Seams Undone

Chapter Three: Cuts and Bruises

Nico rushed home as fast as his legs could carry him. Be home by two-thirty or I'll hurt her, his Aunt Hera had said.

He stumbled and fell, scratching his knees on the rough pavement.

He rose and kept running. Don't hurt Hazel.

Finally, he stumbled into his house. Shoving open the door, he stared down the hall at the kitchen. Hazel was on the floor in a heap, blood gushing from a wound above her ear.

"Aunt Hera," Nico croaked, lurching forward. "Stop."

"Oh, good, you're home," Aunt Hera said. She chucked a bottle at him. Nico counted on his fast reflexes to dodge the bottle, but as it smashed against the wall, a piece of glass embedded itself in his neck.

Nico screamed, more in outrage than pain, and ripped the chunk of glass out. He hurled it at his aunt, but he missed. She cackled with crazy laughter. "Not today, Freak!"

Nico ran to Hazel as Aunt Hera took a swig from a new bottle. His sister was bleeding out of multiple cuts, one above her ear and the rest on her lower legs.

Clever, Nico thought. Make it look like she fell.

After ripping a swath of cloth from the tablecloth and wrapping it around Hazel's head to staunch the bleeding, Nico looked at his own legs. They were bleeding profusely, and a few of the scrapes were swollen.

Nico heard a snore and spun around. Aunt Hera had fallen asleep.

He breathed a sigh of relief and exhaustion.

"Nico?" Hazel said quietly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He tried for a smile, but it came out as a shaky grimace. "C'mon, I'll take you upstairs."

"I can walk," she said, standing. A few moments later, she crashed back down. "On second thought..."

"I'll carry you," Nico said. He wasn't very strong, but he looped Hazel's arm over his shoulders and dragged her up the stairs to her room.

After helping Hazel get to her bed, Nico started walking around the town again.

The blonde boy, Will, was sitting on a park bench, reading.

Nico sat next to him, looked in his bag, and said bitterly, "Good read?"

Will jumped and stared at him. "Are you...?"

"You're reading a medical book," Nico noted. "Your notebook has Property of Dr. Will Solace written on it. You have a small first aid kit in your bag."

Will closed his backpack. "So?"

Nico hesitated. "So... Help me."

Dedicated to solangelo_soul for first vote and first comment!
Is this a bit rushed? I feel like it's rushed. I wanted to end it a lot. At when Nico got home, when Hera fell asleep, when Nico got upstairs, when he found Will, and I'm still not sure if it's the right spot. Next chapter will be longer, I promise!
Love from Kat