Neither Nell nor Light Spinner said anything as they entered her bathroom. How could he? He had been crying. Crying behind the bushes with bloodied hands and clothes, far enough away that Dad couldn't hurt him.
Nell tried to block his face and chest, but the knives dug deep within his hands. He knew how to pull them out; he'd learned in his CNA class. But his hands were gushing blood. Though he knew the shock was most dangerous, the sight of the violence terrified him.
Nell had run. Again.
"Sit on the toilet," Light Spinner said gently. "I'm going to call the doctor."
Nell felt the blood drain from his face. "Please...don't."
"Why not? You're bleeding, and –"
"They can't know. I'm in training under one of the nurses – if Mum finds out, she'll...she'll..."
He gazed at Light Spinner, then back down at his hands. One of the punctures went straight through the other side of his palm. She stooped down to her knees and wrapped the wounds tightly in gauze. "What possessed your father to do this to you?" she asked in a quiet, angry voice.
People hated a man who ran away. A man who couldn't fight back. "He...I...don't know."
Light Spinner stroked his thumb with her own. "Does this happen often?"
"No," Nell said – that was honest. "He doesn't use household objects much. Just...his...bare...hands..." He broke off in tears, nausea twisting his stomach. He couldn't breathe, couldn't speak from the shame.
"Shhhh. It's over now. When does your mother get off work?"
"T...two hours..."
Light Spinner frowned. "We'll need to do some first-aid, then. I've got to get you to the doctor as soon as possible, but perhaps you know how to treat yourself in the meantime."
Nell kept crying. He wanted to die. He just wanted to leave, so she didn't have to see how pathetic and awful he was...
Light Spinner spoke through the chaos. "Please, Nell. Look at me. Eyes on me."
Nell hiccupped, sniffling, his breathing irregular. He gazed into those deep green eyes, so tender and determined. Light Spinner returned his look. Even with her veil, she was so expressive...
"How?" Nell whispered. "How can you care so much?"
"Because," she said, "I was worth knowing to you. And you...you're worth knowing to me. Keep looking at me. Take deep breaths. You are in control, not your body."
Nell hiccupped, nodding and taking off his spectacles. She became a blur of black and white. "Would it help if I held you?" Light Spinner asked.
"Um..." Nell blushed. "I don't get hugs often. But if it makes you uncomfortable – moons, I'm sorry about last night..."
"Hush. I liked it." Her tone was...odd. "If you want a hug, I'll give it to you." Light Spinner put her arms around him, and he held her, calming down as he smelled the fragrance of her blouse.
Nell had never been held by a woman, besides his mother. He wanted to stay in her gentle embrace forever. "I'm so sorry," Light Spinner murmured. "I won't press you if you don't want to discuss it, but..." she cupped his cheek in a silky-soft glove. "If you're ready one day to talk...please, do so."
"Thank you," Nell whispered. "But I've got to calm down first."
Light Spinner nodded. "What's the first step to treating punctures?"
"Wash your hands...clean the wound."
"You go first."
Shakily, Nell rose, unwrapping the gauze and washing his hands. The injuries stung like hell, but at least the soap was unscented. Sniffling, he sat on the toilet again as Light Spinner did the same, pulling her gloves off for a brief moment.
Nell swallowed. "Oh...okay. After you wash your hands, you've got to stop the bleeding. Gauze is the best material – wrap it around tightly and press."
Moons, the blood was still flowing. How long until he passed out? Stop. You're a CNA – you know how much blood it takes. Thirty to forty percent. Probably the latter for you because of your height, weight, and sex.
Light Spinner kept pressing to staunch the bleeding. Never complaining, never wearing anything but an expression of quiet patience. "Alright. I think it's stopped."
"Now, apply an antiseptic. Something to keep it from getting infected."
Light Spinner searched her cabinet. "Does bag balm work?"
Nell nodded, then unwrapped his hands. The wounds stung with exposure to the open air. Light Spinner dabbed bag balm on a gauze strip, then rubbed it on the injuries. "You'll need sutures, I'm guessing."
"Yes." He cringed at the pain, his toes curling as she finished. "Th...thank you. Now, one more wrap. Then I'll dress the bandages tomorrow." At her stern glare, he stopped himself. "Um, I mean when I go to the doctor."
Light Spinner's expression softened as she wrapped his hands one last time. "Now, come out to the living room with me. We'll sit there until you have to go."
Nell swallowed, and they left the room. He was glad Norwyn was still at the Great Hall; he didn't know what sort of trouble his dad would get into if the Head Sorcerer found out how Luís had hurt his son.
Light Spinner helped him into a chair. "I'd have gotten you a new pair of trousers, but you're half a foot taller than me, and Norwyn's are designed for satyr legs."
"It's...it's alright. I can manage." Nell blushed, averting his eyes. "Could you hold me again?"
Light Spinner looked a bit sheepish as she nodded; Nell scooted close to her and wrapped his arms around her again. She gave a pleasant chuckle. "You know...I don't usually like hugs. Especially spontaneous ones." She leaned against him. "But you couldn't hurt a fly. I trust you, Nell. Especially now."
"I'm...glad to hear that."
They held one another for a while longer. She was warm, and smelled so nice...
A knock came from the door. Then Sarah's muffled voice. "Oh, good. It's unlocked." She burst into the room, seeing Nell and Light Spinner hugging. "Hey, Spinner, guess wha – holy Mother of Tesseract, what happened to you two?"
Light Spinner ripped herself away from Nell, and he caught a pink shade on her cheeks. "His dad tried to kill him."
Sarah's mouth dropped open as she sat on the floor, facing them. "Nell...please. You have to tell us everything."
Nell looked back at Light Spinner, who nodded intensely. "I...I suppose."
Then he began.
...
"In short," Nell said, "my dad was hit on the head with a brick when I was two years old. Uh...by a Delvalian. Ever since, he's hated me."
How did he remain silent all this time? Light Spinner thought. "Nell, you needed to tell us as soon as possible – my father is the most powerful man in this kingdom. The Guild could investigate the situation."
Nell's eyes widened. "I don't want Norwyn to know."
"Why not?" Sarah asked. "She's trying to get you out so he doesn't hurt you again."
"Because I don't know what we'll do financially," Nell said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "We're already getting disability money, and barely surviving. My job pays a hundredth of Norwyn's salary. If Dad gets ripped from us, I reckon we won't be able to sustain ourselves."
Light Spinner's eyebrows knit together. She found herself reaching for his hair, stroking it to comfort him. "Nell, I know it seems bad. But if you wished, you could live in my home."
Clearing her throat, the Dellaneve human nodded. "You can't keep living like this. Sooner or later, he will kill you."
Light Spinner swallowed. "I could even send your family money. I'm rich – my parents own a fortune."
Her voice caught on the present-tense word. Liar.
"I couldn't ask that of you," Nell said, voice shaking. "Not after you've already sacrificed so much."
"Stop being so dramatic," Sarah said. "Light Spinner's everyone's mom. Get on her good side, and she'll always protect you. No use in trying to stop it."
"Still," Nell said. "She should use that money to make herself happy."
"What if seeing you thrive is what makes me happy?" Light Spinner asked, a strange emotion in her stomach.
Nell's cheeks turned beet-red; a large grin split Sarah's face. Rolling her eyes, Light Spinner turned back to Nell, who took her wrist in a wrapped hand.
Nell spoke. "Then you're kinder to me than I deserve." He stood up, hugging himself. "I'm going to the doctor now – Mum should be off work."
Light Spinner nodded. "I'll be casting location spells. If I see you in your house instead of the clinic, you'll have another thing coming."
"She can be pretty scary," Sarah agreed. "I'd listen."
Nell smiled halfheartedly. "I'll take it under advisement. Goodbye." With this, he left the room.
...
Did you know...
- Nell's struggles with physical abuse are something I haven't experienced personally. However, I know people who have been physically abused and drew upon their experiences to write here. I obviously can't give the best perspective since I don't have firsthand knowledge, but I did my best to capture his anguish and the struggles between him and his father here.
- This aspect of Nell's backstory will be very important in Seraphite. Nell has one of my favorite character arcs throughout the series.
Tell me what you think...
- How might Nell's meltdowns impact him in the present day?
- Is there any hope for escape from his situation?