"Natalie," he repeated, her name like velvet on his tongue. He seemed to like the sound of it because he repeated it again, his voice turning low. "Natalie."
Leon Hughes was a mystery masked by bruised cheeks and bleeding knuckles.
He was a wraith...
The first time she saw him, she almost missed him.
It wasn't that he blended in. No, Leon Hughes had an affinity for the spotlight. Attention followed him everywhere, even when he didn't want it to.
Maybe it was the way his dark hair shone, no matter how ruffled; or the way his eyes, always narrowed, seemed to scan the room, searching for something no one else could see.
More likely, it was the bruises. The bruises that always kissed his skin, edged with cuts and scrapes, exposed by his rolled sleeves and unbuttoned collar. Bruises from which rumours emerged, from which his infamy grew.
And yet, despite all the whispers and stares, Leon stuck to the corners.
He was the type who hid in shadows—who only appeared when he wanted, leaving no trace behind. The type you were scared to blink around, in fear of missing him, never knowing when you'd see him again.
The first time she saw him was no exception.
One of the worst things about being the daughter of a principal and a school nurse was constantly being at school, even when you weren't required to.
Worse, Natalie's mother worked at Sierra Grammar, the prestigious boys' school full of snobby teenage boys that thought polished black shoes and perfectly pressed blazers were the pinnacle of fashion.
As much as she complained, it wasn't all bad. Her mother busied herself with her paperwork, leaving Natalie to restock the medical bay next door to her office. The silence was nice. Organising shelves and placing things where they belonged, straightening the bandages, and sanitising the ice packs—it was somewhat calming. And when that was done, it was the perfect place to finish up homework.
Except today was different.
He stood on the other end of the hallway, slouched against the wall. His dark hair blended into the shadows, and she had to look twice to make sure she'd actually seen him—that he hadn't been an odd distortion of light on walls, or a strange hallucination from utter exhaustion.
But he was there. He was there, slumped on the floor, masked by the shadows, but there. Definitely not a hallucination.
The first thing she noticed was the big bruise that stained his right jaw, stretching out like a web of red and purple. It was then that she realised, he wasn't just slouching.
He was hurt.
His hair had been tousled and he was missing the first two buttons from his uniform, like someone had ripped them from the cotton of his shirt. Loose threads hung where they'd once been.
It seemed that she stared for too long because then he turned, his brown eyes falling on her.
His stare was cold and even from across the hallway, she could feel the strong aura he gave off—one that screamed do not approach. She had the distinct feeling that she was seeing something she shouldn't be seeing.
And when she didn't immediately look away, his swollen lips twitched. He lifted a hand, limp and with split skin on the knuckles, and wiped at the corner of his mouth, blood staining his thumb where he touched.
Natalie turned and scrambled into the nurse's office, and when she left an hour later, he was gone.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hi guys, I hope you're liking Bruised so far! Let me know your thoughts as always! I promise the chapters will get a lot longer after this hehe just setting it all up for now!
As I said, I'll be uploading this story as I write, BUT I'm aiming for a chapter each week, most likely on Fridays so stay tuned!
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