Destruction. Ruin. Catastrophic. Tragedy. Death.
Those words could be used to describe what'd been Domino's historical downfall. Bloom tossed and turned in her bed as a rush of that imagery raced through her unconscious mind. It was only recently she began having these nightmares, but each night seemed worse than the last, as somehow, her nightmares seemed to make the history more tragic than she already knew it as.
The final image Bloom saw was her sister, not yet deceased, reaching for her. Bloom desperately tried to grab her hand, but neither woman could reach the other. It seemed as if the farther she tried to reach her arm, the farther away Daphne's got, but Bloom refused to give up. Just as she seemed to finally get her hand close enough, she witnessed Daphne's life snatched away by those causing her planet's collapse. She'd been so close, and in a moment, her sister was gone.
"No! Daphne!"
"DAPHNE!"
"I'm right here, Bloom."
Bloom took a few moments to regain her breath as she realized it'd been nothing more than the same nightmare again. She was relieved it wasn't real, yet she couldn't stop herself from breaking down into tears.
"I heard you scream, so I came to see if you were alright," Daphne explained, trying to comfort Bloom. "What were you dreaming about?"
"Domino. What happened on Domino," Bloom answered, not really calm.
"Is that why you're squeezing my hand?" Daphne asked.
"Sorry." Bloom let go. Daphne helped her dry her eyes and she explained. "I've been having these nightmares every night for a while. I keep dreaming about what happened on Domino when I was still an infant."
"Why is that on your mind as of late? You've been to Domino since it was revived. You revived it."
Bloom didn't normally feel hesitant, but she didn't really want to admit what she was afraid of. There wasn't any reason to hide it from Daphne, of all people, but it was the last thing she wanted to talk about.
"Bloom, you're crying again. What is it?" Daphne asked, clearly sounding worried. "Talk to me. What's bothering you?"
"You."
"Me?"
Bloom let out a heavy sigh. "The nightmares started the night after the Sirenix curse broke and you were corporeal again. Every time, at the end, I see us reaching for each other and just when I'm about to grab you, you get taken from me. You... you're ki... gone."
"Bloom..." Before Daphne could say another word, Bloom started to hyperventilate. Without a second thought, Daphne held Bloom tightly and let her cry into her shoulder. It didn't take long for Bloom to put her own arms around Daphne, and for the next few minutes, the only sound in the room was Bloom's crying.
When Bloom finally quieted is when Daphne spoke again, though neither sister let go of each other right then.
"Listen to me, Bloom. That's not going to happen again. I'm okay and I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. No one will take me from you."
"Those dreams... they always feel real."
"But they're not," Daphne reminded her. "No matter how vivid they are, they're not real. Domino will be fine. Our parents will be fine. I'm okay. You won't lose me."
Bloom released her grip and Daphne let go of her to let her get back under her cover. She didn't seem convinced, but she was much calmer.
"Do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep again?"
Bloom thought about it for a few moments. "No. Can you... can you sleep with me, Daphne? Please?"
"Sure." Bloom moved closer to the wall, and Daphne placed herself next to her beneath the blanket. Daphne comforted Bloom until the redhead was finally fast asleep again, snoring soundly as if nothing has happened. Daphne smiled at her face, remembering the one time she slept that soundly as an infant.
"I'll always be here, Bloom. I promise."
Daphne let herself fall asleep, holding her arm around her sister.
