I wake up on a bed of leaves and a scratchy old blanket. My eyes open and I see interlocking branches, growing down into trees, I close my eyes again and relive my last memory. Footsteps approach and I am unsure whether to open my eyes. If my last memory is right, I could open my eyes and face the people on our side, if not and I open them, I don't know what will happen.
I take the chance. But I watch the feet through slits.
"Nova, you can open eyes properly. It's Oz."
"That's not possible; You died in front of me."
That takes me months back, when I imagined that he came back to me. So many scenarios had played out in my mind. Him being beaten by my hands; his lips on mine, me turning and running away. He made me wait three months, he made me cease mourning before he came back to me.
"Nova." Tears well in my eyes, but the anger at everyone breaks through the walls I had built. I sit up and turn to him.
"Don't you dare call me that."
"Nova, I had to, I had to keep you-"
"Don't expect me to think that you had to do this to keep me safe. I was never safe in the first place! The people we thought were the good guys turned on us. We worked for the bad guys..."
I want to turn and hide my tears, but sitting down that was damn near impossible.
"Nova, I know you're angry with me, but you're going to have to live with me at least until we've defeated the bad guys, ok?" His face looks hurt and his voice says he really regrets what he'd done. I suppose he hadn't had much choice in the matter.
"Alright, but I have got to know what is going on..." Oz sighs, then nods.
"I'll tell you everything. But first come and meet the rest of us." He says with a smile.