Escape

Chapter Twelve

Nightmares. 

The most awful things the mind can do to the human body.

I can blissfully say that I never remember my dreams - they're probably gruesome and beyond terrifying. 

This is the case tonight, but when I wake up, the terror raises with me. I wake drenched in sweat, panting heavily, tangled within my sleeping bag and unable to move.

 I sit back in my sleeping bag and carefully extricate myself from the bag, exhaling shakily as I pull off my jacket and walk into the chilly night air. Not having a change of clean clothing, I can only let the breeze cool me down as I climb the fire escape from the apartment building up to the roof.

"You too?" Someone asks.

I look over in surprise. Aaron's laying on his back, staring up at the sky. "Yeah," I say, walking over and sitting next to him. "What's your excuse?"

"Can't sleep," he replies. "Something about this Damien character doesn't sit right."

I laugh softly. "Glad I'm not the only one." I draw my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and resting my chin on my knees.

"What's your excuse?" he asks.

"Nightmares," I reply. Feeling his eyes on me, I continue. "My first one that's actually terrified me since my brother died. I'm sure I get them a lot more, I just don't remember a lot of them."

"I heard you tossing in your sleep," he says, looking back at the sky. "I just wasn't sure whether or not to wake you. Had I known, I probably would've woken you up."

"Don't worry about it," I say with a shrug. "I'm not even sure what the nightmare was. Just that it was damn terrifying."

"How's your head?" he asks. "You hit it pretty hard."

"Meh. I've definitely had worse." I motion to my injured leg. "Case and point."

"How did that happen, anyways? I never even asked."

"A bomb went off in a mall the day we met you. I got hit by a piece of shrapnel when it exploded. It hurt. A lot."

"That kind of thing tends to," he remarks wisely.

I laugh, closing my eyes as a cold breeze moves my short hair out of my face. "No dip, Sherlock. How long have you been awake?"

"Never went to sleep."

"So you heard...?"

"Yeah. But I already suspected something anyways. Lea can be subtle, but I know her well. We've been glued to the hip since my mother's death. I know when she's hiding something. Thanks for talking to her, though."

"Meh. Drama like that is unneeded. And Brian and I are close enough to warrant that kind of thinking. I try making it clear as much as possible."

"Good."

I smile softly, opening my eyes and staring at the building across from us. "Drama can tear the best relationship to pieces. I've seen it happen to my parents' friends before the war. Best to squander any misunderstanding before it gets too out of hand."

"Understandable," he agrees. 

We fall into a companionable silence, me shivering slightly with the new found cold. And I brilliantly left my jacket inside. Smooth, Bryna. Smooth.

I sigh at my predicament, rolling my eyes at my sleep-addled stupidity. 

"What's up?" Aaron asks, looking over at me.