"How can I ignore,
The shadows on my soul
Secrets everywhere,
I'm losing self control
Let the future turn to past,
Timeless Demons in My Mind"
-Save Me by Martin Kesici
Thunder and lightening awakes a nine year old girl. She finds her father inside her room.
"Daddy I'm scared"
He walks up to her bed and lay down beside her, under the covers.
"Shh"
Hands touching, hurting. No, she don't want to. A hand covering her mouth and she cries.
"Please dad, no"
"Daddy loves his little girl"
Bella sat up in bed, staring into outer space, panting, as she realised it was a dream. Her body was shaking and her heart was beating hard and fast.
The memories from her nightmare returned and she curled up in her bed, crying. After so many years, why was it coming back to her? Why?
The lights were turned on and Penelope rushed inside.
"Bella, you were screaming, are you okay?"
Bella shook her head.
"It's all coming back" she whispered between sobs, her face hidden behind her knees. Penelope sat down next to her on the bed.
"He can't hurt you here, Bella... I promise you that"
Bella nodded.
"The dreams does, though"
Penelope didn't know what to say.
"Do you want me to call Spence?"
Bella shook her head.
"No... I'm sorry I woke you up, I'll be fine"
-------
Somehow, Penelope doubted that, and she wondered if she should betray her cousin and tell Reid what was going on.
As much as Penelope felt it wasn't right to leave Bella at home alone after a sleepless night with memories she just wanted to forget, she had to go to work.
She straightened her red dress with little white polka dots and looked closer into the mirror as she applied her bright red lipstick.
"If you need me, Bella, I'm just a phone call away, you know that, right?" she said and put her blonde curls up in a messy bun.
Bella nodded while looking through the newspaper.
"I know, Penny. I'll be alright though" she said, not looking up. Penelope looked at her through the mirror and sighed.
"Okay... And Bella" Penelope began and entered the kitchen. Her white heels clicking against the wooden floor. "... I'm not going to lie to Spencer"
Bella looked up and their eyes met.
"I haven't asked you to. All I want is to wait until I'm ready to tell him about what happened..."
Penelope nodded and grabbed her white fake leather purse.
"Alright. He'll probably call you anyways. Try to get some sleep"
Bella nodded and stood up to give her cousin a hug, before Penelope left, leaving Bella all alone.
She brought her mug of coffee with her into the livingroom and turned on the TV. Wrapping the brightly patterned blanket around her, she watched the re-runs of Friends and slowly felt herself drift off to sleep.
-------
"Still no case?" Garcia asked as she entered the bulpen. Reid was the only one there, as always, but she figured Morgan would come soon.
Reid shrugged.
"Not yet"
Garcia nodded and sat down next to him with a papermug of coffee. Reid could see something was out of the ordinary.
"You okay?"
She looked up at him as if she'd been in a daze and smiled.
"Yes, I'm fine... It's just..."
She sighed. She had promised not to tell him.
"What?" he asked, gently putting his hand on hers.
"Well... Bella had a nightmare and she couldn't sleep after that and it feels wrong to leave her alone..."
Reid bit his lip.
"Just... Just a nightmare?" Garcia nodded. "Everyone's got nightmares, Garcia"
Again, she nodded.
"I know, but..." she stopped and decided it wasn't her place to tell him. "... I've always been a little over protective of her, I guess"
Reid smiled and rubbed her hand with his thumb.
"That's your thing, Garcia. You're a caring person"
She raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"No statistics about nightmares or about family being over protective of it's own kind?"
Reid pressed his lips together and shook his head.
"Nope"
-------
There was a phone ringing in the distance. Bella slowly opened her eyes and reached for it on the coffee table. Without looking at who it was calling her, she flipped it open and answered.
"Yeah?" she said drousily.
"Belinda?"
Her eyes flew open and she stared out in the open. Her hand was cramping as her muscles tightened around the phone, and her body was shaking. It was as if she was paralyzed, and all that was moving was the silent tear that rolled down her cheek.
"Daddy just want to hear your voice, princess..."
She shut her eyes closed and sat straight up, throwing the phone as hard as she could into the wall, bursting into tears.
"No! Damn you, damn you, leave me alone!"
She thought the phone would break in two, like in the movies, but it just lay there, shining with it's blue light.
Bella ran, as if the phone was a demon she had to hide from. She locked herself in the bathroom and slid down to the floor, sobbing hystericly.
She went quiet as she heard the front door open, covering her mouth, shaking with fear.
She heard steps walk into the livingroom and then nothing.
A few seconds later she heard steps leave again, and the front door close.
Gasping, as she had held her breath, she tried to calm down. It was quiet.
She slowly stood up.
There was a shadow outside the bubbly bathroom window and she screamed her lungs out, unlocking the door, she ran into the appartment, locking the front door and went to get her phone, but... It was gone.
Her heart was beating so fast she thought it'd explode, as she entered the kitchen and grabbed the house phone, sliding to the floor, dialing Penelope's number.