Chapter 3 - Release

Z puts out a fire in a home with two kids - a child and a toddler. After putting out the tiny fire, she stands staring blankly into space for several minutes. It’s a long time before she snaps back to reality, and she gets a C for not checking in right after she finishes the job.

She gets promoted anyway, but that doesn’t do anything to quell the heavy feeling in her gut.

That night, after their date, Z takes Frankie’s arm.

“I need to tell you about myself,” she says. “I know everything about you and your family, but you don’t know anything about me.” “I know a lot about you,” Frankie protests. Z shakes her head. “Please, Frank, I need to talk to someone about this. And I like you, a lot, so I want that someone to be you.” Frankie nods. “OK.”

Z hesitates. She doesn’t know exactly how to start. “I just never really told anyone about this...” She sighs. “My real name is Suzanne. The only person who ever called me that… was my baby sister, Bonnie.” Once she starts talking, her sentences tumble out in a jumble. She’s desperate to get it out. “We were orphans, but then she died in a fire… when I was still a kid. She was all I had.” 

Her sentences are a jumble. “It was my fault; I should have watched her better, I should have known… Afterwards, every time someone called my name, I thought about her. I started insisting everyone call me Z, instead. “ She laughs, shuddering. “It suits me better, anyway.”

“And then I ran away. Because of my… weirdness… every foster family I was sent to decided I was too much work, I required too much care. I can’t blame them, really, even now I’m still always freaking out… Damnit, Frankie, say something!!” she explodes suddenly.

Frankie can see Z is scared. He reaches out, and takes her in his arms. He wants to be strong, for once, for her. 

“I’ll always support you,” he says. “I don’t think you’re too much work. You’re, um, you’re just enough work, actually. I like you the way you are, Z…”

She winces. “I don’t want to be called Z, anymore. It reminds me of those awful kids I kept trying to impress at the orphanage.” Frankie thinks, “How about Zenna, for short?”

She smiles, and kisses him.

Zenna is finally relieved of the burden of grief she carried for so long. She’s never felt so close to someone in her life.

The next morning sees Zenna anxiously checking the sink and brushing her teeth. “I’m not sure we should have done that,” she admits to Frankie. “I love you,” Frankie replies, his voice steady and firm.

Later that day, they marry in Frankie’s tiny garden.

---

Three cheers for the happy couple…

I’m not sure if Zenna is freezing after she puts out fires or what, but she just zones out there for like, one sim hour, staring into space. It’s a bit unnerving, but it did fit into the backstory I had in mind for her.

I dislike this chapter a lot, but I’m unwilling to spend more time on it. Sorry if it feels kind of rushed, I’m impatient to get their careers going but I felt like I couldn’t focus until I got the marriage part out of the way.