Chapter 10 Dormiveglia

Trauma keeps you in a loop of your past. You'll be twenty five with a eight year old mindset and thought process.

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"Come on baby, just show me what you got.."

"Leave me alone!" She kneed him in the crotch and sent him bending over groaning, she took this as her chance. She ran. She did not know where to go, she let her legs take her anywhere.

"Come back here you little bitch!!" He screams. He slowly gets up and starts jogging in the same direction she went. She turned around, Shit! She told herself. She turned around the corner and hid behind someone's trash can, her breath shaky and her eyes watery.

"You know.." He began

"If anyone ever gets with you for anything other than your body, they are full of shit."

She wanted to scream, she wanted to scream for him to shut up, that he does not know what he's talking about. Just because I have never been loved.. does not mean I am not capable of being loved, she reassured herself. She began to cry, hiccups of sobs slowly escaping her quivering lips.

Footsteps..

They were getting louder and easier to hear. It's not worth it anymore.. She thought. The footsteps stopped.

"Got you."

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Merliah woke up, sweat covering her back and neck, her heart was pounding. She immediately got out of bed and looked around. She was in her room; she was safe. She took a deep breath, trying to clear through the knots in her throat. The brunette slowly sat back into bed, her hands going directly against her face.

It was just a dream.. just-just a dream. She told herself.

Tears; something she was so used to feeling. The same taste of salt as it dripped onto her lips. She took her head out of her hands and ran her fingers through her hair.

The girl stood up and walked to her dresser and took out her hoodie and jeans, she slipped her nightgown off of her and slipped on her old clothes. She took her phone and slowly and surely walked out of De L'heure without waking up anyone. As she began walking farther from her new found home she took out her phone. Which one.. She thought to herself. Merliah always listened to music, it was her escape. Anyone can get lost in the rhythm of a song.

She finally found the right song, once she clicked on it she put her phone in her back pocket as it played. Merliah was on her way to her favorite spot, she only ever went there when she had those substandard nightmares. She slowly dragged her feet with her tired body to the end of the field by the ocean, a while walk away from De L'heure but not that far. As she walked up to the edge she noticed a dark figure sitting there. By the time she reached the figure, the song was over.

"Gil?" She spoke ever so softly. The dark figure turned around and was revealed to be the curly headed boy. "Hey.." He spoke in a raspy voice.

"Can't sleep?" Merliah asked, more of a statement than a question. Gilbert simply hummed in response. The brunette sat down next to him, both teens feet dangling over the pier of what seemed like the world. "I guess we are both Noceur's than aren't we?" Just two broken kids whose worlds are going against them.

"They are beautiful." He spoke up. His head was tilted back a little, his eyes glazing over the stars that shined. Merliah moved her gaze to the stars as well, taking in the beautiful view.

The sky was a dark blue but hints of green hues placed across the sky like a canvas. The stars dangled like pieces of art in a gallery, each one shining greater than the last one. "They are.." She replied.

Gilbert turned to the girl next to him, he had just realized once again how beautiful she was. However there was something off, she seemed tense. Her eyes, they were dull and lacked their shine like the stars in the night sky. She had dark circles under her eyes and there were many strands of hair misplaced. "So what's on your mind to be up this late?" He began.

Merliah did not turn to look at him, she just laid back against the soft grass that so gently had small amounts of frost over them.

"I had a dream.." She spoke. If the waves crashing against the rocks below them were any louder he probably would not have been able to hear her.

He laid down next to her, both of their eyes glued to the sky.

"A nightmare..?" He continued. The girl replied with a quiet Yeah.

Staying in his comfortable position next to her he asked, "Do.. do you want to talk about it? It might help." He knew he could not solve his current problem so he thought it would be better to help with hers.

Merliah laid quiet for a moment, thinking.

It would be nice to have someone to confide in once and awhile.. she told herself. "Back in my time, people - some were not as good as others." Gilbert sat up, propping himself up on his left arm to face her. His eyes looking at hers. Although she did not return the gesture. He took notice how her chest rose and decayed at a fast rate.

She closed her eyes, then opened them back up. Come on She scolded herself.

"There - there was this guy, and he was not a good guy. He did a lot of bad things to a lot of girls.." Her breath hitched and she started to hiccup with tears, she placed her left hand over her mouth, knowing that he was watching her. She did not want him to see her cry. She did not want anyone to see her cry. Gilbert took her right hand into his own, rubbing soft circles over her hand. "It's okay. Take your time, I'm right here. I am not going anywhere.." He spoke in a calming voice, he spoke how a mother would comfort her child who had fallen off their bicycle. Merliah took in deep breaths, her hand still in his. His hands were warm; soft, giving comfort and assurance. She continued, "I did not know who he was, I was walking home from my friends house and he saw me and he asked if I had seen his son, and I said no and he grabbed me and started saying these.. horrible things and - and I kicked him and than I ran. But I- I did not run fast enough. Gilbert there was no kid.. I tried to fight back but I-.." She stopped, she could not finish.

In this moment Gilbert had sat up all the way, taking her into his arms. She was a crying mess, her salty tears damping his shirt. Her hiccups and cries slowly coming out of her body like a train leaving its station. Her head was placed in the crook of his neck. She was shaking. Gilbert had leaned his head against hers and rubbed her back with one of his hands as he coed her.

After a couple minutes of sobbing she began to calm down. Her cries turning into sniffles and she slowly stopped shaking as much. She leaned closer into his body, for the warmth, the comfort. For him. He noticed this and brought her closer, making sure there was no room between them.

He did not question her, or say anything, he just held her.

Merliah soon began to draw weary, she slowly closed her eyes and began to drift off into a much needed slumber.

Gilbert did the best thing anyone could have done for her, he was there.

Awhile after she had fallen asleep Gilbert carefully laid back against the soft ground, careful not to wake up the sleeping brunette. Once he was laid against the grass he slowly moved her closer to him, making sure she felt comfortable, or at least looked as if. He had gently placed her on the grass next to him, and he placed his hands on her waist pulled her close. He was her dragon, she was the princess. Gilbert leaned his forehead against hers, as Merliah's fingers were intertwined with his shirt. with his left hand on her waist, his right hand under his head, acting like a pillow. He too, began to drift off.

I've got you, I won't let them hurt you anymore.. he thought. He was very much tired as she was.

"I love you.." He said, his last words before slipping into unconsciousness. He never realized what he said, he just knew it sounded right.

As they slept, with the stars watching over them like they're guardian angels, they both felt safe in each other's grasp. And for once in a long time, they both slept peacefully.