Resistance

Chapter 10

I  saw some of the resistance outside of Leo's porch and we went up to them. "How is he?" I asked Evan. He shook his head, "He won't let anyone in, he's locked the door." I nodded before approaching the faded yellow door that I was so familiar with. I knocked softly on the wood before I heard Leo shout, "Please leave me." I could hear the tears in his voice.

"Leo, it's me." I called. "Please let me in." I spoke with a second meaning. I heard the lock click as I turned to look back at the men. "Can some of you please go make sure the area is clear?"

"Of course Nina. I hope he's okay." Luken spoke before walking off with most of the men.

I opened the door and went inside. Leo's living room was a wreck. There was books and photos thrown across the room and the pillows from the sofa scattered. Leo was sitting on the floor his head buried in his knees. I crouched beside him, "Leo, I'm so sorry."

"I did this, I wrecked it. I'm so angry," His voice cracked slightly, "Why did they take this from us. What did we do to deserve this, what did anyone do to deserve this. It was our lives, it was our childhood and they stole it from us!" He ended up shouting, his face was red and wet with tears. His eyes were stormy. He flung another photo across the room, the glass shattered and I cried out in shock as some of the glass caught my leg. There was a knock on the door, "Are you alright?" Jacob called, slight panic in his voice. "It's okay." I called back, ignoring the pain as I pulled the shard from my leg. Leo saw the blood and rushed over to me, "Nina! I'm so sorry, I hurt you, I didn't mean to." He panicked. "I'm fine." I murmured. He hugged me tightly and cried into my hair silently. "It's not fair." He whispered.

"I know." I replied.

Once he had calmed down a bit he stepped away from me and sighed, collecting himself. "I'm sorry Nina, for hurting you, and breaking down and everything that has happened."

"It's okay, you didn't mean to and it's good to let it out sometimes. You've been there for me, you've helped me and when I saw you again I thought I had lost my mind. I thought I was going crazy and that the loneliness had gotten to me, but it hadn't, you were actually there and that was what I needed more than anything."

He helped me put the room back into order. Leo picked up the broken photo frame and removed the image from behind the shattered glass. It was a photo of Leo and me. We were in a cafe we had visited on a school trip we took to Spinalonga and had large sundaes and were grinning madly. He smiled at the photograph before putting it down. I took the book out of my bag and slipped the photo within the pages to keep it safe. "They're worried, we should probably go outside. "I spoke quietly.

"Okay." Leo swallowed, nervous of what his men would think. I held his hand as we went outside. The men got up from their relaxed positions. "Are you alright?" Keane asked Leo, who nodded. Keane pulled him in for a hug, followed by the rest of the men.

"The whole area is clear, has been for some time I would guess." Luken spoke, coming up the road towards us. "What happened to your leg?" he asked.

"A bit of broken glass, it's fine." He stopped and put his pack down, getting some tweezers before gesturing for me to sit. I did so and he removed the glass from my leg before disinfecting the cut.

We sat on the beach eating our rations and watching the sun set. As it started to get cold we debated over lighting a fire but decided against it in case the Crows saw the smoke. The men had found rooms in the hotel to stay in, so their lamp light would be obscured by the palm trees and flowers. It was dark but the moon was bright and thousands of stars were visible.

I was sitting on the path on the spit, my feet on the rocks. I could hear the waves and feel the spray on my legs. I was home, even if it had changed and the visit was brief, I would enjoy the sea. I felt someone sit beside me and turned to see Leo. He smiled at me, I could only just see his face and the moonlight on his dark hair. "It is good to be by the sea again." He murmured. I laid back and looked at the stars as he moved to do the same.

"I just missed this, the peace, the open sky." I whispered.

"I did too, even if we aren't here for long, it was a really good thing that we came back. It hurts but I feel better for it, lighter almost." He spoke quietly. I nodded,

"Exactly." He turned to face me, propping himself up with his elbow.

"I missed you so much. When you were gone, when I thought you were dead, I was a mess, I wanted to die, but when I met Jacob and Keane and then the others, I started to feel less alone, like I had a family. But when I saw you again, I realised that there was something that had been missing all along. When you took off your Crow mask and I realised it was you, and that you were alive, I thought I was dreaming. I didn't believe it. You were fighting and I had to help, I needed to. You were covered in dust and blood, your hair was cut short and you looked so tough, so beautiful." He whispered the final word. I looked at him.

"Leo, I missed you so much. I'm so pleased you're with me again." I replied softly. We froze for a moment before he kissed me. Leo and I had kissed all the time as children, but this was different this . This was so much more, it made me feel nervous and shy and special.

When he pulled away he pulled me to my feet. "Let's go inside, we have to leave early tomorrow." He smiled at me, I noticed his eyes shine in the light. I nodded, knowing my voice would shake if I spoke. It was a peaceful night in my hometown.