Project Micro

Chapter 26- Traumatized

"Wildstar... Wildstar get up!" I stirred awake when I heard Taiga's worried tone, and I turned over to look at Wildstar, only to freeze in horror.

She was bleeding.

"Nng, what's going on?" She mumbled sleepily. I scrambled to my feet, remembering my flashback with horror.

"Your scar, it's reopened!" 'She has a scar?' I wondered. Noticing her frozen expression, I realized that she was remembering something; something bad. Taiga shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Ah shoot, Icicle! I need a needle and thread!" He worriedly fretted over Wildstar, paying no attention to me as I dared closer. I felt nauseated, sickened. 'Is Wildstar gonna be ok?' I had suffered some pretty bad wounds, but mine were caused by abuse--

unless that was what had happened to her... oh God...

"You're gonna be fine, you're gonna be fine," Taiga repeated softly over and over, ignoring the others' expressions of concern as Icicle rushed into the room, looking alarmed at Wildstar before helping Taiga. I wanted to look away, turn from the bloodied mess, wanting to be sick and stop looking. But I couldn't. It was like I had been frozen stiff in place, my senses tingling and my muscles refusing to be called mine. I didn't blink, not even once as Taiga carefully stitched Wildstar back up, and I found my hand creeping along my upper arm, where my short-sleeved shirt concealed the nasty wound from that bottle shard.

"Ok... Icicle, apply pressure on the wound," Taiga directed, allowing the male to comply. "But don't put so much force that you'll kill her," Taiga quickly added, and Icicle nodded, gently doing as told. I noticed Wildstar had fallen asleep, and I finally let out a slow sigh through my nose, snapping out of my overdrive of fear.

"Is she gonna be ok?" I breathed worriedly. Taiga glanced at me and nodded.

"She'll be fine," He assured me. "An old wound of her's opened up, but she'll be ok." Moonshine had whisked into the room at Taiga's last words, and he took one look at Wildstar before he turned to glare at me.

"You!" He spat. "What did you do to her!?" Shocked, I took a step back, confused as Taiga leaped to my defense.

"Calm down Moonshine!" He ordered the 24-year old. "Her old scar reopened, it's nothing!" Moonshine ignored him, and pointed a finger at me.

"You better watch yourself," He warned darkly. "I know what you're up to, and it's not gonna work. You're not gonna just weasel your way into tricking us that you're our ally-"

"Moonshine enough!" Rattlesnake hopped up to stand beside me. "Aurora has suffered enough, and she hasn't done anything wrong!" That only made Moonshine look even more pissed off.

"You're conspiring with her aren't you? She's lying! Whatever she's promising you-" Rattlesnake darted forward faster than my eyes could register, and the next thing I knew she had her fangs buried in Moonshine's hand. Moonshine yelped out a curse and flung Rattlesnake off, then lunged for me.

I went on instinct. I rolled to the side and darted behind the computer, Moonshine reaching for me again before Taiga grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the room. I stayed there, pressing against the wall as my chest heaved up and down with each fearful pant, clutching my amulet to my chest. My senses were super sharp, making it easy to hear Taiga shouting at Moonshine.

"Stop blaming Aurora for your problems! Just because she's an escapee doesn't mean she's responsible."

"Problems!? The only problem I have is that-that parasite persuading you that she's innocent!"

"She is innocent you squid-brain!"

"I'M SERIOUS!!!"

"Are you ok?" Rattlesnake fretted, peeking at me nervously. Physically? Yes.

Mentally? I'm broken.

"I-I'm fine," I lied, not budging from the wall. The shouting kept going for about an hour before Taiga walked in, causing me to flinch back unintentionally.

"It's ok, he's downstairs," he assured quietly. "Why don't you go back to sleep? It's still night out."

"Ok," I answered quietly. Rattlesnake gave me a sympathetic look before heading over to Taiga, and I headed back to my spot against the lamp, pressing against it with my back to the rest of the room. The clock was next to me, which read 11:37. It was almost midnight, but I wasn't just tired. I felt defeated, drained of energy. I fingered the amulet, wondering if I should talk to Seto again.

I tried; turns out he's not asleep.

I whimpered and ended up starting to cry-- again-- keeping my sobs soft and quiet so I wouldn't disturb anyone. It was almost midnight when I heard someone come up from behind, and I turned my head, hiding my face in the shadows and behind my bangs.

"You really miss him don't you?" Wildstar crouched down beside me and rubbed my back in a platonic and comforting way, but I didn't let it affect me. A few minutes of silence sent Wildstar away again, and I stole a glance at her to see that she was reading a book. Then I sniffled and rubbed my eyes, trying to calm down. Yes, I missed him, truly. I missed his friendly and optimistic attitude, that twinkle in his eyes when he was excited or laughing, his soft curly and fluffy hair, his gentleness when handling me, everything about him...

'Do I love him?' the personal question that my mind suddenly asked caught me off guard. I'd never thought of Seto that way before. I thought of him as a guardian, but as more...?

I heard Wildstar make her way back to me, so I rested my head against the lamp and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. She stopped next to me and knelt down, and I swear I could feel her gaze burning holes in me.

"I know you're awake," She piped up quietly. I didn't reply, and she sighed. " Look, I don't know what you think of me as, but I think of you as a friend." I felt a shiver run through my bones. Did that mean I had someone else other than Seto to be my friend? Truly? "And I apologize about Moonshine's behavior... Er ist ein arschloch." That almost brought a smile to my emotions. 'I didn't know she spoke German,' I thought, giggling a little in my mind at her foreign words. But I still chose to hide my thoughts, and Wildstar sighed again before she trotted away. I didn't recall feeling drowsy, but the next thing I knew I was asleep.