Blue

Run

Hello everyone and welcome to Blue! Please read this! The following trigger/content warnings are for the entire book: drug addiction, self harm, abuse, child abuse, PTSD, anxiety attacks, disassociation. If these things would trigger you, I recommend my other books in this series. Thank you!

Leo's Perspective
I walk inside to take a shower. I duck instinctively as Dad throws a book over my head. It slams against the wall at a volume that tells me Dad was using his full force. He's pissed. I turn to face him. "Yes, Dad?"

"You stole from me, you little bitch." He seethes.

"I'd bet my ass it was Percy."

"Don't talk bad about your brother, and don't throw him under the fucking bus! Are you out of your mind?!"

I see the signs. I see in his eyes when he makes the choice to hit me. So I curl up in a ball so the only thing he can reach is my back. He pounds his fists against me.

Dad has gotten a lot worse since Link left. I wonder if it was because he was the worst with Link, and then had to use all that extra anger on me once he was gone. How did Link live like this? I mean, I know how I do it, but Link was clean. A foot kicks me in the ribs and it hurts like a motherfucker, landing on the bruises from the previous day. He leaves, and I fear it is to grab a knife. So I run upstairs to my room. I close the door gently (don't want to get punished for slamming it) and turn to my brother. Percy glares at me. I land on my bed and stare at the ceiling. "How much did you steal from him?" I ask.

"Doesn't matter."

I wince as I sit up to look at him. "It does matter, Percy. He thinks it's me. What do you think happens when I run away and Mario starts getting beat? Then will you care?"

"He wouldn't hit Mario."

"Hell yeah he would. He hits the youngest. It's what he does."

Percy tosses me something and I catch it. He grumbles, "Stop bitching, I like you better high."

I look down at my hand and see an orange pill bottle. Painkillers. I've been trying to stay clean. I'm at about two months right now. "Nah, bro. I'm sober, remember?"

Percy jumps off of his bed and jabs me in the ribs. I see stars for a second, it hurts so bad. "Take them so you calm down. The only way I can deal with sharing a room with you is when you're catatonic."

I grumble some swear words and declare I'm taking a walk. I head out the window and jump down to the ground. I still have the pills. It hurts to walk, so I pop a few. The issue is, when I pop a few, I forget to not pop more. I always can tell when I'm in overdose territory, but I can never just take a couple. I don't remember how much I took, wandering the streets.

I wonder if this is the same path my brother took. I wonder if he walked or ran. Without a thought in my head, I run. I'm a better runner than Link was. But the fog creeps in the back of my head. The fog has been there ever since Dad got mean, but it is ten times as thick when I'm high.

That's the last thing I remember for a while.