Windows
"Thank you, doctor," Carol said towards the smiling man who in the whole exchange between them was wholly concerned and saddened by Amy's current state. The check-up was more routine than anything but given how much the hospital kept talking about Amy in general and asking if she was alright, she wondered how far these people truly cared about her.
Despite it all, Amy… amnesiac as she was continued to be polite, cheerful and even welcoming to each and every person she saw in the hospital. Even some of the people that she once knew first-hand. Some had given her gifts; some were wholly supportive of her due to the very publicized incident and some looked at her as if something had been lost.
For most of the time, however, as Carol wheeled Amy down to leave the hospital's premises, it was a positive sight. In this case, due to the suddenness of it all Carol started to deeply realize one central thing that had bugged her ever since this first started.
The issue being that Amy was much more of a central, key figure in New Wave's continued success. Of course, she knew about the ramifications of it all. How important Amy was in general not just to Brockton, but for the whole world given how rare healers were, but while she chalked it up as something that was important she never knew the entirety of the depth that the importance weighed.
Not just for her family, but for her team in general.
It was staggering how much the incident had affected nearly everything in the Bay afterward. Carol could still remember how heavily publicized it was, to the point that their personal lives started to have issues. The local government, specifically the Protectorate and the PRT were nearly deeply involved in the whole mess. So much so that it took Alexandria herself to visit them one day.
She expected Legend at first, but given how it was Alexandria, it meant that this was not just trying to promote PR on their part. Otherwise, this would have just been a small little excursion with smiles and sympathies from Legend on the public news. Alexandria being there was to Carol's eyes a very ominous indication that those organizations were very much interested in the topic of Amy's condition if anything.
They even subtly donated funds for her full recovery, with some prominent doctors in the field coming to the hospital they just visited where Amy was admitted for weeks. They even wished for some Protectorate heroes who had some helpful capabilities to come to visit, but Carol rejected them, mostly because Amy was already stable at that time.
The entire event in general felt serious and much to her surprise, far more important than she expected.
Public opinion was on their side, so much so that the gang which was in part responsible for it was taken off the map nearly in the period of a single week, even less so if looked at on paper. Thousands were in support of her, mostly within Brockton as they wished Amy the best.
The large boom in donations for their team spiked, to the point that it even trumped that of the days when their movement was still fresh in the public's eyes. Carol knew it was temporary given how interests and political climates shifted, but it was… eye-opening to her how much more people cared about Amy's condition compared to when Jess was murdered.
Between her and Sarah, only Carol seemed to realize that to this day, and with the way she looked at Amy given the many problems that were plaguing her busiest set of months in recent years, she realized that the girl… was shockingly the only member that kept them all afloat.
At least in terms of relevance.
Sure, New Wave had drifted off of the public consciousness and there were still people who cared enough to give donations, but when it came to relevancy the only important member to the public's conscious eye was neither the older existing members of their team nor even her own daughter.
It was mostly Amy, especially in Brockton.
Would Amy, not having the power she held, have been a different story? Carol did not know how to speculate that, nor did she wish to given the possibilities, but those questions made her look at Amy and realize that… she was important.
And Carol, instead of accepting it shallowly, had come to realize the depths of where that importance lingered. Now, knowing full well that even without power testing, Amy had lost her ability to heal, she was normal in a sense.
Even with the many issues plaguing her in her work life or even her relationship with the Protectorate and PRT due to Victoria's situation as well as Amy's, her home life was different this time.
In a sudden twist, after Amy came home, the house became different. The family became different and her husband, depressed and wholly another soul that she cared for like her children, had returned to the way he once was. He started caring again, he started being himself again.
He was the Mark that she had fallen in love with, many untold years ago.
Victoria, as much as it pained her how much she personally destroyed her own life, was regaining her footing again, and despite how much of an issue her most recent act was, she proved to be far more mature now and quiet. A far cry from her daughter as she was before, but she was recovering in the best way possible.
Her whole family did, even Sarah and her husband alongside Mark and Victoria were starting to do much more patrols again, as well as hero work. The family at least in the wake of Amy's incident were being relevant again to the point that they became much more busy as of late.
All because of Amy.
It all started… and ended with Amy.
An Amy that much to her family currently saw, was depowered and no longer had her memories.
An Amy that lost the personality she once had and was now closer to being a child starting to relearn everything from scratch. An Amy that was now a ray of sunlight that allowed her whole family to regain their footing.
Carol, in this case, was unsure of how to feel about it all. A frown appeared on her face as the doors were opened around them for her to roll Amy back to their car. The girl hummed with a soft smile on her face as she held the stuffed lion that she was now attached to everywhere that she went.
She was not sure if she was thankful, or even happy about all of this. Mixed feelings were abundant as they neared the car in the silence following their wake. The Bay thankfully had been quiet for a while now given the debacle following Amy's injury and coma. Many of the local gangs had gone into silence or in hiding for now knowing what happened to some of their rivals that were technically vanquished from ever operating again. All because of the girl that Carol begrudgingly took on the day New Wave had made its first success.
"Come on, easy does it." She said as Amy raised her arms while Carol lifted her off of the wheelchair and gently placed her on the car seat. The girl dutifully did as she was told as she looked at her while doing it.
"Thank you," Amy said cheerfully as she cuddled the stuffed toy in her arms. Carol nodded with a small smile as she gently closed the door where she sat and left to take care of Amy's wheelchair. Minutes later they were now in the car together as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Carol… ma'am? Can I ask you a question?" Amy suddenly said as Carol nearly froze with the sudden question out of nowhere. Or maybe it was because she was not used to being alone with her after the incident. Amy was mostly in the care of Mark and Victoria nowadays and while she was there for most of it, she was more so in the background if one saw it that way.
Even then, it was strange how respectful and polite Amy was despite it all. The change in her demeanor and personality was far too jarring, if anything she thought that someone had replaced Amy on the spot and what was left was nothing but a child-like replacement. Of course, she was not that paranoid, but it was jarring, nonetheless.
"What is it?" she asked. Their faces were near each other as Amy squeezed the stuffed toy in her arms.
"I… I wish to thank you for letting me stay after all this time. W-We never got to talk face to face since I arrived at your lovely home, so I thought about doing something to show my gratitude for you and your family." she said, almost embarrassingly, as Carol's expression turned confused. Amy's face was nearly crimson red, but the girl pulled out a little box that was in the bag that she brought along and gingerly offered it to her.
The girl smiled with all the heart on her face as Carol took the musty but neatly made gift box into her hands. She then quickly deemed that Mark colluded with Amy given how it looked like, but she looked at the girl again with a mixed expression while Amy continued to smile in embarrassment.
"What is this?"
"I… I don't have money to repay everything that you and your family have given me, b-but I wished to at least repay it in the most thoughtful way possible."
Carol's expression turned into a small, unsure frown as she opened the box slowly, only to freeze in surprise and shock at what was inside. A memory came back into her senses as Carol's nostalgia flooded back into her of the days when she was still young… and wholly happy.
She could still remember how Mark used to place these things in her hair, lovely, crude-looking things that were decorated with the most amount of heart and dedication as Carol heard her own laughs as the man who would become her husband laughed with her.
"I know it's… not as good as Mark's, but he said it would be a great gift," Amy said, taking her out of her thoughts as she looked at Amy and looked at a simple, paper mâché flower painted in yellow and pink. Despite what Amy said, they were made even better than what Mark made back in the day…
And as she stared at it, she quickly closed the box and looked at Amy.
"T-Thank you. It's really thoughtful." She managed as the girl's face lit up with that smile.
That… loving, strange smile.
"I'm glad. I-I'm sure A-Amy would have been happy as well."
Carol stared at the girl as she started to giggle playfully, holding her stuffed toy in her hands. Carol turned away and returned her focus to start driving them back home as that entire interaction stayed with her. Even through the whole ride as Amy made small talk, she found herself responding, even if briefly as the girl kept smiling all the way…
Happy within her company.
Happy that she was with her.
Carol was unsure how to feel about it all as the jarring change continued to make her think deeply as the weeks went on. This interaction in general gave her pause as she thought about their prior interactions back when the Old Amy was still with them.
How different their entire experience and relationship was.
Carol for sure had tried her best to love Amy as a daughter. She did in fact give her a home, a family, and even a place that she would care about, yet as the roads went on and as they neared their house, Carol started remembering something differently.
Something that while she cared for Amy back then, was… almost superficial.
Like now with how she felt in the household. A background character that was just there.
Amy before was just there despite how many things happened.
She never blamed the girl nor anything for what happened to her real father, despite having issues with it, but she ultimately cared at the end of the day, enough to allow her to just be there in the family.
Amy was just an afterthought. Not something she deemed too important since she wanted to distance away from the memories of the past that reminded her of that man.
Yet with all of that said, Carol started to realize that while she never neglected the child in the first place, there was an absence felt between them. A divide that looked like a transparent mirror when in fact it was actually a wall.
She ultimately built a wall to make her forget the past… not knowing that this wall probably had an effect on the old Amy.
And now, seeing this new Amy change the rest of her family into something better, she found herself on the other side of that wall and Carol was not too sure what to feel about it.
Arriving at their driveway, Carol simply stared at the humming girl and felt unease.
Unease not because of her presence.
But unease that was starting to sprout within her.
Carol was tired. The Protectorate and PRT were too much to deal with.
Her own firm and its current issues were too much to deal with…
And it all culminated with her walking with heavy stress on her mind as she steadily made her way to the front door of her house. Before she could unlock the door and head inside, it was automatically opened by her husband who had a furious look on his face.
"Where in the hell were you?!" he said, his tone low but heavy.
Carol blinked as she looked at Mark, only to notice that there were party decorations in their living room, and there were loud murmurs within the house. She then finally remembered what was happening.
"I… there was an issue at work, I had to finish it alongside all the other messes." She said as she moved inside while Mark looked shocked and angry at her.
"It's been nearly two goddamn hours. For Christ's sake…" he said as they both stared at each other.
"What the hell do you want me to do? I can't just bow out of those important meetings." She stated as she heard laughter at their dining table.
"Do you not understand… what this day means for her, Carol?" Mark intoned as he stood over her.
Carol's guilt kicked in as Mark's face and expression had never been this intense for such a long while. She wanted to say something else until she heard Sarah's voice call out to them.
He then turned to her and shook his head.
"I'm not dealing with you today… j-just be there, alright? I don't want to ruin the only damn birthday I've cared enough to set in how many years arguing with you." He said with frustration as he walked away nearly forcefully. Carol was left to her own muses as she looked around their decorated living room.
It was Amy's birthday.
There were presents, party decorations and many of their family pictures taken out of their albums decorating the house in full stride along with lion-themed banners and other paraphernalia. She had forgotten that it was Amy's birthday. Pulling out her phone, which was placed in silent mode, she saw that it had nearly 23 missed calls in it, most from Mark and some from Victoria.
Standing in place, she started hearing the combined voices within the dining room of all of them singing happy birthday in full cheers. Slowly, she walked towards the voices and saw a modestly decorated dining room filled with the entirety of New Wave having such vibrant and happy smiles as they continued singing with all the love they could muster.
Sarah was there singing alongside Neil with their children as they huddled around a blushing Amy who was watching in amazement at the fairly large cake in the center of the table. There were gifts around them, smaller in number than what Victoria usually had on her last birthday…
But even then, the last time the entire family had gone to great lengths to even make such a party like this happen again was so long ago that Carol barely remembered it.
Sarah had never been this happy in a long while…
Neil huddled and caressed her sister tightly in his left arm as they laughed and singed…
Crystal and Eric even wore those ridiculous pajamas that Amy and Victoria wore almost daily…
Mark much to Carol's surprise was also wearing something close to a Monarch King's outfit even if goofily rendered with less flair than usual given how ridiculous the blue and gold clashed in his costume. Though, it was the thought that mattered because little Amy to Carol's eyes were shocked, surprised, and genuinely so warm that Carol merely stared like she was not there.
The entire family seemed not to notice her presence as Amy clapped along with the tune of their voices all the while as she was dressed in a princess gown made with a simple blue and white. Victoria was wearing a matching dress as well, though what made Amy stand out was a much more prominent tiara that adorned her head.
Carol then recalled that Victoria and Crystal once went to Parian's last week, she did not put any thought into it but realized its importance now.
Then, as the jolly tune softened and ended Amy looked confused with how everyone was looking at her.
"W-What happens next?" Amy squeaked out as she held her stuffed toy in her arms.
"You make a wish silly!" Victoria said with a giggle as she then pointed towards the candles on the simple cake. "Once you make a wish you can blow the candle."
"I-Is it like a spell? I… I don't know how birthdays work." She said embarrassingly as Sarah and the rest giggled at her innocence.
"I guess? But it's… you know for good luck because I'm sure any wish great or small can happen one day, especially if you're heart is in it." Victoria said with a big smile as Carol recalled nearly saying the same to her back in the day when they also made a larger party with even more guests…
Though strangely the aura and atmosphere of this one far trumped than any birthday party she had experienced before. Even ones where she genuinely had a good memory looking back on them.
"But don't waste your wish on more stuffed toys, okay? God knows our room is nearly full of them." Victoria joked as the room turned into giggles while Carol watched.
This… this entire affair was different and as Amy looked at Victoria with an expression filled with awe and surprise over her words earlier, she then turned to Mark who similarly smiled in support and squeezed her shoulder lovingly.
"You can do it." He whispered as everybody watched on in genuine excitement.
"A-Alright…" She then placed the stuffed toy on her lap and looked at the bright blazing ember of her birthday candles. Her eyes danced in their light as she looked at Mark once more and asked,
"D-Do I need to say it out aloud?"
"You can do whatever you want sweetie." He replied as Victoria did the same. They both then lifted the cape closer so that Amy could blow her candles.
Carol watched as Amy clasped both her hands as if doing a prayer and closed her eyes.
Then…
She opened her palms and much to everyone's surprise, minus that of Mark's, a glowing bright light emerged from it as she spoke, softly and intently while everybody felt goosebumps.
"I-I wish… I wish for this dear family to live on happy and prosperous for the rest of its days."
Carol found herself parting her lips slightly at how much emotion was in her words as Amy gently blew her candles and the orb of light in her palms then drifted slowly at first to the dying embers and seemingly carried their spark as the air blown from her lips made it fly.
Then the orb slowly separated into smaller, similarly bright pieces and it filled the room around them like the stars in the night sky. It was beautiful, surreal, and wonderful with all the imagination and thought in it…
And as Carol started to think about the revelations of this reveal, Amy's 'stars' then twinkled brightly as each 'star' hummed into a single note in a tune as they slowly turned into a musical piece.
One that Carol was familiar with…
Clair de Lune by Debussy.
The beautiful symphony mimicking that of a piano left everyone in awe and in tears as each musical note released brightened the 'stars' floating around them. It felt like a dream, a beautiful, unreachable dream as when it ended…
As the last of the stars faded out and the silence emerged, Carol found herself nearly tearing up in the process. Mark, and even Sarah were wiping their eyes as their children started clapping and eventually, they all cheered for Amy.
"That was amazing AMES!" Victoria happily shouted as Amy looked embarrassed while she smiled. Tears in her eyes trickled down as Mark kissed the top of her head. The rest of the room burst into cheers as they celebrated happily.
Carol on the other hand was frozen stiff where she stood as she looked at Amy.
It continued on for the rest of the party even as she and Mark ate next to each other on the table.
That was until when in the middle of the celebration as Mark talked with Neil and Sarah, Carol who was eating her dessert alone in the kitchen was approached by Amy rolling in her wheelchair towards her. She was finished opening her presents that time and while she only received a handful she was happy nonetheless. Her lovely dress even had chocolate smears all over it as her bright smile persisted…
Yet as she came close to Carol, she noticed that she had something on her lap.
A dress… fit for a queen.
"T-This is for you, Carol, ma'am. It's more lovely than mine, at least to me." she offered with a smile as Carol took it slowly into her hands. She then turned back to Amy and a difficult smile appeared on her face, yet the girl responded back with a smile of appreciation while Carol sighed.
"Thank you. Amy. This is lovely."
"W-Will you try it on?" she shyly asked.
Carol looked at the dress and thought about it. The conflicted feelings in her head clashed within her before she returned her gaze back to Amy's. "Sure. Why not?"
She happily nodded in her direction as she started wheeling away, only for Carol to say something before she left.
"Amy, I…" she paused as the girl perked up to her words. "…Happy Birthday."
Her words felt hollow, but Amy happily smiled at her.
"Thank you. May you enjoy the party as well, Carol, m-ma'am."
She wheeled away leaving Carol speechless as she looked at the dress.
Leaving her simmering in her own thoughts.
Strangely as she looked at herself in the mirror, wearing the dress, it did look good on her.
Carol sighed, however, as she finished washing her hands.
Leaving the bathroom, she started to gather the dishes to organize and wash them all. The party had finished more than an hour ago as her sister and her family left. The house was now quite quiet with only Victoria and Amy's muffled voices being heard in their closed room.
As she started to wash the dishes, she stopped and turned off the faucet as she stared at their cupboards. A minute later after wiping her hands she grabbed a glass on her own and took the bottle of alcohol in their cupboards before pouring herself a glass on the kitchen sink for herself.
The clinking sound made by her placing the bottle made her stare at the stillness as she looked at the glass. She lifted the glass a minute later and tasted some of its contents. The extra burn hit the back of her throat as she walked to the table and sat by it in her chair.
Taking a deep breath, she thought about the mixed feelings she had as of late. She could not describe them, nor could she try to given the complex nature that was bubbling within the surface of her feelings as of late. Feelings that originated from traumatic experiences in the past as she recalled being bound while she cried and screamed through the bondages.
A tiny light, from the underside of the door was the only hope, that made her dream of freedom as she and her sister were left to their fates.
It was never the same after that… and any conviction that grew from that memory remained within her ever since. That fear. That uncertainty…
Reminiscent of her own feelings of never being able to escape from such a dark fate proliferated in her thoughts and personality even to this day. Which is why looking at Amy gave her so many unsure thoughts. Wary thoughts brought about by her disillusionment of vile people having their way with the innocent. It was why Carol admitted never wanting Amy in the first place…
For as much as any love sprouted within her towards the girl at first, it was quickly replaced by fear and memory of the man the child was associated with. It was startling and nearly crippling looking back at it now and comparing it with the Amy of today as she started having doubts about her own actions.
Doubts that began by seeing the vile man's memory plastered on an innocent child's face.
Doubts that left Carol to question her own morals to begin with.
Now, seeing what Amy had been these last few weeks…
The loving, polite, and happy Amy made her think about what she was scared of. Or better yet, she was asking deep down within herself if she was scared of what she had become to an innocent girl who was oblivious to her deep traumas and feelings in the first place.
Even more so considering how much Amy was 'there' to her senses back then before the incident.
Did she feel the same?
Like a stranger, like how she felt earlier as her entire family celebrated without her?
An alien or a shadow in their mist?
Carol did not know… because she was afraid of the truth in general.
Scared of the real answers those questions held.
With a deep breath, she emptied the glass entirely into her gullet as she forcefully set it down on the table in a loud thump. Only to realize that Mark was watching her from the doorway.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as Mark crossed his arms. A look of disappointment graces his face.
"Level with me… Carol." He said, the tone of his voice making her crack as she looked at him.
"I'm really sorry… I didn't want to-
"We've talked about this whole party two weeks ago. I asked you what you wanted to do. I reminded you nearly day by day last week, and I just chalked it up as you being so busy with all the things that's happened around us. Around Vicky, around Amy, our daughters. So I went on my own and had Victoria help me to finish all of this… and you still forget on the most important day of her life." Mark's emphasis on each word almost made her shrink on herself as this was the first time in decades that he was this disappointed and angry.
"I know. I… I tried. Or I thought I tried." She replied as Mark groaned in frustration.
"Aren't you happy? That I'm no longer a drifting useless idiot in the house? Aren't you happy that Victoria is finally opening up again after what happened to her? Aren't you happy even for just one time that Amy… our daughter I remind you, is celebrating her birthday normally after she nearly died weeks ago?!" his tone became heightened, as if weeks of frustration now was built up to a boiling point as Carol stared back.
"Do you even care?"
"I do but-
"You know what, that's not even the right question to ask… did you even care from the start? At all… about me, about our daughters in the first place?!"
"Mark I…-
"Were you happy that I was a dumb idiot just following you along as I rot in the house? Because you never cared at all to even-
"I DID CARE!"
Her scream stopped him completely as Carol stood up from her seat. Tears on her face as she looked at him with all the intensity she could muster.
"…I cared about you! I cared about our family! Every single one of us in all the time you were left the way you once were." She shouted out in full tilt as she pointed at him.
"…EVERYTHING I DID WAS FOR OUR FAMILY… I worked my ass off on every inch of the way because I cared for all of you. Because I was alone… yearning… asking for someone out there to save us so that everything would be back the way it once was."
"But there was nobody… It was just me, and I had to carry the burden of being the sole member of this family that had to strength to carry us along."
She then sat back on her seat, leaning on it as she looked at the empty glass.
"I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know why I keep making the same mistakes because I was so scared of something that I'm not sure would even pass."
She then turned her head back to him once more, seeing his serious expression as she spoke one last time. "But you don't get to say that I don't care when everything I've done so far is out of love for each and every one of you."
Mark then hesitates but his expression stays the same.
"But that love doesn't include Amy, doesn't it?"
She opened her lips, wishing to say something but nothing came out. She had…
She had no words at all to say in a reply.
"The mere fact that you can't even say anything just tells me enough." He said as he sighed.
"Mark, please… I'm not-
"I know I have no right to question you Carol… about everything that you've done for me, for Victoria, hell, even for Amy… but at the same time, she's the reason I'm right here now, talking to you, being a husband and a father because she taught me what it means to live for something again."
Carol stared at him as he sighed and looked away from her gaze.
"If you can't see her as your daughter, then I'm sure as hell won't allow you to ruin what happiness she has left." He stated with finality as he began walking away as Carol stared. A moment later she heard the rather forcible and loud close of their front door as Carol was left to her lonesome.
Tears were in her eyes as she wiped them.
Moments later, she couldn't finish doing the dishes so she started walking back to their room in silence until she stopped completely when she saw Amy, in her wheelchair staring back at her on the top of the stairs with an expression filled with guilt and concern.
She heard everything…
And Carol was left looking at her until she tried to say something before Amy beat her to it.
"G-Good… n-night Carol, m-ma'am…" she said with fear and guilt in her voice as she wheeled herself away quickly into her room before closing it.
The only sound Carol heard afterwards were the soft muffled sobs while Victoria audibly tried to console her sister.
"…"
Carol was not even sure she had enough strength to ascend the flight of stairs any further as she sat on them and covered her face in silence.
The smell of alcohol reeked in the air around her.
It was an awkward few days.
The entire house was just filled with a great divide as even her own daughter, Vicky was avoiding her. Any time they interacted it was with a disinterested face that Carol knew was a state of full ignorance to anything she said, even ones where she genuinely wished for her to be safe when she went to school or when she went outside to do patrols.
Her husband, Mark in this instance, while was not as bad merely wished to talk in smaller doses with her as he went on with his day, mostly to care for Amy.
She just became much more of a stranger in the house, far worse than even before as the divide widened in gap. So much so that any positive conversation died when she arrived home, or even when she wished for her husband, Vicky, or even Amy a good night to sleep.
Mark even slept on the couch a few nights ago from his patrol, not wishing to sleep next to her.
It was painful.
So, so painful that it was much lonelier compared to when Mark still had depression.
She continued drinking night after night, even as her workdays became busier…
Worse, ever since that night when she discovered Amy had listened in on her and Mark's conversation, the poor girl had been experiencing nightmares. So much so that in their panic, Amy had to be sent to the hospital because she was not breathing from her sleep paralysis.
Even as pure worry and terror also made their way into her heart as she saw the once-happy girl experience such harrowing issues, both Mark and Victoria wished for her to distance herself from Amy.
Not blatantly of course, but with the way they acted around her, it seemed like she was being turned into an outcast.
A few days later, after multiple work-related issues were resolved, she was allowed to come home earlier than her usual time. Amy was back in her bed, safely sleeping with her toy in her arms as Vicky and Mark watched a movie in the living room after sharing the whole day taking care of her.
Carol, as she arrived, was in fact greeted at the front door but the awkward tension was still palpable. An hour later, as they were about to sleep in for the night, a call was received from Sarah about an attack down across the Docks. It involved mobilizing most of them to respond so much so that they needed both Victoria and Mark on the scene…
Neither of them wished to go so that they could guard Amy just in case, but given that the alert was quite serious, Mark eventually trusted her enough to be left in the house alone guarding Amy. She was surprised by this, even volunteering to take his place, but given the emotional state she was in, she was not fit to be in combat.
Vicky was adamant, nearly wishing to argue over it, but she was reluctantly calmed down by her father who convinced her to trust her enough just to watch over Amy. They promised to be back as fast as they could as they left after changing.
They rushed out of the house moments later as Carol watched them leave the front door. Silent and ultimately exhausted she started walking to her room and quickly got into the bed.
Putting the blanket across her chest she stared at the ceiling.
The thoughts in her head overwhelmed her as she sighed heavily.
The growing pains in her chest were so much these past few days that she wished not to have to escalate the way they did on the night of Amy's birthday.
But words were already said… and as much as it hurt being placed on this spot, she knew she deserved it, deep down.
Closing her eyes she wished for sleep to take her quickly into the darkness…
Until she opened them again when the loud screams of Amy were heard.
She quickly sat up and regained her bearings. Amy was having nightmares again. She ran to the room in haste and as soon as she opened the door, the loud painful cries of Amy came to her senses in full volume. Her blanket was spread everywhere on the ground, her sheets were stained with the smell of her urine, and her pillows were thrown everywhere…
Even her favorite stuffed toy was at Carol's feet.
Poor Amy thrashed and cried with her voice nearly becoming spasmed as Carol quickly tried to hold her down.
"Amy..." She said as she continued to thrash in her arms while Carol tried to stop her.
"Shhhh… c-calm down Amy… I'm here… I'm here… nothing's wrong." Carol awkwardly said as she tried her best to calm her down until Amy screamed out more prominently than before.
"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGHHHH… M-MAMA!"
Carol froze as she held Amy down. How her voice cracked, how painful and traumatic her wails were… reminded her of the past.
Her own past.
"M-mama… I d-don't want to sleep in the stables anymore… p-please! D-don't put me back there!"
"A-Amy… it's Carol… I'm here okay? I'm-
"DON'T PUT ME BACK! I… I-I don't want it…. P-please… PLEASEE!" she then sobbed loudly as Carol started to tear up. Holding Amy tight into her arms as the girl started violently crying into her bosom.
"D-Don't put me back… p-please… d-don't p-put me back…"
"I won't… I-I won't… it's gonna be okay…" Carol repeated not just for Amy, but for herself. She remembered that day when the trauma all began. How Sarah held her this tightly and said those words to falsely soothe them of it turning out okay in the end.
Yet she and at that moment, Amy continued to cry…
"I'm scared… p-please… d-don't put me back."
"It's going to be okay… it's going to be okay…" Carol whispered as she tried to kiss the top of Amy's head despite all the tears.
"I'm s-scared…" Amy said as her breathing started to calm down…
"I'm scared…" Carol echoed as she held Amy deep into her arms.
AN: Oh, are we there at Taylor's big debut night already? I ain't gonna spoil that of course, nor am I going to confirm it. Since these chapters are specifically focusing on Amy!Castoria for now.
For now…
Oh and yes, an interlude and a Castoria POV next time… now I'm going back to my main fic haha.