A loud noise startled me and I blinked furiously trying to regain a sense of where I was. My body vibrated as another loud rumble erupted. I felt something pressing against my chest and my right hand quickly moved to it, soft fur filled my hand. I gently patted the fluffy mound as it purred calmly upon my chest. I let out a small laugh and said, “I’m glad that General Morgan didn’t hurt you.” I heard talking from another room and turned my head in the direction of the door. Distracted by the voices I let my hand fall away from Nix. Bren and Fuschia sounded angry as their voices echoed loudly from the other room. General Morgan's voice sounded stern but calm. A bright light flashed through the darkened bedroom followed by a loud rumble that shook the entire room. I was so startled by the sound and flash of light that I shot up and knocked Nix to the floor. Nix turned and hissed angrily at me. My hands were shaking as I tried to reach for the nearby lamp and I knocked a stack of books into the floor. I heard footsteps and the bedroom door opened. My pupils constricted painfully as the room was flooded with light. I squinted my eyes while trying to focus on the person walking towards me. The smell of cloves saturated the air as they moved closer to me. I leaned forward and placed my face in my hands and sighed, how much did he smoke while I was out. I was relieved it was Bren who stood in front of me and not someone else.

He placed a hand lightly on my shoulder and said, “how are you feeling?”.

I looked up into his eyes but I couldn’t get words to come out. I pulled myself up so I was standing in front of him. He gave me a concerned look as I reached out and let my fingers rest on his chest. Another deafening rumble shook the house and I leaned forward against him. I muttered, "when are these storms going to end.”

Bren let out a long, low sigh and said, “I don’t know, it just seems to be hanging over us.”

I shivered at the thought, “I really didn’t like this weather.”

We stood there for a couple of minutes before Bren cleared his throat and said, “General Morgan wants to talk to you.” I flinched remembering that he was the cause of my last episode of flashbacks.

Bren pushed me away a little and said, “Fuchsia and I have both explained your situation. If you get overwhelmed just let us know.”

I knew it was something that had to happen and waiting was only going to cause more anxiety. I pushed farther away from Bren and nodded. “Can you give me a couple of minutes before I go out there.

Bren reached towards me and brushed some of my hair out of my face. Before, I would have been upset because my scars were exposed but it didn’t seem to matter anymore. He smiled and said, “sure, I will let them know.”

As soon as he headed out the door I walked to the bathroom. I flipped the switch on and walked to the mirror. I should be used to this by now. I don’t know what I expected to see, my face was

almost transparent and I looked more sick than usual. I ran my hands through my hair, I needed a shower. I looked around the bathroom until I found a brush, this would have to do. I pulled at my knotted hair and tried to make myself a little more presentable. I rinsed my face off and adjusted my clothing. I swear after I talk with everyone I'm locking myself in the bathroom and taking the longest shower ever.

I walked out of the bedroom and joined the others in the living room. General Morgan and Jackie were standing in front of the window, their voices were low but calm. Fuchsia and Bren were in the kitchen talking. Fuschia was sitting on a bar stool, hot tea in hand as she held it close to her lips. The unfamiliar scent of her tea caught me off guard, the pungent aroma made my nose wrinkle. I walked closer and stood beside Bren, he stirred his cup of tea. I could smell a black tea laced with a light citrus scent. I found the scent slightly more bearable than Fuchsia’s tea. Fuschia sat her tea down and raised her eyebrow at me, “I tried something new. Do you hate the smell?”

I shrugged and said, “it smells different, what type of tea is it?”

Fuchsia tapped her long nails on the porcelain cup, the sound that resonated made my head hurt. My face must have given it away because she quickly stopped and frowned. She moved her hands to her lap and said, “my mother fixed it for me. It is a ginger turmeric tea. It tastes a little bitter, but I like it.”

I looked around for Keri and didn’t see her. I also didn’t see Sina or Lyra. “Where are the others?”

Fuschia looked towards her bedroom and said, “Keri is resting. I don’t think she has slept much and I am worried about her.Sina is working on something on her laptop and Lyra is helping her.”

Bren tapped his shoulder against mine and said, “can I make you a drink?”

I shook my head no and looked out the window. The rain was pouring down the window, I could still hear thunder in the distance but not as much as earlier. “I don’t think it is going to stop," I said.

General Morgan turned around and noticed me, I kinda wish he hadn't. I would have liked to have sat here with Fuchsia and Bren instead. He cleared his throat and said, “come over here and let’s talk.”

I looked over at Jackie, he smiled and gave me a reassuring nod.

I heard the bar stools creak as Fuchsia and Bren got up. Fuschia walked over to the couch and Bren leaned over and whispered in my ear, “it will be ok” and then gently nudged me forward.

If Bren hadn't been following closely behind me I probably would have bailed, choosing to run out into the storm seemed less intimidating. I sat down on the couch next to Fuchsia and Bren sat down next to me. I know they were there to help me but I couldn’t help but feel trapped.

General Morgan stared at me silently until Jackie spoke, “sir, you are making everyone uncomfortable, take a seat and just talk for god’s sake.”

General Morgan sighed and sat down in a chair that faced me. He leaned forward and removed his hat, squeezing it in his hands “ I apologize for upsetting you and causing things to spiral out of control earlier. But now that we are sitting here and everyone is calm we need to talk about what needs to happen.”

My hands started to tremble and I felt sick as I asked, “what needs to happen?”

General Morgan leaned back in his seat. “First of all you all are going to promise me not to do anything on your own. I am surprised you didn’t get yourselves killed.”

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, “and…”

General Morgan continued, “You are all coming back with me. No arguments. You will see a medical doctor on my team and a psychologist. Then I will decide where we will go from there.”

Medical doctors and a psychologist…. I wanted to protest. I wanted to get up and run. My heart was racing and I was starting to feel dizzy when Nix jumped to my lap. He purred and pushed his way between my trembling hands. He nestled down on my lap and purred as my hands instinctively stroked his soft fur. I breathed out and whispered to Nix, “thank you”.