A steady beeping was the first thing I could recognize as my senses slowly came back to me. My eyelids were heavy and closed, but the painfully bright lights still shone through. I tried to will my hand to lift and cover my eyes, but the strength just wasn't there.

My body was dense, heavy to move. There was an underlying soreness that was waiting to reach its full potential. Suddenly, I didn't even want to be able to flinch, too afraid of awakening the resting pain.

"When is she going to wake up?" Sophia distantly whispered. A faint shock ran through my body at the sound of her voice.

"Soon. The doctor said that she's going to be fine, remember?" Seth reassured.

"After sticking about a thousand needles into her," Sophia grumbled, and I wished I had the energy to roll my eyes.

"Funny. I only see three." Seth mused. I could see Sophia rolling her eyes right now.

A giddiness filled me when I felt my toes brush against each other. My throat was just now clearing up to the point where breathing didn't feel constrained.

"Shut up." Sophia scolded. "Where's Drake, I'm hungry?"

"How touching. I'm on my deathbed, and you're still thinking about food," I croaked, my voice hoarse. I winced from the pain of moving my jaw but continued rolling it to wake it up.

"Avery! You're awake! Oh my gosh! Why won't you open your eyes?! Are you blind?! Please don't be blind." Sophia rambled anxiously. I could feel the heat radiating from her body, as she leaned over me.

"Is the giant cut on her face or her leg Sophia?" Seth quipped.

Sophia growled."Seth, I'm about two seconds from strangling you."

"I'm just-"

"Please stop fighting." I pleaded weakly. I turned my head in the direction of Sophia's voice. "Give me a second. Let me try."

I tried prying my eyes open, only managing unsuccessful flutters. I gripped my fist in my hand and tried once again. The pull was slow and tight, but eventually, there was a sliver of light and then a flood.

It took a moment for my eyes to focus, but when they did, I could see Sophia's tired and worn face looming over mine. My heart clenched at the sight of a single tear falling from her eye.

I couldn't resist the urge to cup Sophia's chin, excruciating pain or not. She leaned into the touch, and a small smile graced my face.

"See, I can still see how beautiful you are," I reassured her, and I felt the heat of her blush warm my palm.

"Nice to know you're alive," Drake commented in a neutral time as he entered the room. His arms carried bags of Chinese food that Seth attacked as soon as it was set down.

Sophia stood by my side warily, still holding my hand against her face. I tugged my hand from her face and nodded in Drake's direction. She refused to leave the bed, her apprehensive eyes never leaving my face.

"I'm not going anywhere, Soph. I'll be here when you get back." I joked. A ghost of a smile flashed across her face, and she slowly turned towards where Seth was.

When the two inevitably bickering over who was taking too much food, Drake came to perch himself on my bed.

"How long was I out?" I asked, turning to face him the best I could.

"2 days," Drake answered in a low tone, looking me dead in the eye. "You lost a lot of blood. The gash on your leg was messy, so the doctors had trouble patching it up. And let's not forget the slew of bruises you already had."

Drake's gaze was unwavering and held a great deal of grief. Drake's grief implied more than just sadness though. It was a dangerous concoction of decisiveness, determination, and despair. I could tell that it was something he wanted to discuss, but I wouldn't allow that with the current company.

I don't even know what I'd tell Drake at this point. Telling him not to get involved would be meaningless at this point. He had found me in a pool of blood; there's no going back from that.

"There weren't that many bruises." I diverted, my gaze mimicking.

Drake sighed in frustration. "Avery you have to -"

"Where's my brother?" I interrupted, giving him a pointed look. If Sophia heard Drake bring up me confessing, she'd never let me hear the end of it.

"Hopefully about to get Principal Richard fired," Seth mumbled around a mouth full of food, and Sophia nodded in agreement. My nose crinkled in confusion. Why on earth would he be doing that?

"He's at the school talking to Richard about why his little sister is sitting in a hospital bed," Drake explained, and my mouth fell into an O. "Speaking of which -"

"He's not going to be much help. Principle Richard isn't the best ally." I interrupted again. Drake glared at me for interrupting again, but I just glared right back. If he stops bringing it up, I'll stop cutting him off.

Drake opened his mouth to speak again, but then a doctor walked in, clipboard in hand. I smirked at Drake and turned my attention towards the doctor. This conversation is fated not to happen.

"Good afternoon Ms. Leon. How are you feeling?"

Δ

"You're not supposed to be walking on that leg." Sophia scolded me for the millionth time. Her hands were hovering behind me as I wobbled unstably up the stairs to the front door.

The crutches were uncomfortable to use and required much more energy than my distorted waddle. I prefer looking like a fool over feeling uncomfortable.

I made it up a few more steps before two strong arms wrapped around my waist, halting my footsteps.

"If you don't use that crutch, I will carry you. Everywhere." Drake threatened, his grip tightening at his last word.

My face paled, and I immediately scrambled to grab the crutches out of Seth's open hands. I beat Drake's hands away with the sticks and pulled myself up the last few stairs.

"What does this look like to you? King Kong?" I muttered to myself, plopping down on my couch. Sophia took my crutches from me and leaned them against a random bookshelf.

The good doctor told me the wound on my leg was too jagged to heal on its own. They had to do surgery to pull everything back together again and I was told that I'm not allowed to walk on the leg for two months.

Just the idea of the crutches was disgusting, but truthfully I got lucky. The doctor almost sentenced me to two months in a wheelchair, to help all of my bruises heal as well, but I refused until I turned blue. Sitting would make me so much more vulnerable to Chris.

The thought of him made my blood run cold.

What happened in the hallway, was unlike anything he'd ever done before. Chris is a violent and brutal abuser. He's made plenty of death threats, but he's never tried to act on them. The fact that he even thought of pulling out the knife made me want to vomit.

Never have I felt like my life was in danger before. It was a different type of fear that I could feel all the way down to my bones. I relive the moment in my head even when I'm nowhere near the school. There are conscious reminders to breathe because I don't know when I won't be able to next.

Chris took a piece of me that I didn't know existed when he strangled me. I wouldn't have known it existed if his hands didn't wrap around my neck. But now there is a void in my chest.

"We need to tell someone," Drake whispered from beside me, pulling me out of my head.

"Tell who?" I sighed, turning my head to face him. "I bet you a million dollars that Zach is going to walk through that door, unsuccessful."

Drake scowled. "That's not-"

"That no good, disgusting, useless piece of-I am so going to get him fired!" Drake roared as he stormed through the door. I rose a coy eyebrow at Drake.

"What did I tell you?" I mouthed at Drake. He glowered at me, turning his attention back to Zach.

"Can you believe that man? Coincidentally the security footage from that day is missing." He screamed, throwing his keys down on the table.

The video footage was most likely there, but Principal Richard was both too lazy and didn't care enough to look for it. He has much more important things to do than help hospitalized kids.

"Then he tried some bullshit about you being prone to accidents. I'll make sure and tell the police that when I slit his throat." Zach threatened hysterically.

"Zack, there's no need to get homicidal. It's just a little cut." I assured, attempting to calm him. Zach's body violently snapped towards me.

"A little cut? You went to the hospital! You got surgery!"Zach shouted in aggravation."Drake told me that you were barely breathing when they found you! I almost lost my little sister! My only sister! My only sibling for God's sake!"

There were visible tears pooling in his eyes. His fists were shaking at his sides. His eyes were wild. Sorrow swirled in my chest, and it took everything in me to not confess everything right now.

I had no other words for Zach. There were specific ones that he wanted to hear, and I didn't have the heart to offer them. Not after what Chris just did to me.

An empty sigh left Seth before he left to go up the stairs.

"We'll talk later Avery." He called out and then disappeared from my view.

A silence filled the room, and everyone was left staring at each other with helpless looks.

There are no words that can fill the void either.