-9-
Stains
The three of us cleaned up: scrubbing the blood off the floors and wiping the dirt off our hands. Karkat was finally conscious when I turned to him after sweeping.
"Hey, how ya doin?"
"I feel like I got hugged by Pikachu…"
Vriska laughs and helps him to his feet. I looked to the clock: 4:30.
"Alright, everyone, my parents are going to be home in three and a half hours. Sollux, are you sure the garden doesn't look suspicious?"
He nods and salutes. "Everything is in place, commander!" he says, over exaggerating his lisp.
I nod. "Karkat, you and Sollux go get some sleep. Vriska, you take the couch upstairs okay? If my mom walks in to see a girl sleeping in my bed, she'll grind my balls to a pulp…" I shiver at the thought of losing the most precious part of my body.
Everyone fans off to their designated areas and I just stay in the kitchen. I stare through the window over the sink into the rose garden.
Tavros Nitram, age 16. Arrested for assistance in the murder of Jayson Kyl and tampering with evidence. Was found Guilty by the jury and was sentenced to life with no parole.
I shake my head. I had to stop thinking like that…
"Tavros, honey?" I open my eyes to my mother looking down on me. I jolt.
"Wha-?!"
"Calm down, it's only six in the morning. You have to leave at eight. Why are you on the kitchen floor?" she was talking quietly, which told me that everyone was still asleep.
I stand and adjust my shirt-. My blood covered shirt. I frantically zip my jacket. "S-sorry about the blood. I had a bad nose bleed and I never had the time to change." I smile innocently at her and she nods slowly.
"Okay, just remember to put that in the laundry…" she puts her purse on the kitchen counter and sighs.
"So, how was it?"
She didn't answer.
"Did you and dad get in another fight?"
No answer. I sigh.
Mom and dad have been fighting over the same thing since I turned eleven, but they never talk about it around me… which means it must involve me somehow.
"Who's the pretty girl on the couch, Tavros~?" she asks, changing the subject.
"She's just a friend, mom."
"Is she okay? I saw some bruises on her arms and shoulders…"
"Uhm…" I nod slowly. "Y-yeah… she had an abusive father… he's in jail now, so she's okay…"
"Oh, alright~." She yawns. "I was thinking about using the rose garden today. Do you want to help me?"
I nod. "Sure-"
Wait. Did she just say-?! "U-um, Mom!?" I start fake- coughing. "I-I actually don't feel good… can I stay home today and have some of your soup?"
"Tavros, that soup takes almost four hours…"
Perfect! "P-please mom?" another face coughing fit. She nods.
"Okay, okay… when your friends wake up, I'll start the soup." She eyeballed me suspiciously.
I sighed. Damn it, that was close…
"Tavros…" my mom slowly turned to me. "Why is the sink rag soaked with blood?"
I felt my heart leap into my throat. I was going to puke. This was it. I was done fore.
JUST LOCK ME UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY ALREADY!