L.O.V.E.

Chapter 13 - Nerissa

He loosened his grip after she had stopped fighting him. With no other choice but to give in, Nerissa decided it was not the right time to make a scene and to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Especially at that time of day when the fog was starting to reveal the hidden city below, and break their protective shield.

This is the moment her grandma has prepared her for, throughout her entire life. Sometimes it is better to leave things the way they are, no matter how hard her heart is trying to fight for its rights. She would like nothing more than to yell at him and then get away from there, as fast as possible. It might be the illness giving her a surge of courage, although she is far from losing her mind yet.

Jerk or not, she welcomes his silence like a mask of fresh air, his words still stinging from before. A shy peek in his direction, and her insides start to ache. There's no way she will ever talk to him after this. One night, that's all it took for her whole world to fall apart. Besides, it's her fault for letting Ilya convince her to come to the party. If she had followed her instincts and stayed away, she wouldn't have been in this mess right now. For all she knows, after this night, her world might fade faster, the virus spreading and taking control over the living cells in her brain, quicker than normal. Her reality has already started to melt away, like dawn to day when things get hazy.

It's for the best that things ended up the way they did. Now I'll have to keep my distance from him. Empty words are filling her head, still, her mind is focused on the burning hand glued to her elbow. She yanks her arm, severing all contact with him, but a sudden veil of sadness is dropping over her as he lets her go.

They start descending the hill towards the city while the morning sun guides them from behind. Its beams paint the far wall in blood-orange hues making it look like it's on fire. Dawn has never looked so glorious with the purifying golden rays to erase any trace of the darkness, yet her heart is far from being salvaged. Rather it's shattered, broken and burning from the inside out. Her skin is already yearning for his touch, but the thought that this might be the last sunrise to ever witness in her lifetime is somehow numbing her senses. Last night may have ended poorly, however, today's morning looks promising, so she might as well enjoy it like it's the last.

Thanks to Roone, they have changed their course just on time before facing the patrolling guards and they have made it safely to her district. The curfew is still in place and they are not out of danger yet. Now that the light has won the fight, subduing the night once again, they are forced to stay out of the streets and continue their journey through backyards and hidden paths.

Once in familiar surroundings, Nerissa leads the way straight to a shortcut she discovered a few months ago. The memory of Ilya and her, having too much fun to keep track of time, seems so far away and somehow strange to the reality she's living right now. How come my life strayed so much from the path I had worked so hard for? She forces the thought to go away, letting out a deep, long sigh, as she opens an old wooden gate. However, this time she knows better to lift it just enough before it starts squeaking and waking up the Smiths. Her house is just across the street from theirs, which means passing through their courtyard would not only cut the trip in half, but it would also cover them from any vigilant guards.

While holding the gate wide open, she turns to Roone, focusing her stare on the crease between his eyebrows to avoid eye contact.

'Follow me, we are almost there.' Her cool voice breaks the silence. She's still upset with him for how he talked to her the night before.

Roone raises his eyebrow at her, half amused, half confused by her attitude towards him. Her mood changes so fast, it's like a roller-coaster. Now she's feisty, then submissive and then cold and ignorant. No wonder he can't understand her.