Opheila's Pov
I continued to wake up constantly during the night.
No matter what, I tried to fall back asleep with frequent tossing and turning. After a while it felt like everything around me was falling until my eyes hit the ground and met with the dark stormy sky.
"I'm in the woods again?" I said In my head.
Suddenly I rose back onto my feet with satisfaction. In front of me another figure stood, clenching onto their side, clothes drenched in water from the harsh rain. I couldn't tell who exactly it was.
My head followed downward and my boots jumped forward breaking into a sprint. The figure in front of me moved much quicker than me but was struggling to stand up straight.
The thunder roared behind me as the forest wind whistled past me. My head moved up towards the sky as the storm Begin to clear up and a roof came in view, a very familiar one.. wait
It was my house's roof!
My body jumped awake followed by glass shattering in direct contact with the floor.
My hands fell back onto my face followed with deep breathing. That noise sounded like it came from downstairs.
Hesitantly I stepped out of bed and onto the cold wooden floor and walked out of my room.
Even the hallway felt cold..
I creeped down the stairs until my eyes met with the obvious shattered window. I sighed in relief,
"Probably broke because of the crazy wind outside…." I told myself, trying to come back to reality.
I turned around and started heading up the stairs.
"Fuck.." I heard a familiar voice whisper.
I turned back around and saw Jansen leaning against the wall. His clothes and hair were drenched in water and blood and his hand was firmly clenched onto his side.
"Jansen!"
I quickly ran over to him and kneeled down in front of him. "What happened!"
No response. His back slid down the wall as his body collapsed weightlessly onto the floor.
I hurried into the downstairs bathroom, grabbed the first aid kit and hurried back out to him.
Quickly with no hesitation, I took off his shirt and immediately met with a big dagger-like hole in his side that was oozing out blood.
I held a soaked face cloth against the hole and wiped away the blood. The more I observed his body the more I noticed some of the bruises and various cuts.
"Ophelia," He whispered.."
"Yes Jansen?" I said, preparing the stitches.
"I—"
His head fell against the floor unconsciously. My eyes widened and I slowly started to sanitize the needle and begin stitching.
Occasionally he would wake up, look around then immediately pass out again. He must've lost a lot of blood..
I tried to stay positive and focused. After I was done with the stitching I wrapped up his side with a huge cotton pad bandage and helped him up to his feet. I had to get him quickly to my room without waking either of my parents.
His eyes slowly opened as he took a step at a time up the stairs, I helped him along the way. Once we made it to my room he sat down against my wall and groaned in pain.
"I'll get you some water." I whispered, closing the door behind me.
I got to the bottom of the stairs when my father yelled.
"Ophelia! Are you okay! What was that loud noise?"
I looked up and he was holding a baseball bat.
"Just getting some water! The wind from the storm shattered the window, that's all."
He sighed with relief. "I'll deal with it in the morning.." he mumbled tirely and went back into my mom's bedroom.
I walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water and went back up to my room. Jansen looked at me, now looking slightly less out of it.
I handed him the glass and he quickly drank from it.
"Thank you." He said.
I sat back down onto my bed. "So what happened?"
"Back when we were in the woods, I was dragged away by something I couldn't identify.." He paused, lowering down his arms against the wall. "Next thing I knew my brother was towering over me and it only got worse from there."
"So it is true he's actually back?"
Jansen nodded. "And closer than I thought. As far as I know he's not far from your house."
I gulped as I felt a shiver go down my spine. "...not much of a warm welcome."
We both stayed quiet trying to take in what exactly just happened, but regretfully I let it quickly consume my mind in fear. It's barely been a week and I've already been almost killed and attacked multiple times.
"I think.. I saw you running through the woods." I finally said.
"Hm? You mean you saw through —"
I nodded. Jansens eyes widened as he looked back down, obviously confused.
"But that means...no it just can't—" he stood up and immediately clenched his side.
"Jansen, you shouldn't push yourself. You're obviously still in pain."
"The prick stabbed me with one of my special daggers." He choked out.
"Special daggers?"
"They're meant to stun someone with an ability, temporarily making them unaccessible to any of their inhuman disadvantages."
"Is that why it's taking so long for you to heal?"
He nodded. "I wasn't exactly gifted with an ability like the others, Mine is far more complicated. The majority of my family were experimented on. Mainly my grandma then she passed it down to my mother and my uncle. They weren't given an ability either besides "superhuman" like advantages." He continued. "My brother was the only one who—"
Jansen let out another groan in pain then looked at me with guilt filled eyes. "You shouldn't have to be out through this. This is something that's involved with my family.. it's selfish of him to rope you in with all of this. But Opheila,"
He paused again and smiled. "I promise we'll figure this all out soon and end it."
I smiled back trying to remain hopeful. "I don't mind if you have to stay here for the night. It would be better for you in case your brother attacks you again."
"I suppose you're right." He sighed in awkwardness. "Where exactly do you want me to stay? There's not another bed in this room. Ophelia I promise I'll be fine."
"No No! I insist. I know it's not much-" I pulled open the much cleaner and empty part of my big closet. "But it's better than you having to go back home in the middle of the night during a storm too."
"What about your parents? What if they come in here during the night to check in on you?"
"Pftt they don't do that anymore." I laughed. "I'd be lucky to even get a goodnight or I love you from my father half of the time."
He sighed again but looked at me with a sincere smile. "Thank you Ophelia. Really, is there anything I can do to repay you for all of your troubles?'
I shook my head again and pulled the blanket over my body, feeling the extreme warmth almost immediately. I quickly passed Jansen a pillow and a blanket and he raised an eyebrow and looked at it.
"You still sleep with blankets from when you were a kid?"
I crossed my arms. "Yeah so what! You got a problem with that hmm!"
He laughed. "You really are something else."
Me and him looked at each other for a quick second as I felt almost like during this strange messed up situation, me and Jansen somewhat bonded just now and it felt..actually pretty nice.
I yawned. "Goodnight Jansen."
"Goodnight Ophelia."
