Ten Steps Back

Chapter Three: Talulah

The alphas' basement had been renovated around the time Camden was born, or so I've been told. It was its own floor rather than the storage bin we called our basement and it made sense that they'd offered to house the rogues in this space. Finding an available home in the community for all of them was going to take some time, especially if there wasn't one and it needed to be built. In the meantime, they'd live right below the Westons and this was where I found myself in front of a hyperventilating little girl. It looked like she was riding the back end of a panic attack. Her face was wet with tears that had already started to dry, and while she was still shaking and zoned out, she didn't seem to be in the worst of it anymore.

"What's her name?" I asked Margaret, startling her as I silently approached.

She offered me a pinched smile, clearly very concerned about the little girl she dubbed, "Talulah."

Nodding, I edged a little closer to Talulah. Her unfocused eyes stayed on the ground, hands pressed firmly to the floor in an effort for stability.

"Talulah?" I called. "I'm going to come sit by you, okay?" She didn't respond, but I knew that she couldn't. I'd been in her position many times and fortunately for the both of us, we seemed to experience panic attacks in similar ways. That meant that what worked for me could work for her, so coming to kneel beside her, I offered my hands. "You want something to squeeze?"

Talulah managed a small nod and at my insistence, she latched onto my hands with an intense grip, eyes flitting up just enough to find my lap and scoot closer. Taking that as a good sign, I squeezed her back.

"Have you ever tried counting during a panic attack?" She lightly shook her head. "Alright, well, I know it sounds a little dumb, but try counting backwards from a hundred. Just squeeze and count, don't think about anything else."

I let her absorb that, taking the time to analyze the rest of our company. Margaret was still nervously hovering by the stairs with Jack at her elbow. The four unfamiliar faces had established themselves on the other side of the room. Of them, three stared at me with open caution, the last one meeting my gaze with a fierce glare. Her distaste for me was confusing, but it also brought me to the conclusion that they truly didn't understand how to handle this kind of thing, otherwise there was no way I would be this close to Talulah right now. Speaking of Talulah, the little red head was starting to relax her grip, breathing evening out to a less ragged pattern as she mumbled numbers under her breath.

"Done with a hundred?" I asked softly. She nodded, stronger this time, but I felt the fear return when she got the courage to glance up and meet my eyes. Instantly, I knew what the problem was and I attempted to appease her tightening hold with a soft but firm, "Don't worry. You don't need to get worked up again, sweetheart. I know I don't look very friendly, but I promise I'm nothing to be afraid of. Why don't you try the second part? Count down again, but in twos. One hundred. Ninety-eight."

My encouragements caught on and she fixed her eyes back on the floor. This time, she was almost counting out loud, still mumbling the numbers to herself. It was a rough sight to anyone, but especially to me because I understood how this felt. To be so lost in your own mind, convinced you're suffocating while the people around you stand and watch, at a loss for how to help. It didn't help that she was so young either. Talulah couldn't have been much older than ten which was way too young to deal with this in my opinion. At the very least I hoped her panic was chemical rather than trauma based. Children didn't deserve to be hurt so harshly.

"Who are you?" Talulah choked out, shakily pulling her hands away from mine now that she was a little more composed. Sitting rather than hunching into fetal position, I realized that Talulah may not be as young as I'd assumed. She also bore a strong resemblance to the woman glaring at me from the wall.