Super Nova

4

"Everything we did or thought was wrong, we worked for the enemy-"
"I know that." I say sarcastically. Oz sighs and holds up his hands.
"Please, let me finish. The people we worked for weren't always the enemy. They used to want to preserve humanity. But they said to keep the human race alive, we have to eliminate all threats, preserving humanity now meant stopping us from growing. Ever wondered why all the successful deaths reported were women?"
"I was think-" Again Oz holds his hands up signalling for me to shush.
"Rhetorical question Nova."
"Oh..."
"So, when we ran, I told them I would double bluff for them." I recoil, he takes no notice. "I was treble bluffing. Don't worry. So when I was shot, I knew they would take care of me." He lifts the hem of his shirt to show me the scar. It was a smooth mess of skin on his stomach, but there was no sign of any infection. I touched it hesitantly, then run my fingers from his skin to the scar and feel him shiver. He lowers his shirt. "They took care of me, bandaged me, cleaned the wound and healed it. When I was better they sent me back out. When I was out, the first thing I vowed to do was to find you again." I smile, because he just told me that he still cares about me. He smiles a small smile, an apologetic smile. "When I was trying to find you, I met the guys. I told them about you and they all seemed to want to help me find you. They didn't help much but when we found Warren, he said he'd seen a girl of your exact description. He showed us to the House on the day before we found you. I sent them back here and waited in the trees for you. When you left the House, I followed you. I lost track of you for a while, then I heard you scream. I ran after you. I saw you surrounded by the men, and saw you pleading desperately for mercy. That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. I took a shot and it went so close to your head that I thought I hit you. The outcome of that was not what I'd intended, you suddenly dropped down and I thought you'd been shot. I couldn't help myself, I yelled your name. Everything happened so fast, when I saw you, you were running with a gun. You've never held a gun in your life, yet it fitted you like it was made for you. Nova, when you were shot, I thought I might lose you, it was one of the worst times of my life. Screw that. It was the worst time of my life." I smile, and gently lean into his chest. I wrap my arms around him and he does the same. He keeps talking but I don't hear a word. I think about the times we had together and think of how nice it would be to have that again, even though I know it would have to wait. I interrupt him in the middle of a sentence I know nothing about.
"So what are we doing now?" I look up at him.
"Right now? Well, right now we are sharing a romantic moment and you have no idea what I was just saying." He says sarcastically. I smile mockingly,
"You know I mean about whatever-we're-going-to-call-them."
"Yeah, I know." He smiles cheekily. "We were waiting for you, you are our magnificent leader." I look into his eyes, confused.
"I'm the only girl and you put me as leader. You're the One and you put me as leader. You must be crazy." I pull away from him, get up and limp towards the forest.
"Oh, Nova, come on. You know there is no One. We're all the One. Nobody here is more important than anybody else."
"Hmm. So, um, why am I the leader?" I shout back at him. I don't know why I'm so emotional, I'm confused and frightened. How could he make me the leader when I wasn't even there to confirm that I was alright with it? I run off into the forest and leave the rest of everything behind.

By the time I stop running, my leg is agony. I lean against a tree and slip down until I'm sitting on the ground. Tears are streaming down my cheeks and my breathing is uneven. Slowing my breathing, I realise that I can feel someone watching me. It's one of the other guys, I can tell, because when Oz is watching me it feels different. I get up slowly and turn around, wary because this was how I was captured last time. It's Jack, their trainer. I dry my tears quickly.
"Why were you following me?"
"Why were you running?"
"Why were you following me?"
"Why were you running?"
"Answer mine and I'll answer yours." I say, bravely, which is not how I feel.
"Oz sent me. Now answer mine." He makes me feel a little better, because he's not treating me like I'm broken, he's treating me how I want to be treated, roughly and with no difference than to how he would treat a guy.
"Something Oz did... Upset me." I say, choosing my words carefully.
"What did he do?"
"Upset me. Duh." Sarcasm is my mechanism for answering questions that I don't want to answer.
"How?"
"I'd rather not say."
"Alright then." He turns to walk away. "Come back to the camp?"
"Not right now. I still need a bit of... Cooling time."
"Call me when you want to." He throws me a little whistle over his shoulder, I catch it neatly.

When I'm done crying and punching my anger out onto a tree. I blow into the whistle twice in quick succession. I sit back down and examine my bloody fist. Some grit or bark is stuck in it. I look down at my clothes to find some non-bloody, non-dirty, non-torn piece that I could use to wipe the grit out. They changed my clothes. Now I am nearly all non-bloody, non-dirty and non-torn. Another thing that hits me is that at some point to get fresh clothes on me, they would have had to get my dirty clothes off. I'm embarrassed by not realising before and also wonder who bathed me, washed me, cleaned me and dressed me. Oz, I suppose. I wait a long time for Jack to come back and when he does the sky is pink and orange.
Jack doesn't come alone. Oz is with him. I know that before I turn around. When I get up, I almost completely ignore Oz and I ignore him for the rest of the walk to the camp.