Chapter 97: A Near Broken Girl (1/2)

”Come in.” Christopher beckoned glancing over dozens of applications. Emil stormed in as he lowered the papers smiling. ”Ahh, Emil, perfect timing I was hoping to have a word with you.”

”Father, hasn't this gone enough? You've had your little fun. Stop this madness.”

Christopher gave a poorly executed confused look as he bashed the papers against the table. ”I know not what you talk about son.”

”Zinnia! Why are you forcing her through this?! Hasn't she proven enough? Why are you tormenting her to this suffering?! Just let us see Helga.”

”Alright, I understand son. I'm sorry. Perhaps I did go a little too far. Zinnia isn't like the others. Perhaps I was too harsh on her. Understandable. I'll inform the others you have offered to take over the trials.”

Emil froze, licking his lips not sure if he heard his father correctly. ”What?”

”Oh, the trials must go on. It's tradition, they cannot stop until someone passes or fails. I'm proud of you son for taking over. Once this is all over, you can come home. You don't belong with pathetic heroes like Team Rhapsody. You deserve a real fighting chance. With Monty gone, I now have a space for my favourite son. What do you say, Emil?”

”You'd let me back into the family?”

Christopher stood up, placing his hand on Emil's shoulder. ”Of course, when you ran away from us, I was heartbroken. But now your home, you've grown so much these trials should be a cakewalk for you.”

Emil lowered his head as his father began to leave. ”I can't. I can't go through with those damn trials. I'll never step foot there again.”

Christopher turned around with a disappointed look. ”A pity. But I expected nothing less from half a Montague. Team Rhapsody might just suit you better. Let's hope for Zinnia's sake; she is stronger than you. She is going to need it for the second trial.” He opened the door, taking one look back. ”I've always wondered. It was your mother you saw during the second trial.”

Emil flinched eyes widened as he began muttering. ”Ho-.”

”Thought so. How interesting. No matter, I have many applications just dying to take the trials. Word has already gotten out about Zinnia taking them. I wonder how many of them will break like you, Emil?”

Emil was left alone as he fell to his knees, holding back his tears as he slammed the ground in anger. ”Damn it! Still just as pathetic as always Emil. You take after your mum, don't you?!” His thoughts of anguish were cut off as he heard screams coming from the hospital ward. He gasped, jumping up. ”Zinnia!”

****

Zinnia had woken in a cold sweat, clueless to where she was. The fear and torment still with her from the trial as she began squirming around screaming. Emil and Florence held her down as both tried calming her down. Emil burst through seeing Zinnia in such a way it made him feel guilty beyond repair. Eventually, Zinnia calmed down, coming to her senses of where she was. This didn't stop her looking distort as she was breathing heavily. ”You're alright now, Zinnia. It's over.” Gale said in a warm tone.

Zinnia's eyes darted around the room as she was shivering. ”The, I. I just. They were all dead. All of them.”

”You're safe Zinnia.” Florence reminded her in a soothing voice. ”The trial is over. None of that was real.”

Zinnia held her head nodding. ”It wasn't real. It wasn't real. But it felt so…”

”I'm sorry. I should have tried to stop you more.” Emil stuttered. ”You had no idea what would happen.”

”What got her so worked up to be out for two days!?” Gale argued.

”Two days? I was out for two days. What happened?”

”Well, you passed the first trial if that's anything to go by. You came back up with no weights on you but collapsed the moment you left the bunker. You've been here ever since. We weren't sure when you were going to wake up.” Florence whispered. ”If you don't mind me asking? What did you see?”

Zinnia curled up looking out the window at the cloudy sky taking long deep breaths. ”I saw the end of the world.”

”What?” Gale said, slightly taken back.

”The city was dead. Frozen by an endless blizzard. Everyone was dead. You two, Scarlett, Alice and Iris too.”

”What about Alton?”

Zinnia shook her head, gripping the covers tightly looking petrified. ”Not him. He stood there in the snow. Holding me, he killed me.”

”Fucking hell,” Emil muttered knowing how traumatising that must be for her. ”That wasn't real Zinnia. Alton would never hurt you; you know that.”