The Dragon-Witch Chronicles - Prinxiety AU

Chapter Ten

~Roman~

When Patton and I heard Logan's call, we both rushed down the hall to his room. I wasn't sure what to think: maybe Virgil tried to run off, the dragon-witch followed us, or maybe something worse.

Instead, we were met by the comical sight of Logan, his rear in the air, reaching under his bed for something. He grumbled angrily as he couldn't grasp his target, followed by a hiss. He retracted his arm quickly and held his hand to his chest. "Virgil, get out here this instant!"

"Logi?" Patton asked. "What's going on?" He had a face of concern as he examined Logan's hand. I peeked over their shoulders and saw... teeth marks?

Logan adjusted his glasses and pulled his hand away. "Virgil has something that he needs to explain to us. Now!" he yelled and glared at the void under the bed.

Looking underneath, I saw Virgil pressed against the back wall. His torso was bare and his back faced me, but due to the confined space, I couldn't identify much else about his form. "Virge~" I cooed and reached for him. My tone of voice must have shocked him enough to turn towards me. In one swift motion, I hooked one arm on his elbow and the other on his knee, yanking him out from the cave. He shrieked loudly and clawed at the bed, but it was too late. I saw him.

He was so pale underneath his clothes. His ribs were so defined I could fit a marble between them. The wound in his stomach was still open and the surrounding skin began to take on a yellow hue. The worst thing was his arms. There were so many scars: probably about twenty on each. Some were scabbed over, others just a raised patch of skin. I had to close my eyes to stop the tears from flowing. All I could think of is that this was my fault.

~Virgil~

I'm dead.

Someone kill me now.

Anything to keep them from seeing me.

I clenched my eyes tight, as if the darkness in my vision would actually darken the room so they wouldn't see. But Logan would tell me that it's a pointless venture. I heard sniffling and looked up. Roman was facing the walls with his eyes closed; was I that hideous to look at? Patton was hugging Logan tightly, his hands around the other's hips; no one would ever hold me like that. Logan just stared coldly at me; is this what I deserve?

Without thinking, I stood and tried to push through them to the door, but two strong hands grasped my shoulders and pushed me down onto the bed. I was so frail that it definitely wasn't hard. I looked up to see Roman with tears rushing down his face, but he didn't look sad. He was angry. A loud smack filled the room and my cheek stung sharply. Patton gasped as Roman struck me for the second time this week.

Roman glared down at me, "What the hell are you doing?! You're trying to get attention aren't you?!" No...

"Don't you realize what you're doing to us?! That's so selfish!" I know...

"Why would you be doing this?!" Because wasting away is easier than trying to live alone.

"Answer me!"

I took a deep breath, tapping my fingers against my thumb to calm me down. When I was able to clear the tears forming in my eyes, I said quietly, "I'm sorry... That's all I can say..."

Roman glared at me and looked like he wanted to bring his hand to me again, but Patton stepped forward. "How long?" he asked, his voice surprisingly steady for the emotion in his face. "How long have you been doing this to yourself?"

I honestly couldn't remember. So, I did the next best thing. "The oldest scars are from a year ago. I stopped eating two weeks ago. I gave up Vitamin D when I was given a room in the dungeon." All were lies, except for the final one. Even so, they seemed to accept it.

The cardigan-clad male knelt next to me and gently placed a hand on my knee. "Promise me that you won't do this again," he pleaded. I nodded slowly, not sure if that one was a lie to make him happy. He looked up at Roman, his voice becoming much more stern, "Apologize to him."

Princey simply sighed for an unnecessary amount of time. He apologized so quietly I wasn't sure if that was what happened.

I looked back down at my lap and said, "I would like to go to my room now." Patton simply nodded and stepped aside as I ran from the room, taking my shirt as I passed. Time to go to my room and forget today ever happened.

A/N Yay!! Here's all of the feels I can think of. Thanks to @FandomGirl30 for the idea of Virgil under the bed. It was just so perfect I had to use it. XD Here's to the end of the year and exams! Onward to more feels, angst, and all of that stuff!
-V