After some minutes of trembling on the floor, Elian's hands finally steadied.
He took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped his face roughly with both palms.
"No. No more weakness. No more showing fear." He affirmed inwardly then
pushed himself to his feet, his legs still unsteady but holding. He walked to the small sink in the bathroom and turned on the cold water, splashing it over his face again and again until his skin went numb.
And the cold helped.
When he looked up at the small, scratched mirror above the sink, his reflection stared back. It was pale and haunted but there was still a small fire burning in his eyes.
He swallowed hard as he quickly decided that he wouldn't let Alessio see what that display had done to him. He wouldn't give him that satisfaction.
Elian grabbed the scrub brush and cleaning solution from the corner and dropped to his knees. The bathroom had already been cleaned that morning, actually scrubbed until it gleamed, but he didn't care.
