Blood Bound

C H A R I T Y

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C H A R I T Y

the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need.

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"Wow, you guys look like shit."

I heard my friend Julius- but we all call him Jules- say directly at us, as Hazel and I slumped into the nearest seats, our legs still shaking from last nights endeavor.

Not caring if we had just taken someone's spot, I rested my head onto the table claiming it as mine as Hazel massaged her temples and closed her eyes against the blinding morning light we were still not used to. There was a loud buzz of chatting around us, as other students with bloodshot eyes lazily shuffled into the cafeteria for breakfast.

"We had our assignment last night." Hazel grumbled back as a response.

"Which one?" He asked, breaking off a piece of his sandwich to give to his Familia, a rat named Billy who was sitting on the table beside him.

"What do you mean which one?" I asked, looking up at him. "Our defense one. The running and jumping in the woods kind of one."

"Oh yeah, I've already done mine. It wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that- I got slashed multiple times with a knife, by Stephanie. You know innocent little Stephanie, yeah, no, she turned into a gremlin. It was hectic and she was ruthless."

"Oh really? I heard you stabbed her in the eye, with her own hand. Whose the ruthless one now?"

"Woah, you stabbed someone in the eye?" Hazel interrupted before I could defend myself.

"And you didn't?" I shot back.

Hazel looked at Jules then back at me a little shocked. "No, I didn't stab anyone in the eye. Did you stab someone in the eye?" She looked over to Jules.

"I didn't stab anyone."

"What? How did you not stab anyone?" I inquired.

"Because we weren't given knives. I did get rammed into a tree though."

"Did you guy at least win?" Hazel asked.

"I just said I got rammed into a tree, no we did not win."

"Why were we given knives, and you weren't?" I asked.

"I don't know. Because they were two different games?" He shrugged. "Plus you also had your sister marking while we had Mr. Lakatos. That's a difference within it's self."

Jules had a point. Everyone knew our sister was a hard ass. She was a ruthless teacher and a mean older sister but she had a soft spot for some people in her heart. I could get away with most things when it came to Emily, but she liked Hazel the most, making Hazel the referee when it came between Emily's and I's arguments.

I wouldn't be surprised if Emily decided to chuck in a few knives into her game. It was her game after all.

"If it makes you feel any better, I got rammed into a tree too." Hazel chimed in. Jules and I both stared at her as she simply sat there calmly. I turned towards her.

"You got rammed in a- when did you get rammed into a tree?"

"When you were fighting Carver. When you got smashed into the ground, I got smashed into a tree. I think I broke something when it happened. I didn't feel it though."