Claimed By Zodiacs

Chapter 23

# Nova Cherwood

"Time of death, 3:48 am."

I watched as Sir Aiden ran his fingers through his hair, his hands shaking.

"We should probably move them to the morgue Sir."

"NO!" He cleared his throat. "No. No one must know that two champions are already dead."

Cenna blinked. "But Sir---"

"Think Watercress. The champions are the symbols of hope. With two champions dead, the enemies will become bolder and will move for the next kill. So I say no. They'll stay here."

"But--" Cenna glanced at the fallen comrades. "We can't dwell in a room with the dead Sir."

The glare he gave him was so intense. It shut him up immediately.
"They. Stay. Here. That's final," he said, storming out the room, perhaps to find Miss Maddie.

We stared at the door in utter silence.  I decided to break it.

"Cenna---"

"Don't speak to me!" He glanced at Sam, who, like me, understood the situation well. "Spare me the talk of the greater good! You are both like that Aiden---looking at people as if--as if we're all just pawns! As if our lives doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things!" He paused, turning his back away from us.

"You. Disgust. Me."

I turned the word in my head over and over again. * You disgust me... You disgust me... You disgust me... *

"Come on man," Sam tried to placate his temper. "It's not like that. You don't understa--"

"And I don't want to understand. Just--- get out. I need a little breathing room," the merman muttered, sitting on the tripod.

Sam nodded in understanding, pulling me along with him. As soon as the door closed, he assured me.

"He's not mad. Just shaken. It'll be fine."

I nodded, not wanting to speak.

I thought of the war than the death of my childhood friends. Even if it was brief, they've been part of my life. And this is how I reacted to their death.

He was right. I'm disgusting.

"Nova!"

"Yes?"

Sam sighed. "You're not listening, are you?" He took a deep breath. "Seriously, you should probably go back to your quarters now, since they're...."

* ...already dead. *

"Don't say it," I begged him. "I don't want to hear it. I---just..."

He nodded in understanding. Sam, despite his self-righteous ways, knows the right thing to do in situations like this.
"Sleep. You need it. It's been a long night."

I didn't even think twice and left him there...not even saying goodbye.

_________

"Nova? Open the door please," Silena stood outside my door. She knocked insistently. "Nova? I know you're in there! I don't know what happened, but you can't hole up in there forever!"

I groaned, lingering on the bed. Who says I'm holing up? I just don't have the energy to do anything at all.

"Nova! Open up! Or else I'm going to call Sam. I'm going to bust through your door."

* What? * I looked up the pillow, staring at the safety of my door. Sam busted through my door not so long ago. It wasn't a good memory.

With a stomp in my step, I opened the door. "I'm up. Now what?"