(Soda's POV)

I looked down at my sleeping twin kid brother and sister. The way they were sleeping together reminded me of when they were babies. They always slept with their foreheads put together. Even back then they were so close, practically inseparable. I saw that Pony was shivering, but it wasn't from being cold.

Whatever those Socs had done had scared Pony to death, I hoped that this wouldn't change him. And I prayed that they wouldn't go after Bexley; I didn't want to think of what they'd do to her if they got a hold of her.

There was a pang of guilt inside of me. We were all asking the same question: Why did we let this happen to Pony? He was just a kid; he and Bex and just turned 14. They've already been through enough already without this. These wounds would take time to fully heal, and I didn't mean the physical ones. The ones that I was most worried about were the mental ones. And I knew that Bex wouldn't leave his side until he was fully okay. As for Johnny's mental wounds however, never healed.

When I did look up at him, he looked as pale as Ponyboy is. It reminded him of what happened to him a few months ago. Darry had asked Two-Bit if he could get an extra blanket for the both of them, which he gladly obliged. Before he left, I thought I could see his grey eyes storming. Last time Two-Bit had actually cried is when Johnny had been jumped. He sees Ponyboy, Bexley, and Johnny as his own kid siblings.

I looked at my baby brother and baby sister, running my fingers through their hair. Seeing them now, I wished that they weren't Greasers. They weren't dirty, not wanting to hurt anybody. They had a future ahead of them; they had so much to live for. Both of them are smart. Both of them are gentle and care about things.

Bexley inherited mom's nurturing side and it really shows when it comes to us. Not only that, but she's loyal and is fiercely protective towards our family and gang. And she isn't afraid to help others. Ponyboy's the exact same way, loyal, compassionate, and isn't scared to help others.

They weren't like other Greasers, they're not wild and reckless. They're more thoughtful as young kids can be. Little angels, that's the right term for them. They're the little angels of the family. They'd have my head for calling them that.

Two-Bit came back with a white blanket that was big enough to cover the both of them. Darry took it and covered the both of them up. "Let them sleep in here. I don't want to move them tonight." Darry suggested, getting me to nod. It was best to let them stay in the guest room for tonight. Pony needed to rest and I know that Bex isn't gonna want to move from Pony's side.

After they were fully asleep, I carefully shut the door behind me. When I went back in there, I saw that Dally had already left the house in a huff, we couldn't ask him why he left so suddenly. We didn't have to.

"Want us to stick around?" Two-Bit asked, hands in his leather jacket pockets, eyes to the floor. "Nah, it's fine. Come back tomorrow to check on him. He'll only want Bex and us by without everyone hovering around them. He's already overwhelmed enough as it is." Darry said to them.

And with that, they left. Before Steve walked out, he shot me a look that I read very well. It read, 'If you need me, you know where to find me.'

Afterwards, Darry and I made our way into the kitchen. At that moment, my emotions got the better of me and I started to cry, I couldn't help it. I leaned on the dining table and covered my face with my hand. I just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What's the matter, little buddy?" Darry asked, walking back over to me. "Why did we let this happen? He's just a kid… He didn't deserve this just because he's a Greaser. What if the same thing happens to Bex? Or worse?" I said tearfully.

"Don't think about it, little buddy. Bex and Pony are tough kids. They'll get through this." Darry assured me, pulling me into a hug. For some reason, that didn't assure me in the slightest.

(August 20, 1965, 2:35 am)

(Bex's POV)

A sharp, terrifying sounding scream woke me up, making me shoot up to a sitting position. The scream was full of pain. Looking over to my right, I see that it's Pony screaming. My brother was laying on the bed, writhing and fighting something that only he could see. We've had nightmares a lot when our parents died, but none were as bad as this one. I stopped having them after a few months.

"Pony! Wake up! Wake up! Please!" I begged, shaking him by his shoulders. Tears flooded my eyes in despair, threatening to fall over. Seeing him in a nightmare like this scared to death, I couldn't handle it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Darry and Soda standing in the doorway. "G-Guys! He won't wake up!" I gasp, my voice unusually high pitched. They instantly came to his side and Soda called, "Pony! Wake up!"

He still didn't wake up, so Darry grabbed him by the shoulders carefully, so he wouldn't hurt him. My heart tore in two when I saw just how afraid Pony really was. His bruises and cuts were better showcased under the moonlight. My brother looked… broken.

"No! Don't hurt them! Please no, stop! I'll do anything!" Pony wailed, his back arching and tears slipping from his shut eyes. His face was twisted in undeniable fear. I couldn't take it… None of us could protect him from what he was seeing in his nightmare. He was as pale as a ghost, his voice was raw and rough.

"Pony! Wake up!" Darry urged again, getting him to scream again. Pony shot up in a sitting position before falling back down on his back with a cry of agony. His sides must've hurt really badly. His eyes were full of confusion and horror, tearing up immensely. I wanted to hug him, and tell him that he was alright, but I was afraid of hurting him at the same time.

Darry pulled Pony into his chest as carefully as he could without hurting him, trying to calm him down. He didn't know it was Darry holding him because he started whimpering and shaking. "Shh… It's okay, Pony. It's just a nightmare, you're okay." he soothed, rubbing his back.

Soda was rubbing his shoulder while whispering words of comfort in his ear. As for me, I didn't do anything. I was too freaked out myself. My hands started shaking out of my control, my heart was starting to race to where it made my chest hurt. It felt like something was choking me cause I couldn't breathe.

I knew right away that I was having a panic attack, and I also knew that I couldn't be around Pony when he's in this state, it'll only make it worse. I quickly got out of bed and sped walked outside and onto the front porch. I had to get out of there.

Despite the night air being cool, I felt like I was burning up. I plopped down on the bench that was sitting beside the front door, hugging my abdomen because it started twisting something awful. I rocked back and forth as I struggled to get my breathing under control.

I couldn't bear to see Ponyboy like that, it hurt me more than words could ever say. Those damn Socs had broken him… making him into a feeble rendition of his old self. Suddenly, I felt a hand touch my back, causing me to jump out of my skin. When I looked up, I saw that it was Sodapop.

I didn't even hear him come outside; the screen door is usually loud when someone opens it. He had a look of concern in his eyes that was hard to miss. "Soda, y-you sc-scared m-me." I huffed, wiping the tears from my eyes that just kept coming. I didn't want Soda to see me getting upset so I looked away from his gaze.

"Bex, what happened to you back there? Why'd you take off like that?" Soda asked, holding my shoulders. I didn't answer him, the only sound I could make was a whimper. My hands were still trembling uncontrollably. "Bex, hey, look at me." Soda said, seeing that I was in the midst of my panic attack.

I bit my lip and tried to hold in the tears, but it was no use. "Bex, baby girl, please look at me." Soda said, using his pet name for me. I always loved that name that he uses. His hand held my chin gingerly as he forced my eyes to look at his. "Take a deep breath, slow and in control. Focus on me. Don't look away from me." Soda calmly said to me, holding my burning face with both hands.

I took a deep breath and felt my heartbeat start to slow, trying to get my hands to stop shaking. About a few minutes later, I felt my panic attack go away. Soda saw this and pulled me into a comforting hug. "There you go… Nice and easy." he whispered in my ear. I hugged him back, my hands gripping onto his white t-shirt.

"Tell me what happened." Soda asked, stroking my brown hair. I let out a shaky sigh and shut my eyes. "Pony's nightmare… I hadn't seen him that scared before… I just… couldn't handle it. I would've hugged him, told him everything's okay but… I was scared of hurting him." I tell him, my breath shaky.

"You ain't gonna hurt him, Bex. He trusts you just like he trusts Darry and me. Pony knows we ain't gonna do anything to hurt him. We're gonna help him through this." Soda said softly, his body starting to shake a bit. I knew Soda was right. Pony knew that none of us would intentionally harm him, but I was still afraid despite knowing that.

Then, a dark thought crosses my mind. Soda knew something was bothering me because he tightened his hold on me. "What's the matter, Bex?" he asked me. "What if those Socs target me next? Or do much worse, you know?" I tell him, only for him to tense up against me. "Soda?" I said, pulling back to look up at him.

Tears were in his brown eyes. Then, I hugged him around his neck, fearing that I upset him. "I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean to upset you." I said, feeling guilty for doing so. "No, *sniffles* no, ibt's not your fault. I'm scared that's what's gonna happen. What happened to Pony, I don't want happenin' to you." Soda said, each breath coming out shakily. I hugged him tighter, "I understand..."

We stayed in our embrace for another five minutes before the screen door opened, getting the both of us to look up. It was Darry, holding the screen door open. "Everything okay out here?" he asked quietly. Soda and I broke the hug and I stretched my limbs. "Yeah, everything's fine, Dar. Soda helped me with my panic attack." I reply, feeling myself becoming more calmer.

"That's good to hear." Darry said with a small grin. With that, Soda and I stood up and walked towards the screen door. "Is Pony okay?" Soda asked him. "He's alright, but he's still shaken up by his nightmare. And he was asking for you guys. He's not going to sleep unless you guys are with him." Darry replied. He moved aside so we could go inside.

I walked inside the house and made my way to the guest bedroom. When I went in there, my heart broke when I saw him. He was trembling immensely, gasping for air as he tried to regain his emotions. But I could see clearly that it was impossible. He was gripping onto the bed sheets as tight as he could until his knuckles turned white.

"Pony? Are you okay?" I asked quietly, talking in that kind, nurturing tone of voice that I inherited from our mother. He turned to look up at me, his eyes showed me that he was crying. The look on his face made my heart wrench, as if someone was squeezing it.

Instantly, I walked over to him and sat down next to him, carefully wrapping my arm around his shoulders. "What wrong, Pony?" I asked, even though I knew the answer. His chin was quivering a little bit and there were tear streaks down his bruised face. "It's alright. You don't have to tell me. I already know the answer." softly I said, my stomach churning in worry.

It pained me to see him so shaken up from a terrible nightmare. "It's alright, Pony. Everything's okay." I assured him. Footsteps were becoming louder and louder as they approached the doorway. When I looked up, I saw that it was Soda. Ponyboy saw him too, more tears running down his cheeks.

"Don't leave me again… please..." Ponyboy pleaded, in the most heartbreaking voice I've ever heard from him. It brought tears to my eyes. Neither Soda or I ever want to hear that voice ever again. "We won't, Pony." Soda said, laying down beside us as carefully as he could.

Pony was in between Soda and I, snuggling up to the both of us as close as possible. I waited until both of my brothers were fast asleep until I fell asleep myself.