WARNING: Dark themes ahead. A bit graphic and mentions of PTSD.

Chapter 4: Truth And Comfort

Dinner had been nice for the three as they ate and quietly observed everyone in the room, politely greeting the people and costumes that came to say hello. As night started to fall and everything was cleaned up, Emma leaned against Rachel's side, her head on her sibling's shoulder and the older girl wrapped an arm around the younger girl, smiling gently. Noticing this, Balan smiled and came over to them. "How are you three doing?" He asked.

"We're doing good," Leo said with a nod.

"I noticed you three retreated to here not long after we entered," the tall man said, his smile gentling. "Was it a bit too much all at once?"

Rachel bit her lip, unsure of how to answer before taking a deep breath. "It was...a little overwhelming, but when we saw everyone was giving us our space yet welcoming us, it helped us a lot."

The maestro nodded understandingly. "I also saw you three meet Lance. What do you think of him?" He asked curiously.

Emma smiled a little. "He's like you," she said before a yawn overtook her and she felt her eyes drooping. "Mysterious, yet kind."

Balan smiled. "Looks like your dreams are calling for you three," he said, noticing how the other two looked a little tired. "Come. Let's get you three to bed."

After leading them to their rooms, the maestro waited patiently outside as the three got ready for bed and when they were ready, Rachel let him into her room. "Balan, if it's okay, the three of us will stay in my room tonight," she said.

"First night jitters?" He asked gently.

"Yeah," Emma said.

He chuckled gently. "Not to worry, my dears, I understand," he said, smiling. "Rest assured, nothing will harm you three and my room is right down the hall if you need anything."

He noted how they looked relieved that he understood and as the three crawled into the large bed, he surprised them by tucking them in and brushing a hand over their heads gently in an affectionate gesture. "Goodnight, my little ones," he cooed soothingly. "Sweet dreams."

Rachel looked up at him. "Night, Balan," she said softly and the two younger teens echoed her before he headed out and the three wished each other good night before falling asleep.

Sadly, it wasn't a peaceful night as Rachel sat bolt upright only a few hours later, somehow not waking Leo and Emma as she got up and left her room, walking down the hallway quietly. The Tims, waking up a little at seeing her move around, grew worried and one went to get Balan, who woke up when the Tim hopped up on his head and chirped urgently. He yawned and opened his eyes. "What is it, young one?" He asked, knowing the Tims wouldn't have awoken him unless something wasn't right.

Frantic chirping answered him and it wasn't long before a scream rang out, one that sounded like someone was being hurt. Quickly, the maestro got up and ran down the hallway, seeing Emma and Leo come out of Rachel's room and both looked worried. "Emma? Leo? What happened, my dears?" He asked, kneeling down to their heights.

Both looked worried before Leo took a deep breath. "It's Rachel," he said. "She's...She's...," he trailed off.

"She's what, my boy?" Balan asked worriedly.

"She's sleepwalking," Emma said. "But...I think she's having a flashback too."

That alarmed the tall being and he stood up as Stardust came up to them. "I'll stay with these two, Balan," he said. "Rachel's in the kitchen and I'm not sure what's she's seeing, but it seems she's trying to fight something off. Midnight's trying to calm her down."

The maestro nodded and looked at his younger children. "Stay with Stardust, my dears," he said. "I'll see to your sister."

"Balan," Leo said, making the tall being look at him. "Don't hurt Rachel, please."

"She's really afraid," Emma said.

Balan pulled both of them into a hug. "I won't hurt her or you, my little ones," he promised. "Though I must ask, am I right in assuming this isn't the first time this has happened to your sister?"

Both nodded. "A few times before," Leo said. "A couple foster families got freaked out by her sleepwalking and send her back to the orphanage the very next day."

Emma nodded. "They claim she pulled weapons on them," she said. "Like knives or guns."

Now he understood why they were afraid of Rachel being hurt. "Is she aware of the fact that she sleepwalks?" He asked.

"We've told her, but she's never told us why she does it, though Miss Claire said it's possible Rachel witnessed something or experienced something that haunts her sometimes when she sleeps," Leo said.

Balan nodded as that seemed possible. He then looked at Stardust, who nodded. "Go on," he said. "I'll stay with Emma and Leo."

Nodding again, the maestro moved quickly to the kitchen where he saw Midnight standing in the doorway while Rachel, looking at her with eyes that were unfocused, held a knife down at her right side in a ready-to-use position. The dark-suited costume was relieved to see the tall being. "Balan, she's very frightened," she said. "I've tried to talk to her, but she apparently can't hear me or sees me as someone else."

"Then Emma was right," he said. "Rachel is caught in a flashback and a bad one too."

Taking a deep breath, he motioned for Midnight to stay at the door while he entered. "Rachel," he cooed, keeping his voice soothing and calm while holding his hands out and open to show he was unarmed.

She looked at him, her grip tightening on the knife, but not raising it. "Stay away," she said, her voice soft, but a bit shaky.

"Easy, my dear. I'm not going to hurt you," he soothed.

"But you did," she said, her eyes still unfocused as she took a step back. "How could you do this to me, Dad? Why am I the reason Mom died?"

Balan blinked. "What do you mean, little one?" He asked gently.

Rachel began shaking then, her eyes unblinking and wide as she gasped. "No! Dad, don't do it!" She cried out before she lunged, the knife raised up. The tall being quickly caught her with one arm wrapped firmly around her waist and one hand holding her right wrist in a firm grip, trying to be gentle and not accidentally hurt the teen, who began struggling and screaming.

Midnight rushed forward and quickly clasped her hands over Rachel's right hand, keeping the knife from falling from the girl's hand as Balan gently sat down in a chair, still holding his eldest daughter. "Rachel, shh," he soothed. "It's alright. You're having a nightmare. Come back to us, little one. You're safe here."

She kept struggling, tears streaming down her face. "No! No!" She cried out before sobs overtook her and she went limp in Balan's grasp. He gently tightened his hold on her as Midnight gently took the knife away, placing it back in its proper spot before getting a glass of water and going back over to the tall being and the young girl, who was still sobbing as Balan gently rocked her, speaking soothingly in her ear in hopes of getting her to either wake up or calm down enough to go back to sleep.

"Do you think she'll be okay, Balan?" The dark-suited costume asked.

"I hope so, Midnight," he said softly.

They heard Rachel stop sobbing and she opened her eyes, panting as if she had been running a marathon. She blinked a few times before moving slightly, looking to see she was being held by Balan and Midnight was nearby. "Balan? Midnight?" She asked. "W-What's going on?"

The tall being gently cupped the left side of the girl's face with his right hand, his thumb brushing over her cheek gently. "You had a nightmare, little one," he said gently. "One combined with a flashback."

Hearing that, she gasped and sat up, looking at him with horror. "W-What did I do?" She asked, seeming to dread the answer.

Midnight and Balan looked at each other before the former took a deep breath. "You left your room and came into the kitchen," she said. "You grabbed a knife and when I came in, you turned to me, but it seemed like you didn't see me."

Rachel looked more horrified. "I...I...," she trailed off and began trembling.

"My dear, what did you see?" Balan asked gently.

The teen looked up at him, still trembling as tears ran down her face. "You...You weren't supposed to know," she said shakily.

"Not supposed to know what, my dear?" He prompted, his voice still gentle.

She didn't reply right away and Midnight brought the glass of water closer to the girl. "Here, drink some water," she said gently.

Giving her a grateful look, Rachel took the glass and drank the water, the action seeming to help her calm down a bit as her trembling stopped and she took a deep breath after finishing the water before Midnight gently took the glass away and the teen lifted up her head, tears still falling from her eyes.

"I wasn't always an orphan or foster child," she said. "I didn't become that until I turned ten years old."

She paused and Balan gently rubbed her back to soothe her and encourage her to continue. She let out a soft sigh before continuing. "My mom died when I was three. And my dad...took it really hard." She paused again, swallowing the lump in her throat before she spoke again. "To the point that he began drinking. A lot. It wasn't so bad for a few years, but when I turned nine, it got worse. Really worse."

She leaned against Balan as if the strength to sit up had left her and he hugged her gently. "It's alright, my dear," he said soothingly. "Take your time."

Rachel nodded and took a deep breath. "I...I guess I started to look a lot like my mom once I turned nine and my dad...didn't like that," she said. "He told me that I was the reason she died. He lost her because of me."

Midnight gasped softly. "That's not true," she said, shaking her head gently, her voice soft with sympathy.

"It was to him," the teen said. "And it only got worse until the last day I saw him. He had begun drinking a lot as of late and had decided that every time he saw me, I deserved punishment. I would run and hide to avoid him, getting really good at finding hiding spots and staying there until he either passed out or left the house."

Balan felt tears fill his eyes as he heard that. "Oh, my little one," he said, rubbing her back as he continued to hold her.

She sniffled. "That day, a few months after my tenth birthday , I tried to escape, but he was there and...and he had a gun," she said. "He pointed it at me and I ducked and ran, managing to grab a knife and I pointed it at him, hoping he would stop. That's all I wanted."

Rachel's hung her head and Midnight reached over and gently squeezed the teen's hand. "What happened then?" She asked, her voice still soft.

The teen began shivering a little. "The gun went off," she replied. "The bullet missed me, but hit the knife handle in my hand. It scared me and I flung the knife away from me, thinking I had been shot. At the same time I flung it, he charged straight to me, not realizing the knife was pointed at him until he tripped and he hit the floor, but seemed to stop before his face hit the tile floor. I looked and that's when I saw the blood." Her shivering now turned into trembling. "I was scared stiff until I saw him fall to his side with the knife right where his heart was."

Balan was horrified at hearing that. "Oh no," he said softly.

She nodded. "I got really scared then and I ran to my room, grabbed the few things I had, and I ran out the door. Miss Claire found me trying to seek shelter from a storm on the stoop of the orphanage and she took me in. I told her what happened and begged her not to tell anyone. She agreed."

Midnight gently touched Rachel's arm. "You've been haunted by this for the past seven years?" She asked.

The teen nodded. "Sometimes the dream changes, like tonight. I saw him come after me, which is why I went into a defensive position." She paused. "The first time Leo and Emma witnessed me going into a flashback, I scared them pretty badly," she admitted, tears coming to her eyes. "Miss Claire tried to suggest a doctor, but I refused. I didn't want anyone else knowing the dark secret I carried. In the end, she managed to find an herbalist to put together some herbs to help me with my PTSD."

She took a deep breath. "But even when I take the herbs, if I'm really stressed out or a new situation has arisen and I'm in an unfamiliar place, my PTSD acts up and I go into that flashback. And if I don't take the herbs or if I run out, the flashback becomes ten times worse."

Balan gently rocked her. "Would it be alright if I talked to Miss Claire about where she gets those herbs for you?" He asked. "That way you won't run out of them again."

Rachel blinked and looked up at him in surprise. "What?" She asked. "You mean...you're not...you don't think I'm...a bad person?"

He blinked before realizing why she asked that. "Rachel, it's alright," he said. "You suffered a bad trauma and you can't help when you do go into a flashback, but I would like to help you with your fears and your PTSD."

She looked more surprised. "You're...You're not going to send me back?" She asked.

"No," he said gently. "That's the last thing you need right now. What you need is someone who's not going to give up on you. And I promise you, my dear, I'm never going to give up on you. You can trust me on that."

The poor girl looked like she wanted to believe him, but at the same time, she was scared that it wasn't true. Midnight placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rachel, Balan speaks the truth," she said gently. "You can trust that."

"But...the others always sent me back," the teen said softly.

"Well, I won't," Balan said reassuringly as he gently lifted her chin up so that she was looking at him and he gently kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling right now?"

She bit her lip. "I'm feeling a bit tired, but also...," she trailed off, swallowing hard.

"Also what?" He prompted gently.

She took a deep breath. "Hoping that I'll still be here when I wake up in the morning," she finished.

"You will be, my dear," he said before he felt her lean her head against his shoulder. Just then, Emma and Leo came in with Stardust behind them.

"Rach," Emma said, running up to them with Leo behind her. Rachel sat up tiredly, but embraced the two.

"We're sorry, Rach. We told Balan," Leo said to her.

"It's okay," the older girl said forgivingly. "I'm sorry I scared you two."

Balan gently ruffled Leo's hair and gently brushed the backs of his fingers over Emma's face, helping the two to calm down. "I have something that might help you three," he said, pulling out vials of rainbow liquid. "This liquid will help you three sleep better."

"And if you want, my brother and I will stand guard outside Rachel's room," Midnight said and Stardust nodded.

"But what about you guys?" Rachel asked.

"We'll be alright," Stardust said with a smile.

Emma looked a bit pensive and then looked at Balan. "Um, Balan?" She asked.

"Yes, little one?" He asked.

"Can...Can you stay with us?" She asked.

"You too, Midnight and Stardust?" Leo asked.

Balan looked at Rachel, who nodded. "I'd be okay with that," she said softly.

He smiled. "Alright then. Drink these vials and we'll get you off to dreamland," he said.

The three did as they were told and it wasn't long before they were all nodding off. Stardust picked up Emma while Midnight picked up Leo and Balan scooped Rachel up into his arms. The three settled down and fell asleep before the three beings had reached Balan's room, but the teens were soon tucked in and the maestro and other two beings lay down beside the kids, Balan on one side with Midnight and Stardust on the other while the three teens were sleeping in-between them. Sleep came rather quickly then as they fell asleep.

Lance, who had observed what had happened, decided to take a look into what Rachel had revealed to Balan. He wondered if the case of her father's passing was closed and hoped that if she had some closure on it, it would help with the nightmares.

He was certainly determined to help her and the other two in any way possible.

Okay, so it may seem that the teens are rather clingy to Balan and he's only just adopted them, but because they've been starved of love for so long, save for Miss Claire and Miss Mary showing them affection, when they are given affection from Balan, they not only soak it up, but they crave it more, to which Balan is more than happy to give, as are Midnight and Stardust. And yes, Rachel went through a very horrific experience, but it looks like Balan is going to stick it out and not give up on her when she needs him the most.

Next up: We see how the kids have settled in after a week.

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GoldGuardian2418