The Gifted Ones

Chapter 2

        Nova's blade slashed behind his knees, knocking him to the ground with a cry of pain and frustration "You will never hurt another person, ever again," said Nova in a calm voice as she brought up her dagger. The world faded into black as she sliced downward with her dagger.

 Knocking. Nova woke to a persistent knocking on her room's door. Nova passes her hands over her face as she remembers her dream. If only it were real, she thought to herself as she sat up in her bed. "Who is it?" she calls out to the person who is still pounding annoyingly at her door.

"It's Adam, let me in baby." The knocking stops. 

 Adam. Oh God. Elei. Last night.

 Nova jumps out of her bed, hastily putting on some clothes as she calls out, "Hold on a second!" As the soft fabric of her t-shirt slips over her head she has a flashback of last night's events. Clothes slipping from Elei's body, slow and long kisses that lasted the whole night and ended in passion...

 "Nova, what are you doing? Are you going to let me in?" Adam's voice pulls Nova from her memories and she shakes her head, dispelling the hotness in her cheeks. She reaches for the door and opens it to find a very flustered fiance. "Nova, I've been trying to get your attention for at least fifteen minutes. What's going on? Are you feeling alright?"

 Nova nods and crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm fine. Why would you think otherwise?" she asks. 

 "Well, last night you said you weren't feeling good and you didn't answer when I came this morning..." Adam looks genuinely worried. "I'm fine," Nova says. 

 "Don't we have a somewhere to be today? I think today is the rescue mission for some civilians that the Cursed took." Nova stares past Adam where Elei is now standing. 

 "Hello, General."

 "Nova you're needed for today's mission." His voice is crisp and devoid of emotion, but his eyes show the emotions that don't appear in his voice as they meet Nova's. "Yes, sir." 

 Her eyes meet Adam's again. "I'm fine, Adam. We can talk later. I have to go."

 "Fine, but I'm coming with."

 General Elei looks at Adam and says, "You have been requested elsewhere Mr. Warner."

 Adam looks irritated but nods. "Alright."

        Later that day, Nova, Elei and their rescue team that consists of two other people are heading to the closest Cursed camp. The rescue team stays hidden in the surrounding trees as they draw close to the camp, not wanting to be seen and taken into the camp as prisoners. Not that anything like that could actually happen, thought Nova as she watched three Cursed soldiers run by where she is hiding. Elei wouldn't let anyone in his team get captured by those people. We're safe with Elei.
 "Nova, I want you to go in with Joshua here, and Kelly and I will keep watch and make sure no one goes in the tent," Elei whispers to Nova, pointing at a large tent where they keep the prisoners. There were three people taken from the Gifted in the last few weeks, and finally they will be brought back home from this terrible camp. Hopefully, all three are alive and in this tent. 
 Nova nods to Joshua, indicating that she's ready to go. He nods back and pulls his handgun from it's holster and holds it up as the slowly sneak up behind the tent. Elei and Kelly are staying out of sight in the shadows, guns drawn and at the ready. Nova looks at Joshua again and his green eyes are watching hers. He's waiting for her to give a command.
 "Josh, I'm going to go in first, you go in after me okay?"
 The boy nods his head slightly in agreement.
 Nova takes one of her daggers and as quietly as she can she cuts a long slit in the thick canvas of the tent, big enough to fit through when crouching. So Nova crouches down and peeks through the slit she's made. Inside the tent are four people tied up and sitting in the middle of the large room and a guard with his back to Nova. "Shit," Nova breathes out softly. She turns back to Joshua and whispers to him, "Tell Elei we need a distraction, there's a guard."
 The boy nods and follows the tree line back to Elei and Nova. By the time that Joshua makes it back to Nova, there is yelling and gunshots on the other side of the tent. Nova silently hopes that Elei will be okay, and makes quick work of diving back into the tent. The guard has run off to help contol whatever it is that Elei and Kelly are using as a distraction, leaving the four prisoners all alone in the tent. Joshua dives into the tent after her, quickly setting to work with cutting the ropes that tie the prisoners together. There are two men and one woman that Nova recognizes. Ben, Kato, and Lizzie... Who is that other girl?
 Nova hears the guards quieting down and suspects that one will be back to watch the prisoners very soon. "Josh, we have to go. Now." Josh nods and takes the lead, crawling through the slit in the tent and helping out Lizzie, who, by the looks of it, has a badly injured arm. Out goes Kato, followed closely by Ben, and then the unknown girl slips through the tent. Nova is the last to make it out of the tent, but they all make it back to the safety of the trees. 
 "Is everyone okay?" Nova asks softly, her eyes glancing over the group. Lizzie, Joshua, Ben, Kato, and the new girl, all huddled around Nova in the cover of the woods. "Where's Elei and Kel?" Joshua asks softly, looking around. Just as Nova opens her mouth to say she doesn't know, Elei and Kelly emerge from behind a large tree. "We're right here. Let's get out of here before we get caught."
 They all get out of the camp safely, moving slowly through the woods until they reach their base. When they get back to the base, Elei turns to Nova. "Nova, take the new recruit to get washed up and get her some new clothes. I'll see you all later, I have some business to attend to." With a final glance at Nova, he walks off. 
 Nova turns to the girl and says to her, "Follow me."

        An hour later, the new girl steps out of Nova's bathroom, dressed in jeans and a simple white t-shirt that hugs her body tightly. Nova's eyes meet the new girl's and Nova feels like she knows this girl. Her eyes are so blue, the same color of Amelia's eyes.
 "What's your name?" Nova asks softly, her eyes taking in the girl's tall, thin frame, her long blonde hair, so much like Nova's. 
 "Nova, I would have thought you would have recognized me by now. It's me. Amelia." Her voice is so soft, just how Nova remembers. 
 "Amelia?" 
 The girl nods, smiling slightly with tears in her eyes. "It's me sissy."