable. the house seemed to taunt the girl as it stood there under the moonlight, even scarier and mysterious as it was before. despite the scary house that seemed to glare and challenge her, the girl took a deep breath before sighing. with determination in the girl's brown eyes, she carried on but before she could even reach out to open the slightly ajar door, it opened on its own. the house seemed to welcome the girl as she continued to walk to inside the house, seemingly not fazed by the door's movements. the eerie feeling then began to grow as the girl snapped her head to the sides. her eyes widened and a scream tore through her lips as she ran forward and up the stairs. not soon after something followed after her. something inhumane. something that shouldn't exist. something like a monster. something like the... undead.

the girl ran through the corridors of the house as the monster's heavy footsteps can be heard somewhere behind her. her eyes were filled with tears and she continued to run around the house as if she knew where to go. the monster let out a scream as it jumped making the girl push herself even more before she finally reached a room and closed the door just as the monster fell and nearly grabbed her. she leaned back on the door and evened her breath as the monster, as the undead began to thrash and try to open the door to no avail. after a while, the undead's footsteps slowly began to go away from her hearing range giving her the idea that it left. confused yet still alert, she continued to lean back on the door ready for the undead to try and barge through the door...yet it never came. still confused, the girl slowly stopped leaning on the door and began walking backwards, her hands going to one of her belts pockets as she continued to eye the door warily. waiting for the monster...yet still it didn't come. she continued to walk backwards until the back of her leg hit something making her turn around and gasp at the sight before her. there was a boy, around her age, crouched down a the back of the room, his head down as it groaned in pain. looking behind her to check for the monster and finding it nowhere to be seen, the girl slowly crouched down to get a better look at the boy before her eyes widened.

“jason?” the name left her lips in a whisper as she reached out to touch him only to flinch when his head snapped up and his hands grabbed hers. a tense silence passed as the two began to assess one another, the girl in wariness and the boy in distrust but then the boy slowly let go of her hand as recognition flashed through his eyes. “mckenzie.” at the sound of her name, tears gathered up in her eye as she nodded, crouching down to put her hands on the boy's cheeks, her head nodding. “it's me. i'm here baby. we'll get out of here,” she spoke in a quiet whisper but jason didn't have any chance to respond as the door suddenly broke with impact as the undead monster that chased mckenzie before came walking slowly and with a limp through the door. the two teens stood up abruptly at the sight of the monster as the girl of the two reached for her pouch only to be stopped by jason who grabbed her wrist and was pulled down to a hallway, the monster quickly following the two.

with their hands together, the pair continued to run to different rooms hoping to escape the monster only to stop when they saw a monster that looked exactly like the one that was chasing them. the new monster looked at the two and it was silence before the monster that was chasing them finally neared their sight making the two go back to running, now with two monsters on their trail. but it seemed as though monsters that looked exactly like one another began to appear out of nowhere to chase the two as said two continued to try and get out of the house. no matter where they go, they meet a new monster to chase them and it seemed as though they wouldn't be able to leave the house any time soon. in a matter of seconds, the two were then cornered into a room with dozens of undead monsters slowly walking to them. mckenzie began to look over the room only for her eyes to settle at one of the windows near them. she nudged jason and nodded at the window discreetly before the two looked at each other. a second passed and the two suddenly broke for the window and the dozens of undead monster began to chase after them. they neared the window and all seemed to look up but then jason fell. stopping, mckenzie turned around and her eyes widened as she saw one of the undead monsters hold jason's feet which led him unable to run. “go! leave me!” jason yelled just as the dozens of undead monsters jumped at him.

“jason!”

—

a sharp gasp tore through the air as a figure sat up from a bed, their chest heaving and audible. their eyes frantically scanned the room before they laid eyes on the digital clock beside the bed. 3 am glared back at them as their breathing slowly evened. it wasn't that dark, you can still see the silhouettes of the room but it was still dark. the figure reached out for the lamp near the clock and opened it only to reveal a familiar face. the figure had been a girl. a very familiar girl.

her hand reached out to rub herself in hopes to banish the sleep from her eyes but it wasn't that effective. she then leaned back at the headboard of her bed as the light from the lamp was bright enough for her scared, alert and...confused eyes stared at nothing.

the door then opened which made her flinch and turn abruptly only to sigh in relief when it was only a woman who looked a lot like her, her mother probably. “are you alright, kenzie?” the woman asked. “yeah,” 'kenzie' replied with a weak smile. “i'm fine mum.” the woman, now identified as the girl's mother looked over her in worry before shaking her head and sighing. “just call me if you need anything alright, mckenzie?” the girl, mckenzie apparently nodded and her mother left. the weak smile she had managed to make left her lips the moment her mother left the room. she then leaned back on the headboard yet again as she stared at the ceiling, a sigh escaping her lips.

“just who are you, jason?”

Enigma || Original Series Masterlist

E N I G M A

out of all the things that could have happened that school year, meeting a boy from a higher grade and going on small adventures that would prove to be too dangerous for her and everyone she knew was the last thing mckenzie snow thought she would do. that school year would prove to be the most hectic year yet for the young girl. that school year would make the ever so clever girl test her knowledge and her skills in a way she hoped it would be enough. it might as well make her question all that she knows about her town for you see, the small town of salem, emerald hides a secret. a secret that's been hidden for a long, long time. a secret that should have stayed a secret. but fate was against that. instead, it lead two highschool students to a house where they'll discover something that they shouldn't have. something dangerous. something that shouldn't have existed. can she even deal with the weight of her discovery? but mckenzie would do all that it takes to make sure everyone she loves would be safe. she might be selfish but for her loved ones, she'd gladly die for them. she just didn't expect that a boy would come in and steal her heart along the way.

— — —

e·nig·ma

a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand

— — —

[Original Story]

{OC x OC}

The Prologue

The Cast

Year 1

1 | The Beginning

Enigma - Year 1

Enigma Series Masterlist

— — — — — —

Y e a r O n e

— — — — — —

a crash followed by a curse can be heard inside a suburban looking house. it was white in color and had two terraces and only one balcony. inside the house, we see a woman, seemingly in her late 30s, with her face scrunched up in pain as her right hand held her left one. she looked at her left hand only to hiss in pain and shake it as if it hurt.

“you alright, ma?” the woman turned around to see a boy, in his early teens, looking at her in concern. the boy had some features of the woman which mad either clear that they were mother and son. “i'm alright, hun.” a weak smile appeared on the woman's lips as she hid the fact that her left hand hurt from her son. “why don't you go wake kenzie up? she had a rough night,” the woman suggested as she turned back to what she was cooking. “ren can do that,” the teen replied as he neared his mother. “here. let me help you, ma.” without even waiting for a response, he took the frying pan and spatula from his mother's hands and nodded at the chopping board. “why don't you just chop the ingredients and i cook?” he suggested which made his mother smile and kiss his cheek. “thanks, hun.” she then went to the chopping board and grabbed a knife before carefully cutting what needed to be cut. “no problem, ma.”

a second later and yet another teen emerge from the hallway of the house. “what's for breakfast, mom?” their mother barely had time to even react before the first teen turned around and pointed at the new teen with his free hand. “you, ren, are going to wake kenzie up.” ren raised an eyebrow at his seemingly older brother. “all i asked was what we were eating for breakfast, ralph and why do i have to do it?” ralph turned around and looked at ren with deadpanned eyes. “mom and i are cooking, dad's in the shower still which leaves you to wake our dear sister up.” ren looked back at ralph with equally deadpanned eyes. “i just was what was for breakfast.” the woman, their mother sighed and stopped chopping. “ralph, ren stop it. ren, go wake your sister up, she had a rough night and ralph—” said teen flinched at the sharp tone his mother used. “don't be so mean to your siblings.” the town teens then sighed and mumbled a sorry as they went on their way, ralph cooking and ren on his way to wake kenzie up.

said girl was peacefully sleeping when a sharp knock followed by a threat — “kenzie, wake up or i'll drench you with ice cold water.” — interrupted her much needed sleep. a groan escaped her lips as the young teen refused to wake up but she knew that her brother wasn't joking with his threat which made her groan even more. “i'm up! i'm up!” she shouted to her brother as she merely later on her bed, staring at the ceiling not wanting to move just yet. “you better be or else you'll have to walk all the way to school!” fuck. she forgot that day was the first day of school. fuck. it's the first day of high school. shit. with that realization, she shot up from her bed and stumbled to her bathroom, cursing as her feet hit her study table. a laugh can be heard fading from her bedroom door as ren began to walk away while laughing as he heard his younger sister curse like a sailor. “shut up, you twat!” she yelled to her brother only to flinch as her mother yelled back. “mckenzie caitlin snow!” yup. she was screwed. and it was only seven in the morning. wait. seven? even more fuck. “sorry, mother!” she yelled as she finally got to her bathroom and set out to take one very quick bath.

not even five minutes later, footsteps can be heard running down the stairs as kenzie emerged from the hallway. “sorry ma. i overslept.” said woman just sighed and gestured to the only chair directly across from her. it seems as though the rest of the family was already sitting in their respective seats at the dining table. sheepishly, she sat down and the family was finally able to eat their breakfast.

—

“stay safe!” their mother yelled as the three siblings went inside their oldest sibling's car. “we will, ma!” ralph yelled back as ren and kenzie both waved at their mother before they were on their way to their school. the ride was silent as neither of the three wanted to speak to each other. ren and kenzie promptly decided to just look at their phones and scroll through social media. “you excited for your first year in high school huh, buttercup?” ralph asked as he tried to get both of his younger siblings to start talking. mckenzie sighed and offed her phone, knowing that she wouldn't be able to escape the conversation. “quite frankly, no.” ren smothered a snort as ralph's face fell at her answer. “why not?” ralph pestered, trying to get her to talk more. mckenzie sighed and turned to her brother as he continued to drive ignoring how ren offed his phone and leaned back to his seat, clearly enjoying the conversation. “ralph, i'm fourteen going on fifteen and i'm like, what? 5'8"? everyone's going to make fun of me.” both her brothers fell silent at that. it's a known fact within the neighborhood that the snow siblings were tall for their age. it wasn't weird for the boys because boys were naturally tall but for kenzie, it was quite a problem. being 5'8" and a 14 year old is very, very weird and more often than not, she gets teased by it. not that she cared though. her friends made sure to remind her that she's amazing no matter her height and age but when you're starting out your highschool, it's quite hard not to be scared of being made fun of for being tall. it wasn't as though there aren't other girls that's tall in the school, it's just that kenzie just felt weird to be as tall as she is. it's a insecurity of hers. “kenzie, you won't be made fun of—” ren started only to be cut off by mckenzie herself. “would you look at that? we're already here. time to go,” she said in a rush as she opened the door just as her brother began to slow down at the sight of the school nearing. “wait, kenzie, no—!” she didn't wait to hear what her brother was saying as she close the door and speed walked her way to the school. what a great way to start out the semester. a sigh escaped her lips as she tried to find her two best friends while also going to the place all freshmen were told to go to.

—

“there she is!” mckenzie turned around and smiled as she saw her two best friends run to her, with their hands together. it was hard to miss kaitlyn's purple hair. “hey girls,” she said as the two neared making the three burst out laughing at the inside joke. mckenzie looked at the two — ignoring the insecurities that came creeping when she had to bend her head to look at them — and smiled. “would you look at that? we're in highschool!” kaitlyn said excitedly as both her and sally laughed in response.

the three girls met during their middle school years and quickly became quick friends that slowly turned to best friends thoughtout the years. mckenzie, to this day, always looked back at their first meeting fondly and couldn't help but feel glad that she met the two. “you're excited about that? i'm here wondering why on earth they even allowed you to dye your hair purple at such a young age!” mckenzie exclaimed which led to the three of them laughing again. “you know her, kenz.” sally nudged her with a smile as she nodded at kaitlyn who was showing of her hair in a way that made the two smile and nearly laugh again. “she has 'her ways',” sally continued as the two of them laughed only to laugh even more when they heard kaitlyn huff in faux annoyance.

“children, children.” the three friends looked at each other in confusion before they turned to look at the stage only to smile widely at the sight of their school's principal, prof. rowan. he was their class adviser last school year and safe to say, he was a good teacher. not too strict but strict enough. “welcome to your first year as high schoolers!” he yelled making them all cheer, well, all but a select few. mckenzie's eyes searched the whole area they were in noting how most, if not all, older students came to watch their ceremony which made her even more nervous than before. her eyes then caught a familiar figure which made her flinch and look back only to see nothing. a sigh escaped her lips. come on, kenzie. get your head out of there. “you alright?” a hand placed itself on her shoulders making her flinch and snap out of it. “yeah, yeah. sorry, i thought i saw something.” she ignored the worried looks she received from kaitlyn and sally and proceeded to listen into prof. rowan's announcement. “as per tradition, each and every one of you, children will be divided into the three divisions based on your skills. the artistic division—” cheers and yells can be heard straight ahead making all of us look up to see the artistic division cheering. “the athletic division—” this time, the cheers came from their right. “and finally, the academic division—” surprisingly, the academic division only nodded and clapped their hands politely as a majority continued to stare at the freshmen to try and deduce which of them would be in their division. “i wonder what division i'll be in,” kaitlyn whispered to her and sally making the two turn to look at her and shake their heads. “you're either in the artistic or athletic,” sally replied as if it was obvious which it was. out of the three of them, kaitlyn was the most athletic and let's not forget how she's also very artistic with her singing and dancing skills. said girl blushed and began stuttering before she pointed at sally defensively. “well, if you seem to know, what division will you be in?” mckenzie raised an eyebrow before shaking her head. “i'd either be in the artistic one or the academic one.” sally stilled as she slowly nodded. “oh yeah.” while kaitlyn was the most athletic and skilled in singing and dancing, sally was skilled in painting and arts and was very, very smart. “what about me?” mckenzie asked not with curiosity but with humor. the deadpanned looks she received made her blink and tilt her head. “kenz, you're obviously in academics—” sally then cut kaitlyn off. “or in artistic with your writing skills.” the two looked at each other and shrugged missing how mckenzie stayed silent at their words. that's right. all she was good for was her smarts and nothing else. the thought made her bitter and hate herself but she hid it with a laugh and smile. “of course.” sally and kaitlyn failed to notice the bitterness in her tone or how her eyes seemed to dull as they conversed within themselves, mckenzie not bothering to join in or listen.

“hansen, sally!” said girl jumped at the sound of her name before slowly moving forward after being reassured by her friends' smiles. every stayed silent as she walked, most marvelling at her beauty and while others in bitterness at her figure. out of the three of them, sally had the most fans with her kind personality and her smarts as well as her cuteness. sally neared the stage and went up only to be met with prof. rowan's smile. she returned it shakily as she put her hand on the seemingly floating orb in the middle of the stage and watched with bated breath as the orbital began to glow and assess her. a few seconds later the words “artistic” floated above the orb and for all to see. the said division cheered as they welcomed their new member with cheers and smiles. while she was smiling and clapping for her friend, mckenzie was internally panicking as she knew that there was little to no chance that she'd be in the same division as her friends. “howard, kaitlyn!” the purple head girl smiled shakily at her which made her nudge her softly. “go on,” mckenzie whispered to her which gave her enough courage to strut her way to the stage ignoring the stares of awe and respect she received from her courageous front. kaitlyn then did the same thing as sally and got the same result. she, too, was in the artistic division. oh, fuck. her eyes met sally's and kaitlyn's from their spot at the side of the stage where all divided students were place for their second division and she smiled shakily. soon, her name was called.

“snow, mckenzie!” the tall girl gulped and carefully hid her panic with a calm facade as she slowly but surely walked to the stage, her head high and her face not showing anything. she nodded as she passed by prof. rowan before her eyes began to scan all that were watching her. her eyes met her brothers making her look back at the orb and sighing. she slowly put her hand on it and watched with a sinking feeling as the orb began to glow yet again only for her division to stare back at her. “academics” stared back at her as her eyes met with her friends. she ignored the claps and respect she received — getting into academics was a hard challenge for you need to be incredibly smart to do so — as she desperately tried to hide her sadness. oh, no. she was in a different division from sally and kaitlyn. oh, fuck.

she numbly walked back down the stage and ignored the sad looks she received from sally and kaitlyn. her dull eyes met with a teacher's eyes as the teacher smiled at her. the woman looked at the board she had and smiled back at mckenzie. “ms. snow, you'll be in section 1.” the words shocked the teen but kenzie nodded back either way. “thank you,” she whispered to the teacher as she moved to the space all section 1 students were located in, noting happily how sally and kaitlyn were there as well. maybe highschool wouldn't be that bad.

— — —

"THE WORLD EXPECTED HER TO BE THE DAMSEL, so she went up and showed them how to be a Queen."

— A woman's motto