Killing For The Cure

Chapter 19 (Shoveling)

Henry's POV

Jake and I wait quietly for Em to join us. It doesn't take her long to storm away from ace and Zane. She's still pissy about losing the fight like I knew she would be. I sill can barely believe that the two of them actually fought instead of worrying about the matter at hand. Then again it's Em and ace.

"Em we need to talk," I say as she comes closer.

She dramatically puts a hand to heart as she cries, "you're breaking up with me!" I roll my eyes at her. This isn't the time.

"You need to convince Serena to let you take over leading," I reply. Jake nods along to what I say in agreement.

"Nope. I have a different plan," Em answers giving me a slight shrug. I resist the urge to shake her as I gesture violently for her to continue. I bet she has this amazing plan all thought out and she's just been keeping it quiet.

" Nah. Zane and I are just going to take over leading everyone who will follow us once we go and rescue everyone. Since will have rescued more people than the number of adults who are opposed to us leading will be able to get away with it. Of course this means letting Zacharias and the other young leaders lead with us," Em explains lazily. Called it. She had managed to make a perfect plan and was just keeping it quiet.

"Do you know what the word sharing means! You should try applying it to your plans sometimes!" I hiss.

"I just did. Now anything else to talk about?" I roll my eyes again but push aside my annoyance. We can fight about her secret keeping later; I have questions to ask at the moment.

"Where did you live before the kill zone? You came into the kill zone rather late, so you have to have memories from before the kill zone."

"Not really. I was about five I think when I came into the kill zone. I just remember the laboratory, otherwise I just have very vague memories of a building and grass. The outside world isn't much different from the kill zone. It's odd actually, they taught us that the world was completely ruined due to the disease, but the world I remember was fine. Serena believes I imagined a world that was fine to cope with seeing the disease destroy the world but I don't know. What I remember feels so real," Em answers. For the first time since reuniting with her at camp she looks honest and thoughtful. It's a side of her that she doesn't show often. Usually only Zane and Lexa see it. The fact that she's showing it now must mean something. Maybe a sign of insecurity? Ems always got everything figured out, so if this is unknown to her the insecurity she feels would make sense.

"Why do you hate your mom?" I ask.

"She's never cared for me, so why would I care for her. It's always about the importance of people with usefulness over anything else. She'd let everyone in the kill zone die if she thought it would keep a single person with enough importance alive," Em explains her truthful honest attitude making her seem oddly fragile.

"You sure she'd really do that?"

"Confident. When I got attacked by the bear she told ace to let me die to keep himself safe. When I lived here with the scientist she offered me for tests that had a great chance of killing me. Henry, she practically created the kill zone, where they've turned us into monkeys in a cage," Em rants.

"What are you talking about? We're here to keep us alive and safe, why would that make us caged monkeys?" The second question leaves my mouth Ems expression changes. A confident smile forms and she lets out an easy laugh like I've told a joke.

"Right. Just ignore me, I'm having Zane withdrawals. Gives me anZaneixty," she jokes. To avoid an awkward silence she laughs loudly. Jake sympathetically laughs too to make sure Em doesn't feel awkward about the bad joke, but I stay silent; not  because the joke was shit but because I can feel that I'm missing something important. Whatever caged monkeys meant is going to be serious.