The Life of Nathaniel

Chapter 22

I open my eyes and try to sit up but my arm was under something warm. I open my eyes fully and see hair in front of my face. I restrain myself from jumping as I realize that it was Aubry's hair. We must have laid down sometime during the night. There was a blanket over us. .MacKenzie must've done it. I carefully remove my arm from under Aubry and sit up.

I look to the window. The rosy fingers of dawn start to paint the sky. I feel the urge to use my blade, but resist it as I look at Mackenzie and Aubry. I stand up and reposition the blanket over Aubry, as I yawn. I glance at the clock, 6:45 am. I quietly walk out of the room.

I go to the kitchen to make breakfast. I decide on pancakes. By 7, the smell of pancakes had floated throughout the whole house. I go back upstairs to wake Aubry and Mackenzie.

When I walk into her room, I see Mackenzie stretch and yawn. I kneel next to Aubry, "Wake up," I shake her gently. She mumbles and rolls over.

MacKenzie gets out of bed and walks straight into a wall. She stumbles back and falls on her bed.

I grab one of Aubry's arms and start to pull her up. Her other arm shoots forwards and her nails jab into my forearm. Old wounds reopen. I let go of her arm and she curls into a ball. Instead of worrying about my arm, I lay down next to Aubry and place an arm around her. She elbows me in the side. I let out a small, "oompf!"

Her eyes shoot open and she looks at me. I was holding my side, where she elbowed me. "Did I do that?"

"No," I lie. I finally look at my arm. She had scrapped down my arm causing scabs to rip off. My arm was a bloody mess.

"I did that, didn't I?" She looks down at her hands. Her finger nails were bloody. She starts to cry.

I put my arms around her and she starts to cry into me.

MacKenzie peers over the side of the bed, "Do I smell pancakes?"

Aubry sniffles, "Pancakes?"

"Yes. But before we eat," I motion between Aubry and I, "you need to change shirts and I need to bandage my arm." I say after seeing the damage my blood had caused.

"Okay." Aubry sighs.

"You can use one of my shirts, "MacKenzie rolls off the bed. She rummages through her closet and pulls out a light blue t-shirt.

Aubry looks at it, a hint of disgust in her eyes, "Thanks Mackenzie."

"You hate it dont you?"

"Um.... Yes, but I'll take it," Aubry says, "Thanks Mackenzie."

Mackenzie smiles and hands her the shirt, "Its time to eat," Mackenzie almost runs out of the room.

"Lets get you cleaned up first," Aubry says.

"Okay," I look at my arm as we both stand up. We leave Mackenzie's room, Aubry was holding the shirt in one hand and had her other around me.