Worn Out Chapter 9

Pietro's eyes darted around the room in no particular order or focus on anything. He had been brought to the padded room but was incredibly bored and his thoughts began to race uncontrollably.

He currently sat in the middle and soon his eyes focused on the door that slowly opened to reveal Beast alone. To Pietro, this was odd.

"Xavier couldn't come. He had to help some of the students at the institute." Pietro's eyes began to run wild again. "How are you doing?" Beast looked at Pietro's wrists where the bandages were torn partially off. "Pietro?" Beast tried to get the boy to look at him directly. "Pietro?"

Pietro whispered something but Beast couldn't understand. He said it again and this time it got through. "Help me."

"Pietro, it's ok. Just try to calm down. Focus on here." In a few moments Pietro's eye movement decreased and Beast was able to talk with him.

He reached over to his arms and held it so he could see where Pietro had cut himself. Pietro just watched. Hank lifted up the bandages slightly to see that Pietro had been picking at his wounds and opened them slightly. Hank had brought medical tape with him incase of an emergency.

He re-bandaged Pietro's arms then made the boy look at him. "You can't pick at them or you'll end up back on that hospital bed." Pietro nodded slightly. "Do you want to talk?" Pietro didn't answer so Hank continued. "You had a tough childhood didn't you?"

"Doesn't matter. They had a hard time."

"Who?"

"They came to visit yesterday."

"Professor is working with them. You scared them."

"I'm a horrible person..."

"Why would you say that?"

"I hurt people. I'm full of hatred."

"Hatred at what?"

"Everything. So I couldn't be hurt but I hurt people for my own selfishness."

"Do you like the way you are?"

"I don't know who I am. I don't like who I was."

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"It doesn't matter...I want..." there was a slight pause. "I WANT TO DIE!" Pietro made a dash for the door, which was unlocked at the moment. He ran out into and down the hall. Beast rushed out after him as well as the staff from other parts of the ward.

Finally after 30 minutes of chaos, Pietro was caught by one of the assistants after the staff cornered him. Nurse Annett walked up with a syringe to Pietro.

"No! No!" he cried. The nurse injected him with a sedative, which started working immediately.

Pietro felt himself become weak and the assistant who had caught him dragged him back to the padded room. Beast quickly fallowed yet did not enter.

They placed Pietro in the room then locked the door behind. "Guess that's it for today." Beast spoke. He looked in to see Pietro laying on the floor motionless which was becoming usual for him.

Beast soon left to return to the mansion. Pietro was alone in the silent room and let sleep claim him.

"I pushed down on his wrists with my hands." Wanda explained to the Professor. "I could feel him slipping away." she and the other Brotherhood members were in his office.

"Why would he do this?" Fred asked.

"He was always the care-free one!" Toad stated.

"He was hiding it." Lance told them from the corner of the room which he leaned against. 'Why didn't I see it before?' he wondered.

"It's none of your faults." Xavier sighed. "I'm working with him so that he'll get better. If any of you know something that could help...please don't hesitate to tell me."

"Yeah." they nodded.

Pietro awoke to the sound of people talking outside his room. Beast and the Professor soon entered.

'Must have heard about yesterday.' Pietro thought. He didn't move or acknowledge to them that he knew they were there. He hadn't moved since yesterday and strangly enough, he didn't feel the erg to. Pietro noticed that Beast carried a plate of food and a cup of water.

Pietro crawled into a corner as they approached. He sat and stared at them awhile. They exchanged glances. Beast walked up to him and kneeled down.

"Here's your breakfast, Pietro." Hank held it toward him. Pietro looked away.

"I don't want it."

"You must eat."

"I don't want it!" Pietro hit the food out of Beast's hands and it now dirtied the floor.

"I'll clean it up. Don't worry." Hank said before leaving.

"Why won't you eat? You said you would."

"Changed my mind."

"Why?"

"I want to get away." Pietro laid down against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Pietro didn't answer. Beast returned with paper towels and wiped up the floor. "Hank," the man understood. Hank went over to the boy and lifted his head.

"He seems to be unconscious. He's extremely emaciated."

"We can't let this go on. We will still need to get him to eat but giving him something is better then nothing. He must stay in the sick-bay." Hank picked up the fragile boy and brought him to the sick-bay. The Professor told the head nurse who agreed it had to be done.

Hank placed Pietro on a bed then secured his wrists and ankles with restraints. He put an I.V. needle into his arm as the boy stirred.

"Why are you doing this?" Pietro whispered.

"I could ask you the same question."

"Why won't you let me die?"

"Don't give up." Pietro's eyes widened.

"But I can't forget or forgive. And I can't start over." Hank was quiet and wrapped medical tape over the needle and Pietro's arm.

Pietro stared into oblivion as his eyes looked at the ceiling and unblinkingly. Professor Xavier entered and tried to talk to the teen who wouldn't answer.

Pietro stopped blocking his memories from Xavier who felt he had to enter his mind for the sake of the boy's health. Even after he looked through the teen's mind, he was unable to get Pietro to respond.

"We'll be back, Pietro." they said before leaving.

In the limo, the two talked.

"He's dealing with so much. I don't know how to help him."

"You have to get him to trust you first."

-Hours later-

It was now sometime around midnight. Pietro still hadn't fallen asleep. Thoughts raced in his mind.

'-I didn't mean to- I'm sorry-Please help-End-help-but-Wanda-Kill me-alone-why?-forgive or forget-over-don't give up-'

"I want out of here!" Pietro tried to struggle out of the restraints but to no success.

Someone put their hand over Pietro's mouth. He turned slowly to see who it was to find Hyram, Benji and Konnor telling him to keep quiet.

Hyram took his hand away then Benji unlatched the restraints, which freed Pietro.

"We're gettin' out of here." Hyram whispered.