Third Person P.O.V
Keith had a sinking feeling in his full stomach. First, he had fallen asleep faster than usual, even with Lance's petting. Second, his usually vivid and cruel dreams were all blurry and scrambled. And thirdly...he couldn't move.
It wasn't like the cocoon he made when he was under his comforter, it was more like he couldn't wiggle his toes, everything was stuck in place with thick glue. Trying to calm himself down, Keith took deep breaths before realizing that even though his eyes were closed, he could see directly behind himself, generally all over the fort. He tried to come to a rational cause about what was happening, Keith wracked his brain and when he hypothesized it was sleep paralysis his stomach dropped.
"This is supposed to be scary..." Keith thought as he looked around. His gaze froze when he came across something. He could've sworn he had been alone, but something was standing in front of him.
Its large horns seemed endless, casting infinite shadows along the walls. It looked human, but Keith could see the small differences. The horns, the slight point of its teeth, the tail that swished behind it, all adding to the fear coursing through him. The body was indistinguishable, its color matching the shadows and no shape that Keith could ascertain, it must be from a hellish dimension of the universe. It reminded him of the Galra.
Keith would've shaken with fear if he could move, the amount of fear and the pounding in his ears making him hyper-aware. He started screaming, trying to get one of them to wake up and save him but no sound came from his lips. He tried with every ounce of willpower in him, focusing his fear and strength into every limb as he tried to move anything, a finger, a toe even. Nothing budged.
The monster began moving towards Keith, keeping its focus on him and not the two bodies at his side. Using his newfound 360-vision, he saw Pidge begin to stir, slowly sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She looked at Keith and he tried to signal for help, but her sleepiness was making her blind. She furrowed her brows, something was wrong with Keith.
Quickly grabbing her glasses, Pidge got a better sight of the boy. His breathing was erratic and came in short bursts, his sweat drenching him through his shirt. She debated if he was having a bad dream or not, coming to the decision to wake him up. She reached a hand out to him and froze.
Keith began twitching, first it was just a small jerk of his chin but the movement soon turned to a full body spasm. His arm violently seized and his chest rose and fell so quickly it concerned Pidge. Pidge placed a hand on Keith's small shoulder and she wondered how much he was eating lately. She pushed the thought away for now and shook the boy.
Keith gasped as he shot up, clutching his shirt as he tried to figure out how to breathe again. He pushed the air back into his lungs but his head buzzed with his frantic thoughts.
"Keith, okay?" Pidge asked, trying to cut through Keith's thoughts.
Is it gone?
Did it get me?
Where'd it go?
Will it come back?
"Keith, are you okay?" Pidge's voice cut through his thoughts easily this time, ringing clear into his ear. He looked up and met his eyes with Pidge's.
Pidge's brown eyes pierced into Keith's dull yellow ones, logically thinking about what had happened to him. His yellow eyes swam and grew darker as he delved back into his thoughts, not worrying about what he'd tell Pidge is she asked again.
Keith was too afraid for it to have been a simple nightmare. Could it have been a memory? A vivid image of his cold and cruel imagination? Or was it sleep paralysis?
Keith remembered researching about sleep paralysis for a school essay back on Earth. He read a few articles online about how it felt and what it was like, the feeling of being unable to move while a grotesque shadow-like monster moved towards you. Pidge is lucky she's never experienced it.
Keith finally opened his mouth to speak, hoping words would come this time.
"Yeah, I'm fine now, it was just a bad dream," Pidge opened her mouth to speak, "I'm going to the bathroom." Pidge crossed her arms and huffed as she tried to stop him. Did he think he would get with that lame excuse?
She let go when she saw Keith's sad smile, "Please, let me go" plastered on his face. She felt pressure in her eyes at how broken Keith looked, she wanted to see his smile or his scowl, anything but the sad smile he was giving her right now. It made her think. What is he hiding from them?
WAKE UP
WAKE UP
WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP
Keith pulled himself off the floor, being careful not to wake Lance as he padded to the bathroom. He let out a shaky breath as he held himself up with the sink. He couldn't keep his tears in any longer. He sobbed into his palm, his fangs drawing blood as he bit into it to keep quiet as he sobbed.
WAKE UP
WAKE UP
WAKE UP
WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP
His mind screamed at him that he as still asleep, that the monster would come and make him pay for his sins. It would make him pay for being a half-breed, for being nothing, for being a nuisance to the paladins. He needed to get away before the monster got him, before it and his problems could catch up. Because if they caught up, Keith would be suffocated by the darkness and it would be a long time before he saw light again.
Keith squeezed his eyes shut only to snap them open at the image of the monster ingrained into his retinas. He pinched his arm until he believed he was awake, leaving a dark purple bruise on his fuzzy bicep. He slid down the wall and clutched his head, his tail splayed on the ground as he tried to calm his thoughts. He felt like he was going insane.
He was alone.
He would always be alone.
No one really cared for a worthless nothing like him.
Last night was just a fluke, they were being nice before they left him again.
Everyone always left him.
No one would save him.
What am I going to say to Pidge? Keith wiped away stray tears as he took shallow breaths. He flicked his ears, listening as hushed voices sounded from his room and he locked the bathroom door. He didn't want to talk about what happened and he was too drained to come up with a better lie.
After a few moments of silence, Keith decided to peek through the door. His heart lurched when he saw his room back to normal, any semblance of two people being here gone. His comforter was neatly spread across his bed and Keith gratefully wrapped himself in it.
He took a few deep breaths, thoughts plaguing his already depressed mind. Was anyone looking for him? Why did they leave so quick? Did Pidge really not care? Did anyone? No, no one ever would.
He pulled his legs up to himself, being careful not to dig his claws too deep as hugged his knees and let a few tears fall. Did he even want the paladins to barge in and demand to know what was going on? In a way, he sort of did. But he was always alone and that could never change.
He took a shaky breath and laid his head on his knees, staring at the comforter around his body as his thoughts made his head pound, his heart hurt and his stomach churn.
Pidge was worried about Keith. Well, she was always worried about him but what happened this morning was new to the both of them it seemed. She groaned as she pressed her palms into her eyes, trying to stop the pressure that was building up. After a few deep breaths she slapped Lance across the face, making him jolt awake with a yelp.
"Wha-Wha?" Lance's eyes darted around the fort before they landed on the worried Pidge, "What happened?" Lance reached his hand over to her, placing it on her shoulder. He furrowed his brow for a second, glancing down to see a body shaped dent where Keith should've been.
"Where's Keith?"
"Bathroom, he said he had a bad dream but I think it was something more," Lance was shocked at how sad the girl sounded, Pidge doesn't do sad, "Why won't he trust us? We won't hate him for telling us how he feels." Lance rubbed circles on the smaller girl's back as tears streamed down her face. He's rarely seen her cry, whatever Keith did must've been really bad.
Pidge sniffled and hastily wiped her nose, jumping up and pulling Lance along with her. She began cleaning up the fort, each blanket she tore down was a strand of anger and sadness she felt towards Keith. Lance helped clean up, keeping an eye on the gremlin while he folded up blankets and sheets.
He mentally sighed, trying to come up with a million ways to help her, and Keith. His eyes glanced towards the bathroom door and he literally sighed.
"I have an idea," Lance spoke as he threw down a folded blanket, "We should go to the beach."
Pidge scoffed, her sadness and anger ebbing away as she tidied up the room, "Really? You want to find a suitable planet with an ocean and play around?"
"Yeah why not?" Lance shrugged as he shifted a pile of blankets under his arm, "You could both use a break, especially Keith."
Pidge tapped her chin before shrugging, "Whatever, I'll find a planet, you tell everyone."
Lance clapped, almost dropping the pile under his arm at the sudden motion. After a couple of trips from room to room, the only thing left was Keith's red comforter. Pidge shook it out and spread it on his bed, running a hand along the smooth surface before looking back at the bathroom door. She sighed and left the room, heading to her laptop to find a suitable planet.
Keith P.O.V.
My stomach grumbled but I didn't have the will to eat. A worthless half-breed like me doesn't deserve to eat. I shivered under my comforter, wrapping it tighter around me as I stared at the door. I didn't want to blink, every time I closed my eyes I could see the demon from my nightmare so I counted as I stared at the door, anything to keep my eyes open.
"All paladins," Allura's voice broadcasted through my room, "come to the main room." My heart cracked at how she asked for the paladins. I didn't know if I should go, a) Pidge might ask what happened and b) Allura might say something else to him. But the worst thought was c) Everyone would come into my room and drag me out against my will.
I sighed and straightened out the comforter before getting off the bed. I slipped on my red jacket, the smooth material rubbing against my fuzzy skin, and headed down the hallway. I kept my eyes trained on the ground as I headed to the main room, bumping into someone as I walked to the couch. I looked up to see Allura and I stepped back, staring into her blue eyes. I held my breath, hoping she wouldn't say anything to me right now.
Something flashed in her eyes but it was gone as soon as it came. She gave me an apologetic smile as if saying "I'm sorry you're so worthless" as she headed to her own seat. I squeezed my tail to calm myself, easing into the farthest seat on the couch.
I watched as Pidge and Lance entered the room, a big smile plastered on his face. My eyes caught Pidge's and I looked away. I saw her open her mouth to speak, but shook her head thinking better of it. I pushed down the bile that risked escaping my mouth, making myself as small as possible on the cushion.
"Why are we here?" Hunk asked as he yawned into his hand, "It's too early."
"Well," Lance clapped as he looked around the room, "Pidge and I thought we should take the day off."
"We've been taking days off, no one has needed us since," Shiro glanced at me and I wished I could disappear, "So what makes today different?"
"Instead of sitting around and waiting sent a mission or something," Pidge turned her laptop around to show us, "Lance wanted to go to the beach and I agreed, we need a break," Her eyes caught mine and I didn't look away this time. I kept the contact, staring into the shades of brown in her eyes before she faced the room again, "I found a planet a couple of doboshes away, it's perfectly safe and the beach looks amazing."
My ears perked up at the thought of going to the beach then the voice in my head reminded me of everything Haggar did to me. All the scars that littered my body, I didn't want them to see. My ears flicked back and the bile rose higher, I almost couldn't stop it this time. I swallowed thickly, feeling the small tingle of the stomach acid that had burned the tissue in my throat.
"Sounds fun," Shiro clapped, "Allura, what do you say?" Everyone stared at the Altean, eyes pleading and filled with hope that she would allow this. I stared numbly at the ground, sneaking glances at her as she thought.
Allura clapped, a smile spread across her face, "Alright, we will have the day off today and go to...?"
"Lolian," Pidge pushed up her glasses, "The planet is called Lolian."
"To Lolian then," Allura smiled as she waved Coran over. The two began setting coordinates with Pidge, talking in quiet voices as Pidge typed on her laptop.
Lance looped his arm with mine, jerking me out of my thoughts. He pulled me to his room, pushing me on the bed as he tidied around his room. I watched quietly, not knowing what he wanted me to do as he cleaned. He shifted a stack of papers, giving himself a satisfied smile before he turned to face me. He crossed his arms and I went rigid, worried about what he might do.
"Pidge told me you had a nightmare," Lance spoke, his voice cutting into my skin like knives, "She thinks you're lying though." I opened my mouth to speak before shutting it firmly.
Lance shrugged and carded his hair as he readjusted his bottles of shampoo, "I think so too, but I can't say because I was asleep. I will respect your privacy until we get back, today is a relaxed, fun day, I don't want to waste it trying to force you to talk when you don't want to. Just know," Lance gave me a small smile before pulling me off the bed, "You can tell us anything."
I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak without crying. I walked to my room and pulled out some black swim trunks and a black shirt. I quickly changed, lingering just a bit too long on putting on the shirt. My eyes traced the big scars across my back, all inflicted by Haggar. Tears sprung to my eyes and I blinked them back as I slipped on the shirt.
I pinched my comforter, breathing in the deep smell of tears and sweat before tracing a hand along it as I left the room. I pulled out a pair of shades, hiding the tears streaming down my face quite well. I crossed my legs on the couch as I watched Allura steer us towards the planet. I wanted to talk to her about yesterday, but I didn't want to hear any more truths from her. I ran my tongue along my fangs as I squeezed my tail rhythmically.
"Keith, did you need something?" Allura's voice pulled me from my thoughts and I panicked,
"Yeah...I-I mean..." I fell silent as my throat swelled, pressure building in my eyes.
"Yes?" Allura asked, turning to face me.
"I-I wanted to know w-why you-"
"Beach time!" Lance shouted through the castle. My eyes widened and I looked between Allura and my tail before deciding to just keep my eyes on the furry appendage. The team bounded into the room, finding spots on the couch as they waited for Allura to land. I waited anxiously for the castle to land so I could talk to Allura, but the gleam in Lance's and Pidge's eyes told me I'd have to wait.
The castle landed with a loud thud and the team bounded out of the hangar. I trailed behind, trying to draw out my stay as long as possible. The two seemed to notice what I was doing because they came over and practically dragged me out the ship. I complied, not resisting in any way as they set up on the empty beach. The sun warmed my skin and I wondered how long it had been since I've seen the large star.
I settled into a chair as I watched Hunk carry Pidge into the water, splashing her with the cool waves. Lance glanced at my rigid figure and furrowed his brows.
"Are you coming?"
"Nah," I shook my head, "Maybe in a minute, I just want to talk to Allura." Lance hesitated before running into the water, joining the other two in their splash game. My tired eyes trailed to find Allura and I tensed, hastily finding my tail as she talked to Coran. It felt like ages before the older Altean left the younger, leaving me a chance to talk to her. I trudged over to her, my legs feeling like weights moving through thick mud.
"A-Allura?"
"Yeah?" Allura turned and jumped, "Oh, hey Keith. You never finished telling me what you wanted to ask."
"Y-Yeah," I squeezed my tail too hard and yelped, dropping it from my hands quickly.
"Are you alright?" Allura asked as she reached for my tail.
I nodded and pushed her hand away, leaving her with a raised eyebrow and concerning eyes, "A-Allura, I wanted to know w-why you said what you did at di-dinner."
Allura winced and stepped back, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at me, "Which part?"
I flinched, my ears flicking back as I held back tears, "A-All of it."
"Because it's true, I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you what you are," Allura feigned sympathy, but her eyes showed her true emotions. She really did feel bad, cursing her mouth for acting again without allowing her to think.
"W-What?" I took a shaky step back and looked up at her with tears in my eyes, "D-Do you really mean what yo-you said?"
"Keith, it doesn't matter if I meant it," Allura walked towards the water, "It's just the truth."
I stood frozen in place, covering my mouth as I clutched my stomach. I felt like I was going to be sick. No matter how hard I tried the vomit wouldn't come up, leaving me a shaking mess. Her words rang throughout my head, making me buckle my knees and fall to the ground.
It's the truth.
What you are...
You are...
"Nothing," Keith whispered as he trudged back to his chair. He hugged his knees as he laid his head on his knees. His tiredness overpowered him and he gratefully let it take him.
Third Person P.O.V.
Keith barely recognized the familiar darkness. He was paralyzed again. He couldn't move any part of his body and his voice refused to work. His stomach churned and he wondered if the bile that had refused to rise before could come out here. He tried to calm himself down, it worked a bit better this time, but fear still coursed through his body as he looked around with his 360-degree vision.
"Where is that thing..." Keith thought as he looked around. His gaze froze when he came across something. A cold air chilled him as he noticed It standing in front of him.
Its large horns seemed endless, casting infinite shadows along the walls. It looked human, but Keith could see more differences. Adding to the horns, the slight point of its teeth, the tail that swished behind it, he saw a purple tint around the shape and yellow eyes gleamed back at him. The body was still indistinguishable, its color matching the shadows and no shape that Keith could ascertain. It reminded him of his Galra form even more now.
Everything he did to control himself was in vain as his fear made his judgment fuzzy. Keith would've shaken with fear if he could move, the amount of fear and the pounding in his ears making him hyper-aware. He started screaming, trying to get one of them to wake up and save him but no sound came from his lips. He tried with every ounce of willpower in him, focusing his fear and strength into every limb as he tried to move anything, a finger, a toe even. Nothing budged.
The monster began moving towards Keith, keeping its focus on him and not the bodies in the water.
The team glanced at Keith, taking notice of how soundly the boy was sleeping in the chair. Their minds wondered why the boy was so tired but opted to let him sleep. Pidge stopped mid-splash, resulting in her being drenched by Shiro and Hunk.
"Stop, stop I yield! She yelled, panting heavily as she wiped the water off her face. The others laughed and high-fived, not before Pidge retaliated, splashing them until they couldn't breathe.
"Alright, alright!" Shiro laughed as he picked up the little gremlin. His blue eyes found Keith's twitching body and his raised an eyebrow.
"What's up with Keith?" Shiro asked as he set down Pidge. She pushed her out of her eyes as her blurry sight found Keith.
"I can't see, what's happening?"
"He's twitching on the chair," Hunk pointed to the boy's body.
Pidge's eyes widened and she ran to the chair, stumbling in the water and along the sand. The others gave her a weird look before chasing after her, reaching her in seconds. Pidge panted as she caught her breath next to Keith.
"Someone...wake him.. up," She panted. Lance shrugged and furrowed his brows at the girl. She glared at him and he rolled his eyes before placing a hand on Keith's shoulder and giving him a soft shake.
Keith shot up, drinking in air hungrily. His thoughts jumbled together and he couldn't form words as he tried to get air into his lungs.
"Keith, it happened again didn't it?" Pidge asked. Keith nodded and looked around frantically.
"Where is it? Is it...Is it..." Keith calmed himself as tears streamed down his cheeks. Shiro pulled off his sunglasses, wiping away his tears as Keith frantically searched.
"What are you looking for?" Lance asked.
"A-A-" Keith's eyes landed on Allura and he tensed, "A monster."
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Hey unicorns! Lola here!
Keith has sleep paralysis now! Will our boy always be paralyzed as he sleeps, or will he be able to overcome it? Or will he not sleep at all anymore? Allura is still being mean, making Keith feel horrible and even more so as he starts to believe what she's saying. Tsk tsk.
Wanna know a fun fact about this chapter? I cam up with the whole thing while I played goal during my soccer game on Sunday. Amazing right? Don't judge, chapters can be inspired from anything. (Also my team was doing really well so I had 40 minutes to think about the chapter.)
Play ball! See you Friday!