It was a day later when Nico's life changed for good. He was in the attic like usual when he heard the two voices, voices new to the house and its occupants. With nothing else but the noose to distract him from the endless pain and boredom, Nico went to the window to see who was there. Whoever it was, he knew it wasn't his father.

The window of the attic was high up and smaller than a normal window. Nico had to stand on a box to look out it, his eyes scanning the grounds so far below. He eventually saw the two people walking up, the one changing how he looked at the world.

Blond hair, blue eyes. A yellow shirt and black pants. His hair was brushed neatly but not too short, the blond strands bringing out the color of his eyes. Beautiful eyes, eyes that Nico could vaguely remember to be like his mother's. What color had hers been? He couldn't remember.

Even from so far up these eyes struck him with a sense he had never felt before. A sense of home, maybe, or some type of comfort. A sense that there were still some good people in the world.

Nico left the attic in a sense of wonder as he heard his father start to talk to them. Who were they? Why were they there? Where had that blond haired boy even come from? People like him were rare. People like him weren't existent in Nico's life. Not the life he had been living for the past 17 years.

17 years...17 years too long.

"Nice house..." the young voice came from the hallway, making Nico freeze in surprise. Were they already up there? "Wonder how much it cost..."

"Hello?" Nico quickly went downstairs and stepped into the hallway, trying not to feel too much like a ghost creeping about the house. "Who are you?"

The boy froze for a millisecond before smiling, his teeth as white as snow. "Will Solace. My father works with your father."

"Oh." Nico leaned against the wall. "I'm Nico. Nice to meet you."

"You, too." Will scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry for just coming up here. I had to get away from them."

"If he's anything like my father then I understand." Nico crossed his arms. "Want to hang out in my room? It's warmer than this hallway."

"Yeah, sure." Will's smile kept Nico's gaze locked. "Show me the way."

Nico led Will to his bedroom, his hands moving to his pockets as he walked. Was this kid in the same situation as him? Had this kid also stared at a swinging noose, or maybe a knife or gun? Had this kid also wondered if Heaven was real? If this was Hell?

Nico had thought this was Hell until Will walked into his life, ironically. Was Will thinking the same about him? Probably not.

Nico wasn't one to play the angel, to play the hero. He was one to play the victim.

"Nice room." Will looked around the new bedroom, his eyes flicking to the pile of books in the corner. "You're a reader?"

Nico shrugged. "Nothing else to do around here."

"I like to practice." Will conversed. "I'm going to be a doctor."

"A doctor?" Nico sat on the bed. "That's a well-paying job."

Will shrugged. "I don't care much about the money. I just want to help people. Have you ever broken a bone?"

Nico shook his head. "No...have you?"

Will nodded. "My leg. The doctor fixed but it hurt so bad...I passed out from the pain. I want to fix that so it doesn't hurt so bad for kids."

Nico moved a hand over his mouth to stop the smile...his first genuine smile in years. "That's really nice of you, Will."

Will gestured to the bed. "Can I sit by you?"

Nico made sure his smile dropped before uncovering his face. "Yeah, sure. Do you know how long they're going to be?"

Will sighed but kept his constant smile. "Probably long... I can't image what I'd do if you weren't here."

Nico thought back to the day before, thought of the noose hanging in the attic above them. "Me neither."