The Pariah

"I met evil when I was only a child." ---Unknown

Nick looked over to Mia's side of the room as he sat up. He could see his sister sleeping with the book Griffin gave her propped open on her pillow. Her head was laying on the book with her hair fanning out over the pages. She was snoring gently and looked a lot younger than she actually was. It brought Nick some sense of happiness to see her that way because it reminded him of better days. Well, better than here.

Nick got up and stumbled to the bathroom. He shut the wooden door before turning and looking at himself in the mirror. He looked like hell. His hair, which was growing a little past his ears, was filthy and matted. It looked darker than it usually did, his eyes were ringed with black from exhaustion and his nose was bruised from where COA punched the snot out of him. His upper body was stained with dirt and grime. He decided he really needed a shower, he didn't know how he was going to do it with the bandages but he was.

Nick began to peel off the bandages from his chest, he winced at how it felt but didn't cry out. He took the bandage off and set it on the toilet seat before turning and looking at himself in the mirror. Across his chest, in very clear lettering, was MINE. It was carved with a precision and it was scabbing over. Nick felt the letters with a gentle hand and winced, Mia had done a good job of patching him up, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

Nick then peeled off the clothes covering his lower body before opening the medicine cupboard and finding a bar of soap. It was wrapped in a small, plastic wrapper but it would work. He was going to scrub himself clean of any sign of Carter. He couldn't get rid of MINE but he could sure as hell get rid of all the dirt and grime. It was probably going to take the whole bar of soap, but what did Nick care?

Nick turned on the water and watched as it came out fresh. He put his hand underneath cautiously, because the last thing he was going to do was let Carter kill him with a hot shower. Nick was surprised and happy to find the water was luke-warm. It was better than the showers back at home, the water was always freezing. It was the worst in the winter time, they could only take 1-2 minute showers. Mia would have to wash her hair in the locker rooms at school, because one minute was not enough time to clean it. Nick knew that was her least favorite thing to do as well.

Back home, Mia was bullied a lot. It was mainly by the girls, and no matter how many times Nick threatened or made an example out of one of them, another would pop up. The locker rooms was where Mia got it the worst, and Nick knew that. He felt terrible forcing her to wash her hair in the place where she's constantly harassed, but he really didn't have a choice. Nick had to choose what bills to pay and the hot water bill was one that he deemed not necessary because it was just too much money.

Nick got into the shower and hissed in pain as the spray of the shower head immediately targeted his chest. He tensed his body up as he turned away from the spray and let it hit his back. Nick sighed as he felt the water begin to wash the dirt off of him. He really did need this. He was going to have to fight through the pain.

Nick opened the plastic wrapper around his soap bar with trembling hands. He threw the plastic wrap to the side as he turned the white bar in his hands. He began to scrub his arms with the soap. He started out sort of gentle but then started scrubbing himself hard, he rubbed his first arm raw. He could see the red, irritated skin come out as he washed the soap away. He did the same with his legs, neck, and stomach. He knew not to scrub the MINE that Carter had carved because Mia would kill him if he opened up the wound.

Nick turned off the shower with a relieved sigh. He felt a lot better. He felt lighter because he got Carter's dirt and grime off of his body and he felt as if he had defied Carter. Sure, he was going to have to put on his dirty pants back on, but he still gave a resounding 'screw you' to Carter.