𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒓 ᖭི༏ᖫྀ 𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖𝚜

chapter twenty four : purple emperor

[XXIV]

I HAD to lean on his arm.

The world seemed unreal in that moment.

"...What?" I whispered. Finn looked confused, unaware that the 'purple emperor' meant anything to me. But it couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

"A beautiful bloom, is it not?"

The voice of Lieutenant Henderson dragged me from my thoughts, and I turned around to face him. He picked up one of the flowers that had tumbled down from the tree.

"Did you know, in Victorian England, they used flowers to send messages?" He started, wandering around the tree as he examined the flower in his hand. I eyed him. There was no way I trusted him. Finn may have been safe and happy, but that didn't explain the kidnapping, why they only took Finn and I, and the name of the organisation.

"Sorry, I'm getting off course," he chuckled, tossing the flower carelessly onto the fresh lawn and fixing his conversation on us again. "Now that you two are up and about, I can tell you why you're here."

Answers, finally. Or at least one.

"You are aware of your immunity, Miss Amelia?"

I stared at him, bewildered.

The fact that this man knew so much about me was annoying me to no end. But as he glanced down at the crescent shaped indentations left behind on my hand, I could tell he already knew that I was aware.

"You do. But are you aware, Finn, that you also may be immune?"

My eyes bulged like saucers. I looked at Finn, who only minutes ago looked healthier than he had ever been, and now had the complexion of a white sheet, pale and sickly.

"I will take that as a no," Henderson concluded. "The Purple Emperor is a Research Facility and Sanctuary for immune people across the world. Of course, if you're not infected but not immune, you're welcome too. But the primary purpose, is for our future, a future... of immunity."

He looked so proud as he said it, like the facility was his greatest affiliation. But it was news to me. Big news. Like, I needed to sit down right now, sort of news.

I rested myself back on the bench.

There are others like me?

Not just Ellie and I. Maybe even Finn- maybe, there was hope for a whole group of people.

"I'll leave you two to take it all in a little," he said, clearly reading our expressions well. "I will take you to the main house for dinner as soon as you're ready."

I knew there were research groups, like the fireflies. Organisations like the WLF and the Seraphites. Sanctuaries like the QZ's and Jackson. But this? It was a whole new league.

After finally deciding how I felt about the news, I broke into a smile. I couldn't help it. I had been born, grown, and lived in a world with no hope until death. Brief happiness never lasted long, whether it was love, shelter, food, or peace. But there was never hope. Hope that the world could get better. Hope that the world would see a new day, a day where we didn't need to live behind walls or die outside of them, a world where babies weren't abandoned by their parents or children turned to monsters before they could even count to five. A world where girls like Violet could feel the sun on their face the next morning. A world for Ellie and I.

"Finn, this is amazing! This place-"

"...Immune?"

I turned to face him. He looked confused. "I could be...immune?"