Wren

Part 8

Wren lay prone in someone's strong arms, feeling himself sway back and forth. Muffled voices spoke around him. He drifted in and out of sleep, letting go of all the anxiety that filled him. He felt warm hands on him from time to time. . . He was so comfortable here. . .

Leo and Dace waited for about an hour before they decided to wake Wren. They needed to feed him before they left the room. It was around 10:00 in the morning now, and they had some other things they had to do. Leo had gone to find suitable food for Wren and now returned with a plastic bag of different little things. He sat cross-legged in his spot, gently tapping Wren's shoulder and coaxing him awake.

He moaned and sat up a little in Dace's arms. His eyes widened when he opened them and saw Leo in front of him. He tried to turn and crawl away, but strong arms held him tight.

"It's okay, Wren. Hey, look at me. No one's hurting you," Leo said softly. Wren froze as he realized he was in someone's lap. His head snapped up to look at Dace, and he panicked all over again. Ignoring their pleas with him to stay still, he scrambled out of the lap and tried to get away. 

He was yanked back by the chain around his ankle. He winced and cried out as the metal cuff once again dug into his raw flesh. He frantically turned to face the large men, pulling against the chain and staring at them, analyzing them as if they would jump at him any second. Leo slowly held up his hands as a gesture of innocence. (A/N: Like in movies when people hold their hands up if someone points a gun at them.)

"Wren, please try to calm down. We're just here to help you. We brought some water, okay? I know you're thirsty. . ." He pulled a water bottle from the bag in his lap.

Wren hesitated, then scooted closer, eyeing them with mistrust.

Leo opened the bottle and helped him drink, noticing the way Wren flinched when their fingers brushed up against each other's. He re-capped the bottle and set it within Wren's reach. He rifled through the bag until he found an applesauce cup and a plastic spoon.

Wren shook his head. His stomach was in knots from all the stress, and he knew he wouldn't be able to eat. "I can't," His voice was a hoarse whisper from all his screaming and crying. "I won't be able to keep it down."

Dace felt tears prick his eyes. This poor kid. 

"You need to try. You're already extremely underweight, and as far as I know it's been many hours since you've eaten, right?" Leo coaxed.

Wren nodded. After some persuasion, he allowed Leo to feed a little, but after only a few bites a sick look washed over him. Leo dumped out the bag and held it up, unsure how to comfort Wren as he vomited. He would normally rub the person's back in soothing circles, but he knew that would only make him even more uneasy. 

Wren pulled away and laid down on the carpet. "I don't feel good." He whispered. 

Dace could see the nausea on his face. He turned to Leo. "Isn't there some kind of special drink he could have until he's able to keep his food down?" 

Leo nodded, gathering his things. He pulled a small paper packet from the pile. "Electrolytes. Not very nutritious, but it'll help for the time being." He dumped it into the water bottle and shook it. He placed it on the floor next to Wren and stood, Dace followed suit. 

"We have to go for now, but we'll be back later. Just try to rest, and. . . lie low, okay?" 

They laid the blanket over him, turned off the lights, and left the dim room. Hopefully Wren would be able to get the rest he needed before Matteo came back. Who knows what he'd do to the poor boy next.

                     Part Nine Coming Soon

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Sorry this one was so short! Just a bit of filler to progress the story along.

Also, I'm going through a bit of a rough time right now, so not feeling as motivated. But I won't give up. Still publishing at least once a day.

Thanks for spending your time here, and make sure to stick around to see how Wren's story goes! Have a great day!