Killings Of Midnight |✔️|

Chapter 21 (Edited)

      Damaria closed her eyes and Gemma quietly hummed a slow song and brushed Damaria's dark short hair. Gemma had tried to calm Damaria's panic attack, but after years of occurring Damaria had stopped fighting them. It was roughly midnight and they were still sitting in the museum.

"How are Ryder and Libby? Are they alright? Did they get home safely?" Damaria questioned. They're were worry lines on her forehead.

Gemma pushed Damaria back into a lying position and smiled. "Yes Ryder had texted me that they've arrived home safely. You have nothing to worry about."

Damaria let out a sigh. "Thank you Gemma. I am sorry that you had leave your work to-"

"Nonsense Damaria. You are my sister and therefore your needs come before a house. Besides I think Lance understood when I said girl troubles." She laughed.

Damaria smiled. "I am really lucky."

"How so?" Gemma quirked a clean almond coloured eyebrow.

"I have a sister like you, I am so glad my brother did not marry anyone else." Damaria admitted feeling like a weight was lifted off her chest.

Gemma laughed. "Remember when I first moved in and you hated my guts." She had the memories clear in her mind. It was obvious to Gemma even then that Damaria had difficulty trusting people outside of her little bubble.

Damaria smiled. "Can you blame me? I was afraid you came here to steal my brother from me." Saying it out loud brought back many hateful thoughts Damaria had had about Gemma when Lance had first announced their engagement.

"You know I would never?" Gemma's smile dropped and she looked to Damaria seriously. "I would never step in the way of the bond you and your brother have. I know how much of a rock you are for him-"

     "Me?!" Damaria pointed to herself. "I have depended on Lance more than anything else in the world."

     "True but Lance had depended on you as well. He left Ryder in your care because he trusted you and depended on you. I could not do that with my sister."  Gemma sighed.

     "Gemma, Lance must not know what I told you and what happened today?" Damaria frantically pleaded Gemma. There was a vulnerability in Damaria's eyes Gemma had never seen.

     Gemma was silent. She was contemplating whether she should listen to Damaria or not. Then she let out a long sad sigh. "Why are you so afraid?" She placed a soft hand on Damaria's cheek.

     "I am not."

      Gemma stared into Damaria's eyes, willing her to tell the truth. She wanted Damaria to stop being afraid of telling things to her brother. Lance would never turn his back on her and she knew it. "You're a hundred percent sure you do not want to tell Lance about what Stefan said to you?"

Damaria nodded.

     "Okay." Gemma sighed. "Okay, as you wish." Gemma got up from her sitting position on the ground and looked over to the wall clock above the rectangular black wood lined window.

      "Are you upset?" Damaria looked up at Gemma. Her voice was quiet and she was a little ashamed.

     "No. Damaria I'm not upset just worried. Worried that you hide too many things that can hurt you. Worried that someday something really bad will happen and I won't be there to help. And worried that all the times I try to help you, you push me away." Gemma moved Damaria's hair out of eyes. Damaria's face was sweaty and her eyes and cheeks were showered in salty tears. Gemma's heart clenched every time she saw her like this.

     "Thank you." Damaria whispered.

     "No problem, dear." Gemma smiled.

     "For everything." She breath.

     A silence settled as they took a few minutes to relax. Damaria wasn't in the rush to do anything at the moment.

"How about we get some food and then I'll drive you home."

"What about my car?"

"I'll ask someone to tow it."

"Okay. Let's go."

Damaria stood up and brushed back her hair and pulled on some flats she kept in her desk drawer. Gemma grabbed her purse and they headed out towards a restaurant.

     Outside the world was a dark room with bright Christmas lights shining everywhere. The city was still awake but the people were asleep. Like the ocean movement still occurred but the creatures of the ocean had settled for a night's rest. The breeze was low but cool and Damaria brushed her hair back one more time to remove it from her eyes. She looked to Gemma was also enjoying the cool air and brightly lit night.

As Damaria got in the car, Gemma's cell phone rang. She signalled Damaria, to wait and then pressed the answer button.

"Hello...Lance? Yeah, Ryder and Libby at home....I'm coming home in two hours...Damaria wasn't feeling well...okay..." Gemma handed Damaria the phone.

Damaria looked at it in worry. She had no idea what to say to explain what was happening. "Hello? Yes it is me...I am fine..."

A silence occurred where Lance rapidly fired questions and Damaria broke. "He knows everything..."

     All Lance could hear were her sobs. Damaria handed the phone over to Gemma and Gemma sighed.

"Lance meet us at Damaria's place. Love you bye."

Damaria was still sobbing her shoulders shaking and her breaths were uneven. She was was having trouble breathing again. Gemma soothingly rubbed Damaria's back and spoke sweet words of nothing, but it didn't seem to work.

     Damaria was starting to have another panic attack. She choked to try to breath but nothing came. She tried to explain to Gemma what was going on but she couldn't speak nor utter a single sound. She became frantic and then her eyes rolled back.

     Gemma froze. Damaria wasn't moving anymore. Her mind went into a frenzy and her heart started beating in overdrive. What was she going to do now? Her hands started sweating and she was afraid of driving. So she called the only person she knew who would rush here.

     "Lance? something's wrong with Damaria." Gemma didn't have time to say more because Lance had ended the call.

     Gemma waited a few minutes before Lance showed up. He ran out of the car and raced to Gemma. "What's wrong?" What happened?" He held her in his arms and looked down at her.

     Gemma pointed a shaking finger to her car where Damaria lay hunched over. "She's not moving. Her panic attack just stopped. I don't know what to do Lance." Gemma was on the verge of tears. Lance raced to Damaria's side of the car and carefully put her seat in a horizontal position.

     "Let's just give it some time." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was chewing on his bottom lip and kept pacing back and forth. "What were you two talking about?"

     "Why?" Gemma asked, wiping her tears. She scrunched her eyebrows.

     "Something triggered her panic attack." He shrugged.

     "She was on the phone with you." Gemma pointed out quietly.

     "Oh." Lance was surprised, he didn't remember much of the conversation but last sentence she uttered. "What did she mean by 'he knows'?"

     "Stefan knows about Kurt." Gemma said.

     "Our father?" Lance looked into Gemma's eyes.

     "He knows what he did to you two." She whispered.