Delvindd98x- Thanks, and hopefully so!

Dmale- Thanks, and the true ending for Tales of Turmoil hasn't been posted yet!

Zootopians- Thank you, and I'll try to be faster for the next few chapter!

Ttt2tyler2tttT- Will do! ;)

- It will be soon enough!

FictionFusion- Thanks! And hopefully so!

Crazyanimaltlou- Thanks, and neither can I!

Jggirl- I know, right. :(

(Tales of Turmoil ending update- The final chapter is in progress, but as I said before, I'm still working out some difficult kinks. I'm also short on time as well at this point. It will be up soon enough!)

Anyways, Nick and Judy's lives sure have been a bit down in the dumps, huh? I feel so bad for them, and I wish I could do something about it! :( Anyways, you're here for a reason! Enjoy chapter three!

Nick POV

I sit alone on the back of the bus, ignoring my physical pain. I refuse to show any weakness to the children around me, most snickering at the sight of me. My heart is heavy with grief after only one day, which isn't exactly a good sign if you ask me.

I wipe the blood on my arm on my sleeve carelessly, clenching my teeth tight upon feeling the stinging sensation.

Mom's gonna kill you if you stain your clothes, Nick.

The time on the bus passes fairly quickly, and most people stick to themselves the rest of the way. We drive slowly into my neighborhood, and the driver glances back at me, opening the door, expecting me to get out fast.

I happily oblige, and walk quickly to the front of the bus, and stumble down the stairs, and onto the sidewalk.

My bag feel twice as heavy as this morning, and so does my body. I feel worn out, and just done. Done with school, done with people, done trying.

I open the door quietly, not wanting to confront my mother, knowing she'll be very concerned for my health upon spotting the blood. I'm also not in the mood to hear her convict me of staining my clothing. My luck, as if I have any, doesn't seem to be spot-on today.

"Nick! How was your-" she pauses, observing me as I walk through the door.

"I'm fine, mom" I mutter.

She gasps, and walks up to me, appalled by the sight.

"Who did this to you? That's it, I'm driving up to the school right now! You can't keep dealing with this, Nick!" my mother tells me, to which I simply stare at the floor in anguish.

"Mom, please..." I say weakly, but she ignores me.

She wraps a bandage around the puncture wound on my arm as I grimace, ranting on about the school. I watch her hands shaking in absolute fury, obviously exasperated by the non-stop berating. I've told her many time that I don't care, but I guess she assumes otherwise.

She then heads over to the front door, breathing hard, absolutely steaming with madness.

"I'll be right back!" she speaks, putting on her jacket with haste.

The door slams shut, and my mother is gone, that fast. I didn't even get to tell her the story or anything, but I guess there was no need. I mean, I kind of instigated it, but I don't really care anymore. No one is worth my time, and I'm not worth theirs. I'm not meant to be in a group, I guess. I'm a loner, and that's just a fact.

I stagger up the stairs of my house, dropping my backpack at the door, and enter my room with a deep breath.

I flop down on my bed, my body stinging all over, and my mind torturing me even more.

Why was I born?

Sure, it's a dramatic question, but so far in life nothing has indicated that I'll serve any purpose. I've been called worthless my entire life, so what's to be expected?

I stare down at my bleeding arm, and my eyes drift a few inches up at the scar on my forearm caused by my father. I remember the day I dared to retaliate to his abusiveness, and paid a terrible price. My forearm, two ribs, and two fingers resulted in being broken terribly; my arm broken so badly that surgery was required.

I thank the universe that my father is gone, but have yet to fully comprehend it. I would like to feel lucky that he's gone, but I can't be grateful over something that hasn't even registered in my mind yet.

My phone buzzes, and my eyes widen a bit.

Who would text me?

I sit up and grab my phone from the bedside table, staring at it in wonder.

Warning Message: 90% of your 6 GB of data has been used.

I groan and throw my phone on the floor with recklessness.

Were you really dumb enough to think someone actually texted you? the voice in my head asks me.

I guess I was, wasn't I?

Tears begin falling freely from my face, and I stand up, gazing out the window for no clear reason. I clutch my fists tightly; so tight in fact that my claws open flesh wounds in my hands.

I ignore the pain, and begin crying without care.

I kick my bed as hard as I can, and a shockwave of pain shoots up my leg. I take little notice to the harm, already overwhelmed by the amount of pain within me.

I rip the wrap off of my injured arm claw at my already deep wounds on my arm, most from the bear at school, causing more blood to spill out into my fur, and cry even harder. Why I want to feel physical pain, I do not know. Perhaps it's a way to let everything out; everything that I've been holding back.

You have no point in being alive, Nick.

I give in to the voice in my head, and my mind briefly transforms into a flurry of rage.

I punch my wall with extreme ferocity, knocking a hole into the hazel pain, nearly smiling at the sight.

Finally, something hurting besides me! Finally!

I punch another hole in the wall with animosity, breathing heavily. My heart is racing, and hurting more than ever.

I would never let anyone see me this way. They would discover the sensitive, emotional fox I really am. After seeing that, the bullying would only get worse and worse. I can't let anyone know who I really am...

After a minute, my pulse finally slows, and I pause, the tears falling from my cheeks. I sit down on my bed, staring at the wall with a blank, vacant expression.

What is wrong with me?

I sniff loudly and rock back and forth on the edge of my bed, not in the best state of mind anymore.

You have to stop before mom gets back.

I silently agree with myself, and grab a rag from the bathroom to stop the bleeding on my arm once again.

You did this to yourself.

I press the warm rag onto my primary wound, and wince as the stinging pain from earlier resumes. My leg is now throbbing from kicking my bed out of mindless rage, not to mention the scratches all over my face.

I sigh and look into the bathroom mirror at the savage I've become. No, not a savage; a victim. I'm simply nothing but a victim, and I'll never be anything more. This isn't one of those movies where I go and train myself kung-fu or something in order to defend myself from the most dastardly of threats; this is real life.

I slowly place a new wrap on my arm in attempt to help it heal, and roll my sleeve back down. My leg aches horribly, but I don't think it's broken. The problem is going to be explaining the holes in my wall to my mother. Who knows how she'll react?

I glance at the bottle of pills to my right on the countertop, and silently wonder if there are enough to end this pain once and for all. In fact, the only thing stopping me from committing such a despicable act is the thought of letting the bullies win; letting them conquer me. That just can't happen.

I limp back to my room and sit on my bed in thought once more, checking my sheets to make sure I didn't leave any bloodstains behind, which it seems I didn't.

Around twenty minutes or so pass as I sit in silence, and I hear the sound of my mother's car engine nearing my home. My mom, like I said, has tried many time to stop the bullying. The school has addressed things like prejudice and things like that, but no one seems to really get it. The teachers act like they care around the principal, but in reality they don't bat an eye at the sight of me being treated poorly.

I hop down the stairs, trying not to put too much weight on my injured leg. I reach the bottom of the stairs just before my mom opens the door, a gleeful expression on her face.

"Mom?" I ask, trying not to act like I haven't been up to anything.

"Nick! The bear that did this; he's expelled! He won't be messing with you anymore!" she informs me, in a much better mood then when she left.

"Doesn't matter" I mutter, staring at the ground, "They'll always be others lined up to replace him".

Her expression turns from a smile to a serious expression as she examines the wounds on my face.

"They are addressing what happened at school tomorrow, and making sure everyone knows that...prejudice is not tolerated. You can't live a life like this, Nick" she tells me.

"Well, I've been doing it for twelve years".

She sighs deeply, biting her lip.

"You don't have to go tomorrow if you don't want to. Since they'll be addressing it and all, there's going to be a lot of focus on you" she speaks gently.

I nod slowly, feeling a bit happier.

"Good" is all I have to reply with.

Honestly, I never want to go back, but a day off surely can't hurt me.

"Don't worry son" she tells me genuinely, "life doesn't stay this way forever".

Or does it?

Judy POV

I lean my head over on my pillow just enough to take a peek at the time.

7:03 PM.

My fur is still stained with tears from earlier today, and my mind bruised with the everlasting thought of my brother's eternal absence.

The sun is barely visible over the crest of the hill beside my house, creating a yellow-orange tint through my window; but otherwise I sit in the darkness of my room.

Bryce passed away just minutes after I left him. I haven't taken it all in, of course. The most positive thing I can say at this point is that he is no longer in any pain, and no longer prisoned by misery.

My mom and dad are still at the hospital, and I opted to stay behind. Seeing my brother brutally injured was traumatic enough, but I can't imagine seeing him dead.

My phone begins ringing, and I pick it up swiftly, desperate to get my mind back on brighter things.

"Tina?" I ask into the phone.

"Judy! I heard about what hap-"

"Please, Tina. I don't want to talk about it" I mumble quickly to cut her off.

There's a brief moment of silence before she speaks again.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." she trails off.

"It's okay" I reply instinctively, trying not to sound too depressing.

"I'm sad that you're...you know, leaving" she tells me, trying her best to make me feel a bit happier.

The thing about Tina is that everyone likes her. She's the most popular girl in the school, and for good reason. She's kind to everyone, and talks to everyone; no one gets left out with her. All the guys like her, which I don't have a problem with. To be blunt, I don't have time for romance and stuff like that. Sure, I've never felt anything close to romantic love for someone, but I still can't imagine me being in a relationship like that.

Anyways, since Tina is so well-liked, she has no time for me. I don't blame her of course, I mean, being busy is definitely understandable. I'd never be mad at Tina in a thousand years because...well, she hasn't exactly done any wrong to me. It's just hard to have her as a close friend because of how popular and busy she is.

"I'm not very happy about it either" I tell her quietly, and then pause again.

Silence fills the air, and I begin tearing up again.

Come on Judy! Get over yourself! She's trying to be nice!

"I might end up moving to Zootopia too for High School" she tells me in encouragement, "So it's not goodbye, you know!"

I glance around my room at the boxes around me, full of all my belongings, and the realization continues to dawn on me.

My life is about to change forever, and hopefully for the better.

A small rabbit like me...well, let's just say I won't fare well in middle school unless I really try to fit in. How bad can it be? I mean, it's just children like me, right?

"Heh! Yeah, of course. I'll visit sometimes too even before then, so it's no big deal" I reply.

As hard as I try, I can't get my mind off of Bryce. It's simply impossible to brush off the death of a sibling like I'm trying to do.

But I mean, they tell me it's impossible to become a police officer too, so who am I to listen to common sense?

"Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow before you leave! I'm sorry about everything that's going on" she tells me softly, and I close my eyes tight at her words.

"Okay, talk to you tomorrow" I squeal out, holding back my tears.

"Bye!" she says in an nonchalant tone, and then I hang up quickly.

Don't cry again, Judy. Don't let all of this get to you!

I lie on my bed, not even bothering to slumber down beneath my blankets, and stare at my clock, and at each second that passes.

Each second that passes is just the clock ticking one second closer to my death. I can't live my life in pain. I have to fill those precious seconds with happiness. But how? How do I recover from this? How do I keep going?

Don't give up Judy, don't give in.

After a mere few minutes of lying in my bed, I hear commotion downstairs, and gasp.

My parents must be back, and they won't be on cloud nine exactly. Well, neither am I, but I suppose losing a child is probably even worse than losing a brother.

I exit my room with no energy at all, and lean down the railing of the stairs, watching my parents quietly as they converse with each other about our current predicament.

"How are we going to do this, Stu?" I hear my mom ask him while sobbing.

He doesn't answer, but I spot them hugging by the front door, looking absolutely devastated.

I can't bare the sight anymore, and I tip-toe back to my room, dreading the sight of seeing my parents so destroyed.

Earlier today, my parents told my siblings of the tragedy, and I can't get the image out of my head; their confused eyes, vacant looks, tears on their faces. They simply haven't come to terms with it yet. They cannot accept that our brother is gone from our lives.

I close my door behind me, but it reopens only moments later.

"Judy?" my parents ask, entering my room.

"Please don't talk about it!" I beg them, beginning to bawl again.

They sit down beside me on my bed, looking just as upset as me.

"We know this is going to be even harder...y'know, moving" my dad tells me, "but we still have to go through with it. Bryce's funeral will be on Friday" my dad says, starting to choke up, "His...funeral...".

I shake my head incredulously, unable to believe anything at this point. Life seemed so much simpler a few days ago; I was going to become a police officer, and go to a police academy after I get out of high school. Not this!

This world has me lost in the unpredictable maze of life; the worst maze imaginable, for it is the hardest to escape.

My mother grabs my hand tight, and squeezes it.

"Don't worry, Judy. We're going to get through this" she whispers.

I choose to believe her, thinking as my usual optimistic self, but looking at everything logically...well, it's not likely we can move on from this and make everything the same as it once was.

Life really is unpredictable.

After a few moments of silence and ginger hugging, my parents tell me goodnight, even though it is only 8:00 or so. I don't really care though, because I feel absolutely exhausted. Extra sleep probably wouldn't hurt, not to mention the obvious plus:

I can forget about life for a while.

Nick POV

I sit at my desk, listening to deep, loud music. This late at night, there's not much to do anyways.

I glance at my clock, and narrow my eyes, hardly believing the time displayed before me.

3:02 AM.

"Might as well stay up all night" I whisper to myself.

I look over at my mirror and at my face, and mentally cringe at the sight of my bandaged face.

Nick, you look like a mummy.

Guess that's better than being called a fox.

I laugh at the irony contained in my joke; laughing for the first time in quite a while.

My amusement is short-lived however, as I hear my mother's voice in the other room, sounding quite distraught. I stare at my door, debating on whether to open it and listen in or not, knowing I've had enough negativity for one day. Apparently I'm still ignorant enough to creep over to my wooden door, and creak it open.

"You're not doing this! No! This isn't some weapon to use against me or something! He's your son!" she cries loudly into the phone, and chills run down my spine.

"No! No! You aren't getting him! I don't care! I dare you to try!" she yells, and then hangs up the phone defiantly.

I hear her breaths becoming more damp, more slow, and more emotional. She's obviously very upset, and perhaps I should comfort her. But then she'll know I stayed up late.

Who even cares.

I walk out of my room, and straight down the hall towards my mother's. In a way, I already know what's going on here, and there's one thing my mother and I have to do; make sure this doesn't happen.

"Mom?" I whimper, leaning into her room, "Are you okay?"

I spot her sitting on a chair to the right of the doorway, and she jumps, startled by my presence.

"Nick! You-you didn't...hear that, did you?" she asks me, now standing up in a discomforted manner.

"I heard you crying" I inform her, not exactly telling everything I heard.

"Yeah, Nick. I mean, it is three in the morning" she states, gesturing at the clock, "But we need to talk".

"Well, it's probably nothing I can't handle" I decree.

She sighs, and stares up from the floor and into my eyes.

"Nick, your father...he feels like you're still his. His tenacity has taken him over...he...he"

"I'm not going back with him!" I say in a panicked tone, although none of this shocks me. I knew from the second he left that he wouldn't be gone forever.

My mothers eyes shut in mental pain, knowing that the bullying combined with family problems like this do not go well together. I mean, I've dealt with this bully since forever, and my dad has always been abusive, so it wouldn't be anything new. However, I think my mom is beginning to see that this is all starting to take a huge toll on me.

"If it's the last thing I do...I am not letting that...that monster get ahold of you. You're my son, Nick. He just wants you as his...his punching bag" she speaks truthfully, and I nod.

She briefly hugs me, and then proceeds to yawn.

"You'll be alright, Nick. The doors are locked...I promise we're safe in here" she persuades me, "Now, get some sleep" she says with the best smile she can manage.

I tell her goodnight and wander back to my room, the entire situation still seeming surreal.

Why does my dad want me so much? When can I catch a break?

I think about school, and the animals there. I wonder what hells Wednesday will hold after the kids are lectured tomorrow...

I'll be even bigger of a target, not that I really care; although a new bright spot in life couldn't hurt, could it?

Surely everyone can't be inconsiderate monsters, right?

I slide under my blankets, and stare up at my ceiling in thought once again, my eyes, although damaged, hurt and degraded, still full of hope.

"I'll live to see that day" I whisper aloud.

But what a dream come true that would be.

Not a very eventful Chapter, but don't worry. Chapter four will be when it all really begins! ;) I wonder how this is gonna go down...

Anyways, can Nick catch a break? "Duh, that's what the story is for!" you may be saying.

Well, things can get better...or worse...

Thanks for reading, and please leave your thoughts in the reviews! I hope you are enjoying the story so far!

Until next time!