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Eli was alone. Surrounded by pitch black nothingness except for little stars that danced across her sheets and legs. She was sitting in a bed, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. There was a presence, somewhere out in the dark. Her eyes drifted lazily as they searched. Her body felt heavy. Her calf was like a tight ball of muscle. She thought of nothing but to find the source of the presence.

What was out there? Was it her mother? Was it Radvi? Keaton? Lynn? Her head turned to look behind her, but there was nothing behind the headboard but the same blackness. She frowned. What kind of place was she in? [i]Am I dead?[/i] Disappointed and lonely, Eli turned back around intent on burying her face in her knees. She looked out into the expanse one last time, and her eyes finally met what she was looking for.

Her breath caught in her throat and her heart began to race. She wanted to run, but her body was heavy and didn't move an inch. She was stuck. She could only stare into the eyes of the beast that stood in front of her bed and let her mind run for her. [i][b]Archie... please.[/b][/i]

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from every direction, but it wasn't her own. The darkness suddenly vanished and all that was left was the monster and the constellations that danced across his face. She heard a tray clatter to the ground, and the panicked cries of a woman. [i]Run,[/i] she thought, briefly wondering if it was the girl from the loading bay. [b]Run![/b]

She was waking from a nightmare, but the beast didn't go with the dark. It remained in her hospital room and stared at her with wild eyes. In the corner of her wide-eyed vision she could she a nurse stumbling backwards towards the door. Eli wanted to go with her, but she couldn't move. Her head was swimming. [i]No... Archie stopped himself. He isn't here. This isn't [b]real[/b]...[/i]

"Amy, what's wro-" Another nurse rushed in, but immediately stopped short at the sight before her. "O-Oh... U-Uh... She's using her power... I-it's nothing but an illusion." She didn't sound confident, but she was right.

[i]An illusion?[/i]

Eli blinked, and the beast was gone. She was coming to her senses, even if her head still felt dense. Her eyes shut tightly and she focused all of her will on keeping the beast away. Her hand slowly moved up to run itself across her face. [color=E5D0FF]"I... I'm sorr.."[/color] She couldn't form a sentence.

"I can't be in this room unless she's sedated, Chelsea!" The first nurse shouted with a shaky voice. "I can't deal with this type of para. They can't control themselves when they're like this. You saw what happened to her on the broadcast. Imagine what she's dreaming of. I can't do it!" She was practically spitting her words as she stormed out of the room.

[i]Broadcast?[/i]

Eli opened her eyes again, squinting into the bright room. It was actually quite peaceful looking, now that Eli had a grip on reality. She looked up at the ceiling and felt shame coat her mind in a fresh seal of wax. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she heard the remaining nurse walk over to her.

"Don't mind her, sweetie." The voice was soft, but Eli could pick up that she too was scared of the girl in the bed. She felt the light touch of a hand on her wrist. Her pulse was being taken. "The anesthesia should be wearing off soon. Your surgery went well. You should be up on your feet in a day or two." Eli swallowed, the events of the welcoming day flashing briefly through her mind. She flinched, and the nurse flinched too. "W-well, how about I get you another tray of food and some water. The IV can only do so much." Eli was silent. The nurse cleared her throat softly. "When you're feeling better, I'll let you call your mother. She's been worried sick about you."

[i]Mom.[/i] Eli thought, and she felt the tears spill over her bottom lid and down her cheeks.

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An hour later, Eli had a full stomach and a clear mind once more. She sat upright in her bed, although her shoulders sagged beside her in a portrayal of how defeated she felt. She'd gotten a good cry in before the nurse came back with her lunch. Now she sat alone in the room with a full stomach, and her eyes stared at the portable phone that laid on the bed next to her. [i]Inhale... Exhale.[/i] She breathed before picking up the phone and dialing. It rang for a while, and Eli anxiously picked at a loose thread in the sheets as she waited. She wasn't sure what she was going to say. There were a million thoughts that ran through her head. She only knew that her mother was aware of what happened, and that she desperately missed her now. There was a harsh click on the phone before a worried voice filled Eli's ear.

[color=BC8F8F]"H-hello? Is this the doctor? Is Eli awake? How did the surgery go?"[/color]

Eli's throat was tight, but she managed to speak. [color=E5D0FF]"Mom,"[/color] she managed. [color=E5D0FF]"It's me."[/color]

There was a heavy sigh on the other line. Her mother sounded relieved. [color=BC8F8F]"Oh, Eli... Eli I'm so sorry, honey. How are you? Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I... I saw [i]everything.[/i] I've been worried sick about you. Please tell me you're alright."[/color]

Eli closed her eyes and listened to her moms voice. As anxious as she sounded, her voice was still as soft and warm as ever. [color=E5D0FF]"I'm..."[/color] She wanted to lie to her mom. She wanted to tell her she was okay. After all, she only was shot in the leg. It was all better now, despite the white scar that remained. Even that would go away. But the memories wouldn't. That day kept flashing through her mind, in bits and pieces. The tears returned until she couldn't hold them back any longer. [color=E5D0FF]"Mom, it was awful,"[/color] she croaked, beginning to sob into the phone. [color=E5D0FF]"These men came out, and all of my friends were getting hit-"[/color] She brought her hand up to rest her head into it.

[color=E5D0FF]"There was [i]so[/i] much blood, a-and my leg hurt so much. One of them was going to kill this girl. She'd just gotten onto the station but I stopped him and then he was gonna kill me and-and I-I had to [b]kill[/b] him and-"[/color] She caught her breath, and she could hear that her mother was crying on the other end too. [color=E5D0FF]"Mom, I [b]killed[/b] him. He was right on top of me and I shot him. I-I'm a murderer."[/color]

[color=BC8F8F]"No, Eli, you're not."[/color] Her mom interjected, her words just as strained as Eli's. [color=BC8F8F]"He had a body camera on. We all saw you. You were [b]so[/b] brave, baby."[/color] She sniffed. [color=BC8F8F]"That girl's alive because of you."[/color] Eli bit her lip. She was still shocked that her mother had [i]seen[/i] her do it. That the whole world had seen her. She couldn't believe it. [color=E5D0FF]"I don't feel brave, mom. I didn't even do it on purpose. He came at me after I'd gotten his gun and I just squeezed and it was over."[/color] She shook, and the two sniffled over the phone for a while.

[color=BC8F8F]"I'm so sorry, honey. I'm so so sorry. You did what you had to. Those men did horrible things, and he deserved it. Your father thinks so too."[/color] Eli's breath hitched in her throat. She was silent for a moment, tears running down her face. [color=E5D0FF]"He does?"[/color] She asked, her voice small and fragile. [color=BC8F8F]"Yes, Eli. He called the second it was over. He's worried sick about you, just like me."[/color] Eli sniffed and wiped her sore eyes. [color=E5D0FF]"I don't know if I can talk to him, yet... Would you just tell him that I'll call when I can?"[/color]

[color=BC8F8F]"I will, sweetie. I will. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to. We can talk for as long as you want. About whatever you want. I just want you to do one thing."[/color] Eli sniffed again. [color=E5D0FF]"What is that?"[/color]

[color=BC8F8F]"I don't want you to blame yourself for what happened... And I want you to get as much rest as possible and call me whenever you feel sad. Can you do that for me, Eli?"[/color] Eli nodded, her free hand gripping the sheets beside her. [color=E5D0FF]"Yeah... I'll try."[/color] She could tell that her mother was calming down with every word she said. [color=BC8F8F]"Good, honey. Thank you. I love you so, [i]so[/i] much. To the moon and back. To pluto and back."[/color] Eli managed a shaky smile. [color=E5D0FF]"To Andromeda and back."[/color] She could tell that her mother was smiling too.

[color=BC8F8F]"That's my girl."[/color]

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A day passed, and Eli had the same nightmare again. This time the scream was her own, and the monster wasn't Archie, but the man with the gun. The same nurse from before, Chelsea, was the only one that came into her room. She managed to calm her down enough to give Eli her own cell phone to call her mother. The two women cried together again, but this time when she hung up the phone she felt much better than before. Still pretty shit, but better.

Another night or three passed and Eli dreamed again, but no illusions appeared in the room. She didn't even scream the last two times. When she called her mother on the fifth day, it was to tell her that she was being released from the hospital on a good bill of health. She cried again. Only because she wished that she was going straight home instead of to her lonely apartment. She wanted off of the station as soon as possible. She'd heard a rumor that a shuttle of supplies were going to arrive in a month or so. Surely they would allow some students to return to Earth with it after what had happened. She just needed to talk to her advisers and apply to leave. That wouldn't be too hard, would it?

She stepped out of the hospital, once again wearing borrowed scrubs because the clothes she'd worn into the hospital were covered in blood. Outside it was oddly quiet. She could see the sun shining through the station's glass panels. The spire's white hull glinted in the sunlight, and Eli swallowed. She recalled her little investigation a while back, and she made a note to text her lead once things were settled. She began to walk towards her apartment. Each step with her healed leg felt like it wasn't her own, but she was glad to be able to walk freely again. She recalled the times when she'd take walks just for the hell of it. Back before the breakout, when she just wanted some fresh air. Even after, when she'd walk the streets with Arianna's chip in her phone in search of revenge. Now she walked just to make it home. She wanted a long, hot shower, and a fresh set of sweats and a t-shirt. She just wanted to feel clean again.

She'd just made it almost three quarters of the way home when she felt her phone buzz in her hand.

[quote]Archie: Hey, Lynn and I need everyone to meet up. Where Keaton said they should spill flour on the floor. Ask Keaton if you don't know where that is and don't see any of us on the way.[/quote]

[b]Archie.[/b]

Eli immediately stopped moving. She stared at the screen for a moment, but all she saw was her friend morphing into what plagued her nightmares for the past five days. Her heart began pounding in her chest, and she instantly felt like she was back in the loading bay. [i]No, no, no. Not here.[/i] Her head lifted, and she desperately searched for a place where she could be alone. She began to move and was soon sitting against a wall between two shops along the street. It was hard to breathe, but she made sure to take deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth to keep her pulse steady. She wasn't having a panic attack. It was somewhere in between that and a calm state. It was just PTSD. She'd been warned of this by Chelsea. It was sadly suiting that a text from Archie would be the trigger. She had to remind herself that last time she'd walked home in scrubs, Archie had been there to help her home. Her eyes closed, and she thought of those memories of him to keep her from thinking of what he'd become on welcoming day.

Would she go to meet him and the others? Could she handle seeing him so soon after what had happened? She'd thought about him a few times in the hospital, but she hadn't talked about him with her mom. Her mother didn't need to hear that side of the story. If anything, Eli wanted to put it far behind her. On one hand, Eli felt like she would carry that fear with her forever. That being close to him again would do nothing but bring that fear back to a boil. But, on the other hand, he was still just like her. Just like how her illusions were slipping into reality, Archie's ability had slipped out too. She'd come to the conclusion that he'd only reacted by instinct. That the monster was just a side effect of his own fear and anger. There was no way he'd been in control. She and Natalie were able to bring him back, in some way. The real Archie.

Thinking these things soothed Eli. She calmed down again, but she didn't open her phone to respond. As she continued towards her apartment with the intent to just visit Keaton to find out where the meeting spot was. She wanted to see how she and Amelia were doing. A brief memory of Radvi's comatose body in a bed made her think of Lynn's bloody face. It'd looked exactly the same as his. Was Lynn even okay to make it to a meeting? Surely she was, if Archie said that he [i]and[/i] Lynn needed to see everyone. She was going right back to the hospital after she recuperated at home. She had to see Lynn before she did anything else. Before she faced Archie again. If Lynn was okay, Eli could be okay too.