Zara Zelwyn (Freya Van Dyke) gets herself into serious trouble in Neighbours when she is accused of starting a fire on school grounds.
Since her arrival on Ramsay Street earlier this year, the troubled adolescent has wreaked havoc, making false accusations and lashing out at everyone in her path.
She’s had it up to here with just about everyone, especially Toadie (Ryan Moloney), and she’s still making Jane Harris’ (Annie Jones) life a living hell this week.
Things, on the other hand, take a dramatic turn when a fire is deliberately set at Erinsborough High.
Curtis Perkins (Nathan Borg) arrives with a fire extinguisher, but doubts quickly arise regarding how the fire started, as well as who was to blame.
Zara, being the mischief-maker that she is, is inevitably held responsible. The teen, on the other hand, maintains her innocence.
‘Zara is furious that everyone assumes her guilt without evidence,’ actress Freya Van Dyke told Metro.co.uk.
Amy Greenwood (Jacinta Stapleton), meanwhile, doesn’t know what to believe. Zara’s mother is determined to see the best in her, and she even stood in for her when her daughter’s rebellious behaviour landed her in the hospital.
‘Zara has a lot of guilt over her mother’s injury,’ Freya said. ‘I believe she is eager to prove herself and improve in the future.’
Despite Zara’s assurances that she did not start the fire, Amy finds it difficult to believe her this time, which is a devastating blow for the schoolgirl.
‘She’s upset,’ Freya says of Zara’s reaction to learning that Amy doesn’t believe her. ‘[Zara] has always had her mother’s support, so Amy doubting her word is a stomach punch.’
Zara looks to be getting more rebellious as a result of Amy’s stance on the subject, and as her bad reputation spreads, she finds herself losing the things she values.
Specifically, her position at Harold’s.
Zara has developed affections for her coworker Hendrix Grayson (Benny Turland), who she considers to be the one person in Erinsborough she can trust.
She will be surprised if she loses her job.
‘Zara can see now that rebelling didn’t help her,’ Freya concluded. ‘Instead, she keeps losing the things she enjoys in her life.’
Will Zara now turn the page on her life? Only time will tell if this is true.
Neighbours airs on Channel 5 weekdays at 1:45 p.m. and 6 p.m.
