Loneliness and Alcohol
Chapter 1
First come the headaches, the ones aspirin can't solve.
Next come the nosebleeds, the ones he always has to hide.
Finally come the voices, pounding in his mind.
Charles pushed his sleeve to his nose in an attempt to stop the small flow of blood coming from it. The fact that his head was pounding didn't help either.
"Fuck, not another nosebleed. Why am I getting these? Whatever it is I must not let mother see, she'll only worry. And I mustn't make her worry, not that father…" He stoped himself. Even though that Brian Xavier, Charles father had died a little over two years ago. He still couldn't bring himself to believe that his father was really gone.
"Charles? Charles?"
He heard his mother calling from the mansion, dinner was probably ready. He made his way up to the mansion and made a mental note to wash his face and change his shirt before he joined his mother for dinner. He didn't want his mother to worry after all.
A week later Charles finds a girl in his kitchen scavenging for food. Her name is Raven.
Three weeks later his mother tells him she's going to marry Mr Kurt Marko. He doesn't know what to think.
A month later Charles hears his mother thoughts for the first time. He thinks he's going to be sick.
Kurtsexsexsexbrianwouldntmindbriansdeadwhataboutcharlesmyboycharlessexsexsexsexkurtsexsex
Charles hears everyone now. From the cooks plans for what's for dinner to his mother adulterous thoughts about Kurt. Only Raven brings him peace, her thoughts aren't loud like his mother's and Cain's. But instead soft and gentle, like a bubbling brook. Her presence can always clam Charles when he's upset from when Charles hears something he shouldn't.
"Raven, I don't want to hear them anymore. They're so loud!"
She grabs his shaking hands and places her forehead on his. Charles closes his eyes and sighs, still shaking.
"Remember that day you found me in the kitchen? You accepted my mutation. You helped me. It's now my turn to help you. Remember how we practised to block them out? Remember the walls you put up?"
Charles takes a deep breath. He stops shaking, a small trickle of blood has started to flow from his nose.
"Better?"
He nods, "Better", he agrees.
"Here wipe your nose, before your mother sees."
He doesn't know what he would do without Raven. So when she unexpectedly leaves three weeks later, Charles loses it.
He runs into his mother's bedroom tears rolling down his cheek, blood tricking down from his nose into his mouth.
"Just Stop! Will you stop saying all those things about Mr Marko!"
She stares at him in shock Ohmygodhowdoesheknowwhatswrongwithhimisthatblood!? rolls off Sharon Xavier like waves.
"Just stop!" Screams Charles, he passes out on to the floor from exhaustion. The blood trickles into the carpet. Sharon screams for Kurt. And the doctors arrive to take Charles away the next day.
His mother would never understand.
All packed and ready to go.
Shipped off far away, to the place with white walls.
Where the voices shout of fear and pain.
Where he slowly starts to fade away.