L.O.V.E.

Chapter 13 - Nerissa

'I didn't think of you as a trespasser, Nerissa. You are full of surprises.' He mocks her pursing his lips in a self-satisfying smirk. He decided to stick to their game for a while longer.

She could feel her heart swelling in her chest at the sight of him. How could one be so annoying, yet so spectacularly beautiful? She quivers her head, trying to shake the inappropriate thought away, and focusing on the sinking ship she's currently on instead.

'Yeah, because going to an illegal party is so much better.' She retorts sarcastically before walking away, crouching and hiding under the windows. His presence is both like poison and cure to her, deadly, yet so indispensable.

Roone follows suit, not really concerned about the sleeping residents, but rather boiling up inside. He knows he has to say something to make things better, if not for her, for his own sake, at least. By the time the rear concrete fence comes into view, splashed here and there with green, vivid moss, he had already made up his mind. He needs to talk to her before she gets home. Under the broom shrub's thick shadow, flowering like a rain of fire over them, Roone grasps Nerissa's hand and pulls her towards him. He knows exactly where they are, and that when they get beyond that fence, he will have to let her go. He has to mend things between them now, before she gets inside.

'Hey...' Roone starts talking his voice hoarse and shaky.

His touch sends burning chills along Nerissa's spine. She can't take it any longer. Trying to get away from him as fast as she can, she slips away jumping the wall only to stop at the top.

'Not long now before we can see my house. Let's get it over with.' Her words still float in the air, long after her head disappears beyond the wall.

A second later, Roone vaults over the fence and grabs her by the elbow, this time gentler than before. With his jaw clenched, he takes a deep breath and tries one more time.

'Look, Nerissa, I am so...'

Without warning, she jerks her arm and starts running across the road, dodging a low, leafless branch on her way. Stunned by her rudeness, he lets her go, realizing too late that something is wrong. He watches her as she disappears behind a crooked front door, barely hanging in only one of its hinges.

In the jumble of thoughts paralyzing her mind, there is only one that stands out, and gives her courage to keep moving; and that is her grandmother.

She runs from one room to another, jumping over shattered ceramics and smashed furniture. Upstairs, things look even worse than in the rest of the house, each room having been turned upside down and completely devastated. After thoroughly checking all the wardrobes and under beds for Susan, she bumps her shoulder into the bedroom's door-case, on her way back down. The piercing pain opens the dam of tears behind her lids, flooding her eyes and sending waterfalls over her pale cheeks.

'Susan!' She screams her grandmother's name over and over again, until her voice turns to empty whispers. With each rummaged room she covers, she finds precious memories destroyed and lost forever.

Despair starts building up, while the thought that she might not see her grandma again starts settling in the back of her mind. Having no clue of how she got back downstairs, she finds Roone sitting in the middle of the living room surrounded by a big pile of books, the empty bookshelf crashed to pieces all over the floor.

A fraction of a second was more than enough for her to lose herself and collapse to the ground. Roone catches her on time before her body could get injured in the thousand shards covering the hardwood floor.

'I can't find her anywhere! They've taken her away!' She mumbles words through incoherent sobs, the shock draining all the little energy she has left in her.

He tucks the hair from her face behind her ear while he evaluates the damage. What mess have you gotten into? The question pops into his mind, for he knows too well this is not the government's doing. They wouldn't have left any trace unless they quarantined the whole house.

This is definitely Iron Guard's chaos and they can't stay there much longer. The sole reason why Roone and his team were sent to Earth is to protect Nerissa and the others like her from their attacks. But with the resistance growing every day, they are getting more dangerous and impatient. They would have never shown themselves so deep within the city unless they were desperate. This was all planned and until he finds out what they are looking for, he'll have to keep her as far away from this place as possible.

'Nerissa! We have to go!' He shakes her shoulders as he tries to bring some sense into her. It might be already too late for them.

'No! I have to find her.' She ripostes, jerking and trying to free herself from his embrace. However, Roone's training has already kicked in, leaving no room to deal with her temper right now.

They certainly don't have time to fight over this if they want to live, and her stubbornness gives him no choice but to carry her on his shoulders. Getting out the back door she tries to fight him off, hitting the air with her legs and calling for her grandma in between curses.

'Calm down, Nerissa!' His firm voice finally draws her attention to him. 'Look...', He continues on a warmer tone, yet still holding the same timbre. 'If you pull yourself together, I'll put you down, but you have to agree to come with me. We must get off the streets and go somewhere safe. Do you understand?'

Lost for words, she nods, too confused and scared to make any sounds. After he makes sure she has calmed down, he keeps his promise and sets her free.

'Do you remember when I told you the streets are not safe anymore?' He asks, raising her chin and looking straight into her colorful eyes.

'Yes, but what does it all have to do ...?' She wants to ask before he takes her hand, cutting her off and rushing her towards the laced treetops behind Susan's house.

He could tell she's terrified and he will not get away with just a simple explanation, but for now, they must keep running.

'You'll have to trust me on this.' He urges, letting out small clouds of hot steamed breaths in the morning's air.

The urgency in his tone, and the length he would go to keep her safe is enough for her to trust him for now. Still, his behavior is confusing her more than ever and she can't stop but wonder why he would risk his freedom for her.

'All right!'. She finally agrees keeping up with his speed. 'But you'll have to tell me what's going on sooner or later.'

He slowly squeezes her hand reassuring her once again to have faith in him. They will reach safe heaven all the way in the other part of the town, a place unknown to her and most of the population. The trip to Roone's home is far from being an easy or a pleasant one as they have to pass unnoticed, while the city is slowly waking up. Always looking over their shoulders, to make sure they are not being followed, that puts a strain on both of them, but with Roone living off-grid since he's arrived on Earth, there is no better spot under the dome to hide than his place.

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