Hope woke up with a groan. Her head hurt like hell, and she didn't remember much of last night. She opened her eyes, slowly and painfully adjusting to the light. Her brain was not functioning enough to figure out where she was just yet.
But she did notice Pollux seemingly sleeping in a sofa not far from where she was. He heard her sit up. "Bathroom's over there," he pointed not opening his eyes.
For a moment, she was confused, but then she suddenly felt sick to her stomach and rushed for the toilet, barfing up the contents of her stomach. When she finished Pollux came in to check on her.
He helped her to her feet, and helped her back out, sitting her back down on the bed. "Where'd you go last night?" he asked quietly.
"I was just in the city," she murmured. "Why does my head hurt?"
He smiled. "Hangover," he muttered. "You drank too much last night. What did you do in the city?"
"Um, a concert I think--yeah, I ended up at a concert and I'm sorry I don't remember much else." Hope curled up into the fetal position, tears pricked at her eyes. She didn't have the pain tolerance most people had--she'd cry over a simple scrapped knee.
"Just get some sleep for now, Hope," Pollux told her. "It will go away eventually."

---

True to his word, the pain did go away, when Hope woke up for lunch, she felt much better--even if there still was a nagging pinch at the back of her head.
Hope might have actually gone to lunch with a smile, if she hadn't found something she shouldn't have.
The mattress wasn't exactly the best, and she could feel something digging into her back. She dug her hands under the mattress and pulled out an old straight blade--the kind you see barber shops use on men's faces.
There was still blood on it--and some on it was fresh. Pollux walked out of the bathroom to see her holding it.
She didn't look at it. "What is this?" she asked quietly. "What have you been doing to yourself?!"
He didn't answer. He wasn't entirely sure how. She screamed at him then threw the blade across the room running out of the cabin in both anger and pain. She ran to the first person she could think of: Lacy.
She knocked on the door of the pink cabin. It smelled heavily of too many perfumes, and when the door was opened it only smelled worse.
"Is Lacy there?" she asked quietly. The girl at the door smiled and nodded. She was pretty, and very different from her siblings. A bit more down to earth with basic jeans and camp t-shirt. the only thing she did with her hair was braid it slightly with feathers.
"Lacy, your friend wants you!" she called.
Lacy appeared in an instant. "Thanks Piper," she grinned, walking out to Hope, who instantly burst into more tears as she saw Lacy.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Lacy, wrapping her arms around Hope's shoulders. "Did something happen?"
Hope nodded, but her tears prevented her from saying what. So Lacy and the other girl, who she called Piper, ushered her inside, and sat her down on a bunk. They gave Hope a bit of chocolate and draped a blanket across her shoulders. Slowly, she began to calm down.
"I found a straight blade under Pollux's mattress," she said, finally. "He's been cutting himself."
Silence fell. Lacy sighed. "I'll admit, I knew he was drinking from time to time, but I didn't know about the self-harm."
"What can we do?" asked Hope. "I don't want him to keep hurting himself."
Lacy shrugged. "I have no idea--Pollux is too stubborn for anything I could come up with."
"I have an idea," said Piper with a slight smile. The other two looked at her as she held up two black bracelets, that looked like they belonged in a sci-fi film. "Leo made these awhile ago, but we've never really had a use for them."
"What are they?" asked Hope.
"Bracelets with a very technical name that I don't know," she grinned. "Basically though, the two people who wore these would feel and experience, everything, the other would. So if Pollux wore one, and you wore the other, every time Pollux cuts himself, he'd also be cutting you."
"Interesting idea," said Hope. "But how would that help."
"If Pollux realized he was hurting you, every time he hurt himself, it will probably make him stop."
Hope examined one of the bracelets. "Are you sure about this?"
Piper smiled at her. "Of course!" the only problem, will be getting him to wear the bracelet.
Hope grinned. "Leave that to me," she told them, putting on one bracelet of her own."That bit is easy."
She grabbed the other bracelet and ran for the Stolls.
Piper looked at Lacy. "She certainly has a one track mind doesn't she?"
"Well she is in love."

---

"Conner! Travis!" Hope shouted as she ran towards the Hermes cabin. "I need your help!"
The boys grinned at her. "Our help?" asked Conner, faking surprise.
"How can we help you?" taunted Travis.
She smacked them both. "Stop it--this one is serious! I need you to get Pollux to wear this bracelet."
Conner and Travis looked at each other. "Okay, how is that serious?"
"It might stop him from cutting himself," she told them quietly. "I'll explain more later, right now I have to get down to the practice field, or Clarisse is going to kill me." She ran off. She hoped this worked.

Notes

Viola! Another chapter! I'm really super hyper right now--a little too hyper---but it gets chapters out faster so I doubt it bothers you! My siblings want to kill me though---

You knows teh drill,
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--Kim


(There is something to an 18 year old getting so hyper she's acting like her three year old brother and getting her other three older siblings to issue death threats)