Catch Me If You Can

Ch. 5 Safe and Sound

Despite Hot Chelle Rae’s next concert being in just four days and despite the fact that Nash was supposed to be rehearsing for that very show he found himself staring blankly across the table at his brother, with no intentions of heading to the studio. Chord let out a sigh not agreeing with Nash. The two were debating on waking Zella up and confronting her about her impromptu meeting with… that woman. Nash thought it was best to let her sleep in; her photo shoot wasn’t until later in the day and Nash and Chord had already blown off their commitments. Chord however wasn’t as patient and wanted answers now.

It was hard for Nash not to just give in because he wanted to know why too. Just that woman’s name sent a wave of uneasiness through him and made his blood start to boil; the things that woman had done to Zella it was unbelievable. More unbelievable was that Zella had gone to see her. Nash and Chords discussion had turned into a staring contest and a battle of wills. Nash let out a defeated groan as Chord jumped from his seat and headed to Zella’s room. “I’m waking her up,” he declared. There was no stopping him now; Nash followed unenthusiastically.

The bedroom door creaked open slowly as a shadowy figure made its way into the silent room. Moving slowly to the bed, a hand placed gently onto Zella’s back caressing her as the bed dipped down with the added weight. Zella knew she was dreaming she squeezed her eyes shut begging to wake-up. She didn’t want to remember she knew how this nightmare ended- she had lived it and that was enough for her. She didn’t want it to relive it now. Warm breath on the back of her neck made her cry out and whimper. The feel of a hand running down her side gently made her cringe. It was the dream but it felt real- too real. Her eyes shot open quickly as she yelped out wrenching her body away from the hand, falling from the bed. With wide panic filled eyes she stared up at her assailant; relief and guilt both filled her at once. Chord looked down at her, hurt and confusion showed clearly on his face.  

Her heart was hammering in her chest painful and she found it hard to catch her breath. She knew this feeling well; her eyes darted around the room franticly, sure he must be there somewhere. Too real, too much, Nash was the only other person she saw, his eyes wide and hesitant as he watched her. She felt him, knew that it was just a dream but couldn’t believe it- too real, it felt too real. Chills ran across her arms as she continued to panic and search with her eyes for a man she knew couldn’t be there. Zella was vaguely aware of Chord sliding from the bed crawling closer to her but the terror wouldn’t subside. She screwed her eyes shut as the burn of tears set the whites of her eyes on fire. Each breath was a gulp of air that never seemed to reach her lungs or satisfy her need for oxygen. A panic attack, she knew that’s what was wrong with her; still, she couldn’t calm down. Too much, too real, an arm wrapped around her shoulders soft and gentle.

A simple song filled the room as Chord began to sing in an effort to composed Zella; he wished he had let her sleep. Nash came closer kneeling on the other side of the frail and scarred girl he cared so much about humming along to the song Chord had started. “Breath,” he reminded her gently. Her tense body slowly began to unravel as she eased herself into Chords chest, regaining her composer. He hated this, hated seeing her like this he had thought she was over the nightmares and panic attacks, clearly he had been wrong. Letting out a silent sigh of relief as she began humming along to the song Chord continued to sing, it had passed.

“Just close your eyes, you’ll be all right

Come morning light, you and I’ll be safe and sound.”

For Zella it wasn’t just a song but a promise from the two men sitting so attentively at her sides. She knew deep down inside that, they would do everything in their power to keep her safe; they had been doing it since the day they meet her. Granted a lot had changed between them and in all their lives but that one thing always remained the same. She had two brothers who would never let her go, two friends who would always keep her safe and sound. She gave the boys a soft smile as a silent thank-you when the song ended and she was relaxed. Nash stood and extended his hand to her. Gladly she took it ready to put this scene behind her; still, she knew it wasn’t completely over; they didn’t wake her up for nothing.