The Demon's Ballerina

Ch 4 - Charlotte

I woke up with a pounding headache. I grabbed the blunt off the nightstand and lit it. I usually 'went for a run' in the woods beside the house to get a blunt in before school in the morning. Since Mom and Dad were gone until Monday night, I had nothing but time. Halfway through, I heard the bathroom toilet flush.

Startled, I dropped the blunt and burnt my chest.

"Fuck!" My bathroom door was jerked open at the sound of my curse and Zane stepped inside. "Hey! What are you-"

"I heard you yell." He started, his voice still deep with sleep. My braless nipples appreciated his deep rumble so early in the morning.

"Why are you here?" I demanded, clutching my blanket to my chest as I sat up. And why was he in the room beside mine?

"Are you smoking weed in here?"

"You going to tell Dad?"

"If I don't have to, no."

"What do you mean, 'if you don't have to'?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Consider it a sign of good faith that I'm keeping your secret, for now." I glared harder, not that I really could glare at all with how puffy my face was. And now it was throbbing softly. I groaned and fell back against my pillows, all the fight beat out of me last night by Boulder, honestly. I hit the blunt in silence for a few minutes, watching him watch me out of my peripheral. "I can help with your face if you want me to." I waved my hand, motioning for him to get a move on.

When he came back, he had some odd smelling mixture in a circular, palm-sized tin. He grabbed my desk chair and rolled it to my bedside before sitting beside me. While he spread the mixture on my jaw and under my eyes, I carefully worked around him to continue my smoke session. Until, that is, my bedroom door was thrown open.

"...heard a man's voice in here!" Danny was saying, stopping short at the sight of Zane and I. "Uncle Zane?"

"Danny." He greeted without stopping. He was massaging it into my nose. I'd been sure last night it was broken, but now it just felt swollen.

"We'll get breakfast started." Danny announced, probably when he caught sight of my tank top. Everett may have been one of his best friends, but I was his 'little cousin'. When they left, Danny pulled the door shut behind them. He'd rather his uncle see me like this than Everett. I glanced at Zane, finding him already staring.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him softly. He glanced down, his eyes tracing my jaw and the bruises no doubt before returning his gaze to mine. Thanks to the metal, the dull ache in my jaw was the least of my worries right now. The bruises looked awful, but my jaw was fine.

"My night terrors were getting to Mom." Aw. Gram had seemed more tired than usual at dinner last night. "I'm going to stay here until I get a place."

"We have to share a bathroom?" His green eyes narrowed, focused intently on what he was doing.

"Finish your blunt while I go find bandages for those knuckles."

"In the bathroom under the sink." I offered. I lifted the blunt and relit it while watching him walk into the bathroom. So that's why Mom and Dad had decided on a weekend getaway. His little brother was moving in for a while and he hadn't wanted to break the news to me in person. Dick move, Dad. I closed my eyes, relaxing against my pillows as I smoked. My face ached like a bitch, but at least my eyes weren't swollen shut like some fighters must be after tonight. I hadn't had brass knuckles, but Boulder's face was fucked up when I walked away regardless. That brought a smile to my face.

"Smiling doesn't hurt?"

"Not really." I answered without opening my eyes. I heard him sit in the desk chair, the familiar creak giving him away. I peeked, found him watching and closed my eyes again before offering my right hand to him. He massaged the tincture in before wrapping my hand and repeating the process on my left hand. When he was done, I opened my eyes. "Are you not going to ask me where I got all these bruises?"