Seized in the Dark (gxg)

Ch. 22: Lazy Day pt. 1

Raven Garnett was sleeping peacefully on her bed when a sharp 'no!' startled her awake. The scream made her spring up and scramble to turn on the lights. It had been a long time since she had awoken with a start that she had to take a quick second to gather her thoughts and come back to the world of the living.

When Garnett turned to her right, she saw Keira squirming and thrashing in bed. The brunette's clothes clung to her skin and a shimmering sweat sheen covered the still sleeping girl. Garnett noticed the tears that streamed out from in between the younger girl's closed eyes and how they had already pooled beneath her and had stained the bedsheets. For a minute there, Garnett had totally forgotten about Keira's nightmare affliction and wondered if the twenty-year-old had always been plagued with them or they had started since Garnett's goonies had plucked Keira from society. An unexpected pang of guilt hit Garnett as she speculated it was most probably the latter.

Raven made sure to grab the box of tissues on her nightstand before she scooted across the king-sized bed to Keira's side.

"Kristia, stop!" Keira muttered. Her facial features and tone indicated agony and suffering.

Garnett stopped momentarily at the name Keira uttered. At least now Raven knew who was tormenting the girl's dreams. Garnett's suspicions had been confirmed, at least for tonight's nightmare. The heartless doctor should not care if her prey was suffering, it should be entertainment for the predator, but the thirty-three-year-old felt remorseful that she was the perpetrator. Garnett found herself at odds. Why was this bothering her so much?

Raven set the box of tissues on the bed while she scooped up the flailing brunette in her arms.

"Keira, sweetheart, you have to wake up," Garnett encouraged as she brushed Keira's hair out of the girl's face and wiped away the copious tears that fell.

Keira was still jerking in Garnett's arms, so Raven secured the young girl's limbs to prevent her from hurting herself. Garnett spoke once again to wake up Keira. It seemed to be working this time because Keira's wriggling was subsiding. Something in Keira's nightmares, however, still seemed to be snatching ahold of her and not letting go because her eyes showed her struggling to wake up but quickly falling back asleep again and continuing to dream.

Garnett patiently tried again to wake up the tormented girl, and to her relief, Keira stirred awake. Raven had to hold down Keira tighter as she tried to push herself away from Garnett and try to get up. The girl was disoriented, and her eyes were frantically flitting across the room as if searching for something.

"Shh, shh, you're okay. Everything is fine. You're safe. It was just a nightmare," Garnett cooed at Keira while stroking the girl's head. "It's over. You're okay."

Keira's breathing was still erratic, and the tears kept falling. She pulled her arms away from Garnett's grip and grasped tightly onto Raven's top and buried her face in the doctor's chest while sobbing loudly. Garnett tenderly embraced the trembling girl.

"Please don't let Kristia near me! Please!" Keira begged, still crying her heart out.

"It's okay, Keira. That was just a nightmare. Nobody is here except me," Garnett reassured and pulled Keira in tighter.

"No, I mean in real life!" Keira shot back, looking up at Garnett. The hurt in Keira's eyes shook Raven, making the doctor's features soften.

"Why? What happened with Kristia?" Garnett inquired, growing suspicious at Keira's request. Keira had not even spent enough time with Kristia for her to want Kristia as far away as possible. In any case, Garnett would understand if Keira's plea was about Mia.

"I just don't want her near me," Keira cried.

"That's not a valid reason, Keira. Is there something else going on?" Raven's brow shot upwards.