ᴍᴏᴏɴʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴀꜱꜱᴀꜱꜱɪɴꜱ「 ˢᵒʳᵘʸ ᵛˢ ˢᵒᵏᵉᵉᶠᵉ 」

21 [dream]

The girl watched the world pass her by in slow-mo.

It was just as scary as the first time this happened.

Her world slowed, it was a numbing effect that she thought only drugs could give her—but she was doing this herself.

Much like the first time Keefe was in a coma, she waited at his bedside. Though this time, when he woke up, she would be there.

He deserved that much.

He deserved much more than that much if she was being honest.

"Please wake up," she pleaded, "I don't think I can deal with you leaving me again."

She sniffled as she played with his fluffy blonde curls, free from the weight of the blood it was drowning in hours before.

Placing her face between the crook of his shoulder and neck, she snuggled into him and eventually drifted off in a dreamless sleep.

But that sleep didn't last long, because she heard when the door to the Healing Center opened she jerked away from him to face the intruders.

Elwin specifically said that only she and Ruy were allowed in there—and Ruy left hours ago to stanche the news of Keefe falling back into a coma from getting to their parents at Elysian. And Elwin was holed up in his office, creating and finding elixirs to help take the pain away.

Keefe suffered some head trauma—a concussion, a fractured cheekbone, and very painful bruising.

Hearing her doctor friend list the monstrosities done to Keefe made her start crying again.

But she was blaming it on the restrictor on her arm, it was keeping all her hormones from escaping because it was keeping her abilities locked under her skin. She had no choice but to cry, because it was sad and she had zero control of her emotions. It was nothing more and nothing less.

When she saw who was at the door, she froze—but she wasn't surprised.

She knew that it would only be a matter of time before they started shoving their way into Keefe's mindless resting and her self-blame.

By the looks on all their faces, she assumed that they'd been working up the courage to do this for a while. They all looked robotic and nervous, looking at each other like it would make it easier.

Not saying a word, she stared at the unwelcome guest. And they stared back.

"Well," her voice was cold, "if you aren't going to say anything, then leave."

"Soph—"

"Anyone but you."

"Sophie." Linh reprimanded, going over to Dex and giving him an encouraging smile.

"Let—"

"No." She was still as adamant as ever, "If anyone but Dexter would like to apologize, then go for it. But if he says another word," she looked around, looked deep into their eyes, "I will rip his dick off—then we would be even, unless he's willing to take this off of me."

Gesturing to her restrictor.

The girl knew that they would never take it off, so they were stuck at a crossroads, and she was loving their reactions.

It was silent.

"You all may go now."

They didn't say anything, but they still didn't move.

"Be gone."

I'm talking to fucking idiots.

"How many times to I have to fucking repeat—"