Dara sat in the backseat, playing her 3DS. The family was on their way to Carrie's house for her birthday party, and Dara couldn't wait to give her best friend her present.
Her dad said something to her from the passenger seat and she looked up, smiling at him. He looked from his daughter to Dara's mother in the driver's seat and his face changed.
A split-second later there was noise, a terrifying, tearing sound and a scream. There was glass flying everywhere.
And blood. So much blood.
She knew the scream was coming from her. She screamed from the bottom of her soul.
She then heard her mother.
"Dara? Dara!!"
She sounded distant, like she was underwater.
"MOMMY! SAVE ME!!"
"DARA! WAKE UP!!"
Mommy! MOMMY!
Dara woke up in a start. Her eyes were wide, all her muscles were taut and tense, her hands gripping the bedsheets tightly. Her breath came out fast and hard, close to hyperventilation. Her whole body quivered, and she was covered in sweat.
She heard Talia before she saw her.
"Shhhh...Dara...it's okay...I'm here...shhhh...". Talia laid her hand on Dara's back, attempting to soothe her.
Dara now recalled where she was and what was going on. She looked at Talia and tried to calm herself.
"Ohhh...h-hey...how...how are...are you do-..."
She tried her best not to cry, but it didn't work. Dara completely broke down, going almost fetal as emotional trauma tore through her.
Talia gasped and pulled Dara tight. "Hey...it's okay...it's over...shhhh."
Dara unconsciously responded to Talia's closeness, holding on for dear life, pain and anguish quietly spilling out of her. The two women held each other for a full minute and then Dara's tension eased. She let go of Talia and turned a bit away.
She sighed heavily. "Talia...I'm...so sorry..."
Talia shook her head. "Don't be sorry, babe. That must have been a hell of a nightmare."
A nod. Dara's voice was shaky. "When...when I was 9...my parents and I were...in a car crash. They...they were..."
Talia's eyes went wide. "Oh."
"I relive that moment as a nightmare."
"Oh God. Oh Dara..."
"I'd have this nightmare every night since then. I'd wake up, alone, crying...my grandfather would come in and sit with me until I'd fall out again. I don't think either of us got a full night's sleep for years."
She then looked up at Talia, despair etched over her face. "It was Hell. For both of us. I had lost my parents. He had lost his son and his daughter-in-law. We only had each other and we were both suffering. For nine...long...years.
"And then...I saved Lily."
Talia blinked in confusion.
"In school, she was being bullied and I stopped it." There was a darkness that passed over Dara's face.
Talia slightly stuttered. "Stopped...?"
Dara smiled ruefully. "Nothing TOO violent. Maybe a little bit of blood."
Talia nodded, a bit mollified.
"Then I fell in love with her. She was so beautiful...so small and breakable...so...in need of a protector."
She smiled at Talia and Talia smiled back, so happy to see this emotion emerge, seeping through the lines of anguish on Dara's face.
"Then I met her father and her sister Akane and...and...they adopted me. Marcia and I. They brought me and Grandpa into their family, and now it's OUR family." Tears were streaming down Dara's face, but Talia could tell they were happy tears. The joy in Dara's voice flowed out of her, and it made Talia's heart soar.
"The times I have the nightmare are far fewer, and now when I wake up, I'm not alone. I have one of my sisters with me to...help."
Then she turned to Talia, her expression hard.
"But it's not fair to you, Talia. You shouldn't have to wake up to that."
Talia stared back at Dara. "Dara, honestly, I would love to wake up every day to you, nightmare or not."
Dara's mouth dropped open. "You...would...?"
A nod. "I don't know if I can comfort you like your sisters, but I'll do everything I can." She leaned in and kissed Dara softly. Dara made happy little sounds as she kissed back.
There was a soft knock and the bedroom door slowly opened more (as it had been left ajar from the night before). The two women looked over.
Lily peeked her head in. Her face was a mask of distress.
"Dara? Are...you alright?" Lily spoke in low tones.
Dara smiled which immediately was reflected on Lily's face. "I'm...okay. Talia...helped me." Lily looked at Talia, and Talia could see how one could easily fall in love with this beautiful little girl.
"Thank you, Talia. Usually, one of us is with Dara when she has a hard night. It can be...scary...the first time you see it."
Talia nodded and overtly tightened her hold on Dara. "Next time it'll be easier."
Lily's smile widened. "Yes...next time!"
Dara wriggled a bit in Talia's grasp, the other girl's body heat invigorating her. "So...how's Akane?"
"She's still sleeping. She was spent from the livestream session, and...we had more fun...afterwards."
Dara smiled.
Lily suppressed a giggle. "We've discovered that Akane's body is VERY sensitive after a session like last night. Like, we'd touch her tummy and she'd cum. It was a LOT of fun for all three of us."
Talia was now getting revved up, and her body rubbed against Dara's. Lily could see this.
"I will let the two of you...fully wake up. I love you, Dara."
"I love you too, Lily."
"Thank you, Talia."
"Thank YOU, Lily."
"Grandpa is up...I will leave the door open so that he can hear you both. Is that alright?"
Dara had gotten onto her knees and pulled the sheets off of Talia, heading between the other girl's legs. "That'll be fine. We'll try not to make too much noise to wake Akane up."