Trigger Words [2]

Trigger words.

To most, they are just words that invoke fear, but to some, they control their lives. Even a simple word or phrase could send someone to the deepest parts of hell inside their heads.

Some may only have one, while others could have twenty.

The most common triggers, though, don't lie in words, they lie in images and touch. Touch some on their arm, and you could send them into a screaming fit, make a veteran watch a violent movie, and you may have them trembling on the floor.

What did that one guy say again? Oh yeah...' Sometimes, the smallest decision, can change yours, or someone else's life forever.'

Even a name, could be the biggest curse, for an individual.

"My name is Conner, and his name is Sam, short for Samuel,"

. . . .

8:37 am

"aiiishh..." Yaorui used her forearm to cover up the shining sun as she stretches her muscles in bed.

"haaaaaaaaaaah..." She let out a long sigh while she allowed her eyes to adjust to the sun.

"It's so sunny here," She smiled, "I love it,"

She relaxed in bed and soaked in the warmth from the sun.

Sometimes, only sometimes was the sun better than the rain.

Slowly but surely, she sat up out of bed and moved to the shared bathroom. Inside, she squeezed the toothpaste onto the toothbrush and begun her daily morning routine.

While brushing her teeth, a needle-sized hole on her arm caught her attention. Looks like she had another episode last night, she thought nothing of it and continued on with her day. She didn't remember any of it anyway.

She'll just ask her friends about when she sees them again. Speaking of which, they were supposed to head to the mall today, weren't they? Great, now she had a reason to skip her morning exercise today.

She spat the toothpaste into the sink and rinsed her mouth clean. Her hands reached for her skincare products as she began to mull over what to wear.

Judging by the weather outside, something simple and a long overcoat would do. Since school hadn't officially started, she figured she didn't have to wear a space blue outfit. But she did have some dull navy clothes that could be passable.

She'll figure something out.

Complete with her skincare routine, she moved on to her side of the closet and pulled out a possible outfit.

She threw on a pair of high-waisted jeans and a loose-knit sweatshirt that she tucked into the jeans. Her sneakers were navy with a white base, and her coat was a men's navy overcoat. There were perks to having male friends and older brothers.

Her hand maneuvers through her hair, tying it into a high pony. And with a bag in hand and a pair of black wire-rimmed glasses, she headed out the door. Only to turn back minutes later after remembering her geometric watch.

. . . .

Hu Angli's POV

Last night

"My name is Conner, and his name is Sam, short for Samuel,"

All it took was one sentence for him to take action.

He had witnessed many of Yaorui's episodes, he was there during her sessions with Dr. Meiling. He was there during her first episode and her last episode. When they were looking for anything that would trigger them, he was there, ready to comfort her.

Compared to one month ago, they were much better than before. Her immediate reaction wasn't to look for something harmful or fall into a trance, now she would find a small space to hide in.

But, there was one exception, the person that put her into that state. No matter what they did, they couldn't ease the reaction his little ball of sunshine had when that demon's name was mentioned.

Samuel.

The name of the monster that shattered his most beloved treasure.

His first reaction wasn't to rage at the guy named Samuel, that wasn't fair, after all, they didn't name themselves. Plus, they didn't know.

His first reaction was to reach out to Xiao Rui, to restrain her from doing anything that could harm both her and him. He knew the signs, and all of them were there.

Her pupils constricted, her hands were shaking, her glazed eyes and the tears forming, the large intakes of oxygen, and the way her hands moved to find anything, and he means anything potentially harmful.

In an instant, he had her on his lap with both her hands and legs restrained. He used his free hand to force her head to his chest as he struggled to hold her down securely.

Wenshi, who was sitting right next to her, pulled out a sedative.

He made a mistake.

He loosened his hold, and she saw, she saw the needle and broke free.

She grabbed a bowl and smashed it on the floor, her hands reached for a shard and prepared to slash it on her wrist where an existing scar already was.

Her brother, Long Ao, moved quickly to pull back her arms. He could see his muscles straining against her as she battled against his grip. He could see the tears forming in the man's eyes.

Gebao climbed over the table and pulled back sleeve as Long Ao firmly held one of her arms on a safe spot on the floor.

Almost immediately, Wenshi inserted the needle.

All this in a mere three minutes.

They waited a few minutes for Yaorui to calm down, and eventually, she did.

When she did, Gebao burst into tears and was comforted by his friend, Sheng Rong was no exception, though her tears were silent. Jian Nu noticed, he pulled her in and rested her head on his chest.

Wenshi let go and enveloped her lover in his arms as he cried silently as well. In their team, some cried, while others glazed over in shock. And while they did, he picked her up off the ground and prepared to carry her out.

Long Ao looked at him, sending him a silent message to take care of her.

Precious, the leader from fourth-year, trudged along. He didn't mind it wasn't like he was permitted in the girls' dorm anyway.

She remained a peaceful distance away from them, enough so that she didn't hear his muffled cries, but close enough so that she could still see them.

He was thankful that he didn't need to worry about another repeat of the episode after she woke up. He knew that she never seems to be able to recall anything about them.

Sedatives were only used in these situations in other ones, he could merely embrace her and comfort her, he didn't have to worry about a fight. But no matter how much he liked holding her in his arms, his heart broke every time the reason for it was her trauma, the trauma that broke her, yet ironically, brought him closer to her.

He looked down at her tear-stained face. She cried every time she had one of these. Today, she screamed, and cried, she tried to end it all and yet here she was, safe and sound in his arms. He couldn't help but admire her, she went through a lot, too much.

Of all the trigger words, it just had to be that one. The one that caused her the most pain and suffering, the one that made her scream and cry as if she were on fire.

They weren't insightful enough, they had taken precautions, but they forgot that there may be people that share the same name. They ignored the fact because people didn't tend to go by English names in China, they forgot about the rest of the world. He was sure that Aishi had already started to investigate.

How was he going to explain this to the rest of the team, maybe he can just hand them a list of 'bad words'

____________________________

Sheng Rong's POV

After her friends had left with one in the arms of another, she found herself wrapped up in Jian Nu's arms with his chin on her head. Gently, she pulled away and watched as Precious, her best friend's roommate leave behind them.

It was then that she finally noticed the many pairs of eyes staring at them. A few of them were shocked, well, most of them. But two of the guys from the team that was sitting next to theirs appeared to be flustered.

While her body moved in the direction of the two boys, muffled cries were heard in the background. Along with whispers and the footsteps of Jian Nu, who followed closely behind her.

"You two!" She pointed at both of the flustered boys now in front of her. "Which one of you is Samuel!? There is only one trigger word that can make her like that,"

The boy with the reddish-brown hair and tanned skin raised his hand.

"T-that would be m-me!"

"Whatever you do, don't ever say your full name in front of her again! She didn't succeed in committing suicide this time! But there is no telling if she will next time!"

"You got that!"

"Y-yes..."

Sheng Rong looked him the eyes, warning him as she turned.

Xun Shouhan took this as a signal and stepped up, "Gather up, we're heading back,"

And just like that, they ended the night with a deadly weapon in the hands of the enemies.

. . . .

Present Time

Yaorui's POV

While her feet led her downstairs and down the corridors to the center wing, she checked her watch for any new announcements.

~10/35 teams have arrived~

~breakfast to be eaten in the dining hall~

Having confirmed her destination, she dropped her hands and raised her head.

"Look who's up and ready to go!" Hu Angli stood up with a big smile on his face, "Come, we'll go together, m'lady," He performed a ninety-degree bow and stretched out his hand for her taking.

She laughed off his actions as she graciously accepted his hand.

"Where are the others?" she asked as she slipped off her slippers and traded them for a pair of sneakers.

"They left already, they went to 'save' us a seat,"