V.I.R.A.L

Emil sat outside the bedroom of the Dawn family in a silent state. Gale leaned against the wall clicking his tongue waiting. Zinnia was just as quiet as she was staring out the window fidgeting around. After Alton had collapsed, Scarlett had taken the lead taking Team Rhapsody back to her home once again. The idea was off to Gale and Emil believing a hospital would be much better. Gale sighed, moving away. "Emil, what happened back there? You froze up in that dump of an apartment."

"That dump of an apartment was the home I grew up in before I joined the Montagues."

"Oh, sorry…"

Emil shook his head-scratching his chin which had patches of facial hair plastered around. "Don't be. I have no remorse or care for that place. I hadn't been back since I became a Montague eight years ago. It just threw me off."

"You said your mother was in that blitz. No one was there, though." Zinnia spoke, confused. "And Alton spoke of another person."

"Sam? Who the hell is she?"

"An old friend, I think."

"Something doesn't feel right," Emil spoke. "I heard her voice. I knew it was her. But that's impossible."

"What makes you say that?" Gale asked.

Emil sighed, cupping his hands together. "Because she is most likely dead. The day my father found me, my mother was taken away. She was wrapped up in a large amount of debt. The drugs and alcohol kept on coming in as she used any income for her addiction. It couldn't last forever. The people she owed money to broke in the night before and took her. They left me, and I haven't heard from her since. If she isn't dead, she might as well be. So, hearing her cry out for me really threw me off."

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Zinnia was lost in thought, a mixture of confusion and concern flooded her. "What if this girl Alton heard is also dead?"

"Not this shit again. I thought we were done with ghosts after Gemini." Gale complained.

"No, that's not it," Emil muttered looking down. "Hearing her cry out to me. I felt nothing, I couldn't feel her presence. Although I fell for it, I concluded it all felt fake."

"Fake?"

Emil nodded. "Whatever was cooing me into that apartment wasn't my mother nor was it the girl Alton heard."

"Well, whatever it might have been hopefully burned in the fire." Gale scoffed sitting down. The three fell silent again as the doors to the bedroom opened. They all jumped up as the family's doctor, and Scarlett walked out.

He gave a stern smile patting Scarlett on the shoulder, her expressions, on the other hand, was more of dread and concern. "I'm sorry miss Dawn. I've done all I could."

The doctor walked out as Scarlett looked away cursing under her breath. "Fuck."

"How is he, Scarlett?"

Scarlett turned to them sighing. "No point hiding it. Come on in." Team Rhapsody walked, feeling a vast drop in temperature. Each of them was shivering as the room was frozen. Alton was hooked up to serval machines as he was wrapped in serval blankets and coats. "Don't touch him." She raised her hands, showing serval burn marks graved on her hands.

"It's like the bloody ice age in here." Emil coughed covering his mouth. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

"I wish I knew. All I know is that he is dying."

"Dying…" Zinnia whispered in shock.

Scarlett crossed her arms frowning. "We don't know much. We have the best doctors in the country, and not one of them have a single clue what this is. His temperature is dropping, his heartbeat is getting slower by each passing second. They give him a week before this sickness kills him."

"Fuck!" Emil barked kicking a chair over. "First Percy and now Alton!"

"No, there has to be a way to save him! We have to save him!" Zinnia roared.

Scarlett began twitching turning on Zinnia making everyone look startled. "You think I just want Alton to die?! You're not the only one who wants to save him you dumb bitch!"

Zinnia flinched stepping back. "Scarlett…"

"No for once I think I'm going to say something that I've been holding back. I know how you feel Zinnia. You think it's all your problem and yours alone. Ever since Percy's death, you've pushed us all away like no one else is hurting too. I've only been a part of Team Rhapsody for a month, but I think I'm more than entitled to my opinion. This is all our problem, and we will save Alton together."

Zinnia lowered her head, wiping her eyes. "Alright. Sorry."

Alton began grumbling as they turned to him in a panic. Zinnia forgot what Scarlett warned her retracted her hand which burned on touch. "Alton, can you hear me?"

"Stop. Fighting."

"We weren't."

Alton still had his eyes closed as he began whispering softly. "You two are always fighting Marco. Give each other some slack Destiny."

"Alton it's-."

Scarlett stopped Zinnia shaking her head. "Sorry. We'll try. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck full of nails. Ha. Is Sam, alright?"

Scarlett licked her lips intending to keep playing along with the conversation. "She just went out for a toilet break. She'll be back in a second."

Alton let out a dry laugh which turned into a cough and whimper. "Typical of Sammy, huh? I'm sorry to cause you this much grief Destiny."

"Don't even mention it. We just want you to get better. How can we help?"

"You can't." He whispered, making everyone look devastated. "None of you can do anything."

"There's got to be someway Alton! We can't let you die!" Zinnia barked.

Alton raised his hand gasping for air. "Helga. You need to find Helga. She will know what to do."

Alton passed out as Scarlett stood up sighing. "Fuck."

"That wasn't nice what you did there. Pretending we were his old friends." Zinnia snapped.

"Yeah well, we didn't have time to fuck about snapping him out of the trance. I'll pretend to be whoever the hell he wants to call out to if it gets the information we need. Get off your shitty high horse girl. We got what we needed."

"Helga isn't much to go on," Gale exclaimed. "We're basically at square one."

Scarlett pushed everyone out, closing the door as everyone was warming up. "Well, to go off what we do have we know a woman called Helga can help. Helga isn't a prevalent name, so we have that advantage."

"It still feels like we have nothing to go on. Where do we even start?" Zinnia asks.

"V.I.R.A.L?" Gale suggested. "Helga could be a streamer?"

Scarlett skewered over the streaming sight, shaking her head. "Not a single match in a streamer or real name. I have two users with Helga in their name, but one isn't even active anymore, and the other is a kid."

"Crap, that was my best guess."

"Could Helga be a family member?"

Zinnia shook her head, not believing that. "Alton never mentioned her before."

Scarlett leaned her head against the wall sighing. "To be honest, we know shit about Alton's past. He's not exactly the most open person. I should go back in there and get more information."

"I think I know who he's talking about. Helga. I know her." Emil says, looking deflated.

"You're joking? You know Helga."

"Possibly. If he's talking about the Helga, I know she might be able to help." Emil said, looking conflicted.

"Perfect. Where is she?"

Emil sighs pacing back and forth. "It really isn't that simple, you see."

"Well, make it simple," Scarlett commands.

"The Montagues. Helga is a member of the Montagues, my grandmother."

"You've got to be shitting me…"

*****

Emil was pushed to the ground as he crashed into a puddle coughing up the dirty water. He looked up as Monty was laughing. "What's wrong imposter?! Is it too hard for you? Are you going to cry? If you can't even stand up against me, how could you possibly beat the trials? My father should have left you to rot and die."

"Our father."

"What?"

"I said he's our father."

Monty snarled kicking Emil more pissed off. "You think you're so special, don't you? He brings you home personally and treats you as one of the family. You've got more attention from that bastard than I ever could. You're a disease!"

"That's enough, Monty!" Christopher snapped, making Monty jump in fear. He saw his father staring down at him as he ran away with Butch. Emil stood up, patting himself down. "You are allowed to fight back, you know Emil."

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Emil spat water from his mouth, rubbing his arm. "I don't want to. You only hurt people you hate."

Christopher chuckled kneeling to his height. "Did your mother teach you that? Listen, you don't have to worry about Monty. I'll have a talk with him."

"You don't have to. I don't want to get along with him."

"Now Emil, that's not the attitude. You two need to start acting like brothers. As a Montague, you will represent the family when you become a streamer. You will work together with each other and your other family like Jinx and Florence. You will need to start getting along soon." He ordered. "Cheer up, you're a brave boy Emil. You'll make a suburb streamer. Helga, please help Emil with his cut leg."

Emil watched his father walk off as Emil kicked the puddle mumbling under his breath. "I don't want to become a streamer…"