ONCE IN THE PAST, ZINNIA COULD HONESTLY SAY THAT SHE ADORED EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF HER FAMILY. Once, she used to be able to look up at each of her siblings, laugh and play. Once, they had been so scared she was going to die, and she herself was terrified that she would never see them again.
Now, she didn't know if she felt the same, anymore.
She knew that they certainly didn't feel just the same, either.
The Kennedy family was a painfully modest family, one where Birthdays were precious, Christmas was a small, indoor picnic of sandwiches and cordial with not a single decoration or present in sight, and beyond those two events, money was carefully rationed as if it were the most precious commodity in the world.
In Zinnia's family, she stood as the youngest of four siblings, and she herself was the black sheep of the family, for more than just one reason. Her siblings were all well-built, with chocolate brown eyes and raven-black hair and a moderate tan to their complexions. Her youngest sister, Claudia, was a buxom and overly flamboyant girl just turned eighteen, while her brother and eldest sister were twins, Dimitri and Faye respectively, just shy off nineteen years old. All were equally as confident, equally as proud in their views of the world, and equally as attractive, in the physical sense.
Zinnia's mother was a woman who was not only bright and confident in personality, but her features as well. A woman born in Kentucky in America albeit with prominent Chinese heritage somewhere along the line, either grandparents, or great-grandparents Kennedy Kali was undoubtedly the person Zinnia's siblings got their self confidence from. And Zinnia's father was a true-born American, called Cassidy. Both her parents were with the same raven hair and chocolate brown eyes, both outspoken and confident.
However for Zinnia, who not only had the opposite personality to everyone and the wrong appearances, she was also the only one in her whole family to possess something else.
She was the only person in her whole family, grandparents, cousins, extended family and further, to actually possess a quirk.
One could claim that her family was strange, being that so many members failed to have superhuman abilities that were deemed common now, but in Zinnia's world, she was the one that was strange. She was the one in this whole family who had been born "wrong", and while her parents praised her with every ounce of their being for her unique and rather terrifying ability, her siblings and extended family appeared particularly displeased with her.
Though in the case of her siblings, displeased probably wasn't the best way of looking at it.
The morning was, as always, dark when Zinnia awoke, filled with a chill that sunk deep into her bones and an edge of what felt oddly like spite in the air. Her body ached from the cold that had frozen her body, and as she looked down at herself, she found herself immediately recognizing the reason why.
Her blankets had vanished entirely, and instinctively, Zinnia knew they had been "forcefully relocated" while she slept.
A heavy sigh escaped her as she lifted herself out of bed, and proceeded to get herself dressed, albeit much earlier than she usually would. Scarves, gloves, even a fluffy hat to try and insulate herself at least a little against the December air. And as she gathered her belongings and emerged from her room, she found herself looking down at the floor to find her bedding.
Dropped carelessly onto the floor in front of her door, the three blankets of varying green hues were stained with the distinct mess of honey, flour and what she immediately recognized to be a pint of pigs blood.
Again, Zinnia heaved a sigh as she carefully gathered her bedding so that the mess wouldn't spill out from the material and wandered out the back, where an outside laundry room stood as a stand-alone building in the back portion of the back yard. She didn't hesitate to carefully deposit the material into the washing machine, didn't spare a thought as she set the machine up to try and wash out at least some of the mess.
It was one of the few perks of having a laundry that wasn't connected to the rest of the house. She could rectify these nasty pranks without waking her parents up with the machine.
Often, it was during these times that Zinnia truly wanted to put a lock on her door, but that was unfortunately out of the question. So she had to deal with issues like this by brushing it aside, hoping more than anything that soon, her siblings would decide to move out. Zinnia herself couldn't. Not only was she classed as too young to move out without parental permission and ongoing visitations, she couldn't afford to live away while her abilities were needed.
The whirring sounds of the washing machine as it started up were a hefty onslaught against Zinnia's ears as she stared off in thought, almost drowning the words out completely from her grasp.
Right now, she was locked down tight in a situation that was difficult to see beyond, and she was fairly certain that it wouldn't change for a very, very long time.
Eventually, once her bedding had been washed and deposited onto the clothes hoist inside the laundry room, Zinnia shook herself back to awareness and decided that she should leave for the day.
So she did, without staying to prepare herself breakfast or even just a glass of water.
She left, completely ignoring the fact that it was considered a "school day" and went back to Hosu General Hospital, like she so often did when she didn't want to stay at home outside of school hours. In retrospect, she spent far more time at the hospital than she did at home and school combined.
Everything was quiet as Zinnia stepped through the emergency entrance to the hospital a mere hour later, with her headphones in place over her ears and her gaze tracing the rather quiet corridors bathed in hot white fluorescent light. Though at just shy off 4am, only real emergencies would wind up rupturing the hospital into bustling activity.
She didn't bother to dress in hospital scrubs this morning, and she didn't wander around to see who was around.
Instead, she ambled to the staff rest station and took up the familiar armchair in the corner of the area, and set herself down to her thoughts until an emergency came up, or her presence was requested.
It was perhaps an oddity of Zinnia's to be far more comfortable in a hospital than at home or school, but at least here she didn't have to brace against the harsh words of others, or the pranks her siblings would pull on her. It was modest, humble, and even if her quirk was unpleasant for others, at least she was appreciated here.
'You're here early this morning, Kennedy-san.' Came a deep voice through the pocket of thoughts that had descended upon Zinnia, bringing her to look up with a jolt.
Half bent over the armchair on Zinnia's right was none other than Seiya, who was dropping himself lazily into one of the armchairs around the table in front of her with a paper cup of coffee in hand, with a clipboard and several manilla folders cluttering to the table with moderate volume. He was dressed simply in the blue hospital scrubs, entirely without his doctors coat and the equipment he usually had with him at all times.
'G-good morning, Seiya-sensei...' Zinnia greeted the doctor, who merely gave a dismissive wave as he took a rather generous gulp of his coffee.
'Family troubles again, is it?' The male questioned her, though it was more of a statement than anything else.
And like when she had found her bedding vandalized and left outside her bedroom door, all Zinnia could honestly do was let out a heavy breath as her shoulders slumped.
'I wouldn't call it "family troubles" so much as just another stupid prank...' Zinnia responded carefully.
Seiya was silent at first, before he cast a glance over towards the clock hanging on the wall above the sink.
'Well, it's within decent coincidence that you have come in early.' The doctor began as he dropped down his coffee to lift up the folders and clipboard he'd had with him. 'I've been meaning to talk to you about your ongoing time here in the ward, but haven't had suitable enough time to do so.'
That caught Zinnia's immediate attention, and she lifted her head to cast Seiya her undivided attention.
'My ongoing time?' She questioned curiously, albeit hesitant.
'Yes, most particularly, I'm referring to your High School years.' He clarified as he flipped through the top folder in his grip. 'It's already half-way through December, after all, and I've noticed you tend to spend a sizeable number of school-hours here, instead of your designated educational institute.'
Ah... yes, that made sense.
'Am I in the way, Sensei?' Zinnia couldn't help but ask.
'No.' Seiya responded with a rather dismissive wave of the hand. 'I was merely wondering if you had already made plans for which school you were going to attend for High-school, or even if you intended to finish school in its entirety.'
Zinnia hesitated at first, allowing herself to slump a little in her seat as Seiya continued to flip through the papers in his possession.
'Not really, any school with cheap admission and fees will do. It doesn't really matter to me.' She answered as she buried her hands into the pockets of her coat. 'There isn't a lot that's really expected of me, anyway.'
Seiya's hands fell motionless as he cast a momentary glance towards her.
'That's not what your Mother informed me during her check-up, last week.' He remarked as he shifted his gaze back to his papers. 'Monetary matters aside for now, both your parents wish for you to attend one of the best High-School's devoted to Quirk usages, especially one that your time spent here will benefit. And as I have informed you many times already, I believe this is in your best interests, as well.'
'But that's the thing, Seiya-sensei. The best High-Schools are expensive.' Zinnia countered. 'And that's especially true for ones devoted to Quirks. The money my parents have should be spent on Mom instea--'
'I specifically said "monetary matters aside", Kennedy-san.' Seiya interrupted, though he hadn't lifted his gaze from the papers.
A heavy sigh escaped Zinnia as she glanced down at Seiya's papers for a brief moment.
'I don't want unnecessary money spent on me, that's all.' Zinnia mumbled as she sunk a little more in the armchair. 'Even if that disappoints Mom and Dad...'
'Be that as it may, I have a few suggestions to make.' Seiya remarked as he seemed to finally find the pieces of paper he was looking for, since he quickly plucked them from within the bottom manilla folder and set the rest back onto the table. 'Some that may even prove to be more beneficial for both yourself and your parent's financial situation, if you make the cut.'
Zinnia's head lifted in immediate response at those words, a marginally curious look spreading itself over her face as Seiya began to set three pieces of paper on the table in front of her, where she could read them without too much deliberation.
'While it's not openly discussed or otherwise promoted, the medical industry does offer a form of "scholarship" for those who either have a particularly valuable gift that would benefit the medical industry itself, or those who are already part of it. There are three high-schools that this particular scholarship applies to, providing you pass the entrance examination with a proficiency score in the high eighties.' Seiya explained as he motioned to the three pieces of paper he'd set down in front of her. 'The schools are, Yuei High School, Shiketsu High School, and Ketsubutsu High School. Naturally you have heard of Yuei, given that the number one Hero, All Might, is a graduate of said school.'
'I have, but not for that reason. One of my mom's friends has a son who's taking the entrance exam next month, though I've never met him to know anything else about him, even just his name.' Zinnia answered as she scanned over the pieces of paper in front of her. 'But I'm not suited for Hero Schools, Seiya.'
'Of course you are.' Seiya responded. 'Heroes aren't exclusively on the battlefield or disaster zone. You should know that, given how many years you have been volunteering your help here.'
Zinnia winced, though otherwise she remained silent as she looked up at Seiya.
'Ultimately, it would be best if you could get into Yuei, as the scholarship is extended to cover all fees and book costs, however the scholarships for both Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu High Schools cover the overall bulk of the costs, so they essentially becomes as expensive as your current middle-school to attend.' Seiya continued as he tapped a finger over Yuei's scholarship page. 'If you can get into this school's Hero Classes, either 1-B or 1-A if all goes well, it's the best route. The General Education route isn't covered by the scholarship, unfortunately. But at least it doesn't cost anything to take the exam and turn the General Education course down, so there's no harm in applying.'
Seiya then leaned back, scooping his coffee from the table as he took a generous gulp of it.
'Ultimately, you'll have to read through the school curriculum to decide which is best for you, or even if you apply to all three to maximise your chances.' Seiya continued, albeit with the smallest hints of his frown-lines creasing a little more as he glanced over at a group of chattering nurses passing by. 'This is still entirely within your own grounds, Kennedy-san. I made a point of omitting all mention of this with your mother when the topic of your schooling was broached.'
Inwardly, Zinnia was thankful.
Because if her parents found out there were scholarship opportunities and she still failed to make the cut, she would only disappoint them even worse.
'You have two days to decide what you'll be doing, and outside of that, just over a month to get yourself in order for the entrance exams.' Seiya added as he leaned over to tuck the pieces of paper each in a manilla folder and dropped them in a stack in front of Zinnia. 'If you so choose to try out for the scholarships, then I will put through a release application to your middle school to have you spend your school hours up until the exams here, instead.'
'Umm ... why would you do that?' Zinnia couldn't help but ask.
'Never you mind about that for now. Your current task is to read through the papers there, make your decision by tomorrow evening and let me know.' Seiya responded as he lifted himself from the chair carefully. 'I'll send Moriya-san out to collect you if we need you on the floor.'
And with that, Seiya disappeared down the main corridor leading back to the emergency ward, leaving Zinnia staring down at the three folders set in front of her.
Though realistically, Zinnia didn't really have to place too much thought into the matter.
Because if she had an opportunity to both keep her parents happy and her conscience clean at the same time, then that was the best course of action for her.
So she absorbed herself in reading the folders cover to cover just as Seiya had instructed, and considering her course of action.
Until finally, evening came with no summons to the theater, and no call from her parents asking her about her absence from school that day. Zinnia carefully deposited the folders into her bag and left for home, earning friendly waves goodbye from passing hospital staff and regular patients alike.
Her fingers curled tightly around the strap of her bag as she wandered her way home, and her jaw clenched tightly as she began to pick up on a rather foreboding edge to the late afternoon air about her.
And not a second after she set foot upon the parched green lawn in front of her house, the sudden impact of something slamming hard against the back of her head struck, sending her hurdling face-first into the flat stones and gravel that made up the path leading to the front door. Her bag clattered meters ahead of her, with all the papers flying free with the force, and her glasses hit the flat stones with enough force to crack both lenses as they clattered to a stop a few feet away.
Laughter and cruel jeers rung through the air as Zinnia's forehead contacted gravel and stone alike, cutting into her skin and bringing tears to her eyes.
'There's your dinner, Vampire freak! We thought ahead and prepared it just for you!' Came Claudia's bark of a voice as Zinnia gingerly picked herself up into a sitting position on the ground as she inspected her self. 'Hope you enjoy your filthy meal!'
The trickling of her own blood down her face was not the only substance making its trailing presence known, for lines of half-frozen liquid was trailing down the back of her head and her neck. Chunks of what looked to be a crimson snowball was scattered across the lawn, causing Zinnia's hands upon the ground beneath her to clench tightly as the howling laughter continued.
Spite and anger fought to drag her under into a spitting fury of outrage, and with every mocking laugh, her hands closed tighter around chunks of gravel and sand within her appendages.
Until finally, the spite grew so strong that she couldn't stop herself from finally retaliating.
Within an instance, the skin of her palms split with blinding pain as her blood engulfed all the stones within her hands, and she threw her arm back towards Claudia and her group of "friends" who'd hurled the disgusting ball of frozen blood at her.
She propelled the hail of gravel at the vague outline of four on the other side of the street with all the self-control she could muster, with her quirk acting as a makeshift propellant. Screams and yelps of pain escaped the four as the hail of shrapnel pierced their skin and tore cuts with superficial force.
'What the hell was that?!'Came Claudia's outraged shriek as she separated from her perturbed group of friends to storm right up to Zinnia. 'What damn right does a monster like you have to retaliate against us?!'
A foot was slammed harshly against Zinnia's chest, forcing the girl hard against the ground and wind her.
'You're not welcome here, you freak!' Claudia spat as she forced more of her weight against Zinnia's chest, pressing firm enough to put pressure against her solarplex and threaten to crack ribs. 'It's your fault Mom's the way she is! It's your fault she's dying! And we don't want you here anymore! So get the message and get the fuck out of our lives before you kill her!'
And with a parting force of a boot slamming against the side of her ribs, Zinnia was left coughing and wheezing on the ground.
--=[ Submitted 9th May 2018, 3249 words total ]=--