Alrighty people, go back to the description/summary thingy and read the TRIGGER WARNINGS. Thanks :)

NPOV

"Lemme hold your hand while we cross the street, Daddy said I had to for now on." Bianca told me, smiling softy.

"Mkay"

She took my hand in hers, using the crosswalk. When we reached the path on the other side she stopped walking and crouched down, so that we were the same height.

"Ok, so earlier today at school Mrs. Dodds let all the kids who had good behavior pick two things out of this big box to keep." My older sister rushed, making hand gestures and allowing her accent to thicken.

I nodded my head, equally excited, "What did you pick?"

She pulled the mysteries out of her pocket and held them out to me. One was a Mythomagic figurine, the only one missing from my collection, and the other was a silver-colored skull ring. "I grabbed them for you."

I squealed in delight when she put them in my hand, "They're so cool! You're the best sister in the whole world ever!"

"I know." She said as she wrapped me in a hug. Then she stood back up, took my hand in hers, and swung them between us playfully as we walked down the sidewalk. "What all did you do today?"

"Ooooo in art I drew a picture of Italy! Do you wanna see it? I'll show it to you when we get home, it's in my backpack right now. You can have it if you want." I babbled happily.

"Yeah, I bet it's awesome. I miss Italy."

"Me too" I said. We moved last year, for what Daddy had called a fresh start. My English was good and I'd made friends quickly, but I still missed Italy. It was home.

"I could hang your picture on the refrigerator, if you want."

I beamed at her, "You will?"

"Of course I will."

When I noticed I was still holding the gifts Bianca gave me I slipped them into my pocket. I didn't want to lose them on the way home. That's when I saw the truck.

It was a rundown-looking, black pickup that seriously needed to be washed. The windows were tinted so that you couldn't see inside. That immediately struck me as weird, but it got weirder. For some reason, it was following Bianca and I. The driver let the car inch about twenty feet behind us, going about the same speed as we were.

"B, that truck's scaring me." I whispered.

Bianca glanced over her shoulder to get a look at what I was talking about. Without warning the truck surged forward, pulling up beside us. My sister's grip tightened on my hand as one of the windows began to roll down, revealing the driver.

He had sickly pale skin and greasy blonde hair to match. His eyes were an odd blue color, but they were seriously bloodshot. He smiled at us, the grin stretching his features in way that didn't look right.

Yup, the driver scared me even more than the truck did.

"Hello, I was wondering if you kids could give me directions to the highway." When he saw Bianca hesitate, he chuckled to himself, "Come a little closer to the car, I don't bite."

"Hang on, okay Nico?" Bianca said it like a question, but she had already let go of my hand. She approached the car leaving me a few feet behind her, still on the sidewalk.

Everything else happened very fast.

The guy threw the door open and lunged towards Bianca. He grabbed her by her shoulders and tried to stuff her in the truck. She wasn't going anywhere, though, which became apparent when she thrashed and kicked and screamed.

Other cars began pulling over, snapping me out of my trance. "BIANCA!" I yelled, rushing forward. I had to help her.

The guy made the mistake of putting his arm near her mouth in an attempt to shut her up while he struggled with her. It was a mistake because she then bit down as hard as she could. The guy screamed as Bianca tore a piece of flesh from his arm, spitting and spurting blood.

The guy, out of nowhere, pulled a gun. "YOU STUPID BITCH!" He screamed at my sister.

No one had time to react before the gun went off.

I saw Bianca, her eyes wide as if in shock. Blood began to soak her shirt and she fell to her knees.

"BIANCA!" I screamed again, my voice panicked. Tears were leaking from my eyes. The people that had pulled over were yelling at me, but I couldn't hear them; the gunshot was still ringing in my ears. But it didn't matter if I heard them or not, I had to get to Bianca.

I was so close to reaching her, I really was. But before I could close the distance, her killer pounced on me.

I screamed and kicked at him, fighting like a crazed madman. He pulled me farther away from my sister, who was staining the ground with her blood. There was so much blood.

People were yelling at each other to do something and for the guy to stop. Didn't they see it was a waste of time?

"I guess one's better than nothing." He said viciously, shoving me into the truck. Sobs wracked my body as I continued to call out for my sister.

The guy threw himself behind the wheel with a triumphant-

I was pulled from my nightmare by a sharp pain. Octavian had grabbed me by my hair and pulled me close to his face, so I couldn't avoid looking at him the way I usually did.

"Do you ever shut up?" He asked, seething. His breath stank of alcohol and cigarettes.

Shit. I must've been screaming in my sleep again.

"I-I'm sorry-" I started, but he cut me off with a punch to my face. Pain flared my jaw. Instinctively, I tried to move away from him, but he kept an iron grip. I knew the punch was going to bruise, and I felt blood trickle from his rings.

"It's three in the morning, you little fag. What if I had Rachel over? Huh?" He hissed at me, "How could I explain you to her? Even then, I'm trying to sleep."

I decided to keep my mouth shut.

Octavian sneered at me, "I'll be right back. Don't even think about trying anything."

With that, he let me go and headed down the hall. I sat in the corner of my room/storage closet with my knees drawn to my chest, panicking. Last time I did something Octavian didn't like, he left burns and gashes all over my arms. That's one of the reasons why I'm always wearing a jacket. The scars would raise questions. Questions I couldn't answer.

I don't know how long it was before my tormentor came back, carrying rope and a strip of cloth. He pulled the cigarette he was smoking out of his mouth and gestured for me to hold out my hand.

I hesitated, but obliged. He used my palm to put out his cigarette. I tried not to cry out as he left behind a small, circular burn.

"Now where were we?" Octavian laughed, "Oh, right. You were shutting up."

I knew what was coming, and I scrambled to get away. Being in such a small space, I wasn't able to get very far before he caught and pinned me. He laughed again as I struggled helplessly underneath him. I was terrified. "P-please, not again."

He grinned at me, resembling a shark. Octavian used one hand to help keep me held down and the other to take off his shirt. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick."

~

Now I was trudging my way to school, still shaking from earlier this morning. I had a long walk, about nine miles. I didn't mind it, though. At least Octavian was letting me go.

That's good, remember it could be worse.

Really, the person I had to thank for that was Octavian's girlfriend, Rachel. He started dating her about three years ago, and she's always visiting the trailer we live in. Since she's around so much, I'm either locked in the supply closet (where there's still a risk of me making noise) or I'm at the school. Octavian thought that would be a good solution, so he had a few fake documents made so I could enroll. Plus, he made sure one of his gang members were in each of my classes so that he knew who I was friends with.

He uses the people I care about to keep me in check, saying the he'll kill them if I try to run or go to the police. I believe him. Even if he does go to jail, one of his friends will murder someone out of spite, or to get back at me.

That's why I lie. That's why I don't try to run away. And, above all, that's why I hate getting attached to people.

I'm so scared that someone is going to end up dead.

The strap of my bag began to press against one of the bruises on my shoulder, making me wince. I turned the corner and began walking the path, each step bringing me closer to the library. I've been being tutored there for a week now, and I hate it.

Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to find a way out of having to go. Sure, I could use the extra help, but at what cost? Will is so nice. I can't be his friend. I can't put him in danger.

~

I went to the tutoring session regardless.

"Don't worry this part confused me at first, too." Will was saying in an attempt to explain some equation we were assigned for homework.

I let out a frustrated groan and slumped in my seat, "Fuck it, I'm gonna fail anyway."

Will let out another musical laugh of his, making me smile in spite of the circumstances.

"Why are you laughing at me? This is serious."

"I know, I know." Will said, fighting to bring his voice back normal. "You're cute when you get irritated. And I like your smile."

I immediately deadpanned, "I'm not cute."

"You are."

"Shut up, Solace."

"Why? I'm having so much fun." Will said, shooting me a crooked smile. The smile started to fade after a minute, though. "You never did say how you hurt your jaw?"

"I got in a fight on the way to school, no big-"

"WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED ARE YOU OKAY? DO YOU-" I grabbed his arm to get his attention.

"Calm down, it wasn't a big deal."

Will looked like he wanted to protest, but suddenly Frank joined us at the table. He was grinning like he won an award.

"Hey Frank," I said to him, "what's up?"

"Nothing much, but can I borrow Will for a second? I need to ask him about a project we're working on. It'll only take a second." Frank said, shooting Will a meaningful look.

"Sure, I guess."

Frank jumped out of his chair excitedly and started walking towards the bookshelves, gesturing for Will to follow him.

"I'll be right back." Will called to me, disappearing after Frank.

A/N ~ Am i a MoNStEr yet?