The Revenant

A Day Off

NOVA

Eskarina...she'd been with me for the past month now,training vigorously. The girl pushed herself to her limit, day after day she'd take it one step further no matter how much it would hurt her. She reminded me of my mother. Stubborn. No quit...or maybe she reminded me of myself in a way.

I sat in my room for the remainder of the day. As the sun slowly glazed across the horizon,descending beneath the valley and coating the sky in darkness, I turned on the light in my room,sitting beside the massive mess which lay alongside my bed. It was a collection of all the things found in Elena's locker in the bathhouse.

A towel,black swimsuit, strangely a lingerie. Out of all the oddities I found, one intrigued me the most. It was a small black box, maybe no larger than my palm. It had a small note stuck beneath it's lid, which slightly separated it from the box as a whole.

I gently pulled the piece of paper out,unfolding it. It was Elena's hand. I'd recognise it anywhere.

Dear Nova It's your birthday! Happy nineteenth birthday! You're nineteen years old now, and it's been quite a ride knowing you all these years... falling in love with you. I don't know if I'll ever have  the courage to say those words to you openly. To tell you that I love you in person. It's easier to tell you on paper rather than in person. I get so nervous,I almost freak out,hyperventilate,it takes everything in me to talk to you nowadays.I'm glad I met you. I'm glad you're the man I fell in love with. You can be a complete dick sometimes,a cold hearted idiot...but you're my cold hearted idiot. I know there's some part of you that still cares, or else you wouldn't have risked everything to train me when we were younger. You wouldn't have stood up for that family on our first assignment with the new recruits. You have a good heart Nova...you're not a bad person. I'm proud to have seen you grow, mature from an angry,pissed off child to an even more angry,pissed off,more wiser young adult. You're open and don't judge. Thank you for that. For everything. I love you Nova Vi Britannia. The gift inside is yours. Happy birthday.

Yours forever.

Elena.

I set the note aside and opened the box. It was a necklace, adorned with a black jewel at the bottom. I slowly picked it up from the box. I'd never heard of a black crystal or diamond before...or even seen one. I wondered how much it cost her...again she was the princess and had a near limitless supply of funds but still...this had to be some rare mineral.

I set the necklace round my neck,placing it in my shirt and hiding it from view of the outside world.

Nightmares plagued me once more that night. Memories of my past haunted me. My father's actions remained etched into my mind. I woke up with a start,my breath quick as sweat ran down my back.

Usually,Elena would be awake by now as well, comforting me, telling me everything was okay, that it was all in the past...I was so used to waking up to her touch,that it felt almost surreal without her. As if I were in a bad dream.

I slowly got to my feet as the birds chirped outside. Was it tomorrow today?

I groaned and hauled myself out of bed,moving to the small shower where I stripped and hopped in. The warm water ran down my body,slowly running down my neck and my back.

"Nova..."

I snapped round in the shower,seeing Elena standing in the doorway. I couldn't believe my eye's. I rubbed them with the tips of my fingers and looked again, only this time,she was gone.

Am I...being haunted?

No...no it couldn't be. I'd know if I were being haunted. I was undead I'd be able to tell if another dead entity or creature were close by.

I shook the event off, climbing out of the shower before getting done for the day. I made my way to the hospital relatively earlier than usual, and found mom waiting for me as always.

We spoke, talking about recent events and happenings in the city. Of course,it wasn't long until Elena came up.

"I'm sorry about the girl Nova."

I never answered.

"You loved her didn't you?" Mom asked.

"Yeah...I did."

"I'm sorry...I can't imagine what that's like. I know about your other...relationships. The girls who used you in the past...but this one was special wasn't she?"

"She was..."

"You'll find someone Nova...someone amazing."

"Will I?"

"Of course you will. When you do,that someone will be worth fighting for. You'll realise it once you've met them."

I gave mom a kiss on the forehead,then left her to rest.

"Don't forget to buy me flowers you little shit! You're supposed to pamper your sick mother!"

"Yeah...flowers...gotcha."

I shook my head as I left mom's room.

Always on about damn flowers.

I made my way back to the barracks,finding the bathhouse and stepping in. Steam flushed out of the door,into the cool summer breeze outside as I stepped inside.

I stripped into my birthday suit,wrapping a towel round my waist and climbing into the pool. It was warm, and my muscles clicked as they began to relax within the pool.

I set my head back,resting it on the pools edge as I shut my eye's.

Finally...some peace and quiet...