If you haven't read the revised first chap yet, I advise you do for those who have read this previously. Alright, chapter two. I don't plan on abandoning this story or any stories for that matter, but I must warn you that updates will be random and unpredictable. Okay, let's go!
"It had been a normal day for us. I had
been made a pilot already. Everything was routine until we got the call. The Galaxy Alliance needed our help very badly.
"Apparently, a young Earthen male in his early twenties started a random killing spree of his family. He claimed he was 'destroying Satan's servants'.
"Now usually, we didn't handle things like this, but it went under our jurisdiction. James had killed all of his family except for one: his baby cousin who was about six years old. The cousin, who I guess we now know is Daniel, ran onto a ship and crossed planetary boundaries.
"James chased right after him and the two basically went across the entire galaxy before Daniel finally ran to Arus. There, we found them in the nick of time, literally. James was arrested while Daniel was sent to the hospital. He stayed there for a week or so and was then put in the foster care system on Earth. No one ever told us how Daniel turned out, or what ever happened to James." Allura finished, rubbing Daniel's back.
"That's horrible." Larmina stated quietly.
"It's inhumane." Keith said bitterly.
"That's Earth for you. Looks good on the outside but on the inside it's about to break apart." Lance growled.
"What did happen to you, Daniel?" Vince asked.
"I spent about eight years isolated in an orphanage. No one wanted me because of all the mental issues I have from the whole thing. No one wants a mutt." Daniel whispered, his voice low and trembling.
"Mental issues?!" Hunk said in surprise.
This surprised all of the pilots. Daniel wasn't your average teen, but it wasn't like he was a sore thumb that stood out among other exotic teens.
"You can't just watch someone you trusted kill your family, come close nearly killing yourself as well, and walk away from that. That leaves a lifetime of trauma." Pidge stated, making Daniel go into a panic attack.
The cadet put his head between his knees and took deep, shaky breaths while Allura and Keith, the two closest pilots, murmured soft words and rubbed his back. After five minutes, Daniel finally relaxed and curled up against Allura's side, eyes clenched shut and body in the fetal position.
"I think the letter triggered a post-traumatic reaction." Keith said quietly.
"He's burning up and shivering." Allura said worriedly, running a hand thru his hair.
"It's probably fatigue catching up to him after that panic attack." Pidge informed them.
"M'fine. Just need to get up." Daniel said, standing himself up on wobbly legs.
"Yeah, you're not fine." Lance stated as Keith quickly grabbed his arm to steady him.
"Daniel, you just had a panic attack. No one's fine after that. You're going to get some rest." Keith said sternly, already leading the boy to his and Vince's room.
"But… what about training?" Daniel weakly protested.
"It's cancelled today." Keith told him, entering the room.
Daniel stopped protesting and crawled under his covers. He was asleep within seconds as he let his fatigue catch up to him. Keith turned off the light and left the room to face the others.
"He's asleep. In the mean time, we should start doing some actual research on Daniel and his cousin. Family or not, those two must have been very close if Daniel reacted that badly." Keith said.
"Let's get crackin'." Hunk sighed.
Yeah, more will come. This is sort of like a filler kind of deal. You know, one of those chapters that explain a lot at first but dwindles down to near nonexistent in the 'must know' category.