Sometimes she has nightmares. She doesn't remember most of what happens or what she witnesses when she sleeps, but the nightmares never fail to be extremely vivid and incredibly heart wrenching. It was as if she was seeing them in real time, like it was happening at that very second somewhere in the world. And it was always the same thing, over and over again.
Her father, Ulrich. He was on tour. At that moment, he was investigating a small town, a few women and children hiding in dark alleys whimpering in fear. She watches as he examines them with sad eyes, observing their frail, trembling forms curled up in the shadows.
And then...It happens.
The bombs start to go off. They're stunned, caught off guard. The enemy reveals themselves, opening fire on the soldiers. The same helpless women and children that were weary of their presence were now aiming at them, unloading bullets without hesitation in their direction. Her dad isn't shot, not initially, and goes back to cover one of his fallen comrade, Adrien. He was a close friend who often appeared in her father's Skype calls. He was like an uncle to Naomi. He had taken several bullets to the chest and shoulder, grasping the stained fabric.
He grabs ahold of Adrien by the uninjured arm, wrapping a strong arm around his comrade's waist and begins to lead him away from the crossfire. Her father pressed one of his hands to one of the many wounds in his friend's torso, attempting to slow the bleeding. Bullets fly past them, most missing but sometimes they would graze her father's skin, making him hiss softly. They were almost to cover, so close to making it out of there. But...It's when he feels the ground give out beneath his feet that he swallows hard. There isn't even time to yell, to warn his fellow soldiers.
The land mind buried beneath the dirt goes off under his foot and...There's nothing left afterward. No gunfire. No enemies. No soldiers. No dad. The entire area is dead silent.
Naomi wakes with a scream, drenched in sweat, heart racing a million miles an hour, threatening to tear its way out of her chest and her breathing is completely out of control. She's coughing, her throat dry and her chest on fire. Tears stream from her bloodshot eyes and she can taste blood on her tongue. She had been biting on her lower lip and now it dripped blood. Alex is there first, rushing into the room to check on his older sister and she is already weeping, unashamed and absolutely terrified.
Alex is unsure of what words could possibly calm Naomi down, so he sticks with the gestures of affection she would usually give him whenever he woke from a nightmare. Tight hugs and whispered words of assurance, as if the young boy understood her pain all too well. It helps briefly and soon their mother joins them, gathering both of them up into her arms and explaining that everything was okay.
Yumi pulls her children close to her chest, collecting them in a warm embrace and kissing away their fears. She holds them tight until Naomi's sobs die down. Neither Alex or Yumi rush her, only smiles when she feels her hiccup from all the crying. She closes her tired, dark eyes and murmurs a melody softly to her children. They both recognize the Japanese lullaby she sang to them when they were younger and even to this day when they crawl into her bed crying from a nightmare.
She doesn't repeat what she saw, what has happened. They've heard it all before. It's the sixth time in three months she's had the same nightmare. Each time it occurs, it gets harder to deal with.
Naomi continues to count the days until her father comes home.