Chapter 7: A Quick Recovery

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.


"I won't let you hurt them, too!" Lauren screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes snapping open. Taking in her surroundings, Lauren froze. All five ghouls surrounded her, with varying shades of concern on their faces. Lauren blushed before saying "Sorry about that. I usually don't get nightmares. How long have I been screaming, exactly?"

The ghouls exchanged nervous glances before Elsa somberly replied "Half an hour."

Lauren's blush deepened as she moaned quietly in embarrassment.

It was quiet for a moment when Winnie suddenly asked, "Who was your mama?"

"My mother was Mother Nature," replied Lauren as she straightened up.

"Your mummy was Mother Nature? The Mother Nature?" Tanis asked her in awe. She scooted closer to Lauren then, fascinated.

"Yeah, she was. Until she died. Then I sort of just took over her job." This was met with varying shades of interest.

"What? You have Mother Nature's job? What is that like?" Phantasma asked Lauren curiously.

Lauren pondered that for a moment before replying "Well, I don't know whether or not I got all her powers but at least I got her looks." That explained her blonde hair, blue eyes, and deep tan whereas Pitch was pale, and had black hair and eyes. "At the very least, I can communicate with animals and plants. I have a bit of control over them as well. And I can fluctuate the weather as well, but not very well. And that about sums it up."

"Wow!" Elsa exclaimed.

"But that's nothing compared to what she could do. She could fly, didn't need to breathe so she could spend days under water, and she didn't eat because she would never knowingly hurt a plant or animal. She could change the weather from sunny to rainy in the blink of an eye, sometimes she'd lose control when she was overcome by a powerful emotion, but that rarely happened. She could turn into animals and plants, change her appearance at will, and could make the animals defend her if she was in danger."

"Whoa!" The ghouls appreciatively exclaimed. They had no idea how gifted their friend truly was.

"What powers did you gain from your dad?" Winnie asked after a beat, intrigued.

"Well, some I was born with, others I learned over time by him teaching me. I can teleport, talk to his nightmares, and control them." Lauren said quickly. "And I am sorry for keeping you ghouls up. I do not think it will happen again. He cannot stay mad at me forever."

"You mean to tell me that your father gives you nightmares whenever he is mad at you? That is not okay!" Sibella cried furiously.

Lauren shrugged at that and replied "It's not like I can do anything about it. Though it was a very good sign when he turned Tug back from a rat to a human. It means he will get over it faster."

"But you did nothing wrong!" Phantasma retorted hotly.

"Would you like to tell my father that?" Lauren asked her, absent-mindedly lithely touching her neck. The wounds had all perfectly healed but you could still make out the finger-shaped indentations on her fragile flesh. Phantasma shamefully looked away from Lauren and did not say anything else after that.