Leone Frasier was living the aftermath of a tragic car crash that took his mother's life and left him barely able to walk on his feeble legs. He has had to endure the loss of his mother, the wrath of an abusive father, and all the added weight that...
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The sun sank below the horizon, casting a golden hue right over the quiet cabin, I found myself in an unexpected predicament. I stood by Nikolai's porch, my feet throbbing due to the blisters that hindered every step I took. The pain was unbearable, making the mere thought of walking back home; let alone the train station seem like an impossible journey.
"Leone!?" Nikolai called out in confusion. "What are you doing!?"
Leaning against the railing for support, I turned to Nikolai, the person whose house had become my refuge. "D-Don't mind me, I was just about to go." I bit through my lowly mood.
"Are you out your mind!?" Nikolai approached me with an annoyed tone before extending his hands out just in case I fell. "You can barely even walk right."
"Yeah, I know, but I have to get back and check how Dydan's doing." I bit through my sullen mood as I could feel his eyes remaining fixed on my struggle. "Feel free to laugh, I know you probably think I look stupid or something."
"There's really no need to worry, Dydan's Dydan-I'm sure he's fine." His eyes darted between reluctant concern and hesitation, mirroring the conflict that seemed to wage within him. "I really don't think you should leave." I could sense his usually silent struggle, an unspoken desire for something that's been yet to be revealed.
"I've already bothered you enough."
"You're not a bother." Nikolai interrupted right past the tense situation. "Just-can you just get back inside? Please?"
I limped right back into the cabin, searching for any possible support I can get until I eventually plopped right back onto the couch. "I know its probably hard to believe, but I promise I wasn't always this hopeless." Nikolai carefully listened as a shallow breath escaped my chest. "I cannot apologize to you enough for all of this."
"If I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here, got it?" Nikolai momentarily gazed into my glistening eyes. "You're free to stay as long you want." He softly suggested, his voice laced with a mix of unexpected kindness and vulnerability.
"Really?" I sniffed out of relief.
"Yeah." He answered quickly. "Unless you want me to take you home. Your dad is probably worried about you, isn't he?"
"I highly doubt that." I sniffed, the thought of my father's impending rage caused fear to course through me. "I'm sure he's quite relieved."
"Relieved?" Nikolai questioned.
"The reality is my father doesn't care about me. He blames me for what happened to my mother." I say bluntly. "It also doesn't help that I'm practically everything he didn't want in a son-so yeah. I'm sure he's relieved that the trash finally took itself out."
Slight guilt slowly etched on Nikolai's face as he hadn't known this much about me until now. "Here, draw something with me." He proceeded to hand me a stack of pristine white paper and a set of vibrant colored pencils. "Let's take our minds off of reality for awhile."
