The prisoners all lay in their bunks, they all talked amongst themselves until Nova spoke to Blaze.

“What are you in for?” She said softly staring into Blaze’s eyes. It seemed the entire room went quiet.

“His is quite the tale!” Moira, who other than Nova, was the newest prisoner.

Blaze smiled. “I guess.”

Greg laughed. “Don’t let him convince you otherwise. He killed one of the Dark Forces.”

Nova looked at Blaze, her eyes widened. She smiled. “Really?”

Blaze closed his eyes as he remembered the worst day of his life. He slowly nodded. “I was eleven, the dark forces wanted to recruit me because…” Blaze stopped and sighed. Slowly he stood up. “They came for me because I’m different. I’m like them.” He took in a deep breath and let it go. Suddenly black vines shot out of his body just like it had of the overseer. The vines moved like they were alive and one wrapped around Nova pulling her to her feet.

Blaze smiled at her, but this time it was a little more forced. “ The dark forces came but my parents didn’t want to give their only child away. My parents begged them not to take me away. They wanted to stay with me.” Blaze stared into Nova’s eyes. “They loved me, but The Dark Forces were angry, so they killed my parents. I saw the vines cut through their skin. I saw their pain. I heard their yells and I was petrified, so when they approached me, I took upon instinct and my Vines went wild.”

Blaze chuckled in a pained way. “One of the vines went straight through a very surprised soldier. She fell to the ground and looked at me. I saw tears falling from her eyes.” Blaze kicked the wall in anger. “The next thing I know, I’ve spent the next eight years in prison.” He sat on the ground, his vines disappearing.

Nova sat next to him. “I’m sorry.” She said,

Blaze closed his eyes. “I am too.”

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“Blaze, don’t feel down, you're the reason this crew keeps living.” Ash spoke up. “He gives us hope that the dark forces may one day be vanquished.”

“We would have rotted away in our depression if he hadn’t told us his story.” Lily smiled.

Nova looked at Blaze who was trying his best not to let any tears fall. “Good Night, Blaze.” She said and gave him a side hug just to make him feel better.

That night, when Nova was sure the other prisoners were asleep, she snuck up to Blaze’s bunk where he sat waiting.

“About Time.” Blaze smiled at her. “I was starting to think you’d fallen asleep.”

Nova shrugged. “Sleeping has been hard lately.” She lay on Blaze’s bunk just like she had earlier in the day. And just like before Blaze inspected her wounds and flinched.

“How do you live with this pain?” Blaze asked her as he pulled out what looked like a ball of white yarn.

Nova shrugged but looked at the yarn suspiciously. “What’s that?” She asked.

“Healing Silk.” Blaze smiled. “Helps heal injuries faster.”

“How did you get it?”

Blaze shrugged. “I think stealing things from the enemy can be permitted every once in a while.” He grinned mischievously.

Nova rolled her eyes but let him get to work on stitching up her wounds. After a long awkward silence of Blaze’s hands moving up and down, Nova spoke up. “My brother was killed because of me too.”

Blaze stopped stitching and looked at her. “What?”

“My family has always been poor. We could barely get around. My mother had died a few months after I was born because she starved. My father raised us on his own. He fed us the food he could. Then one day a few months ago, one of the Dark Forces stole food from my father. I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t let him starve like my mother, so I attacked the man.”

Blaze finished stitching the holes and motioned for her to sit next to him as she continued her story.

Nova did and scootched close to him in grief. “I never hurt the man because he was able to stop me. But he got mad, madder than I’d ever seen someone. He yelled at me saying something about peasants supposed to worship the rich. Then he grabbed my brother and he tortured him in front of me and my father. He whipped him, punched him, and then he burned my brother…alive.” Nova closed her eyes as tears fell down. “I could also hear his yells. He was screaming at me to do something. But I just stayed where I was and watched.”

Nova started sobbing and laid her head on Blaze’s shoulder. Blaze wrapped her arm around her awkwardly. “It wasn’t your fault.” He whispered to her over and over until Nova almost believed him.