𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀

ᴘɪɴᴇ-ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

-Gabriella, 7 years old- 

"Gabby!" Luka fell instantly to a crouch and helped me to sit up again. Pathetically, I had already begun to cry, which only made him panic further. Will scraped some snow off of a fallen tree trunk to sit on, and scooped me up into his arms, with a surprising lack of effort, being careful not to move my leg too much. I pressed my face firmly between his shoulder and neck as the pain caught up to me and my limbs began to quiver with adrenaline.

He sat me down on his lap, and adjusted me so that Luka could inspect my leg, while I wrapped my arms tightly around him and made his school jumper wet with my tears. He used his right arm to keep me tucked close against his chest, while his left hand stroked away my tears and prevented me from looking at my leg and passing out. 

He didn't say anything, but the way he was holding me so tightly let me know I had freaked him out as well. 

I had always been a clumsy kid. I should have known that with me involved, good things didn't last very long. Now Luka was getting disconcertingly hysteric as he inspected the wound on my leg, and Will was holding me like his life depended on it. Oh, and, of course, I was turning some of the snow bright red with my blood, which didn't look like it would stop flowing anytime soon, all while sobbing gracelessly. 

I heard a ripping noise that wasn't coming from my tights, and peered under Will's hand to see Luka's jumper being torn into strips. 

"I'm fine." I sniffled. I didn't want him to get cold. 

He looked over at me, and smiled like he had just won the lottery, having heard me speak for the first time. After realizing his hands had blood all over them, he went back into panic mode, and began turning the ripped up fabric into a makeshift bandage. Will removed his hand from covering my eyes after a jumper sleeve was secured over the cut. 

"Pass her to me." Luka asked Will, wiping his bloodied hands on his once clean white school shirt. 

Will said nothing but didn't let go. 

"Fine." Luka breathed heavily from his nose, and crouched down next to me, wiping the final tear from my cheek  with the clean back of his hand. He scanned my face entirely, looking for some reason he should call an air-ambulance, or perhaps rip up Will's jumper for more bandage material. "But only until we get to the nurses office." He warned his best friend after finishing his emotional inspection. 

He stood up again and Will copied him, supporting me with an arm under my knees, and another against my back. 

The snow was a whole less enthralling after that ordeal. I was mostly worried about Luka getting cold, even though he seemed fine tracking our way back to the school. Will, however, was still clutching me to him, constantly glancing at me to make sure the pain hadn't gotten any worse. With each step, he jostled the cut painfully, but it kept getting easier and easier to bear until I couldn't feel it at all. I put it down to the cold. Maybe I had hypothermia. 

I leaned my head down on Will's shoulder after a while, and let the steady beating of his heart calm me down. 

It didn't take long for Luka to lead us back to the school building. 

We must have looked a right sight, with Luka's blood-covered shirt and lack of jumper, Will's scared face, and, of course, the drying blood that was covering my left leg. My assumption was proved when a small student screamed having seen us. It was a good thing, though, as Mr Bream came running, and then changed course to our trio when he saw the state of us. 

"Pass her to me, William." He ordered. 

Will began to growl low in his throat, and with every inch closer Mr Bream got, the noise grew louder and louder until he was snarling. Just to make things even worse, the noise seemed to set off Luka, who quickly took his place beside us and began to growl as well.