Worn Out chapter 8

'When I was a kid, my father put my sister in a mental facility. I watched them carry her away crying and screaming. I did nothing and I know now there's no way to fix that. I died that day and my soul was locked away in a cage for my father to use. Then just as easy, I was thrown away into an orphanage. I was so alone. I decided then that I wouldn't allow myself to get close to anyone again...but I couldn't do it...'

Pietro sat with the others in the T.V. area until one of the nurses came up to them. "Pietro, you have visitors."

"Wah? W-why? Who?" the rest of the Brotherhood walked up from behind.

"We need to talk." Wanda spoke. Pietro looked down then stood up and walked down the hall with them. None said a thing.

They came to an empty spot in the hallway when Wanda turned to her twin. But before she was able to speak, Pietro spoke.

"Just hit me and get it over with..." Wanda was surprised. Pietro no longer looked like the high-spirited person she once knew. It was as though he'd given up.

"Pietro..." she paused, waiting for him to show his face. Lance spoke up.

"Why did you betray us?" Wanda elbowed him in the ribs.

"Why did you leave me there?" she yelled. "When I cried, why didn't you look up? Do you even care?"

"After you left, I was ALWAYS ALWAYS alone. I missed you like hell. Always regretting not running away with you! Regretted hurting you... I wouldn't make friends or get close to anyone. And I hated being with Father...I hated being with the human kids in the orphanage! After awhile...I WANTED to be alone..." Pietro yelled back. "But I hated it...I just didn't want to feel emptiness again..." Pietro looked up. A mix of sadness and anger filled his eyes. "Why... Why did you give up on me!" the last question hit Wanda. "Why was I so easy to throw away!"

"You're the one who threw me away!" Wanda shot back. Pietro lifted up his sleeves to reveal his scars.

"I tried, Wanda..." Wanda stared at him speechless. She walked closer to her brother then embraced him. Pietro did nothing at first but then did the same.

Wanda nor the Brotherhood could stay mad at him. They had almost forgotten that he was their brother and a part of their family.

After a few minutes, Wanda suddenly felt her brother go limp and tried to hold him up as his legs gave out on him. "Pietro? What's wrong?" it was then when she noticed how skinny he was. She carefully laid him down on the cool floor.

"I'm so tired..." Pietro's eyes were almost completely closed.

"Todd, go get someone." Lance told him.

"Why me?"

"Just go!" Lance threatened while slightly shaking the place.

"Alright, alright!" he said before hopping away.

"Wanda?" Pietro said weakly. "Please don't leave me alone...I don't want to be alone anymore." Wanda saw how lonely Pietro was and it reminded her of herself yet now seeing Pietro's scars, knowing he tried, made her feel like she was the one who betrayed him. But somehow she felt a balance; that both her and her twin had gone through the same hardships.

What mattered now was that they were together.

That doesn't mean that Pietro forgave himself.

Once again, Pietro was trapped in his own past. All at once he felt the pain and loneliness as he relived all his memories. This exhausted him even with his mutation. He became unaware of the real world and unable to interact with it but he could feel one thing, his sister's hand on his. But soon everything faded and turned black with silence.

Pietro awoke the next day in the infirmary. The Brotherhood was gone and he was alone, his arms and legs strapped down to the bed.

Alone...

Young Pietro sat in the corner of the room of the orphanage. No one was around and he had just been picked on by the other kids.

"White hair! White hair!" they teased. "You look so stupid like that!"

Pietro pulled his knees to his chin and covered his eyes with his arms. Three kids came into the once empty room with a pair of scissors. "We don't like your hair!" two of the kids grabbed Pietro and held him.

"Stop!" he yelled as the third child approached with the scissors. He sloppily cut Pietro's hair off as Pietro watched and struggled to get away. If he used his powers, the orphanage keepers would beat him again. The adults who worked there hated him for his mutation and called him a freak.

When they were down they pushed Pietro against the wall and left the room which became silent once again.

Pietro went down to the mess hall like the other kids with his newly cut hair. When one of the adults asked about his hair, he lied saying he just felt like cutting it, knowing they wouldn't believe the truth. Their response was:

"It looks stupid."

"So, you're awake." Pietro turned his head to see Nurse Annett.

"What happened?" now noticing the bandages over his wrists.

"You freaked out. Somehow you got hold of a knife..." she paused. "You attempted suicide again."

"So what's going to happen to me?"

"Until you're ready to return to the others, we are going to have to keep you in here or the padded room."

"Are they ok?"

"The visitors were scared but fine. You didn't harm them if that's what you mean."

"I don't understand anything anymore...and I see no way out..." the nurse didn't say anything. "I want to end it."

"Pietro, there is a way out but you have to let others help you..." she stopped momentarily. "You lost a lot of blood so we're keeping you under observation for now."

-The Mansion-

Xavier talked on the phone with the mental facility. Beast knocked then entered while Xavier was still on the phone.

"I see. No, I understand." there was a pause. "I'll be there as soon as I can." Xavier hung up then turned to the blue mutant. "That was the mental ward. They wanted to inform me that Pietro tried to commit suicide again."

"Oh. I see." his face was grim. "I have some good news though."

"Hm?" Xavier was confused.

"Meet out new students." Beast signaled for htem to come in and in entered the Brotherhood.

"Good to have you aboard."

"Listen." Lance spoke. "We ain't doin' this for you. It's for Pietro."

"And we're tired of starvin', yo."

"You're our only connection with my brother." Wanda spoke. "Poor idiot." she looked away trying to maintain her tough reputation.

"I'm afraid he's not doing as well as we had hoped."

"We know." Wanda said.

"We were there when he freaked out, yo."

"Yes. It is a serious matter. And it doesn't help any that this was his second attempt." Xavier looked at their gloomy faces. "Beast, will you show them around?"

"Of course." he said while motioning for them to fallow him.

FeatherWings- Can I get 30 reviews? n.n (smiley face)