Nova has always fought for what she believes in, until she no longer knows what that is.
Commander Nova, member of the Salineers and second in command on spaceship Salina, has been on the run ever since her father, Izarius Sol, got her mother killed...
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Holding on tight to Coach Belinda's hand, I let myself slowly float out of the arena, my body now used to the sudden gravity change after spending two weeks training. I never thought I would make it this far - never thought I would survive the routine my father has established for me - but I have managed to keep my head high through it all, only fainting three times during the first week, and one during the second.
I thought all this training would bring back more memories, especially now that I am taking the memory-loss medicine, but I haven't recovered anything since my first time in the egg-shaped arena, when I had remembered my match against Idoola, an immigrant to our planet.
"Are you good?" Belinda asks, handing me a bottle of water and a towel.
I am. Although it has been a rough couple of weeks, I am now fully recovered, and I have gained quite a lot of weight and muscle back. Instead of the hollowed-out person, I now look like the girl in the pictures of my album, red cheeks and tan skin complimenting my new body.
"Unlucky for you, yes," I joke, nudging her with my shoulder as I walk towards the benches in front of the entryway for the Dignitori. I have a photo of my sister Stella and I sitting here, our arms wrapped around each other as we smile brightly towards whoever is behind the camera.
Something snaps inside me, tears welling up as I try to blink them away, forcing myself to think of something else. I still can't remember my siblings, but the emotions - the love I had for them - is still there.
"You should probably go and get ready. Don't think you want to leave your father waiting, even if it is for Dignitori training," She warns as I sit down, my mind now blank as I block all thoughts with a grand steel wall. It didn't take me long to figure out the best way to cut all of my emotions off, so ever since then, I have been doing it on every occasion a burst of unwanted feelings wells up. From the outside, it must be quite strange to see a young girl start to cry, before abruptly stopping and staring off into nothing, her face no longer showing any kind of emotion. But it is the best I can do for now, and father has already told me off for writing down every thought I have on my face, so it gets him off my back, too.
"I'm going, I'm going!" I sigh, "I never asked to have a birthday party - in fact, I didn't even know it was today until a couple of days ago," I grumble as I get up, earning a laugh from Coach Belinda as she ushers me towards the changing rooms, her giggles following behind me.
Three days ago, Father had asked me to have lunch with him - very unlike him, because he is usually away from the house, watching over some of the many factories our family owns just outside the city - and so I had no other option but to agree. I had honestly expected him to force me into having conversations with some of his old friends again, but strangely enough, he had called because he wanted to give me an early birthday present.
A birthday I had not known existed until that point.
"Come on!" Belinda calls as I rush out of the sports center, towards my room where a worker is waiting to help dress me. Now that I can move more easily and don't have any external damages except for a faint scar across my chest and where the needle had been pulled out of my arm, Father had said I must let them attend me, as Sol's are to be worshipped. Each time he talks about our family name, it gets more and more obscene.
