Their Guardian

Chapter 9

Edited.

*Noella's POV*

Drowning. The water groped every part of her body, leaving nothing untouched. 

The cold sensation washed over her in waves, keeping Noella taunt and ready to break at any moment.

 The Iron of her cage shifted with each change of current, jostling her in all directions, never shifting the way she expected. However, all she could do was focus on the overwhelming sense of panic that consumed her every thought, driving Noella to act on instinct alone.

Her head whipped in every direction, and her limbs crashed against the inside of the prison, fighting to escape. She was completely powerless, and for just a moment, she glimpsed what it was like to be utterly insane.

She*, Noella corrected. This is just a dream, but if it's only a dream, why does it feel so real?

Those thoughts escaped her the minute she started to feel the pressure building up in her head. It felt like it was exploding and at that moment she would have done anything to make it end, even if it meant giving up the fight for her survival. All just for some semblance of peace. 

Noella could feel her resolve start to slip, along with her consciousness. She was drained both physically and mentally, so with her final seconds she attempted to call out a name. It died on her lips and eventually so did she.

Waking up was like entering another realm, all Noella could do was act out of instinct. She pushed herself out of bed and onto the cold ground. She couldn't stop shaking, stop thinking, stop panicking. She kept feeling herself die over and over again. It suffocated her with each replay and nothing felt real anymore.

She vaguely heard voices and saw lights being turned on, but she didn't move. She just sat there, fighting to gain a sense of control and mostly losing. She could have been there minutes or hours, she really didn't know how long, only that she could finally breathe normally. With each deep breathe she felt reality start to creep back in. 

Noella could feel their eyes on her, and she knew that if she's see's pity in them she might start to panic again. What are the odds that the first time she has good company in over a year, she has the worst breakdown yet. If this is what company is going to do to her, it might be better for her to ditch it and go solo for a year or two, just enough time to get back to semi-normal.

Noella knew that she would have to face them eventually, but she also knew she needed to take it slow. She started with stretching her legs, then her arms. When she lifted her neck, all she saw were four pairs of very concerned eyes watching her like she would bolt at any moment. Awkward.

She didn't know what to say, she had options, she could pretend nothing happened? I mean, how much did they really see? Everything could be okay. Or, she could just try and go back to sleep. Neither option seemed desirable, but she needed to make a move soon.

"Um, Good Morning?" Noella said shyly before burring her head in the blanket. She was very uncomfortable.

They were not amused. 

"Noella, I'm going to ask once, and you are going to answer without any bullshit do you understand me?" Andy said sternly enough to have her pulling my legs back to her chest.

"I'm sorry." Noella squeaked, extremely intimidated by the woman in front of her.

Joe and Nicky threw concerned glances at each other, while Booker just furrowed his eyebrows like he was trying to figure something out. Andy kind of just deflated after that, making it clear her intentions were not meant to intimidate her.