The Wolf

Ch. 6: Broken Ribs and a Full Heart

~Nico~

Today was probably the best day of school in 3 years. I met Alex and he actually started talking to me of his own accord, despite not knowing that I was Nico.

I hum to myself as I lay in bed scrolling through my phone. Alex even said I may be able to rejoin the Silver Bane wolf pack. I was so excited. I missed that clearing with the big house and many cabins. Everyone was so friendly there, and being surrounded by nature felt great. Unlike this small room where I was so far from the outside.

I hear some commotion coming from downstairs. I look over at my alarm clock, it was about the time that Uncle Joe got drunk. That means I should either get out of the house now, or I should just sit tight in my room. The rumbling of my stomach said I should sneak out of the house to go eat. I guess my stomach is lucky that I only ever think about food.

I slip into some warm clothes that I can wear against the chill of the night. I take a deep breath as I descend the stairs. I hear Uncle Joe's ranting and raving in the living room so I avoid that route and walk through the kitchen to the foyer. I quickly bend down to put my shoes on, but before I am even able to slip it on, I hear a slurred, "Where the hell do you think you're going."

My heart dropped so fast I thought I was going to die. I turn back to look at my uncle. The man who I hate with a passion. "Out." I reply. I fumble with my shoes as I still try to put them on.

"I don't think so, get back to your room!" He yells.

"I'm just going out-" I turn to look back at him. I don't know how this drunk can move so fast, but he was right behind me. He lifted me up by my throat. I couldn't breathe. I grab at the hand around my throat; trying to pry it off.

"You listen when I am speaking to you, boy!" He throws me hard against the ground. He kicks me in the stomach, then the ribs.

He grabs me by my hair, "You're nothing but poison to my family, it'd be better if you were never born." He hits me in the ribs again and again. I'm sure some of them are broken by now. I could see my consciousness was fading. I was going to black out.

"You soiled my son," He punches me in the face, a first, "You're mother took my brother and made him a monster," A punch in the arm, "And they left me you, the biggest insult of all." With that he punched me once more in the other arm and threw me to the ground.

"You're in my house boy, you'll listen to everything I say, are we clear?" I don't answer him, I don't think I can. " I said, are we clear?" I nod my head. "Good."

He staggers away from where I lay on the ground. I am conscious just long enough to see Kyle come around the corner looking confused at what his father was doing before he spots me on the ground. His eyes widen and he runs over to me. He started saying some stuff but I was already long gone.

~~

I wake up to discover myself laying in my own bedroom. I don't know how I got here, but I was almost grateful to be alive. I breathe in and feel pain in my chest. My ribs, they're broken. 

I sit up. Pain screams through my body, but I ignore it; I have to go to school. I pull off my clothes, remembering to take deep breathes with each shock of pain I feel. I look down everything has bloomed into a dark purple. I look away, the sight was making me nauseous.

I walk over to my dresser and see a note and a bottle of Ibuprofen. 

"You have broken ribs. You should stay home and rest, God knows how much pain you're in. Also, you don't want to be stumbling around in a half-drugged stupor. So just stay home and rest, I left some Ibuprofen. Take that. I've already called into school to tell them that you wouldn't be there because you broke your ribs, so rest up. I'll pick up your school work for you.