Curative

By Kaimaler

Hmm, so we've gotten over the greeting with Laura's old group! But who knows what's gonna happennnnnn!

Happy Fortieth Chapter!

It's a Dialogue Heavy chapter!
Meant to move time forward and progress interpersonal situations, the continuance of the main plot will begin again shortly! All chapters can't be full of guns and zombies! They're tryin' to survive after all.

That being said, it is still an important chapter to explain future actions/events. So I suggest not skimming over some things. ;3

Once they had all relaxed after meeting Carol and welcoming Laura back, they had settled back into their routine. Carol was included in the routine, helping Daisy and Markus handle the weapons by reloading magazines and cleaning. It was a little different to Carol, but she caught on quickly.

As it got darker outside, Laura remained on the porch keeping watch. Occasionally someone came out to check on the watch shift, offer to take over, then be turned away by a simple "I don't sleep" final answer from Laura.

Though Laura was dismissive of the group, she was actually rather pleased that she did not have to worry about Carol for a few days at least. It was a good rest stop for the rest of the trip, Laura would not waste it. For as long as they had with this group, Laura was going to make sure Carol could catch up on all the days of sleep she missed, all the times when Laura knew Carol was exhausted from a long day of walking.

She sighed, this was going to be a long, quiet few days. If she was lucky of course.

However, as Laura looked around, she realized how much time had passed since this morning when she ran into Markus, almost with her machete.

It was dark out now, but she had since noticed that her sight was able to adjust to day and night better. During the day, she felt as though lights like the headlights of cars or a flashlight looked like lens flare and when it was significantly bright out, it was as if everything was bathed in bloom effect. At night though it was more relaxing. There was more to see at night, the reflection of light of the moon, depth and deep shadows, filled with such extreme detail that she did not see at day.

At daytime, Laura tried to look up to the sky where the sun was at, but the brightness and heat forced her to look away. Back when she was human Laura remembered that people could look at the sun and there was not much of a problem, unless she stared at it for a long period of time. Now, she couldn't even look near it before her eyes stung.

During the day, Laura would have to be more careful. At night, Laura could hunt and clear the area of walkers. The obvious problem of traveling at night was because Carol would be unable to defend herself as effectively and risked a lot more if they went out at night. Laura could still function at day, but was more able bodied at night.

While daytime was a little trickier for Laura, Carol had learned a lot since they had started traveling together. Carol was proficient with a gun, even though they had rarely ever needed it against walkers or survivors. She had also begun taking hunting lessons from Laura; the thought of that was enough to make Laura recoil in shock. It was not long ago that she had hunted her first squirrel with Daryl's crossbow. Took tracking lessons from Rick in the woods. Even learned how to skin and gut so that they could have a steadier supply of food.

She rested her head on the tall wooden chair, still overlooking the land in front of the house. It had been a long while since she thought about Daryl. Not that she did not care about him or what they had together, she just had too much weighing on her to worry about him. He was a survivor through and through, before and after the outbreak. Without a doubt in her mind she knew Daryl was still alive, having survived the farm and life dodging the herd.

She missed hunting with Daryl, going out in the woods with him, or sitting by the campfire. There was a part of her that even missed laying in the cot with him when he slept. While neither of them stepped into the more intimate side of their relationship, she gained comfort knowing he was near. She wished she did need sleep back then, so she would know what it felt like to awake with someone beside her. It was not a feeling she ever remembered experiencing.

With a groan, she knocked her head on the chair. So much of her memory was lost or hidden from her, all because the Voice wanted to manipulate everything about Laura to make her more agreeable to its suggestions. The Voice was quiet for the most part, but sent that hunger distracted her from whatever the Voice wanted. It no longer mattered what the Voice said to her or what it asked her to do; Laura had control in dire situations so she did not worry about what it was doing.

Gaps in her memory told her there was a lot she still could not recall. As of this moment, she noted, she remembered a large portion of her life that she spent living with her alcoholic, drug abusing mother. She knew what happened too. Her mother was 17 when she got pregnant with Laura, then married Laura's father. Only when Laura was seven months old, her mother divorced her father, demanded child support, and won full custody of Laura.

This was because her mother threatened to accuse Laura's father of rape and domestic abuse. When he realized he could not win, after she had intentionally bruised herself up to provide 'evidence' against him, he lost rights to his daughter and most of his life savings; he backed off to use the legal system to do whatever he could to get Laura back. After nearly twelve-years of an abused life, her father finally won. None of this information came to Laura easy. She had found out about what her mother had done to her father by finding letters between them and studying up on the court case that followed.

Last Laura knew about her mother, she had served her time for child abuse and neglect, then, when she was done with all convictions and legal matters; she moved to another state entirely. This was something Laura was happy about for a long time.

Her father treated her well, perhaps too spoiled after he saw what conditions Laura had lived in and listened to her tell countless times of broken fingers, belts, and beer bottles. When she was old enough to understand, Laura knew he was trying to make up for the time she was unable to spend just being a child. He bought her whatever she asked for, took her to festivals and even took her to a few concerts. Laura was loved, cared for, and healed by her father.

Tears stung in her eyes but did not fall, her face twisted into a frown attempting to stop herself from crying over her father. There was so much he did for her, even when he lost his job and so much of his own living to win Laura back and defend his name from the witch of a woman her mother was. Thankfulness would never cover how indebted she felt to her father.

Over time she came to understand what he did for her, how much he sacrificed for her. He would tell her that he had no choice, but she knew stories of parents who abandoned trying to reclaim their children for much less. His image in his work field had taken a mighty blow until he proved himself innocent and brought his daughter back home with him.

He worked at the CDC when Laura lived with him. She would spend hours listening to him talk about some new exciting thing or complain about his bosses' unreasonableness. She did not mind if he vented his troubles to her; they were close, she considered him her best friend.

She had experienced hurt in this undead ruled world. The experiments on her, which she could not understand why he did it, but she utterly forgave him already. The men who violated her for days on end and beat her. This group that had nearly killed her. Breaking her leg, struggling with her walker-likeness. The encroaching fear of being alone in the world.

There was nothing to compare the aching pain she felt when she thought about how she left her father, the man that gave up whatever life he had, to fight for her and bring her to a safe home where she first felt truly loved by someone. It crippled her to know that there was a likely chance that her father died out in this terrifying new world. People did not survive long without a group after all and she hated knowing it to be true.

"Hey." Snapped out of her thoughts, Laura turned to stare menacingly at the man who approached her. It was Micheal, someone in this group that had not spoken to her since her return. He had not said a word to either her nor Carol now that she thought about it.

He held his hands up in defense, noting her threatening look. He also noticed how her eyes reflected light like a cat's eye would. "Whoa, whoa. I come in peace."

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she returned her focus to watching the landscape for trespassers and walkers. She would not acknowledge him first, he would carry the weight of any conversation they had. In a way, this small discomfort she caused those who tried to speak to her was a bit of retaliation on her part.

"It's a nice night. No storms; ain't even that cold." He gave her his usual grin, one that made Laura want to tell him to eat dirt, but she was not here to instigate rivalry. Laura held in her own laugh, she did not want to break her cold exterior to them.

Micheal was sweet on her, just like she told Daryl. She did not know if he would try again and she sincerely hoped he was competent enough to know that she would not flirt with people who tried to kill her.

"I don't remember you ever having that look before." He spoke softly. Laura decided that most certainly was a shit eating grin and she barely resisted smacking it off of him. Carol would tell her that she should not do that and he was most likely just trying to be nice. Which, most likely, he was doing just that.

Laura could not tell if she really cared or not.

"You always smiled a lot, stuttered too. It was cute. Though I do admit I like this new you, much more... femme fatale." She resisted a loud, annoyed groan and opted to send him another, sharper glare.

He took that hint quickly and waved her off, "Alright, I get it. No need to stab me to death." He blinked and stared shocked at himself. She knew he was referring to her glaring daggers at him, but it was still a rather unintelligent thing to say.

"Shit, I mean... Sorry." He sighed, "I guess I just don't know how to talk to you anymore. I feel like if I act different I'll be disrespecting you somehow... or something. Ah hell, I dunno'. Just wanted to see how you were out here all alone without freaking you out. Sorry that I'm coming off like an ass, I was hoping to be helpful."

She was still staring at him without saying a word. He was hoping she would contribute to his statement, expecting her to say that it was alright or even if she was extremely offended he would prefer her to voice her annoyance with him.

Yet there she sat, a machete on her lap; silent at the grave.

He did not make much headway with her as she continuously gave him this unnerving predator-like stare; her eyes reflecting moonlight directly into his own eyes. It was almost alarming how she looked now; he would never dare say it to her, but she did look like an animal now and less like another human being. Not that her appearance was offensive to him, just that he would have to do a double take to tell her from a walker.

A strangely healthy looking walker though; he thought, so there was that.

"I suppose that was a mistake... I'll just go back inside. You know where to find us if you need us." He started to head depressingly back inside the house until he heard her released a deep breath.

"You can stay."

Micheal smiled instantly, but was still tentative about approaching her. When he sat down, he carefully plotted any conversation to have with her. He wanted to talk to her, to get close to her as he had done before. It was a matter of getting her to relax around him first.

"Y'know, everyone missed you a lot. I remember Daisy and Melanie crying after Red told us you had... that you were gone... I really missed you too, Laura. It was... hard knowing that we lost you, especially now knowing that it was a mistake." He gave her a longing look, one that went by completely unnoticed by Laura. "I always wondered what it would be like if you were still with us."

He hoped she would listen to him and reply, but she did not even look at him. His expectations went unmet with the few words he thought would initially catch her attention. To earn this, he would try another route. He knew she liked him before, yet he wanted that to have extended beyond their parting so many months ago.

In an odd way, Micheal was unsure how he felt towards the seemingly new Laura. During the few days they were together in the group, Micheal had enjoyed Laura's company more so than he may have wanted to. Some inside voice told him it was because he had not seen another willing woman to respond to his flirtatious moves.

He shifted closer to her, leaning on the armrest. "Between you and me, I was always hoping that somehow we'd find you again and you'd be alright. To us, thinking you had- well, turned, that was impossible and tried to convince ourselves that we'd never see you again. I always thought about you though; those nights by the fire. I don't know if you do too."

Laura's head slowly and menacingly turned to glare at him with reflecting, sharp eyes. He could not tell if she was angry or still upset about what had happened earlier in the morning. Red did try to show her they regretted their actions, yet Laura was less than understanding.

"I hope you are not saying what I think you are saying." Her dire tone was enough to warn him that he was crossing into unwelcome territory.

A bit nervously, Micheal ran a hand through his hair. "Things ended bad, I know. I just wanted to tell you that... what Red said is all true of course. I... actually like this new you." He smiled appreciatively at her appearance. Regardless of how strange, almost alien she looked; Micheal found her uniqueness rather attractive. He rested a hand gently on her hand at the edge of her armrest.

Her sneer and growl told him that she was less than pleased. "You are part of them, as bad as they are. You stood by and did nothing when they made their attempt to murder me. I hold no more affection for you than I do for any undead bastard wandering around out there." She slapped his hand away and stood angrily.

"Laura-!" He rose with her, stopping her by putting his arm in front of her. It was not to intimidate her, just to pause her for a moment. "What happened before was terrible. I can't make up for it, not unless you let me. Maybe you never forgive us, but we're here, together again. We can start over, actually start something real."

She recoiled away from him. "I really, really do not want you, Micheal. You were some guy doting on a random girl you met. She was shy, afraid, and suffering. Now I've improved. I'm strong alone, I can survive, and I have enough respect for myself to know that you're not worth my time."

Laura stormed away, leaving the porch completely as Micheal remained. He had not seen that coming, though he had two scenarios in mind; a good one and a bad one. In both situations, he would try again in the future. In hopes of impressing her enough to allow him back into that part of her life.

Seventeen Days Later...

After a long while together, Carol and Laura integrated almost perfectly into the group. Red was more than helpful when it came to setting up a new rationing schedule for them all based on Carol's need for food and Laura's less than need of food.

Their time at the house was drawing to an end and they all knew it. Laura was anxious to move on to find their group and Carol had begun to feel the same, she despised the idea of being away from her daughter much longer. Even though they knew it would take a long time before they found their group, if at all.

Red was respectful enough, yet there was no discussions about when Laura and Carol would leave just yet. Carol had finally healed from her blistered feet and made up for the nights she lost. Now, rested and awake, Carol was thinking about the trip Laura and her would have to continue to ever reach their goal.

Things had been going well for them, the group remained together and protective at all times. Nothing had come through the fence, it was relaxing to feel that they did not have to keep running from the herd for a few days. Laura was not intending on rushing away form the group while Carol regained her strength.

So far Laura and Carol did a large portion of the work in the group. Carol insisted it was to pay the group back for their hospitality. Laura did so because she wanted Carol to be safe and feel ready to move on sooner.

Up until a point, none of the group had bothered Laura. Though she was able to clearly note the many, many times that Micheal attempted to impress her by delivering her rations to her in a fanciful way. He would 'dine' with her at night and greet her early in the morning. When doing work around the house, such as checking the fence for obstruction or damage; Micheal would always try to be there.

Only rarely did they come across an iron bar that needed to be fixed. Laura carried the blowtorch when conducting these checks to make sure nothing would happen to it without anyone knowing. At first, Micheal wanted to teach her how to use it by fixing one of the bars. He had burned himself in his work as he had not paid attention. Laura was quick to repair the fence and move on.

Some of the group and Carol would come around and interrupt Micheal's flirtatious attempts on Laura. This was perhaps the only time she was grateful to have anyone around. Markus had stopped by a few times, sometimes offering Laura water and food, or just to visit. Micheal was clearly displeased with Markus' generosity.

There was definitely some battling going on between the two men, as she overheard Micheal asking Markus why he was always stepping in the middle of Micheal and Laura's 'conversations.' Markus defended himself promptly by telling Micheal he was just being nice and ignored Micheal's questioning looks.

All of this time, Laura had not mentioned her and Carol's group or Laura's relationship with Daryl. If not for her walker-side making her life with humans difficult, she would have told Micheal that she was with someone already. However, because of her change and leaving the group, Laura expected talking about Daryl would not help her nor Micheal. She preferred not to discuss her personal life with this group.

Carol was more than happy to explain that Laura's condition put her in a strange place when it came to dealing with people outside the group. It was an excuse muddled with both lies and truth in order to conceal Laura's true struggle with herself as an intelligent walker now, but they bought into it well enough so neither of them felt like meddling further with the topic without need.

While Laura and Carol separately began thinking about moving on, Red's group was already doing the same.

"Hey." Laura heard a particularly small feminine voice creep up from behind her. She saw Daisy waving mutely to her, her eyes asking permission to approach. Laura had felt less confrontational with the group than before; instead of turning the small woman away, Laura gave her permission. With a few small steps, Daisy stood right beside Laura.

Laura had not done much else aside from protecting the group, occasionally venturing beyond the fence to clear walkers that got too close or had too much of an inkling about survivors living there. Other than that, repairing the fence, and keeping watch nearly all hours of the day and night; Laura could be easily found in a particular spot overlooking the overgrown green yard in front of the house. She eyed that gate as if something were to break through at any moment.

"It's been a long time since we've talked really." Daisy crossed her arms, hands holding her elbows. She was wearing a thin medium-sleeve sweater, Laura was surprised she was not shivering. "I sometimes try to gather up the gall to talk to you, but all I can think is 'I tried to kill that woman, what ever could I say to her?"

With a long side look, Laura questioned the woman silently. She avoided seeming too unapproachable anymore, the part of her that gave her that fiery rage had long since quieted down. It was still there and, just as Laura said to Rick once, she did not want to understand... Yet she also recalled telling Glenn that she did. Mostly, as only Laura knew her deepest thoughts, she was being petty, but she was not being unreasonable about almost being murdered.

Daisy sighed softly, "I feel like, just because I can't say or do something that proves I am regretful, that I don't deserve to talk to you. Almost like how castes were back hundreds of years ago. Somehow I started noble, but lost my privileges. Now I'm just stuck bowing my head to the people I used to be friends with, people above me." She gave a humorless laugh, "I feel like I've been ostracized by the person others ostracized. Like it's all backwards, we're being shunned for attempting to spurn the person most people would do the same too. I'm having a hard time understanding where that puts me."

Laura looked down to the tall grass before them, she was unable to share experiences with almost killing an innocent person. She could relate to the shunning, she felt like an outsider even with Rick and the others. Regardless of how many times people showed her that they were accepting of her situation and trusted her; she always felt different to them all. There was a barrier between right and wrong for everyone and everything... Only Laura's barriers were stricter and placed on her without amble room for her morals to be taken into account.

It was something she could live with back then, but it changed being alone again. She had all the freedoms she wanted and no one to share them with. It both excited her and broke her heart. Being stuck out here with Carol once again removed those freedoms, yet she had already resigned herself to the idea. Laura's barriers were blurred, she could no longer remember where the lines were and how not to cross them.

"Maybe I'm just... not a good person deep down anymore. Maybe I've never been. My parents were wealthy, we lived pretty comfortable lives. My dad had a hard upbringing before marrying my mom. After that he was able to get the education that he could never afford and lived the life he dreamed of. He made sure my mom knew how much he loved her and thanked her." Daisy took a deep breath in, "Up until she died giving birth to Melanie. He was a good dad, took care of us and made sure Melanie never felt responsible."

Laura remembered that, Daisy had once told her that their family was relatively happy and picturesque. It was a good thought to keep close, knowing that they had a good life before the outbreak.

"I dunno, I never felt like this whole zombies are real thing ended the good years of our lives. I feel like we're better than this, stronger somehow. People have fought off a lot through history, even fought themselves and made it to the other side." She placed her hands on the old wooden rail and leaned forward. "Even though the world is so dangerous, I feel like I'm still having a good life. I can anyways, if I make it one. I just have to fight hard enough and someday, Melanie will be able to play like a little girl again."

Laura shifted on her feet, the automatic weapon the group had lent her for guard duty felt a little heavier. She did not understand where this confession about her life was coming from, but she would not stop Daisy. Before, people would tell Laura their problems and she would offer her help when or where she could, even if all they needed was someone to talk about it with. Laura did not feel as if she had to stand here and let Daisy put her personal life in the open. At the same time, she did not want to diminish Daisy's suffering through the outbreak.

"Over time I felt more and more like... this is it. This is my life now. I accept it fully, I will survive as long as my body is able. I refuse to leave Melanie in this uncertain world." She leaned on one arm, turning to the side to look at Laura's reaction. "My father is gone, my mother too. I was a top student, almost all straight A's. I lead a successful life and never had to deal with debt or whether or not I could afford food for the week on my salary. I guess I was that one percent that never struggled. Now, in this crazy place, I know that if I do all I can then I can succeed. I've never been adverse to hard work and I have my own laundry list of problems. But there is nothing more important in this world to me than Melanie. I would give up my own life if it meant she would be safe, without hesitation."

Laura came to look at Daisy beside her. She did not dare move as Daisy recounted her story in greater detail than Laura had ever known it to be. There was more in Daisy's admission of her life, it was also her hopes and dreams in a way. She was unsure how to respond to her, how to explain that she had been listening.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" It was the only thing Laura could think to say. She did not know what moved Daisy enough to talk to her like this.

Daisy gave Laura a delicate smile, "I may not know much about you, about where you came from or who you are. But I nearly ended that. I almost allowed you and everything that makes you who you are to be erased permanently. It frightens me even now that I could do such a thing. I know I would kill anyone for hurting Melanie, no questions about it. All you ever did was help and be our friend. In a moment, without even thinking about it, I was ready to forget all of that out of blind fear. I usually ask, dig, learn; anything to create an idea of what's happening at any time. I didn't that time. The one time someone needed that from me most and I failed."

She did not feel awkward, but compelled to comfort Daisy. There was so little that could ever be done to apologize to someone they almost killed and so little that Laura wanted them to do, if anything at all.

Somehow this made the tensity Laura felt around the group release. With a sideways glance back towards the front door of the house, Laura swung the automatic on her shoulder, the strap holding it in place behind her arm. She unzipped her heavy jacket and shuffled it off, replacing the gun's strap on her shoulder. Turning the jacket in her hands, she brought it across Daisy's shoulders.

A little taken off guard by the gesture, Daisy closed the jacket over her, bringing a hand to twist the long fur of the jacket between her fingers. Daisy smiled sadly at Laura before stepping forward quickly and hugging Laura. Her arms around Laura's neck and her weight pressing against the best of Laura's balance. Stunned by the sudden hug, Laura took a moment to actually respond by cautiously putting her hands on Daisy's back halfway returning the hug.

"I may never be able to make it up to you, to get you to forgive me or any of them. But even if I do that, I don't know if I could ever forgive myself." She pulled back and Laura could see her glossy eyes and reddened nose. She was resisting crying on Laura's shoulder.

Laura turned around, to the two person swing chair on the porch and brought Daisy along. When she sat down, Daisy sat beside her, closely and holding onto Laura's arm. It felt a little strange to have someone so close to her again, yet she welcomed Daisy's form of comfort.

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Laura pushed the chair to swing a little. It was late and she was unsure how long Daisy was willing to stay awake for her. Laura felt Daisy's hands on her arm tighten slightly, bringing Daisy to lean on Laura's shoulder and Laura rested her head on Daisy's. It was how they relaxed back at camp when they traveled in Atlanta. They often stayed together at the end of the day with Melanie. Laura had nearly considered Daisy as a sister she never had, kind, and always talking about the next interesting thing.

"My mother had divorced my father soon after I was born. She mistreated me; neglect, abuse, and just about anything that came to mind for her. I never was able to start my life with a good education or a loving family. When I was almost twelve-years old, my father was able to fight her and win custody of me. I lived a good life with him, he took care of me, made me feel like I had a loving family even though it was just me and him." Laura felt it was good to talk to Daisy after she had told her own story.

A little surprised, Daisy was more than ready to know more about Laura. She had never spoken to them about her history, opting to keep herself apart. Daisy had always hoped to know about Laura, it was a better way for her to get close and share the world before the outbreak.

As Laura told her own tale, she felt herself lightening up. Some of her had faded into the background of her mind, where it remained and stayed silent. Her anger at the group, especially at Daisy, had melted away at least temporarily. She talked openly and for a great length, telling her everything that she had never told anyone since she remembered it.

The Voice had been pressing her memories into the deep recesses of her mind, but she finally had them back. Laura would be lying if she said it didn't feel good talking about the good aspects of her life, the ones she wanted to remember and wanted to share.

All the while talking to Daisy, Laura's anger subsided. It was not a long term place, she still felt the creeping doubt of the morality of the group she and Carol remained with now. The relaxation Laura received from sharing a moment with Daisy without thinking about Atlanta, walkers, or their survival was worth more than her resentment.

She did not know how she felt about the group, she would not say she forgave them at all, not even Daisy despite her heartfelt admittance to Laura. It was less stressful now that she did not have to think about all the problems surrounding them for a night.

Just a Wonderland: Oh yeah, and I wanted to make it a little painful, tepid, and strange... They may not get along well at first, but they definitely changed Laura's outlook of the world. ;3
In regards to how the Voice will affect Laura's time with the group now, we'll just have to wait and seeeeeee :D
On the grounds of Sophia experiencing her own "Voice", that might either confuse some readers. There is a proper explanation as to why the Voice even exists and how/why it is the way it is. So that explanation, when revealed, might show what Sophia's going through or not going through. No spoilers! x3
Oh yeah I'm gonna abuse the shit out of that situation. Whether Laura/Carol find the ATL group or the ATL group finds Laura/Carol is already decided and fucking torturous. Ya' gotta hate me for it, but I will enjoy it. I love abusing my characters and Laura's has not taken the most abuse out of all of my characters that I've ever made. But by the time Laura reunites with the ATL group... she might be. HUEHUEHUEHUE :D

YEAH RIGHT? MIND FUCKING THE SHIT OUT OF THAT. Laura's "Voice" is- well, I can't spoil that. Soooooo hahahahah. I will reveal it soon!
The Voice's dialogue was always in quotes, showing the reader that the "I will rule yo ass" statements were not part of Laura's conscious/subconscious. Laura's own internal dialogue was without I'm gonna wreck yo shit.
But with the two switched... hmmm... HMMM. Maybe it means a lot of things, maybe it's good, maybe not! I KNOW AND I'M NOT SPOILING ANYTHING! But it's definitely food for thought!
All I will say about it, is that it entails some nasty shit. There was a "Hint" to it in this chapter, but no one will be able to connect it with the Voice or the quotations. I'll say that it has something to do with... perimeters... borders... maybe something about... barriers perhaps? hheheheh

Awww! I made someone's OTP?! You flatter me! stahp ett... :3
Ahh yeah, I can't wait to show Daryl what Laura's changing into. It's gonna be one hell of a ride for him. I don't know though, will they part ways, break up? Will they overcome and move forward? Or will it/is it too late? Woooohohohoo

I'm glad to make someone stop and think about stuff. Sometimes I repeat myself and I understand if that becomes annoying, I'm trying to stop doing that and instead show the reader what I want them to see without revealing too much. There's so much to this story and to Laura's character that I cannot show yet and am too excited to write so I can see the reader's reactions.
Remember though, if an idea pops in your head like "Oh, she couldn't possibly be saying that Xperson is also Yperson." Or "That can't possibly mean that/happen now!" Most likely whatever you're worried about either is or may happen. Soooo always entertain the weird! :3

Well, you don't write too long for me! I read ALL of the reviews I receive. I never miss a one, I adore anything and everything I get from my readers. I thank you for your comments, I'm trying harder to be a better writer and this chapter finally marks the first time since I've started publishing chapters that I've actually felt the flow of writing again. Before it felt choppy and undefined, so this one, after the midway point, might/will be better than the last few!

I love all boosts to my ego! It's gettin' pretty big now with 100+ reviews! This story has the most reviews and the most positive feedback I've ever had!
So I feel proud, but I'm trying to keep the story direction under control. With luck, by the end, it will maintain its quality throughout!
Thank you for your reviews, I really do love reading and replying to them! Makes me want to publish faster just so I can get to do the review replies! (I do them only AFTER I've written the chapter so that, even if I'm really tired, I can still push myself to continue)

See you for this chapter and the next! ;3