They eyed each other and Sakura pulled out a screen of her own, unfolding until it was 30-inch monitor with high colour, full human vision. She curled it until it became a full circle that stood on her lap like the middle of a web.
"This is the entire ranking system."
A list of names formed going on and on forever and, at the panicle, were a list of faces. Most belonging to those Kate had met on that day or the night before.
"Your OZ is terrible. Once you got hurt, everybody got a turn to beat you. Because you just kept going. And it just got worse, until. Well, the Jackie thing, even the Riley thing. No Richard!" Sakura snapped. Richard had gotten up to retaliate against the clear blasphemy against Riley. "I don't want to hear it. I am explaining things to Kate!"
There was a unique and powerful sharpness to her. It was so new it surprised Sakura. There was a moment where Sakura had to collect herself.
"Good news your shares are worth quite a few thousand. So you can get out with quite a bit of money. But that does mean getting out."
"Like Gen's sister? Then I hang out with you guys as an outsider?"
There was an awkward silence. Kate's gut ached like it had been ripped in half, by hand. What had she done, who were they?
"That was not what we were thinking." Said Tall, Dark and Handsome. And with that, he had kidnapped her last nerve.
"The groups are designed to grow and look after each other. It's like gang factions and shit. You bypassed being a civilian when you joined. You're in everyone's way. That's the issue right now."
"Okay then, I'll quit. Then it's fine."
"It won't work like that. You can join a group Kate, be one of us and then work up the rankings as one of us. We'll interact. We grow from there."
Kate scowled.
"Let me guess, you're all like generals, and you want me to rank until I'm at least a major then we can be friends because then no one can complain. That stupid day, I was supposed to show you what I had in me that day, kinda like a war hero. And then you'll be ranked up quick. But I failed."
"Exactly" said Richard after a while, a long, awkward, embarrassing while.
Kate had to swallow that, but her rage, her acidic bile grew hot sizzling and eating his words up. Then they dissolved, becoming a fuel for her rage. She couldn't even control the tightness of her jaw.
"And now, the peak of Nature, Competition, Exhibition and War are here to hear my answer. How special. And then we can all flow together as if nothing happened right?"
No one spoke, or followed up upon the venom and vitriol spilling from her lips, her hand a fist.
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✨ Follow, share, and support me as Zenith unfolds — every goodbye cuts deeper than the wounds. ✨
Kate's fury burned, her shame sharper than any blade.
She cast her friends away, swore revenge, and demanded silence.
But when the room emptied, only Elsie remained.
One plea, one hand held tight, one desperate cry:
"I can't be alone. Just don't go."
Next time on Zenith:
When rage fades into vulnerability, who will stay beside Kate in the dark?