Chapter 59: Accept Your Fate (1/2)
The village was now silent. It had been for serval hours now. Although the night was still young, there wasn't a sound insight. This troubled Emil who was now on watch duty. He leaned on the porch of the house he was staying in with a lollipop stick firmly placed in his mouth. He had already eaten the lollipop and now just had the stick for show. Flipping it around his hand, he sighed, scouting the village, hearing or seeing nothing of note. The door behind him closed as Percy stepped out, rubbing his eyes. ”Need a hand?”
”Yeah, you can take over while I go to bed.”
”That isn't what I mean. Can't be fun doing this all on your own.”
”You can say that again.”
”Anything happening?”
”Well apart from one drunk villager and a deer in the forest nothing to report. I don't like this. It's too quiet.”
”Quiet is good right?”
”Usually I'd agree on that. But given the circumstances, I can't help but feel like we could get attacked at any moment. What a bother this has all been. I could be hitting it big getting massive off Rhapsody's success, but here I am defending some village with my life.”
”If you were that caught up on it, why did you come?”
Emil scoffed at the question, thinking it to be too stupid. ”You really are a noob, aren't you? I owe both Alton and Gale a lot for saving me. Feel like I owe Gale more for failing him back when he got taken out by Vanguard. That's not the reason, though. I don't believe in that sort of shit. I guess I came because I felt like I had no choice. I'm still the new guy here. Might get kicked from the team if something goes wrong.”
”You're still caught up on the way the Montagues work things? We don't do that here. Team Rhapsody is like family. We don't abandon others.”
”Alton did. Or are we forgetting that? He may act like it was to protect us, to back Vanguard into a corner but I don't buy that one bit. He's in it for the money as much as I am. He'd probably turn a blind eye to all that happened if we weren't involved. I'd do the same. It's nothing to be ashamed of after all this is all business if you aren't in it to be the best then what is the point. I made this very clear from the start, so perhaps I should repeat myself. Team Rhapsody is just temporary for me. A place to steady my fall. I won't deny you helped me, and I thank you for that, but when it is all said and done, once I find a better team I'm gone. This team is falling apart anyway.”
”What makes you say that?” Zinnia asked from the neighbouring porch. ”I thought we were a good team.”
”Maybe. But the way I see it, Gale is going to be gone soon. He said it himself he's staying here when the dust has settled. Alton and Scarlett are God know where, if they come back, we'll still be one teammate down. Whose to stop Alton leaving? If he leaves Scarlett will surely follow. It's how it always works with joint teams. When one leaves it all falls apart…”
Zinnia gave Emil a sturdy look not impressed as she disagreed. ”You're always like this Emil, aren't you? Always so negative. You think everyone is against you, that you can never get what you want without thinking bigger.”
”Zinnia, have you forgot what profession you are in? Do you think half the streamers do this for the fans? Vanguard didn't. Alton doesn't. The Montagues don't, and I'm pretty sure your friends Alice and Iris sure in hell don't. You are in the smallest minority here when are you going to realise that?”
Zinnia stepped down from her porch confronting Emil. ”Yeah, got a problem with that? So, what if I don't do it the streamer way? So, what if fame and fortune is the last thing I care about? So what? It isn't hurting anyone, why make such a big thing about it?”
”Not hurting anyone you say? So why is it Gale is quitting? If he's so happy with your superhero club, why is he staying in this washed-up village, one which he tried keeping away from for the past five years? Can't think of a reason, right?”
”Family.”
”Family? Give me a break. What do you know about family? What does anyone know here about family? I was adopted into the Montagues, a family built on hatred for each other and withering out the weak, how is that family? The only family you know Zinnia is the one in that picture. Do you call that family? Family isn't like the ones in those Christmas films. It's not all sunshine and lollipops. Families are shit.”
Zinnia wiped her eyes nodding. ”I get it. I may not have known my family, yes. But the way I see it, just because you had a shit upbringing doesn't mean you got to take it out on everyone else!”
Zinnia ran off as Emil sighed. ”Where the hell does, she thinks she's going?”
Percy stepped down the stairs, ready to run after Zinnia. ”Emil. I get the Montagues were shit and all, but Zinnia is still holding out on hope her family will come for her. It��s all she's got left.”
”Then, she is delusional. I don't know my own family. They are never coming for me.”