Tempest: The Renegade

Phase 1, part 2

All three are as bruised and scarred as Konstantin, especially Sotiris whose leg is covered by plaster; a pair of crutches is leaning against his chair. Svetlana's sleeveless top reveals several nasty scars all over her arms. The bruises and scars look unbecoming on her soft skin. Sasha looks the least injured, but still, there are some unsightly gashes on his face. However, he seems to be proud of them.

"Zoya!" all of them say in unison.

I have no idea what to say, so we just stare at each other for a solid minute. Finally, Sotiris stands up, uses his healthy leg to hop towards me and hugs me.

This is where the barrier breaks.

It doesn't feel good, crying in front of all my friends. And it's not just cute sobbing, but hysterical wailing that drags the attention of many people in the room. All the emotions just burst out and I can't stop them anyhow. However, nobody judges me for that. Many people in the dining hall are crying, both tears of joy and sorrow. For me, it's a mix of both plus many other feelings I can't really explain.

"Can you please hug me a bit less?" I say once I regain the ability to speak. "My back kinda hurts."

...

The main course for today is a pork chop with cooked vegetables and baked potatoes - not something I'd fancy right now, but I appreciate any food I can get. It helps me recover some of my strength and fill another empty space in my head. I'm still far from feeling alright, but I'm getting closer.

"We thought you didn't make it, Zoya!" Svetlana says. "I'm relieved to see you alive."

"When we said you're probably dead, she was pretty hysterical," Sasha smirks. Then, he remembers my outburst a while ago. "Sorry, I didn't mean..."

"That's alright," I smile at him. This is something I needed - seeing the quirks of my friends, hearing them talk to me. It helps me ease the pain from Ryan's loss. Will I ever be able to recover from it completely, especially when I know it's mostly my fault?

Sotiris takes it from a different end. "Zoya, what happened is a tragedy," he speaks with his slow, deep voice with precise pronunciation. His blue eyes under a shock of fair hair seem to read my emotions and analyze them, figuring out what to say to make me feel better. "As you know, I also lost a partner so I know what are you going through. I want to offer you something I didn't have when it happened to me - a company. We are here for you and I hope you are aware of it."

"Yes... yes, I am," I reply and I feel like crying again. Will I really spend the rest of my life crying? My bloodshot eyes contrast with my skin, paler than usual, and messy white hair. I have to look awful.

"I can't say I understood Ryan and his personality," Svetlana speaks, "but losing him... it's awful."

"Is there anything we can do to make you feel better?" Sasha asks.

Their oversensitive approach is a bit annoying, but also touching. "Just be here with me until I pull myself together," I say. "It will take some time."

"I guess time is what we have plenty of," Sasha says. "Nightingale is now satisfied in her castle, the AVIA Tower. And it doesn't seem she plans to leave any time soon."

"Too many Castaways joined her after they were offered a cure for Flicker," Sotiris adds. "Now she doesn't have only lowlifes from the streets and second-rate Neoclash tournaments. Many of the most powerful Champions joined her. Lots of them don't even believe in her cause, but the fear of Flicker is stronger."

"It's like a pact with the Devil," Svetlana finishes.

"You have to be combat-ready again as soon as possible," Sasha lays his hand on my shoulder. "We need a leader in the upcoming war. There's still hope to turn this around. And even if we fail, I don't want to tell my kiddos how their dad just sat on his ass and did nothing during the war."