Camilo x Reader -Broken Reflection

Chapter 21 (The World of Nightmares)

TW: Child abuse

Y/N's POV

"Julio!" I shouted. My baby brother was nowhere in sight and no matter how deep I searched the forest, his little head never popped out of the bushes. I swore to myself as I pushed a leaf the size of my head aside and peeked behind a tree with a particularly thick trunk.

The little boy that I called my brother never revealed himself.

"Come on, Julio, I'm not joking!" I called out to the shrubbery. I'd been looking for him for what seemed like hours but in reality, it was no longer than thirty minutes. With every few passing seconds, I felt anxiety and worry chill my blood.

He'd run away. It was my fault, I knew, and the guilt tore at my heart. An hour before, I'd proposed that we went for a little walk in the forest at the edge of our town. We fought. He took off.

I was alone and I could see the sun beginning to set through the treetops. I took in a deep breath and bellowed his name with all of my might, feeling my voice crack and my fists clench.

Images from what had happened hours before flashed from behind my eyes. They were so vivid. I could still hear the sound of my brother's dish crashing to the floor. I could hear the thump of my parent's feet and their voices as they shouted at Julio. I could hear myself yelling and trying to defend my brother while he cried before their fists connected with our skin.

We took off when they slunk back to their room.

And there I was, all alone and surrounded in the deep green labyrinth. I felt tears drip down my cheeks but didn't dare stop looking. My legs and arms ached, but I knew the pain was nothing compared to the swelling in Julio's left eye and split bottom lip. He was just a little boy. He didn't deserve it. I didn't blame him for running away from my parents. From me.

I didn't mean to yell at him, though. I was mad at my parents. I should have known- me, of all people- that it was shitty to take my anger out on others.

From afar, I could hear the distant sound of broken sobs. They were all too familiar and I rushed towards them, feeling my heart rate quicken as I drew closer to my brother. He sat crouched in the shrubs with his head tucked in his arms and his knees pulled to his chest. His small pack hung from his shoulders and his head was sheltered with his dark brown curls.

I eased closer to him and stopped a few feet away, watching as my brother softly cried to himself. I didn't touch him. He knew that I was there.

"I didn't mean to drop it," he said between sobs. My head moved stiffly in a single nod.

"I know," I whispered. My throat was tight as I tried to calm my breathing.

"Why do they hate us, Hermana?" His little voice quivered as he spoke to me as if he were afraid to ask his question. It sent a pang to my chest and I wanted more than anything to take him into my arms and hold him tight. Instead, I said, "sometimes people hate people for no reason at all."

We stayed there for another ten minutes before he stood up. Julio wiped his nose and didn't touch his eyes or lips- it would hurt too much and he'd learned his lesson the first time he tried to touch his wounds. Julio took my outstretched hand and avoided my eyes as I led him out of the forest and closer to our town.

"Come on, let's go home," I told him. We made our way closer to the city and civilization as the moon slid out from thick grey clouds. It was going to rain. The weather suited our moods. My brother was miserable and I didn't want to go home. But there was nowhere else for us. No one was kind enough to outstretch their hands to us. We weren't brave enough to ask.