It had been a week since that night with Azael.
I sat on a counter of my kitchen, apple in hand, when Elliot came walking in, along with my father and mother.
Unched tears held in Elliots eyes, causing me to immediately slide off the counter and walk over to him. Was this it? Were they both the reason El had barely talked to me this last week, why he looked like he was going to cry whenever in my presence?
My eyes flashed to theirs flickering between the two of them as I bent to hug Elliot, to comfort him for I reason I did not know.
"Nuria..." My father began, scratching at the stubble on his jaw before he dropped his hand.
"Your mother and I have been discussing something, we need to tell you."
"Well no shit," I spat bitterly "Elliots been upset all week, spit it out."
Some would call me ungrateful, rude, dusgusitng, even, for the way of which I spoke to my parents, but I didn't see it that way because they were barely parents. My father was gone for many months at a time, last year, he was gone for almost an entire year. My mother, well, she left the parenting of Elliot to me and spent her time drinking wine with her friends, complaining about the two women at her work and occasionally, occasionally, having a conversation with me.
Their right to be talked to with respect when they didn't deserve it vanished when their respect for their children vanished. They made their bed, now they would lie in it.
My mother and father glanced at each other, a knowing look in their eyes and annoyance displayed on their face. My father nodded.
"Why don't you calm yourself down before we tell you."
My head spun immediately to him. "No, I'm fine." my breaths came out quick. "Tell me now."
My mother stepped in, "Nuria you're fathers right, its late, we'll tell you in the morning," She placed a hand on Elliots shoulder. "C'mon Elliot, lets get you to bed."
I chuckled looking up at the ceiling as they began walking out. "Fine." I walked in the opposite direction to the front door. "Fucking be like that."
I pulled the door open and slammed it shut behind me.
If they weren't going to tell me, then they wouldn't tell me. I could wait a few hours until the morning, but I couldn't wait sat in my room so I walked down the pavement.
Orange light reflected off my face as I stuffed my hands into my pockets. It was a cold night, but it was barable. The cold air was a nice contast to my flushed skin so I welcomed the frozen weather.
The night was silent, no cars on the road, no chatter from neighbouring houses, just silence.
It made the beating of my heart all too loud in my ears but it would quiet soon. And it was nice, not having something to talk back to or having something unpleasant to listen to.
I turned a corner, flicking my hood over my head.
The hood skimmed my eye brows, making me just about able to see, not that I could see much anyway at that hour, the street lights were too sparse to really reveal much, I could only see a splatter of orange ground beneath and the occasional light blaring through a house near by.
It was stupid being out so late, especially as a woman. But my hoodie did a pretty good job at covering my figure, and my height was a bonus.
Besides, I really could not stay inside that house any longer. I got explosive over the littlest of things. My temper was too short and my ability to keep quiet was even shorter.
I supposed some people would say I was being a little dramatic over my brother. But he was my brother, my little brother, the only sort of responsibility I had and I knew my brother, and I knew something wasn't right.
It didn't help that my parents seemed to be the root of the issue, it just made my patience all the much worse.
A noise of a bottle smashing drew my eyes from the black cobble bouncing beneath my feet, in a small alley way a group of teenage boys laughed loudly, their clouded breath visible even through the dark.
I turned my back more towards them as I passed, not quickening my pace, just making myself seem less visible.
Their laughter quietened, though. And a stroke of unease slid down my back. Shit.
Hushed voices echoed as footsteps dully padded behind me.
I tilted my head slighty, my eyes drifting over my shoulder to see one of them stood behind me.
My heart beat quickened slightly, my breaths coming slightly faster. Might as well face my problems face up, though.
I turned to him and his body almost crashed into mine as I stopped my movement.
That made him angry, it seemed as his eyebrows drew low as his friends appeared behind him.
I quickly flickered my eyes between them, five. There was five of them. I squared my shoulders.
"What have you got in them pockets?" He questioned. Pretty much immediately stating what he wanted as one of them, not much taller then me began to position himself behind me.
Thieves. They were thieves. I could easier get out of that.
The main perpetrator stepped forward. "Hm?" He asked louder this time. "A phone maybe? Money? Give it me."
I stared at him, unsure how to go about the situation.
"Are you fucking deaf or so-"
A right hook to his face was my instinct at the time. He stumbled back, his face a picture of disgust as he clutched at his face. I hoped it would bruise.
His friend behind me tore down my hood and dragged me too him, My breaths came out shallow. I shouldn't of punched him. Shit. I just made it worse."Get the fuck off me!"
"It speaks!" The one clutching his face laughed, shrugging off his friends. Anger and frustration lacing his tone.
I struggled in the grip of the male behind me, managing to free myself by an inch.
I leaned back on him and kicked his knee "Shit!" He gritted out as he stumbled slightly.
I tugged his arm from my hoodie, but I was not in luck as the man in front of me grapped either side of my hood and clutched it tightly, his knuckles going white with force. I'd made him too angry. Fucking stupid.
He brought me up to his face. "All I wanted was anything valuable." He spat. I was spun and shoved to the ground.
The cold bite of the pavement sunk into my hands but it wasn't felt, and it sank deeper as I immediately began trying to hoist myself from the ground.
A nod from the ring leader sent one of his friends crouching next to me.
His dirty hand wrapped around my mouth as he dragged me back to the ground.
"Now I am going to have to do something that wasn't needed."
The peacefull silence of the night now turned blatantly loud in my ears as I twisted my head back and forth to free my mouth of his grip. He just held tighter, especially when I started my attack with my arms, hitting his arms and wrist hard enough to bruise. He just grunted in annoyance.
My skin became flushed again as the panick started to seep in. Any night. It could have been any night.
The ring leader stalked towards the broken bottle which I had heard smashed earlier, He scooped up a larger piece of glass.
My eyes widened.
I thrashed more in the mans grip as he stalked towards me, a smug grin on his face.
His knees cracked as he crouched in front of me staring as he twisted the pale, green glass in his hand.
I panted loudly. "Does she have anything good in her pockets?"
His question must have been directed to the guy behind me as he stuffed a hand in my pocket and drew it back, empty. "No."
I wasn't sure if I was lucky or unlucky that I had left my phone on the kitchen counter.
He shook his head, looking at me as he pointed to his cheek. "Well shes got to pay for this some how."
I shook my head at his insinuation but I didn't have time to regesture what was happening as the boys hand behind me got unsufferable tight, and then the glass disappeared as it was struck through my leg.
Pain arrupted in my thigh and burst around my leg. I shot back as I let out a long, muffled scream. Tears brightened my eyes but I sunk them down as I tilted my head up and slammed my eyes shut.
The pain- God, it was unbearable.
He tugged the glass down causing more pain to tear through and sear my leg. I felt like I was going to pass out.
Oh god I was going to pass out-
The unbearable pain mixed with the blockage of air due to his hand in the way made my vision grow cloudy, I couldn't breathe hard enough, fast enough.
He tore the glass from my leg but I barely registered it, I was stuck between reality and the peacefulness of the blackness ready to over come my vision.
Blurred words were spoken to me, but I didn't hear them, didn't feel as my head was dropped to the ground as they took their leave.
The only sense I had was touch, as I could feel the warm sticky substance coating my leg and cupped in my hands.
But I couldn't- I wouldn't pass out. I needed to get home.
But I couldn't go to the hospital, my pride wouldn't let me make my parents pay for my treatment. Not when I could treat myself. I always treated myself, I was used to it, I could look after myself again.
I blinked away the heaviness of my eyes and whimpered when I saw flecks of colours coating my vision. It would pass soon, I told myself.
But the pain- That. That would not pass soon.
I lifted my head, trying to find the strength in my arms and use the adrenaline still coaxing my veins to keep my head up just long enough to see the damage.
The streetlight in the corner made me just about be able to see, and what I saw-
Blood, blood everywhere. My leg was pure crimson as well as the ground. Could I bleed out from this?
I shook my head, trying to ease away the panick crawling up my throat by swallowing it backdown through my sandpaper-dry mouth.
I heaved myself to lie against the wall behind me, swallowing a cry from the sharp pain that cut across my body.
How the fuck was I supposed to stand up?
*****
It must have been around 30 minutes later when I was balancing on my left leg, carrying the weight of my injured right leg.
I had to hop. It was the only way I would be able to travel back home. By my right leg being horizontal to the floor, it slightly helped to slow the blood flow. They must have cut right through my muscle.
Pain lashed at every hop, causing bile to rise in my throat. I couldn't take it.
I had never felt pain like it, so unbearable, I was sure to pass out before I made it home.
I was unsure how I would act normal whilst having this cut buried in my leg. How long would it take to heal? What would I do if it got infected?
Fuck, Alyssa would definitely notice something was up. Azael probably would too, especially since we wouldn't be able to do anything since I'd have to keep it hidden and his observational skills were fucking annoying but good.
Unless I told him? Maybe he had more experience in wounds then I did? No. Fuck no.
I hopped faster, I'd reached my house after an hour, even though it was a 10 minute walk initially.
Id left my window open earlier so I'd get in through there, but I didn't make it inside before I threw up. Straight in the bush outside my window.
I groaned. Pulling my hair back from my face.
I threw up again after that from the shear pain and exhaustion of it all. But I managed to make it inside.
I'd picked up the towel from my floor to hold it over my wound to stop it from dripping onto the floor, it would be drenched in blood soon enough but for now it would do the job.
I grabbed vodka from inside my draw, a sewing kit, and some bandages that id brought awhile ago for whenever I did stupid shit.
It took 5 minutes to get into my bathtub, and another 5 to remove my sweatpants, they were a good pair of sweatpants but would have to be thrown away to to the 4 inch fucking hole in them.
I ripped a slither of them since they were no good anyway and stuffed it into my mouth. I was going to scream, but not the good kind.
I tipped water from the bath tap onto my leg to wash off as much blood as I could, the bleeding had slowed a lot now so I had to wash away the dried blood as well.
And then my hands began shaking. Shaking as I prepared myself by biting down on my ripped sweatpants.
My hand shook as I twisted off the vodka lid.
And then I poured it. It was what I imagined molten lava to feel like if it touch someones skin.
I bolted upright in the bath and let multiple strangled screams out and finally allowed myself to cry.
My body shook with sobs as I let the vodka clean my wound, it was worse then when I was actually cut, so, so much worse.
Tears slid down my face and wear soaked up by the material in my mouth. I was never going at alone again at night.
I picked up the needle and thread, my hands still shaking which promised a messy sew up. But the pain of that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, maybe it was because it was so dull compared to what had felt like acid I had poured on earlier.
The bandages followed quickly after and I felt a sense of comfort now that my thigh wasn't practically split in two.
But shit. School tomorrow. I hoped the bandages and stitches would hold.
*****
Im so excited to write the next chapter. I hope it comes out as good as I'm imagining it.
It might be out this week but it's probably unlikely so it'll probably be out next week instead.