"You should get some sleep," I muttered walking over to the broken girl on the couch. She shook her head and sighed, "I can't…" It was a tiny, shattered whisper. But I still heard her. "You should try; you haven't slept in days… Come Cammie… Please…" She let her hair fall over her face and took in a deep breath. "I just can't Zach… I just can't…" I sighed and swung her legs round so that I too could sit on the couch. She tucked herself into a tiny ball and turned to face me, looking into my eyes before blushing and looking down. "What's wrong Gallagher girl? Why can't you sleep?" I asked taking her hand. "Besides from the whole 'being chased by a group of terrorist's thing'? Nothing much," She wasn't angry and she wasn't joking. She was… blank. I looked at her, just as serious, "Nothing much? I don't believe you… Please Cam, you can trust me…" I whispered. She looked at me for a moment, and something flashed in her beautiful eyes that let me know she was thinking. She was silent for a long time, before she whispered "I know I can."
I knew she was going to tell me, and I knew that I had to wait. But that didn't make it any easier. We just sat in silence for a while. I stared at her, taking everything in. Her hair was slightly longer than when we'd found her. She was small, frail and unnaturally skinny (But I guess you'd expect this from a girl who wouldn't eat) yet her eyes were still bright and strong. She was crumpled into the sofa, but her arms were wrapped tightly around her knees, one hand in mine, the other on tight round her ankle. Her skin was pale yet smooth, and in the moonlight, despite her various conditions, she'd never been more beautiful. But then I always thought she was beautiful, and she always thought she wasn't. "It's the nightmares," She started, "They're horrible, they start from the moment I shut my eyes, to the moment I wake up. I dream of hideous things… Of the circle, of the guns… and of myself: a murderer. In one dream I killed Bex, in another I killed innocent little Liz… One time I even killed you…" She shuddered, and her eyes filled with tears. "You're not a murderer Cam!" I yelled, grasping her face with two hands, "If you hadn't killed that man, he would have killed Bex! It's one bad life, for the life of a loved one! What you did was good! Don't start blaming yourself! You're not like me… you're a good person!" She shook her head firmly, "You're a good person too Zach! You're no different from Bex… or Liz… or Macey! You've learnt the same things. You are a good person!" I shrugged and shook my head, "No, Cam, you were taught to spy, I was taught to kill… My mother is trying to kill you. I'm a bad person by blood!" She just grabbed both my hands and whispered into them, "You can't be bad by blood… It's about the good things you've done, not the bad things your mother has…" I wrapped my arm round her waist and whispered, "You're safe here Gallagher girl. I won't let them hurt you. Not anymore..." She laid her head on my shoulder and whispered, "And I won't let them hurt you…" I smiled and tightened my arm around her petit waist. "I know…"
Her eyes fluttered closed, and her breathing became even. I brushed her hair out of her face and smiled. She was just so beautiful. I picked her up and carried her carefully to her bedroom. I stepped lightly so as not to wake Bex, Liz and Macey and lay her down gently on her bed. I tucked the covers up to her neck and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well," I murmured into her hair. I sat down by her bed and waited, holding her hand. She slept peacefully for a few hours, but soon a look of dread crossed her innocent face. Her eyebrows pulled together and suddenly she was thrashing around and mumbling, "Find it!" over and over again. She started to sob heavily and then she screamed, it was like a white hot knife that seared through me, and I knew that I'd do anything to make it stop.
"Gallagher girl! Gallagher girl! It was only a dream! Cammie wake up!" I said, shaking her frail shoulders so hard I thought they would snap. She carried on screaming and screaming, her eyes tight shut, and then Bex and Macey appeared at my side, Liz following closely behind. But Cammie still screamed, not once opening her eyes.
"Has this happened before?" I asked. They all shook their heads, and Macey whispered, "She thrashes, yes, but never screams or sobs." And then I felt this rush, like a need to protect the screeching girl. So I climbed in next to her and cradled her shaking body in my arms. "Shhh, Cammie, it's okay… it's all going to be okay…" I whispered, repeatedly rubbing circles on her back and stoking her hair. She stopped screaming, and just sobbed heavily into my chest. "Zach can take it from here," Macey said pulling Bex and Liz back to their beds. Eventually she began to relax, and then she raised her head and took a deep breath. "Sorry..." she muttered, breaking the eye contact. I lifted her head and brushed the remaining tears from her cheeks with my thumb. "Don't be," I whispered, holding her tighter. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but what… what was it about?" I mumbled. She closed her eyes and said, "I'll tell you in the morning, you should get some sleep yourself…" She lightly traced the bags under my eyes with her index finger to prove her point. I shook my head, "Not yet…" She snuggled deeper into my chest and sighed, "Okay…"
Eventually she slipped back into sleep, but her shoulders were still tense and her expression still hid traces of sorrow. Her breathing patterns were calm and relaxing as they lulled me to sleep. But the best part of having her near me was that I knew she was safe, and this was what calmed me most. She smiled in her sleep and mumbled a line of words that I couldn't understand. I chuckled at the concentrated look that had just crossed her face before she muttered something that made my heart leap. I barely heard it, in fact I'm not entirely sure I didn't just make it up, but she mumbled, "Zach." It was more of a sigh, like a breath, but it was still my name she'd spoke and that's what mattered to me. And, knowing that she was safe, I too began to give in to the waves of unconsciousness.