The following two months, since July 25, Nico had all but recovered most if not all of his strength and stamina. His wounds were all healed yet the scars remained to remind him and the others just what some people are capable of doing. When they don’t understand things around them. Where most of the villagers moved on not all could live with what they had done that day. They tried to move on, yet they couldn’t forget the innocent lives they took. So, they took their own. Four out of the fifteen villagers that stood there that day hung themselves to pay for their sins. In the same manner in which they took the lives of Nicole and Coster. The town never forgot about their plans for the property and began to make their moves towards the building of the way station. Jason knew this day was coming since the day he rescued Nico with Faith and Sarah it was only a matter of time.
Jason knew that it was time to move on not just for him and Sarah but for Faith and Nico too. The four talked through the night until nearly midnight discussing how they were going to move on. With Sarah and Faith being African descendent it wouldn’t be safe for them to travel alone. They decided that Sarah would go with Jason and Faith would follow with Nico a few days later. They did not want to raise any suspicion. They all agreed to this apart from Nico as he only agreed to take Faith to the house in the north. In his heart he wasn’t going to stay with them.
Not as long as those who watched still drew breath. They all went to sleep that night knowing what they had to do when morning came around. When dawn broke the next morning Sarah and Jason rose early to make the morning meal. Packing enough into their saddlebags to aid them on their journey until they could get more. They left before either Nico or Faith woke up.
When Nico woke up a few hours later he walked out of his room while putting on his shirt. To cover up his scars on his back since he knew how uneasy it made Sarah, Jason and Faith. Seeing his scars reminded them all of the fateful day. This was only part of his new routine as he began to wear leather gauntlets on his wrists. The gauntlets covered the scars caused by the shackles. The only thing that he could not cover was the scar above his eye. His long hair would sometimes hide it though Faith and Sarah thought it made him more distinguished and unique. He looked around for Jason and Sarah, but they were gone, only Faith remained asleep on the lounge.
“Faith.” Nico whispered quietly in her ear as he gently shook her shoulder waking her up.
“Mmm...morning Nico.” Faith hummed as she slowly woke up.
“Your mum and Jason left some time ago, but they left us some breakfast on the stove.” he told her as he walked away. Just as she reached for him Faith sat up hurt that he wouldn’t let her touch him. Not since he woke up.
“Nico.” Faith said as she stood up from the lounge. “Why do you always pull away from me whenever I go to touch you? I would never hurt you. You must know that.”
Nico put his hands down onto the table as his head fell down Nico sighed. “You could never understand. Faith.”
Faith walked over to him and gently as she could without hurting him. “How could I understand if you don’t tell me.” she shouted at him looking him dead in the eyes.
Nico pushed her back off of him shouting quite furiously. “You don’t understand. I see the way you and the others look at me. You’re disgusted by the marks upon my body. It reminds you of everything that happened. I remind you of what happened that day. I see it every day in your eyes, that is why I cover my body up so that you will not have to see my body. You only have to see it. I have to live with it. It’s a part of me.” Nico shouting ripping off his shirt so that Faith could see the scars upon his body making her cringe. “See what I mean, you cringe at the sight of me. You can never understand how this all makes me feel. I lost everything my father, my mother, my home and my life. You still have everything. You have a place in this world. I don’t belong in their world or yours not anymore. Faith, you don’t understand the way I feel so alone, and you make me feel worse. When you pull away from me whenever you see my body. That is why I pull back first so that you couldn’t hurt me anymore than you have already done.” Nico continued to shout at her before storming out of the house. Leaving Faith in a state of shock because he was right.
Nico stormed out of the house and went to the barn where he stayed tending to the two remaining horses. He stayed out there for hours without ever having anything to eat or to drink. While back inside Faith slowly ate her plate and cleaned up the mess. After a while and some time thinking about what Nico had said. She wondered to the window to watch as he rode the horse bareback around the open pen. As she watched him Faith came to see that in a way, he still felt like an orphan more so now than before. This time he was able to remember it. By pulling away from him Faith realized that she was abandoning him as well. Wanting to stop it before it got too far, she decided to mend their friendship. She warmed up some food and took some water with her out to the barn where he was cooling the horse after he rode it.
“Nico.” Faith said quietly from behind him. “I brought you some food and a glass of water.”
Nico sighed as he walked over to her taking the plate and glass from her. “Thank you.” he spoke coldly as he was still angry at her before turning away from her.
“Wait…” she said forceful so that he could hear her.
“What?” he asked turning back around to face her.
Faith stretched out her arm and with her hand she touched his bare chest not flinching or stepping back from him. “I am sorry, Nico.” she said as her hand stayed on his chest never pulling it back. He did not pull away either. “I never meant to hurt you or abandon you. Your scars do not frighten me anymore as you said they are a part of you. Yes, evil left their mark on you, but you are not evil so why should they matter to me. When they are still you. I promised you Nico that even if you decided to leave once you took me to my new home. You will still have a place in this world. Somewhere to come home to because you have a place in my heart. You always have for a long time. I love you, Nico Samuel Gage. No matter what scars you bare I have loved you before all of this. I love you even more now. For the first time I saw that now and I can admit it even though you cannot love me back. Not while you carry the weight of the dead on your shoulders. Just know that I will wait for you.” Faith spoke to him saying words that she hid deep in the bottom of her heart. As she spoke tears filled her eyes. Faith moved the hair that covered his right eye gently touching his scar before standing on the tips of her toes and kissing him upon his full lips. Not once cringing at the sight of him let alone touching his body.
Faith broke their kiss leaving him to go back into the house. While she walked to the house her tears started to roll down her cheeks. She did not feel the same emotion from Nico when she kissed him. This didn’t matter to her because she still loved him even if he didn’t or couldn’t.
She was wrong for Nico did love her he just didn’t know until that moment. When she kissed him.
As he sat down on the pile of hay, he could feel that he had no room in heart for her until he avenged his mother. And let her death go but by then it would be too late. It was also more than just a kiss for him as it was his first from a woman other than his mother. Even though he was eighteen and considered a man for two years. Nico had never touched a woman before let along be intimate with one. So, this feeling was foreign to him. He liked this feeling her kiss gave him.
Nico sat in the hay pile and ate his food thinking about what Faith confessed to him, her love and how it made him feel. But she was right when she said he was carrying the weight of the dead on his shoulders. He thought how he could let it go when the hurt was still so fresh. While finishing his plate he came to realize that Faith needed to know that he loved her too. It was just a love that needed to wait until his task was finished. It was only then that they could be together. It took him a while to work up the courage to tell her this knowing about how pure her love for him was. When his new and not as pure because of all of things he saw. When she recoiled at the sight of his body, and this was something that would be hard to forget let alone forgive. This Faith needed to know before she waited for a love that may never come. At least not before she was too old to start a family with a man that she will love and would love her back. For all she had given up for him, Nico couldn’t – wouldn’t let Faith give this up because she deserved to be happy to be truly loved. With little choice for him Nico made the hardest one – to let her go.
By the time Nico realized all this Faith had returned to the cottage and began to pack their belongings so they would be ready to leave come nightfall. As she folded Nico’s clothes on the floor in front of the fireplace tears started to fall from her eyes. Tears not for herself but rather they were tears for Nico because no matter how hard she wanted it he would never know her love and yet she only had him in her heart. Unknown to her as she folded Nico slowly made his way to her.
As he walked Nico tried to think of words to say, words so she would know he loved her and that she was free of him in this life. More than this she was free to give her love to another. As he reached the front door the words were still not there, only now it was too late to turn back.
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