Monsters

Chapter 8 - REYN

Reyn let her flee into the apartment, this was a battle for another day. He was patient enough for her to come to him. Instead of following her he made his way to the small dining table that had been cleared of books just for them to have a dinner together on their own.

He sat slowly letting his mind mull over what he had witnessed. She obviously had the raw potentienal to be a great Adovi. She also had some type of biological engnering and training from the humans. "White coats" she called them. He wondered how long she had endured these humans in white coats. All the evil things she'd been through had marred her brain, that much was clear to him. He need to know more if he was to fight this enemy with her. Which he fully intended to do.

He didn't touch the food as he gathered his thoughts. He would wait for the girl for that.

She came in a while later and sat across from him. She looked at the food like she had menat her words, but he had to commend her for joining him here anyways. "You didn't have to wait for me..." He had been expecting her to say that so he just smiled and piled up her plate like she had done this morning.

"If you wish to train, you need to put some more meat on your bones. The wind could blow you away." He gave her a good natured smile before he filled up his own plate and began eating. He didn't even mind that it had grown cold. They ate in silence, her a little at a time. He liked the silence, it was comfortable and he was glad for the absence of forced conversation. He hated small talk with a burning passion.

Once they had finished he rose from his chair and offered her his arm which she took without hesitation. He led her into the spare room which had only been a mountain of box when she first got here. It had been emptied and filled with furniture. An ornate bed set with matching drawers and a beautiful hand carved mirror that hung from the closet door. There were still books in the room but he had chosen carefully which ones to keep on the three large bookshelves lining the far wall.

"I hope that you will train your mind as hard as you train your body. I will have to teach you to read also." 

He figured this would be the best first step. It was something that could be a sort of release for her. Or perhaps and escape like it had been for him as a child. Not to mention having her own space would help cement that she was not a prisoner here. Also that she had certain rites as an Adovi. The freed to pursue knowledge was on of the most important ones .

Nova's eyes brightened as they roamed the small room. Her mouth slightly agape as she looked up at him. He nodded his head slightly, encouraging her to delve deeper. He had given her the room after all. Silent tears pricked at her eyes but he pretended not to notice them. She took her time running her fingers along the silk cloth of the comforter, before she noted the gift he had left her on the nightstand. A lone book was sitting there, waiting to be read. The Tale Of Two Cities. She picked it up, her fingers caressing the worn leather of the book. He stayed silent letting her ride out all the emotions she must be feeling. It didn't escape him that she had probably never had anyone be kind to her.

"I used to be able to read you know." She huffed a laugh, fingering through the pages, "well I was learning. My mother was teaching me. In the wreck that was our world she always managed to make time for a book. She used to tell me that the written word was the most powerful weapon a person could bear." Nova sniffed, more tears bubbling to the surface of her mismatched eyes. He stood at the door silent, emotions made him uncomfortable. That didn't mean he would judge her for hers.

"I would laugh at her, teasing her and tell her that she could have the book but I'd much rather have a pistol." A snort escaped her lips at the confession. The irony wasn't lost on him. "I was six when she died, and reading became more of a want than a necessity. I learned other skills, skills that kept me alive. I did horrible things with horrible people to scrape by in life. I think the people I worked for purposely didn't teach me to read so that they could easier manipulate the kid I was." Nova wiped the tear tracing her cheek, turning to smile at Reyn. His heart crescendoed at that smile. It was a victorious sort of smile. It lit up her face like he'd never seen before

"Jokes on them though. Because of those bastards I am who I am today." A sad laugh escaped her, "They sold me to the capital, and because of that I was made into this." She gestured to herself, "They forged the bullet, now all that's left is to pull the trigger."