It's like time is standing still. The gorgeous brunette woman is staring at my husband with wide eyes, her gun dropping to her side. She's dressed all in black, just like her allies, all of them wearing what look like bulletproof vests.

"Zac..." she finally speaks, trailing off at the end of his name. He tenses beside me and I muster up the courage to turn and look at him, startled by the expression of pure shock, happiness and panic crossing his features. What the hell?

"I didn't..." He shakes his head, unable to finish his sentence.

"I thought you were dead!" she exclaims and his head drops in defeat.

"Alright," Anna pipes up, stepping forward. "Clearly you two know each other. So, can you stop pointing your fucking weapons at us now?"

"Oh!" The brunette's eyes widen. "Are you all together?"

"We aren't a threat," Zac replies, his voice riddled with uncertainty. "Are you?"

"What?" The girl furrows her eyebrows, gesturing for her team to lower their guns. "Why would I be a threat, Zachary?"

"Zachary?" I hear Anna scoff, knowing without looking that she has a stupid fucking smirk on her face.

"Everyone we've ever fucking encountered is a threat," Zac retorts, the girl's face contorting with something akin to pain.

"I would never do anything to hurt you!" she exclaims. "I'm your fucking sister!"

"Whoa!" Anna breathes out. Hold the fuck up... Sister?

"Your... sister?" I echo, looking up at Zac, his eyes not wavering from staring at the girl. 

"Aren't you happy that I'm okay?" she asks quietly. I avert my gaze back to her and see a tear trailing down her cheek as she steps closer to us.

"Of course I am," Zac bites back, his hands clenched into fists. "I just..." He trails off.

I look back over at the beautiful girl and attempt to give her a small smile. Stepping away from Zac, I hesitantly walk towards her, stopping just a few feet away. Up close I can see the resemblance, the warm brown eyes, the angular nose, the hair colour. Gorgeous genes.

"Poppy?" I let out the name with trepidation. Her eyes widen before she slowly nods. "I'm sorry. We've... been through a lot. Zac... he's had to deal with more than the rest of us."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Emilia." I smile before gesturing behind me. "This is Jordan and Anna." I gesture. "Over there is Heidi, Sam and Myles."

"You're... Zac's friends?" she asks, crossing her arms. I can't find the words to explain everything, instead settling for a nod.

The poor girl doesn't know what she's stumbled into, although I can't help but feel this is one of the best outcomes we ever could have hoped for. Zac's family, at least a part of it, is still here. His baby sister survived, and now he's found her.

I'm just moving my lips into another smile when Poppy reaches out, grabbing hold of me and whirling me around, forcing me to my knees, a death-like grip on my neck.

"What the fuck?"

"No!"

"Jesus Christ!" Even Anna looks surprised.

"Poppy, don't you fucking dare!" Zac yells, his eyes blazing as he steps towards his sister. I choke for breath, clutching at her small, strong arms in an attempt to free myself. It's useless. Zac stops in his tracks when Poppy's companions raise their weapons once more. "Let her fucking go!" he orders.

"Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on!" Poppy snaps. "Why won't you look at me?"

"Alright," Zac shouts, his arms out in front of him, a panicked look in his eyes as he watches me. I struggle to claw at Poppy, surprised that the small girl has such a strong fucking grip, my vision blurring with every passing second. "I'll tell you as soon as you let her go!"

"I'm getting a strong sense of deja vu," Anna mutters, crossing her arms as she watches.

"Anna!" Heidi snaps, reaching out and shoving the idiot girl.

"You will tell me right now, or she'll fucking pass out!" Poppy retorts. Zac's jaw tenses as he looks down at me.

"For fucks sake," Anna exclaims, stepping forward. "Zac is struggling with processing the fact that his younger sister is here, alive. He's also wondering whether he can trust you... seeing as your darling older sister tried, and succeeded, in killing some of us."

The grip loosens from my neck and I slide onto the floor, gasping for air. My own hand grabs at my throat and I struggle to gulp in the oxygen that I need, Sam instantly beside me, pulling me away from Poppy.

I look up at a shell-shocked Poppy as Sam examines my neck. A lone tear slides down her face as her eyes empty of emotion, almost like she's numb to what she's been told.

"Gia?" she whispers in a broken voice. Her eyes are fixed back on Zac, desperation in her expression as she silently begs him to tell her different.

He finally meets her gaze, his face softening from hardened anger at the sight of his upset sister. Zac takes a deep breath before he nods, confirming the betrayal.

"Gia," he confirms.

*~*~*

Poppy has been silent ever since Zac stopped talking.

The rest of us have hung back as Poppy and her group lead the way through London, Zac alongside his sister as he poured out everything that happened to him in the North.

My ears picked up a few phrases, including details of Zac's stint at Killmoor, the disastrous night we blew up the City Hall and the loss of Riley when we tried to escape.

I can't tell how Poppy is reacting, both siblings facing away from us. But the two of them have their fists clenched, clear disbelief probably filling Poppy from the inside out. Can you even imagine finding all of this out? Your two older siblings, both of them everyday teenagers... taking a trip up North to find some help for your sickly Mum.

Only, they never return, you soon come to terms with the idea that they are dead, get used to it and attempt to move on.

All to discover that it was a complete lie, they're both alive, but one of them has turned into some sort of power hungry demon with a blood lust for anyone not following her rules.

I drop my head, instead watching my feet as I force them forward, the ugly trainers making me grimace.

Poppy promised to take us somewhere safe, and I could see, somewhere deep down, Zac wants to trust her, to know her.

"We'll come with you," I told her, making the decision for the entire group when I nodded at Poppy's offer. Anna made a move to say something, no doubt a negative retort, but Heidi quickly jabbed her in the ribs.

I have no idea what safe even means, not a clue where Poppy is leading us, but I like her. Sure, she threatened me, forced me into a chokehold... but she was angry at her brother's reaction, a whole manner of emotions probably ruling her mind at the time. I don't blame her.

It's another five minutes before Poppy, Zac and the rest of the group stop walking, waiting for us to catch up.

"Is everything okay?" I ask cautiously, Poppy giving me a small smile.

"Zac says you're his wife?" she says, looking up at her big brother with a grin.

"Well... yeah." I nod, briefly glancing at him.

"It's nice to meet you," she exclaims as we all continue down the street. "I'm Poppy."

"Emilia."

"Sorry about the..." She trails off.

"It's alright." I shrug. "I'd be pretty angry if my brother reacted that way after five years too," I admit, unable to shake the intense gaze that's boring into the side of my head from Zac.

"You have a brother?"

"Had," I correct her. "He died in the war."

"I'm sorry," she replies and I shoot her a small smile before a warm hand suddenly envelopes mine. Glancing down, I'm startled by the sight of Zac gripping it, looking down at me with a slightly apologetic look.

For a moment I'm confused, before I suddenly realise that he's regretting how he lashed out earlier, worried that I'm going to be mad at the way he handled losing his city and his home. I could never. I went through the exact same thing in Nottingham, except I saw the destruction at every step of the way and had time to process every little step.

We didn't have a clue what to expect in London.

I smile at him, tightening my grip around his fingers, attempting to convey that everything is okay, and that every single part of me is in this journey with him.

"How..." I trail off, glancing nervously at Zac. "What happened to your Mum?" I ask Poppy. Zac's jaw tenses once more before I look back at the girl.

"She didn't make it through the war," Poppy says quietly. "She was stuck in a make do hospital down at the docks the day the second load of bombs came in."

My hand is trapped in a vice tight grip, and I wish I didn't have my gun in my other hand so that I could use the spare one to help comfort Zac. Glancing up, his face is turned away, an obvious attempt to hide the emotion on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Zac," his sister exclaims and I quickly pull my hand from his, stepping back and letting Poppy reach out to him. He shakes his head as she says something else, before she tugs on his sleeve and he eventually turns, the two of them hugging for the first time in five fucking years.

"Can you believe it?" Heidi steps up behind me. "He found her."

"It's a fucking miracle," I retort and she nods. "Hey... you're talking to me!"

"It's an emotional time." She scoffs. "Don't push your luck."

"I'll take it," I reply and she smiles. I instantly return it, knowing that we're making progress.

Maybe Jen was right, she just needs a little time. My heart aches at the thought of the dead girl, my gaze falling to the ground once more, following my feet as they drag me wherever Poppy is taking us.

It's over five minutes of walking in silence, before Anna suddenly yells from behind me, "Emilia!"

I don't have time to react before I'm shoved to the ground, scraping my bare wrists along the gravel as a barrel of gunfire erupts above me. Pushing up with my hands, I look over to see that Anna and the others have shot five hostile looking people, all of them armed with various weapons.

"Are you okay?" Zac is suddenly cupping my face, scanning my body for injuries. 

"I'm fine," I assure him.

"Of course she is." Anna rolls her eyes as Zac hauls me up. "I got to her before that idiot could chuck his damn spear." 

"You surprise us everyday." Myles smirks, pushing past Anna as the group turns to continue walking.

"Thank you," I say softly, Anna's eyebrows rising in what looks like surprise. It's only a moment before she clears her face of emotion, nodding and walking past me.

"This is why I said I wasn't going to let you out of my sight," Zac mutters, pulling me against his side.

"I can take care of myself!"

"Look how that just turned out," he retorts as we begin to walk after the others.

"Alright! I dropped my guard once!"

"You should never drop your guard."

"I know," I pout and he rolls his eyes at my expression. "Don't be like that!"

"You're so much hassle," he teases.

"You chose me!"

"I did not," Zac argues, smirking.

"Okay, not to start with... but it didn't take long."

"You're a damn witch, that's why," he teases.

"I am not!" I slap him on the chest as he laughs.

"Alright!" Poppy suddenly yells, glancing over her shoulder at us. Zac and I stop, torn back to reality as we glance past her at the tall iron gates, a huge, deserted looking black warehouse beyond it. "We're here."