Three years after Lucinda's confrontation with the mastermind behind the infection, she is forced to risk everything to save Lucella once and for all.
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Fifteen-year-old Lucinda Emerson was well aware of the fact that she didn't take TIO down...
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I had to tell someone.
I couldn't keep it to myself much longer. It was too much to handle. Fortunately, I managed to get back to The Safe Place before Zizzy woke up. However, the things I had seen, and the knowledge I had gotten... I couldn't handle it on my own. Someone else needed to know, and I knew exactly who. I wandered around the abandoned hotel's halls in an attempt to find her. Eventually, I found her making her way to the bathroom by herself.
"Hey, Zee?"
The zebra turned to me before tilting her head in confusion. "Can I talk to you, please?" I asked. "Alone?" I could see the anxiety on her face as she nodded before I turned around and began to walk down the way I came from. Zee followed me, and soon we were back inside of the room I had failed to fall asleep in. As soon as Zee was inside, I closed the door before locking it, ensuring that our conversation would be private.
"Listen, I know it may seem like I'm using the fact you can't talk for my own gain, but it's the exact opposite of that," I began as I turned back around. "You and I both know what The Insolence is. He's tormented us both before. Well, last night, I snuck out, and I found something." Zee listened carefully as I told her about most of the things I had found in the journal, including how The Insolence had been around longer that we'd been alive.
"And... I found out how to take him down and save Lucella," I added. Zee's eyes widened as she sat up properly from where she sat on my bed. I felt my heart race in my chest as I bit my lip. I knew I could tell Zee because I knew she wouldn't yell anyone else. Not just because she physically can't, but because I've kept her secrets before, too. The least she could do was keep mine. "It's easy to do, but the hard part is understanding and accepting it..." I trailed off before taking a deep breath.
Then, I told her.
As soon as I finished my sentence, Zee's eyes widened. My gaze softened at her as I walked up to her. As soon as I realized that she was starting to cry, I put my hands on her shoulders before pulling her into my arms, allowing for her to cry as she wrapped her arms around my own figure. "I know, I know. It's okay. I felt the same way when I first found out," I mumbled in an attempt to calm her down. "It's alright. I already have a plan, but I need your help, alright?"
Zee kept her arms around me, but she took her head off of my shoulder to look me in the eye. I allowed her to calm down for a few more seconds before speaking once more. "I need you to keep Mimi distracted until it's time for lunch, okay?" I started. "There's a few things I need to get from her room." Zee hesitated for a few moments before nodding at me. She must've remembered the time I covered for them back when we left the sewers.
"Thank you, Zee," I continued with a smile. "Promise me you won't say a word of this to anyone." Zee nodded vigorously this time before I finally let go of her. The zebra got up from my bed before walking towards and out the door at a fast pace. The first phase of my plan was complete. Now I could start the second phase. I waited on my bed for a few minutes, waiting for my cue to leave and sneak to Mimi's room to get what I needed.
