Thank you for all the kind words of encouragement. I'm not positive why but I had more difficulty writing this chapter. Also, I have to bring my laptop into the Apple Store (which I am on Friday) so I cannot guarantee dates, sorry. Please follow, favorite, and review. Love you all!

Riley's POV

It takes six paramedics to pull me off of Lucas. Do you remember when you played tag as a little kid and you had a safe zone? Lucas is my safe zone. Anywhere else if monster territory.

As the roll me away on a bed I watch Lucas stand there like a statue, then he turns around and walks away. He gave up.

Let the monsters come and get me.

Farkle's POV

I see Lucas walking towards us bone straight. His spine says he's fine but his eyes differ. No longer are the emerald eyes that Riley lost herself in present. Now there covered by a think grey blanket of despair similar to smoke. I don't even have to guess to know what the fire is.

He sits down next to me and stares straight at the wall, uttering no words. I've never seen him like this, then I realize something. The keys that Maya, Zay, and I threw away were all retrievable. His isn't. His is Riley.

"Lucas?" I asked waving my hand in front of his face.

"Yes?" He responds with his teeth shut. Just like Mr. Matthews taught, us one leak and the Hoover dam goes flooding. Lucas is taking no risks.

"How is she?" I ask. That was a bad decision.

"How is she? She was just raped, assaulted, almost kidnapped, is practically in a catatonic state, and refuses to move without six paramedics. How do you think she is?" He snaps, storming out of the room.

We don't have to worry about leaks, the floodgates are already open.

Josh's POV

I look at the top of Lucas's neck as he storms off and see literal claw marks where my sister was holding on for dear life. This is what whoever it was had reduced her too. The problem solver, the ray of sunshine, the bunny farmer, all gone. She was living the nightmare she had told me about. In her nightmare we were all playing tag, she started running away to the safe zone when she tripped. No one was there to catch her so she fell and the monsters overtook her. I suddenly understood what she was seeing, all Riley had left was monsters. The veil had been lifted from her eyes.

I shook Maya awake.

"It's her nightmare." I said.

"What?" She said, still half asleep.

"Didn't she tell you. We were playing tag and she tripped and the monster overtook her."

"My little girl who's biggest blow had been the loss of Pluto as a planet is living her nightmare. The monsters caught up." Maya whispered in comprehension.

"She kept whispering 'When the monsters come marching in'." Said Lucas startling Maya and I.

"I asked her what it meant and she just kept saying that." Continued Lucas.

That's when my heart shattered. We live our nightmares in the night when we can wake up and run to our mommies and daddies and they lay with us and play with our hair until we fall asleep. Riley lived it in plain daylight on the street behind a bookstore. No one to save her. No nursery rhymes to bore her to sleep. Nothing.

Maya's POV

We've been sitting her for three hours. Three hours that goes by like three years. Time inches by second by second more regrets flood my mind, more fears, more worries. The veil was lifted for Riley. Not like when she slept over at my house for the first time and we took the sheet off my window. Whoever had done this had ripped her whole damn soul out.

Then the doctor came out, pulling me out of my nightmares. She asked for the party of Riley Matthews. I hated how they called it a party. It's not like we're going to dinner, or being picked up from the airport in a fancy limo thing. We're sitting in a hospital waiting room to see the damage that has been inflicted on Riley.

"There seems to be no injuries regarding genitalia however, there is a problem with her spine. It appears the attacker took two knives and ran them along the sides of her spine. The cuts weren't deep enough to puncture her lungs or any vital organs however, they cut parts of her ribs which results in small fragments scattered around the area. As of right now it appears that it will require surgery to make sure that none of these fragments can puncture the lungs, also deep stitches. That was a lot I just threw at you so do you have any questions?" Asked the doctor.

"Is she alright?" I asked quietly.

"She will be." The doctor assured.

"Do any consent forms need to be signed?" Asked Josh who had Mr. And Mrs. Matthews on the phone so they could hear anything.

"As I understand you are on a field trip so all medical consent rests on your chaperone. However, it always helps to have verbal consent from the parents. So Mr. And Mrs. Matthews do you agree to the necessary surgery?"

"Yes." Topanga croaked out. I could hear the angst in her voice.

"Great, we want to get her into surgery ASAP so any ETA on your chaperone?"

"Five minutes." Said Farkle, he was the only one that seemed to not be falling apart.

"Okay, we are going to prep Ms. Matthews and the OR room. Have your chaperone talk to the nurse out front to sign the forms so we can begin the surgery."

"Thank you." Farkle said as the doctor walked away.

I didn't even make it to the chair. I slouched down on the wall and buried my head in my knees trying to hold back the sobs. I heard Josh move in front of me but at this point I could care less. Now that I'm thinking about it I don't even know who our chaperone is. Well I didn't know who it was until he came flying in.

"I'm here!" He called.

"Shawn Hunter?" The nurse questioned.