Mind BLOWN. (CLOSED)

Zayna
“True enough…” Levi inhaled deeply. “I guess part of me just always longed to escape so much, I figured I would. That’s what kept me sane all this time, really, just imagining life on the outside.”
“And how are you liking it so far? Life on the outside?” I asked, smiling a little. “Is it as good as you remember it being?”

Levi
"And how are you liking it so far?" Life on the outside?" She smiled, looking a little mischievous like she was poking fun at me. "Is it as good as you remember it being?"
I scoffed but it turned into a soft chuckle as I shook my head and looked down.
"Well, that's definitely debatable. . . But, I don't know, right at the moment I guess it's pretty good." I told her with an expression that was stuck somewhere between a smirk and a genuine look of enjoyment.

Levi
I shrugged nonchalantly. "It could be worse," I said. "I could be in a cell with Nixon instead, so yeah, this *is* pretty good."
I leaned forward and put my elbows on my knees and folding my fingers together. I looked at her curiously and raised my eyebrows. "What about you? You think this is better than where you were before?"

Levi
"I guess I can't argue with your take on things." I told her with a slight sideways smile, understanding where she was coming from completely. I got more serious and looked down at my muddy boots on the cold, rock floor of the cave. The wind blew in icily grazing across my bare cheeks and I grew somber. "Me, I didn't ever expect to get out though. To die or be killed by them, yes. But. . . To get this ounce of freedom, even if it's completely sick what they're doing, I'm thankful I have a fighting chance when I go instead of being chained down and defenseless when that time does come." I finished and wrung my hands together, avoiding eye contact.

((Oh, and while I'm here, I figure I'll share that little tidbit of backstory with you! xD just in case you're interested! Basically what I came up with was that after Nixon's friend Alex dies he has nightmares and dreams that keep him awake so he starts doing more and more strategy training (like puzzles and stuff) to occupy his time and his obsession with that is what makes him so good at it so that's why he's appointed as the leader of the specialist group and they like go out and do stuff and that keeps him busy for awhile but he still tries to fill up as much as his free time as possible so that's why he takes up bird calling and gun tricks as his hobbies. (That's just some random stuff lol) and then he really starts to grow his hate for the rebels so he gets himself transferred from the main military base in Texas to the prison base in Colorado where he starts to work closely with Karisity and he helps her formulate the plan to manipulate the rebels into turning a rally into a riot when they attack it and they kidnap Levi (because he's such an asset to Silas and the rebellion or whatevs) and Nixon plans to torture him to discourage other rebels and to try to get Silas to surrender himself and other rebel leaders to the military. He is also like the negotiator along with Karisity in this. And obviously that backfires on them so Karisity puts together the plan to study Levi and Zayna to learn how the rebels work and how to counter it blah blah blah, you know how it goes xD)) ((OH and I thought of two other things! One thing is that maybe the cause of the separation could be because of like how (here in the south especially) people are rioting and crap over all the 'police brutality' and that's causing the police to become more militarized which is causing an even greater split between supporters and cop haters, so that could kind of be what grows into all the separation and the fighting and the government to basically become a militarized police force and everything else that happens in our story. And the last thing I thought of is just kind of like a motive thing where the reason the guards do shoot Zayna is because when she and Levi split up they know that she knows that her heart is in the prison and they believe that she's going to attempt to break in or attack or whatever so that's why they go after her to kill her instead of letting the story continue (or so they think lol) Anyway, thats it xD))

Levi
I sate there waiting for a reply but Zayna was silent. After a moment she got up and walked over to me, her feet padding over the gritty ground quietly. I turned my gaze slightly toward her when she hesitated and then crouched down next to me. She reached out her hand and placed it on top of mine. I nearly flinched, almost pulling away out of instinct but instead I turned it into a small squeeze, accepting the embrace.
"Levi?" She murmured softly. I looked up into her green eyes and felt my heart beat a little faster, not knowing if I was nervous or just taken off guard by the sudden connection between us.
"Yes?" I replied, trying not to stutter or sound unsure.

((Haha thanks! And omg this scene just got so much better xD I wasn't expecting that!))

Levi
She looked into my eyes meaningfully and then spoke with unwavering solidity.
"I want to hear your story. . ."
I creased my brows and cocked my head a little. What did she think I was going to say and more importantly what exactly did she want to hear? I started to pull my hand away and I released a slow breath.
"Well, I don't know why you'd want to do something like that. . ." I said, not sure of how else to reply or whether I should even open up to her.

Levi
She bit her lip and looked away in contemplation. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for a reaction and she took a deep breath and then replied.
"I want to know who you are Levi. . . Who you were, who you're wanting to be. . . You can't just hold everything in forever. We're partners now remember? You can let me in. . . "She drifted off and retreated a little bit, refusing to look me in the eyes any longer.
"Hmm." I mused slowly in thought. The fact that we'd really only just met played in the back of my head but then again, so did the fact that she seemed honest and trustworthy. She wasn't going to spill my secrets because there wouldn't be any chance to. And telling her what I'd been through the past few years might be the only chance I'd ever get to tell anyone. I put my palms on the cold rock underneath me and turned myself to face her as I sat criss-crossed.
"I can't think of a reason *not* to tell you what you want to know, but honestly I'm not sure where to start. So, how about we play a game and just take turns asking questions. You about me, and me about you, because if I'm gonna tell you my story I want to hear yours as well." I looked at her confidently with interest in my smile.