2. "Don't Ask"

                                    

                                          
"So..." Louis said, looking at the others. "How are we going to do this?"
                          
Liam sighed. "I don't see the benefits of this 'group project', but helping this guy is the least we can do. How about the two of us take him to the infirmary and the other two set up a tent for him." 
                          
Zayn nodded. "I'll set up the tent."
                          
"I'll help," Louis said. 
                          
They looked at Harry. "Then I guess I'll join you to the infirmary."
                          
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"Who's this?" Caroline, the headnurse, asked. 
                          
"Our group project," Liam answered before he got elbowed in the side. 
                          
"Niall," Harry said instead, "his name is Niall."
                          
The nurse raised an eyebrow. "Okay, any more information?" 
                          
"That's all we got, " Liam said as he let himself fall in the closest chair. 
                          
Caroline shook her head. "You boys always come here with the weirdest things." 
                          
She went to grab some stuff for the boy. 
                          
"How's your wrist, Liam?" she asked when she came back. 
                          
"Fine," he only said. 
                          
Harry looked at him questionly. "What did you do?" 
                          
"None of your business." 
                          
"He hurt himself while training. Don't ask me how," Caroline answered instead as she worked on getting Niall comfortable.
                          
The curly-haired frowned. "Alright. Sorry for asking."
                          
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"How was your weekend?" Louis asked as they laid out the tent
                          
Zayn ignored the question and worked on staking down the corners instead. 
                          
"So how long have you been with us now, two years right?"
                          
No answer.
                          
"How do you know Paul actually?"
                          
Zayn threw him a pole. "Make a hole with your earthbending and stick it in the ground."
                          
"Bossy," Louis said under his breath.
                          
He took one of his basic stands and concentrated on the earth. 
                          
Zayn hammered some pins in the ground. 
                          
"How was living in the Earth Kingdom?" Louis asked after the pole was in the ground.
                          
Startled by the other boy, the raven-haired slammed the hammer on his thumb.
                          
He turned around abruptly.
                          
"Can you stop asking me questions!? I'm trying to do my job."
                          
Louis took a step back. "Alright, sorry. I was just curious."
                          
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He heard vague voices around him when he started to wake up.
                          
Suddenly he was wide awake and sat up.
                          
He was surrounded by people he didn't know and he started to sweat.
                          
He realized he was sitting in a bed and kicked the covers off before the people came closer.
                          
He seemed scared and confused.
                          
"Who are you? Where am I!? Where's Paul?" He asked trying to get as for as possible from these strangers. 
                          
A boy with curly brown hair slowly walked up to him. "Calm down, Niall."
                          
The boy flinched by hearing his name. "How do you know my name!?"
                          
"It's okay. Paul told us. We're here to take care of you. You're going to be okay," the guy told him with a calming voice. 
                          
"I don't understand. Why am I here. Who brought me here? How do I know I can trust you?" 
                          
"You don't." 
                          
Niall only then noticed the boy in the chair in a corner. 
                          
"You will just have to trust Paul. But I promise you, you're safe here."
                          
Harry nudged Liam in the side for the second time that day. "What Liam tries to say is that you can trust us. Paul and Simon ordered us to take care of you and we're going to do that." 
                          
"Who's Simon?" the boy asked. 
                          
"The leader," Liam simply said. 
                          
"Simon is the one who started all this. I don't know what you know. But you're with the Peace Protecters now. We are a group that's working on getting everyone together to live in peace again. Like one united nation," the other boy explained. 
                          
He stuck out his hand."I'm Harry by the way, and that's your nurse Caroline and that's Liam."
                          
Niall flinched again at Harry's sudden movement and looked a bit scared at his hand. 
                          
Harry awkwardly put his hand is his pocket. "You're in the infirmary now. Caroline can you take over now?" 
                          
Caroline stepped forward and gently took his bony hand in hers. She gave him a warm smile. "Don't be scared Niall. It's all going to be okay. You're in good hands here."
                          
Somehow her warm voice opened up something in him and he started crying. Heartbreaking sobs escaped his weak body. The two teenagers froze while Caroline quickly came in action, pulled the boy close and comforted him. 
                          
Liam stood next to Harry now and they simply stared. Then they looked at each other. Realizing that this boy had been through a lot more then they thought. 
                          
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"He's extremely weak," the nurse told them outside the tent. 
                          
Niall had been given a check up and they had discovered burns and scars all over his back, thighs and arms. The burns were old, the scars too, but there were also wounds that seemed from only weeks ago. After Zayn and Louis were done setting up the tent, they brought Niall in there and made him comfortable. 
                          
"He needs to eat what he can, but if he can't anymore. Don't force him. His vitals are stable now, but still low. I'll come every hour to check up. And this is only the physical damage. I think this boy is traumatized. Don't you have any information on him?"
                          
Again the four boys shook their head.
                          
"Maybe you can ask Simon?" Zayn said
                          
She sighed."Alright, I'll ask him. For now, someone keep that boy company."
                          
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"Great." Liam said when Caroline left. "We're stuck with a boy with PTSD."
                          
"Could you shut up and stop whining for a moment?" Zayn suddenly said. Shocking the others as he usually didn't say that much. "Simon didn't give us this project as a joke. I thought you wanted to help people. But obviously this is only a liability to you. You should all take this more seriously. That boy really needs our help. I suggest you boys decide on how we're going to do this with the four of us, then I will keep the boy company. 
                          
He entered the tent and left the boys outside. 
                          
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Niall had fallen asleep again and his eyes grew big when he saw who was with him. He immediately made himself as small as possible. 
                          
Zayn took a few steps back when he noticed the boy was awake. 
                          
"H-how?" 
                          
"Don't ask," Zayn said. 
                          
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So I know I thought I wouldn't be able to update this week, but now I do! There you go. 
                          
So what do you think happened to Niall?