Book One: Nightwing's Fearful Shadow

Chapter 4: Nightmares and Disney Movies

Zella pov

It was after dinner when the sun was starting to set. Aileen and I rushed outside to play before it became completely dark out. My watch was at its normal 1/4 being covered, but that would soon change. Aileen had disappeared and I was looking frantically for her. Suddenly someone grabbed my shoulder and with a scream, I lashed out of fear with my shadows. At the scream of pain, I looked to see who it was that touched me. My watch had become completely black to show that I lost control. Aileen was on the ground, with a purple-black wisp coming out of the area where her heart is. Mom and Dad came running outside and see us. They grab Aileen and rush her to dad's workspace. I was waiting outside the doors to his workshop when my left cheek is flung to the right.

"HOW DARE YOU!?", mom yells with her raised hand.

"HOW DARE YOU KILL YOUR SISTER!?"

"She's not dead! Dad will save her!", I start to back away from her.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A MONSTER!", she roars as she advances on me.

"Mom?"

"I SHOULD NEVER HAVE KEPT YOU!", she hits me again.

"But mom!"

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT YOU MONSTER! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!", she hits me a third time.

I ran as fast as I could with my 11 year old body. But I couldn't run fast enough. Light seemed to be chasing me, trying to swallow me whole. It came closer and closer. It caught me and started to slowly have me be engulfed into a pool of it. The worst part was that mom, dad, Aileen, Gus, Cippia, and Dick were watching me be dragged down into the light. They didn't do anything to help. They did however did speak.

"Freak!", mom cried out.

"NO!", my ankles were engulfed.

"Murder!", Aileen said with hatred

"STOP IT!", my calfs were gone.

"Mistake!", dad says.

"HELP!", my knees disappeared.

"Sister Killer!", Gus proclaims

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO!", my waist was covered.

Cippia bears his fangs and growls at me.

"PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!", my shoulders were starting to be covered.

"Monster.", Dick whispers with a betrayed look on his face as my neck got covered

Suddenly The Batman was there and he waved his caped over where my head was.

The only trace of me was the ripples in the pool of light.

"ZELLA!"

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Dick pov

A sudden scream had woke me up from my sleep. I had came in about 1 in the morning after patrol and only been asleep for half an hour. The scream came again but this time it becomes blood-chilling. They seem to be coming from Zella's place! I rush out of my apartment and pound on her door.

"Zella?! Zella open up!"

No response. "Dammit, I'll just buy her a new door!", I think as I ram my shoulder against it. It didn't budge so I try again. But suddenly the door swings open and I end up running through the doorway and hitting a wall. I shake myself off and rush to Zella's bedroom. I see her trashing around and screaming when I throw open the door. I rush over to her king size bed and grab her by the shoulders. That seems to make it worse as she trashed even harder.

"NO! STOP IT! HELP! I DIDN'T MEAN TO!"

I try shaking her awake but it didn't do anything. "Zella wake up!"

She kept trashing and screaming in her sleep.

"PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"ZELLA!", I yell loudly and that seem to do the trick. She wakes up and starts to sob. When I hugged her, she tensed up.

"Please don't."

"Don't what?", I ask confused.

"Please don't touch me.....but at the same time it feels nice. So please don't!", she sobs harder after saying that. I couldn't think of anything to make of that.

I look around for something and spot a purple fuzzy blanket and wrap it around her. I then hug her. I waited until her sobs became hiccups, while just having her wrapped up and with my arms hugging her. When the sobbing stopped, I looked down at her.

"It's only a nightmare. You're safe. It can't hurt you anymore."

It was heartbreaking to see her tear-stained face. She looked so scared.

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we go sit on the couch and watch Disney movies?"

"O-ok.", she says in such a small voice.

I lead her to the couch and made sure she was comfy, get another blanket for me, and plenty of pillows before turning on her small wide screen T.V. I put on Aladdin and sit next to her. She didn't want any contact but she slowly started to inch closer to me. I made sure she would have room in case she did that.

As the movie went on, she had gently leaned against my shoulder and even let me place an arm around her.

"Can....can you help me with letting people touch me?", she looks up at me, with big eyes while being wrapped up like a cocoon in that huge blanket of hers.

"Sure."

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Cippa pov

I couldn't do anything to help Zella with her nightmare. I felt useless as I hear her screams of terror. I couldn't even go get Gus since he was out of town for the weekend. I hear the nightbird pounding on our door.

"Zella?! Zella open up!", he cries out.

I hear him trying to ram it down when I get an idea. "I can't do anything but maybe he can."

Before he could ram the door again I open it. He comes running in and smacks into the wall. I may have smirked at that. I hid in the shadows as he woke Zella up. The reason that I couldn't cuddle with her after a nightmare is sitting on her bed next to her. So maybe that is why she still wanted to be held even though she doesn't like to be touched. It did take Gus years before he was able to hug her, let alone touch her hand.

I watch them set up the couch and put on a movie. Zella is in her favorite blanket and nightbird had left room for her to move over in case she wanted to be held. She did as the movie went on and she even let an arm go around her to give comfort. I was proud when I heard her ask for help and he agreed. It was a good thing tomorrow is Saturday. They can sleep in.

I head to Zella's bed and went under it to sleep on my dog bed.

"Goodnight Zella. Good night nightbird.", I thought as I drifted off to sleep.