Adopted (a Zalfie fanfic) [1]

Chapter 21

*Lily's POV*
The nightmare, the exact same as it was every other night, decided it would haunt me once again. The same screeching of the tyres roared through my head, the same cries of our pain present in my mind.

I woke up an emotional wreck. Crying, sweating, panting. This particular night was worse than any other. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't in my own bed. Maybe it was because I was already anxious. I don't know, but for some reason it got to me even more than usual.

My shallow breaths caused me to start hyperventilating, alerting my body and sending it into panic mode. "No. Not now, no, stop." I told myself, but it didn't work. I felt dizzy even though I was sat down. The room span round me so fast it made me feel nauseous.

I don't know how but Zoe must have sensed something wasn't right. I heard her footsteps plodding along the landing, stopping momentarily outside my door. I tried to remain as quiet as possible but with little success. The overwhelming feeling of panic took over me and I started shaking. By this point I was sat on the edge of the bed, crying and unable to breathe properly.

Zoe rushed in and crouched down in front of me. She held one of her hands in mine and the other on my shoulder. "You're having a panic attack. Stay calm and try and match my breathing." She said, in a gentle but firm way. "Shhh. It's alright, you're safe here, just try and breathe slowly."

Zoe, who was now sat cross legged on the floor in front of me, continued to soothe me, whispering reassuring words of encouragement. This continued for a good hour or so, until all energy was sucked out of me. I slowly began to calm down, my breathing steadily becoming slower and slower until it was almost back to normal.

She beckoned me to sit on the floor beside her, so we were both with our backs against the bed. She held me close, her arm wrapped around my shoulders, my head resting on hers. She stroked my hair out of my face and asked, "Was it the nightmare?"

I simply nodded. That's all I could manage without breaking into tears again. She sighed and hugged me closer. "Is it the same every night?"

I nodded again.

"Does Emma know about it? Does anyone?"

"O-only E-Emma knows. N-no-one else." I stuttered.

"Has she not done anything about it?" Zoe asked. There was a level of concern in her voice that made me realise that she really cared and wanted to help me.

"S-she tried, f-for a bit. T-then she just s-sort of just g-gave up."

"Something's not right Lily, you know that don't you?" She asked me gently.

"I-I've known it f-for years." I said. There was a few moments of silence before Zoe replied.

"How would you feel if Alfie and I were to find someone to help you with all of this? They would help you to get rid of this nightmare, get rid of the anxiety. What do you reckon?"

"P-please." I said, before breaking down into tears again. It had took me six long years to confess to the fact I had a problem and now that I had, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

A/N: Short chapter because it's late but I wanted to write something.

So urm, I don't know how this is. I've never experienced a panic attack before so I don't know if this is accurate or not, did I do alright at describing it? Leave your opinions in the comments!

Thank you for all the support I get off you guys. Reading your comments and seeing your votes makes me so happy :)

I really want to interact with you more. Any ideas of games or competitions we could have? I'm open to suggestions!

Bye for now x