Hardly had the scream registered in Slade's ears before he leapt to his feet and raced out of his room into the hallway. He recognized Terra's voice coming from her bedroom, and he felt the familiar shake of the ground signify that this situation could become dangerous if he didn't react fast. Within moments, Slade was in front of Terra's bedroom, but when he tried to open the door to investigate what was the matter, he was surprised to find that access to the inside of her room was blocked by a large rock.
Slade, not saying anything yet, placed an ear to the rock. Somewhere within the room sat Terra, and he could distinctly hear her rapid breathing and obvious sniffs. The ground shook again, and Slade knew he had to act. "Terra, what's the matter?" Slade asked. He heard her gasp, then bite back a cry.
"D-don't come in," Terra whispered.
Slade, now more curious than anything, tried to see around the boulder she'd erected while weighing his options. It was possible that he could break the rock and enter the room by force, but there was a possibility that he might trigger more of her powers accidentally. Knowing that breaking in was only a last resort, Slade turned to his own wits. "What is the matter, child?"
"Noth . . . don't come in!"
"Are you injured?" Slade asked.
Terra said nothing to this, and now Slade felt sure that she had somehow injured herself during the night. To Slade, it made sense. He'd passed by her bedroom before and heard her whimpering. It was possible that during a nightmare, her powers might have surfaced and caused an injury; there was also the possibility that such an injury could reoccur. If that was the case, he'd either have to monitor her during sleep or somehow control what dreams she had. But first, Slade knew he had to gain access to Terra's room and assess the situation.
"Unblock your door," Slade said, his voice becoming gentler with every word. When this elicited no response, Slade knew what he could say that would. "I want to help you."
"Slade, I . . . " Terra began, her voice tight. "Why — I don't . . . " Then she gasped once.
Slade blinked once, almost able to feel her rapid heartbeat and state of high anxiety. Leaning closer to the room, Slade's voice dropped to a soothing whisper. "Allow me to help you, child. I will soothe your fears." Slade stood there for a few moments as he allowed his words to sink in. Suddenly, the boulder Terra had erected withdrew into the floor, and Slade was granted access into the room. He stepped inside.
One look told Slade practically everything he needed to know. The uneven, jagged floor and broken dresser informed him that something had happened to Terra to cause her deep distress. After noting the damage, his gaze fell on Terra's bed where a small Terra sat. Glancing down at her, Slade was surprised to see that she had managed to encase her entire body, from the neck down, in rocks so that it looked as though she wore stone armor. Slade stepped forward, watching her carefully. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.
Terra, who had been trembling this entire time, suddenly looked up at him, eyes wide with what seemed to be panic. Then her jaw gave a small twitch as she looked away. "No," she muttered. "It was about . . . my parents."
Slade's single eye narrowed. He was quite aware of what she had done, but he decided to overlook it just this once, considering the situation. "You've caused quite a commotion," he said casually. "Are you injured?"
For some reason, Terra now refused look at him. This only furthered his belief that she had, indeed, injured herself. Her lack of response was, however, unnatural. Though this was of no importance to Slade, he vaguely wondered why she was acting this way. An injury was just that: an injury. Any injuries needed to be promptly taken care of to avoid any complications.
Suddenly, Terra's body gave a violent spasm as though she were in dire pain. She instinctively glanced up at him, and Slade noticed a look of pure terror on her face. How badly had she injured herself? Until Slade could assess her state, he wouldn't know if it was simply her overreaction or something that could become lethal. Remaining as calm as she was agitated, Slade walked over to Terra and laid a hand on her head. "There, there, child. I will keep you safe."
Terra sniffed once, then nodded.
"Will you present your injury?"
Terra paused for a moment, then nodded again. Still refusing to meet his eyes, she looked over at a wall as she stood up. Then she, now looking down at the ground, let her rock armor fall. Slade barely had to glance at her before he saw the injury she possessed. Nodding, Slade left the room, walked over to the medical supply closet and obtained both a book and the medical supplies she needed, then returned and gave these both to her. Just as he was about to leave her room, she raced over and grabbed his hand.
"Wait . . . S-Slade, am I going to die?" she whispered.
Slade had to hold back a laugh of distain. How foolish she was. He turned and placed a comforting hand on her face. "Fear not, child. You will live." He noted her look of relief just as he closed her door, and he returned to his own bedroom soon after. Laying back down on his bed, Slade stretched once and closed his eye. A single thought flashed through his mind before sleep overtook him. Now she would require seven trays of food.