Claire

Claire's nightmares were soaked in blood. She stood out in the storm again, but this time it was blood raining down on her, blood she stood ankle deep in.

She ran towards the crumpled body by the road, but this time he didn't turn to look at her. She cried out and reached, and then she was in Dare's room, and the carpet was red where it should be cream and spongy with blood, always more blood, and her hands hurt and his skin was cold and why was she too late...

“Lady, be still, they are only dreams.”

The soft, kind voice came from nowhere and everywhere. Claire turned towards the voice and startled awake all at once.

She startled, and shrieked, and tried to roll to her feet because someone was right there and she didn't know what was going on and... and now she was in some stranger's lap. Oh. Okay then.

She squinted up through the morning sun at the stranger's face. Green eyes, vibrant green like jade. Brown hair. Pale skin that hinted it should properly be tanned.

The boy. From the storm.

“Ryu?” she tried out the name.

He nodded.

“Sorry.” Claire tried to disentangle herself from where she lay, half sprawled across his legs.

Before she could sort out her limbs from his, something jerked him up and away, Claire went tumbling against the couch, still tangled in the blanket she'd slept under.

By the time she'd sorted herself out, things had gotten insane and out of hand. The guys were standing there, Jacob holding Ryu in some kind of wrestling hold under his shoulders. Josh had a broom handle held out like a weapon, obviously willing to whack the poor kid. For what?

“Guys?” Claire asked, using the 'I think you've lost it' voice she usually reserved for Dare's more unique moments.

Why were they threatening Ryu? They spent half of last night trying to patch him back together!

“Claire, you okay?” Josh asked.

She nodded. “Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?”

“You screamed, and we came down here and this guy was all over you!” Jacob said.

Ryu, for his part, remained completely limp in Jacob's hold. Which had to hurt.

“Let him go,” Claire said. “He didn't do anything to me, and I was the one all over him.”

“Huh?” Josh squeaked.

“I had a nightmare, thus the screaming, and I rolled off the couch onto him," Claire said.

“Why was he standing there then?” Jacob asked.

“I'm gonna guess because I was screaming?” Claire shrugged. “Seriously. Let go. You're hurting him.”

She could see pain in the boy's eyes, darkening bright jade to nearly black.

Jacob let go and jumped back. “Sorry, sorry. I just... I thought...”

Ryu shrugged and stepped away, eyes locked on Claire warily. Which she thought was a bit weird and maybe unfair. She wasn't the one menacing him with a broomstick!

Claire patted the couch next to her. “Sorry about that,” she said. “The guys are a bit, um, protective. They didn't mean anything.”

Ryu nodded once, quickly. “It is good to have friends willing to protect you.”

He didn't move to sit down.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Claire said. “Do you mind if I check your bandages right quick? A couple of those probably need changing, and I want to make sure there aren't any signs of infection.”

“We'll fix breakfast,” Josh offered. “You, uh, you drink coffee ki-I mean Ryu?”

The boy frowned and glanced at Claire for a moment, as though waiting for her approval. “I do, sometimes.”

“Cool. How do you take it?" Jacob asked.

“Black, if that is acceptable," Ryu answered.

“Why wouldn't it be?” Jacob scoffed. “Weird to drink coffee black young as you are, but we aren't the caffeine police here.” He paused. “I am sorry we, uh, overreacted. You like scrambled eggs?”

“I'm not hungry, at the moment, but thank you," Ryu said.

He answered the guys, but he kept his eyes on Claire.

Claire frowned. He needed to eat. Though, maybe eggs were a bit much if he'd gone hungry for a while. He was pretty skinny, and she didn't doubt someone sick enough to shove metal bars through someone's wrists would also be sick enough to starve them.

“Maybe just toast, then,” Claire suggested. “Easier on the stomach.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Josh said, practically dragging his brother out of the living room.

And leaving Claire alone with a clearly traumatized, injured teenager. Fun.

“Here, sit down,” Claire said.

Ryu dropped onto the couch like a puppet with its strings cut. Well, he must still be tired.

“I really am sorry about that,” Claire waved in the general direction of the guys. “They wouldn't have hurt you, not really.”

“If I was the reason you screamed, they would have,” Ryu argued.

“Well. Um. Maybe?” Claire looked around for a change of subject. “Let me check your back? I did a really slapdash job of bandaging that. If you can even call basically duct taping a towel to you bandaging.”

“You did the best you could with what you had,” Ryu said. “It... helped.”

“Really?” Claire asked, doubtful.

“It mitigated the discomfort.” Ryu shrugged.

That was a weird way to say it. But okay.

“I'm glad I could help,” Claire said. “Is it all right if I take a look? It might hurt, removing the, um, bandages. The towels.”

He twisted a little as though trying to look at his own back.

“I think it will be okay,” he said.

Claire looked at the towel and realized there was no pulling that free without causing him agony. The towel's fibers must have fused into the dried blood. No matter how cautious she was, it would open some wounds.

She needed to check for signs of infection, and do a proper job of applying a dressing, but. But it was going to hurt.

And someone had already hurt him enough.

“Maybe... maybe I should check your wrists, first,” she suggested.

She had been able to do a neater job there, and the wounds, while serious, were small. It would hurt less.

He held one hand out to her. “That is acceptable, Lady.”

“It's Claire. Remember?”

He nodded.

Okay then.

Claire pulled at the edge of the bandages and unwrapped the medical tape to reveal two blood-drenched gauze pads. Yeah, that needed to be changed immediately. She grabbed for two more sterile pads, checking the skin of his upper wrists and hands for any warmth or red streaks, which would be sure signs of infection. There were none, which was good, although he seemed a little cool to the touch. Was he still hypothermic? She thought being all wrapped up and inside a warm house should have brought up his temperature.

With a soft apology, Claire pried one of the gauze pads free.

For a moment, she just stared.

Then, she bolted up from the couch and across the room. She had to put some distance between herself and what she'd just seen.

It didn't make sense. It was impossible.

Ryu's wrists were healed.