A/N: Woo! Celebrating one week on FanFic! Get the confetti!!!
Nari Streeter
Chapter Thirteen: Cable Car
The subway car rattled unpleasantly along the underground tunnels of New York. Citizens sat calmly in the plastic seats, newspapers and coffee mugs clutched in their hands. No one noticed the soaking teenage girl sitting at the back of the car, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, a large blackish bruise spreading across her cheek.
Nari couldn't stop shivering; everywhere she looked she kept expecting Wolf to just be sitting there. That cocky smile on his face as he patted the seat beside him. Come here, love. He would say, his gray eyes harboring a vast sea of hate. Tell me you love me.
Nickoli brushed his fingers across her back, making her jump and shiver even more. "Come on," Nickoli said, his face drawn and tired. Nari shakily got to her feet and followed him to down the isle of the cable car. They passed through several more sections, each one growing less crowded than the last.
The caboose was empty, it's sole occupant a white moth that fluttered against the window. Nickoli closed the sliding door shut behind him, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed them. He snapped the curtain down for extra privacy.
"Take off your jacket," Nickoli instructed, throwing his own coat to the floor.
Nari gently shed her jacket, careful not to bump her dislocated wing on the cable car walls. The whole place smelled like iron, smarting her eyes and making her nose itch. Now that the threat of Wolf had been left behind, Nari could feel all her bruises to the fullest. The scraps on her cheek were layered with a thin coat of dried blood.
"Hold still," Nickoli mumbled, running his warm hands over Nari's back, checking the dislocation for breaks.
"Will this hurt?" Nari asked.
A burst of pain shot across her shoulder, spreading down her back like melted iron burning red hot. She gasped and lurched out of Nickoli's grasp, stumbling slightly as the car lurched. Then, just as quickly, the pain stopped.
Nari rolled her shoulder hesitantly, expecting another wave of agony. Her wing moved smoothly, and aside from being a bit sore around the edges, it was as if the fracture had never happened.
Nari sat down hard on the plastic seat, burying her face in the palm of her hands. The blocked up emotions locked behind her chest fluttered feebly. Her body was just too tired to freak out. Everything was heavy, numb, and cold…
Nickoli sat down next to her, one of his black wings resting across her back like a feathery comforter. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him and resting his chin on top of her head.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, the knots in her shoulders relaxing.
Nickoli ran his hand lightly over the bruise collecting across her eye, "For what?"
"For not telling you."
Nickoli sighed, hesitantly running his hand down her back, his fingers brushed slightly across her ribs. Nari sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back, tears springing up in her eyes as a wave of pain tore across her chest.
"Jesus," Nickoli cursed, sliding off the seat and falling to his knees next to her, "What? Nari, what is it?"
Nari shook her head, her teeth gritted together too hard to speak. She rolled up the bottom of her shirt, wincing as the cloth stuck to her ribs, sealed there with dried blood.
It was worse than she thought it could ever be.
Wolf's boot had bit deep under the skin, completely removing the top layer and leaving the area raw. Beads of blood welled up from tiny cuts scattered across the reddened skin, trickling steadily across the surrounding flesh that had taken on the characteristics of uncooked meat. The rest of her ribs were covered in a deep purple bruise that was sickeningly blackened around the edges.
Nickoli grabbed his jacket from the floor, tearing the sleeve off without hesitation. He carefully shredded the jacket the best he could, until stringy straps of fabric littered the seat.
At that moment, the cable door swung open and a stingy High School boy with shaggy red hair and a bad acne problem scooted in. He froze when he saw them, his mouth dropping open in a disbelieving oval. The clear glass bottle of vodka he had stashed away under his hoodie clattered to the floor, spilling the transparent liquid everywhere.
Nickoli sprang to his feet, slamming the door shut as the boy made an attempt to sprint away. His wire-rimmed glasses shattered against the floor as Nickoli shoved him down on a bus seat, the collar of the boy's shirt gripped in his fist.
"What the hell are you doing back here?" Nickoli hissed, his face inches away from the red-haired boy's, "do you have any idea what you're stepping into?"
The boy raised his hands in surrender, his face a painting of fear, "H-hey, man, don't freak out, I just came back for a drink, I d-didn't mean anything by it, honest!"
Nari blinked as the cable car swayed sickeningly. A wave of heat crept up her neck, causing a hot sweat to break out across her forehead. She leaned back against the seat, nausea rolling in her stomach. Her feather's bristled uncomfortably, saliva gathering beneath her tongue.
"Nickoli," she groaned, "I think I'm gonna puke…"
Nickoli released the boy, leaning over and cupping Nari's chin in his hands. He pressed his hand against her forehead, eyes dark with worry.
"H-hey," the boy stuttered, sliding across the seat toward them, "is she okay?"
Nickoli flared his wings warningly and the boy flattened himself against the far wall, sweat beading on his brow. "I know a place," he blurted, "I know a place you guys can stay. It's a subway tunnel, not far from here…it was deserted a l-long time ago. Hoboes use it as a resting joint, I can t-take you there…" he trailed off pathetically.
Nickoli chewed on his lip thoughtfully, brushing a lock of hair out of Nari's face. "How far is it?" he asked quietly, wondering why everything had suddenly gone so wrong. A subway seemed like a good place to hide…a place where Wolf couldn't find them.
The flicker of firelight was visible even from several yards away. An overwhelming smell of smoke and burnt metal floated in the tunnel like smog. The back of the red-haired boy's head bobbed in and out of sight depending on the light that particular stretch of tunnel had to offer.
Nari leaned heavily against Nickoli, her tongue thick and swollen in her mouth. She couldn't remember a time she'd been this sick before. At least at the School the white-coats would throw in an aspirin or two at the first signs of a fever. Here…she had nothing. Just Nickoli's arm around her shoulder to keep her from baking herself on the third-rail.
"It's just around the curve," the boy said, turning back to face them.
"Thanks," Nickoli muttered, helping Nari slid her jacket over her wings.
"Here," the boy blurted, tugging off his hoodie, "take this. I…I was planning on buying a new one soon anyway."
Nickoli hesitated, tugging the thick sweatshirt over his head, "Thanks again."
"And, don't worry," he sputtered, kicking at loose gravel, "I won't tell anyone…about the whole…you know…wings, and everything."
"What's your name?" Nari asked fuzzily, her eyes half-lidded.
The boy scooted around them, smiling shyly, "Peter…just Peter."
Nickoli steered Nari toward the firelight, his head ducked low in the tunnel. "Thank you, Peter," Nari called weakly over her shoulder, the fabric straps around her ribs stretching as she twisted her head.
They settled next to a wall as far away from the other people as they could get, their feet dragging from the long hours they'd gone without sleep.
Nari slumped against the wall, the tight tunnel squeezing around her like the ribcage of a giant beast. She hugged her knees against her chest, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths.
"How are you feeling?" Nickoli whispered next to her ear.
"Cold," Nari muttered, too tired to form a complete sentence.
Nickoli bound his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer against him to trap in as much heat as they could. Nari hunched her shoulder and relaxed, finally letting sleep roll over her.
Nickoli stared down at the wicked bruise spread across her otherwise peacefully sleeping face. His heart clenched as he pulled her closer, determined to keep her as warm as possible. This was all his fault…
He didn't sleep at all, preferring instead to rock Nari back and forth, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the abandoned tunnel. Waiting for Wolf's pale face to melt out of the darkness. Waiting for the one moment he'd punch that bastards cocky grin into his skull.