V.I.R.A.L

Zinnia was beyond pumped. After months of madness and stress, the school was over for another year. She wouldn't wait around. The moment the bell rang, she was gone, the first one out. With her school bag dragging behind, she dashed Alton's house to start her crazed summer of streaming and being a hero. The summer's heat was starting to get to her as she made it to the foot of Alton's apartment stretch. Sweating, she gulped down the last of her fruit juice storming into his apartment and up the serval flight of stairs to her goal. Walking around the corner, she was startled finding Alton sitting at the foot of his door with a large bag. He turned to her sighing. "Oh, hey, Zin. Finished school, yeah? So… Turns out I'm homeless. Funny right?"

Zinnia glimpsed at the door seeing an eviction notice. She frowned, rubbing the back of her neck, knowing what she had to do. "Come on, you have crashed at my place…"

"Huh? No, I couldn't do that. I wouldn't want to bother your parents… I'll just, well."

Zinnia ran her hands over her face shaking her head frustrated. "No, No. I still owe you for everything. This is my fault, after all. Rebecca will need a lot of convincing. This is going to be a real pain…"

Alton stood up throwing his bag full of clothes over his shoulder all while carrying the rolled-up poster of his friend in his other hand. "Rebecca?"

"Please, just. Come on."

Alton reluctantly agreed following a tired Zinnia. The two left the apartment complex as Alton stopped giving another look back. The glazing sun lingered over as he adjusted his collar grumbling. "So how was school Zin?"

Zinnia began shaking her fingers, wandering, trying her best to think of a good excuse. "When we get to my place, just let me do the talking. I haven't exactly been honest with you… truth be told I was hoping you wouldn't find out. But… damn it. I was hoping to get my place with money earned, and this could all be put in the past."

"What do you… oh." He muttered as Zinnia stopped turning the corner on Rhinefield all-girl orphanage. Feeling uncomfortable, he began fidgeting around, looking like he needed to use the bathroom. "Zinnia, ugh. This doesn't seem. Appropriate…"

"Just… come on." Zinnia whispered bright red as she slowly dragged herself through the front doors. "I'm back…"

Rebecca walked by looking somewhat surprised, seeing Zinnia so early. "Oh, did you not have anyone to hang out with today?" She stopped seeing Alton hiding his face looking embarrassed. "Zinnia?"

Zinnia began fidgeting with her skirt grumbling. "Please hear me out… you remember the boy I got in trouble with… well because of me he lost his home… Alton has nowhere to go, and it's all my fault. Please. Can he…"

"Zinnia you know this is an all-girl orphanage, this goes against everything that stands for… if the state found out."

Alton tried leaving only to be pulled back by Zinnia as she bowed speaking up. "I'm begging you from the bottom of my heart. I swear I'll be good. I won't sneak off late at night playing a hero. I'll help out around the house and, and. I'll be willing to go through with the adoption idea… please. Don't let my friend live on the streets!"

"Zinnia."

"No, please! We'll ask the others; they'll be fine with it!"

"Zinnia."

"If the whole sleeping ordeal is a problem we can, we can… I'll take a room with Alton. He won't be anywhere the others so you won't have to worry."

"Zinnia…"

"He's got nowhere to go, no family. He's like me… his parents are gone. We can't turn our back on him!"

"Zinnia. Listen. We can't allow him to live here. I could get into a lot of trouble if I do… But. He could technically work here. I could always use someone to go shopping for me or cook when I'm busy. If we did that, then he could live here in the spare room in the back."

"Really?! No way?! You hear that Alton!"

Alton gripped the bag tighter smirking. "I sure did Zin. I cannot thank you enough."

Rebecca tutted, shaking her head. "How about you go get the room ready for our new employee then Zinnia? It's still a mess." Zinnia nodded gleefully rushing ahead into the back room at the end of the hallway. Rebecca turned to Alton, smiling. "Haven't seen her this excited for quite a while… so you like her boyfriend?"

Alton snickers holding his hand up. "Hell no, if anything, I see her as a little sister. So hyperactive and naïve I feel like I'm babysitting her half the time."

"Ha, as expected… Zinnia has never been that good at making friends, let alone getting a boyfriend. Her childish manners and over the top mindscape are a real turn off for many people. The younger girls here love her, but she doesn't like to be here often."

Alton crossed his arms nodding. "I expected much. I've never met anyone quite like her. But that's just how Zinnia is, I wouldn't change that for the world."

"You two streaming together, yeah? She always talking about being a superhero like her parents. It's the only thing she knows about them. We found her on the doorstep as a baby wrapped in a superhero cape. Apart from that, we don't even know her family name. She is still determined they will come back for her."

"Idiot… Surely she must know they won't…"

"I think she knows too. But she just isn't ready to accept that. Being a streamer, she might just believe she will find out the truth behind her past."

"Sometimes the past is best left behind," Alton said with a throwaway line. He placed his bag on his back again, nodding. "She's made quite the number of friends though. She's taking her first steps, but I can see her being a good streamer, believe me."

"I know, just, please. Look after her. She still doesn't understand how dangerous the real world is. No one really does. Everyone is so safe and happy inside Rhinefield. But out there. Past the walls, past no man's land, no one knows just how bad it is."

"You have my word. She's safe with me."

"I can see that. Thank you, Alton."

****

 The night had sunk in as Alton had finally settled into his room and introduced himself to the others. Majority of the younger girls had gone to bed while the others a few years younger than Zinnia were readying themselves. Zinnia and Alton were tucked away in the front room by the fire. Alton sat down, handing Zinnia a hot chocolate. He stared into the fire blowing his drink softly. He smiled faintly taking a sip. "Those girls are a handful. You had to tell them about my powers… now they all expect me to make snowmen all day long…"

"Sorry, I didn't think when I told them…"

"Yeah well, it was fun, I guess. I haven't just spent a day like this in a while. It's a nice change of pace." He admitted. "I just wanted to say thanks. For you know… it looks cold outside, glad I'm not out there."

Zinnia had her legs ups as she was curled up in front of the fire. "It was the least I could do… this was my fault after all."

Alton shook his head, captivated by the flames. "No. I would have been kicked out sooner or later. I was already behind serval months on payments. Even if I was still working there, it would have only delayed the inevitable. I would be in the same circumstances in a few months doing this with you for the past three months has taught me something. I hated the way I lived. Day in day out just working to live never living to work. I had no friends. It was just getting as much money as possible no matter what. That is no way to live. I've learned something doing this. I was born to be a streamer. I just enjoy this too much to give it up. Spending time with you, Gale and Percy. I wouldn't give that up no matter what."

Zinnia sipped her drink nodding. "I feel the same. It sounds dumb, but Team Rhapsody to me feels like the closet thing to family I ever had. What about you, Alton? What's your family like?"

Alton smiled, looking up. "My mother was a hard worker. She'd always make sure she'd walk me to school and home. She was quite the cook, taught me what I know now. If it wasn't for her protecting me during the bad times… I wouldn't be here probably. She would have liked you Zin. You two would have gotten along."

Zinnia smiles, placing her drink down. "She sounded wonderful. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Eh, it's fine. It happened. I've moved on. She wouldn't want to me moping about it."

"What about your father? What was he like?"

Alton fell silent for a while, thinking, he licked his lips, sipping the last of his drink. "It's late. I'm going to go to bed. Let's meet the others, tomorrow, shall we?"

Zinnia was left alone with a real answer from Alton. She leaned over the sofa, watching him hide away in his room. She tilted her head, confused about why he refused to respond. She turned back around, looking down at the cape she was wrapped in. She held it close whispering. "You're like that too, right Mother?"