Chapter Text
Monster…
“No…”
Feed on them, basilisk…
“Please, no…”
Feed …
“Stop…”
Obey, monster. Or else …
“NO!” Vee screamed out as she bolted up from her bunk. Her eyes darted around, scanning her surroundings. She wasn’t in a cage in the Emperor’s castle, forced to feed on helpless animals. There were no chains around her wrists, no bars between herself and freedom. She was in her room, in the Human Realm, with her family. Safe from anything that would do her harm.
She plopped down again, her chest rising and falling quickly with her rapid breathing.
“Vee, you okay?” A voice asked concernedly.
The young basilisk turned looked over to her side, and looked straight into the concerned expression of Luz, her adoptive sister, her Palisman, Stringbean, resting sleepily on her shoulder.
Vee took a deep breath. She wanted to say everything was alright and that Luz should just go to sleep. But she knew that Luz wouldn’t fall for it. She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as tears started to well up.
The rest of Luz’s body came into view as she climbed up the bunk and laid down next the basilisk. She watched her adoptive sister for a few moments before she asked the question she already knew the answer too. “Same nightmare again?”
Vee nodded.
A knock on their door, which soon opened. Camila peeked inside, motherly concern plastered all over her face. “Mijas, todo bien? I heard shouting.”
“I’m fine.” Vee answered softly, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. “Just had another nightmare.”
“Again?” Camila asked as she walked in and up to the bunk bed shared by her two daughters – one human, the other a basilisk who ran away from her home realm. She gestured to Vee to come out of the bunk. Vee quickly climbed out of her bed and promptly threw herself into her mother’s arms, whom hugged her tightly.
“She’s been having them more and more lately…” Luz noted softly. She shrugged as Vee threw her a look of betrayal over her shoulder. “Hey, I’m sleeping right under you, I’m the one who gets woken up too when you have them, you know.”
Vee’s expression fell. “I’m sorry…I-“
“I didn’t mean it like that, Vee.” Luz quickly stated, looking with sheepish remorse at her adoptive sister. “I’m just saying …it’s not the first time this week you woke up with a scream like that.”
Vee sighed and buried her face into Camila’s shoulder, feeling some calmness returning as the latter stroked her hair. She let out a deep sigh. “Why am I still having these nightmares?” She asked aloud. “Belos has been dead for months.”
Camila knelt down, placing a hand on Vee’s cheek. “Sweetheart, the things that happened to you and other basilisks were terrible. No-one – human, witch, demon or basilisk – should go through things like that.”
“But I have.” Vee noted, placing her hand on Camila’s, relishing in the warmth she felt from it.
“Yes, and despite all those horrors, you have come out stronger for it.” Camila stated with a reassuring smile, booping the basilisk’s snout. “And that’s something I am certain of.”
“I’ll say.” Luz agreed as she hopped down from Vee’s bunk. Stringbean floated from her shoulder, flew over to Vee and curled herself around Vee’s neck, nuzzling affectionately against her cheek. Vee scratched the Snakeshifter under her chin and managed to smile for a few moments, before her expression fell again, her gaze dropping to the floor.
Camila smiled and placed a hand under Vee’s chin, making her look up. “Hey, listen to me. I get what you’re going through. After Manny passed away, I suffered from nightmares every other night. Sometimes they were so bad that I didn’t dare to go to sleep some nights.”
Luz’s expression instantly became a mix of surprise, concern and guilt. “You did? You never showed anything.”
Camila smiled softly and turned to her daughter. “Because I had a young girl who was hutting badly and grieving herself, and I needed to be strong for her. So, I put on a brave face, and only let my feelings loose when I was alone.” She turned her attention back to Vee. “Maybe not the best way of healing, but …” She let out a sigh. “In the end, it worked. Over time, the nightmares become less and less, until eventually, they stopped.”
“How did you do that?” Vee asked, tilting her head.
Camila smiled and pinched Vee’s cheek. “I looked at what I still had - most importantly, my darling daughter – and focused on those. I made myself go out there and lived for the good things in my life. And you should too.”
“Such as?” Vee asked.
“You got tons of good things in your life right now.” Luz stated, making a wide gesture with her arms to get her point across. “You got a lovable and doting mother, a ultra-cool sister as a role model, -“
Vee rolled her eyes at the latter’s comment about herself.
A mischievous grin spread on Luz’s lips. “And …you got Masha.”
“Ooh, that’s right.” Camila agreed in a teasingly merry tone.
Vee’s cheeks instantly reddened at the mention of her rom’par – Vee and Masha’s word for romantic partner – and quickly shielded her expression away. “I- I guess that’s true.”
Camila pulled Vee into a hug. “I can’t promise the nightmares will go away quickly, but with enough time, they will. And you don’t have to face them alone. You got me and Luz whenever you need us.”
“Obviously.” Luz agreed.
Vee buried her face into Camila’s shoulder again. “Thank you, mom.” She glanced over to Luz. “Thanks, Luz.”
“Anytime, mija.” Camila stated. She planted a kiss on Vee’s cheek. “You think you can sleep, Vee?”
Vee broke away from the hug with a soft smile. “I’ll try.”
Camila smiled and patted Vee on the head. “That’s my girl.” She turned to Luz and placed her hands on her hips. “You too, young lady. It’s not because it’s summer break, that you can stay up for the entire night.”
“Aww, mom.” Luz jokingly complained, climbing in her bed anyway. “I saved an entire realm, you know.”
“Even more reason for you to get some sleep.” Camila retorted. She smiled. “Buenas noches, niñas.”
“Good night, mom.”
“’Night, mamá.”
Vee plopped down on her pillow, letting out a sigh.
“Hey, Vee?”
“Yeah?”
“You want me to sleep in your bunk?”
Vee smiled. “Nah, it’s okay. I’ll manage.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind …”
“I’ll holla at ya.”
Luz snorted. “You trying to talk ‘street’?”
“Maybe.”
“It was awful.”
“Better than yours.”
“Word.”
Both girl started giggling hysterically. Vee felt a weight lift from her chest with every giggle. She was in a good place. She was safe, and with family.
Back in her room, Camila smiled softly as she heard her girls through the walls. Part of her wanted to remind them they should be sleeping, but …ah, it was summer break, so maybe they could get one too. She frowned when she thought back about Vee. The poor thing was having nightmares more often, and she didn’t know what she could do about it.
Camila closed her eyes, but she couldn’t stop worrying. Vee’s situation was unique. She had suffered through so much, had to endure so much abuse and hardship at such a tender age. Camila had been showering the young basilisk with love, understanding, freedom and more that could help her, but she felt like she was getting at her wit’s end.
After Manny died, she had made Luz go see someone to talk to every other week, just on the safe side. But Luz was human, Vee was a basilisk. It wasn’t like she could just go see a therapist and talk about what happened to her.
…
Or could she?
Camila sat up. Maybe she could let Vee talk to someone, have someone help her work through her trauma. Vee would have to …adjust her stories a little but, but luckily she had a bit of experience with that. Camila smiled, a sense of relief washing over her. She would talk to Vee about it in the morning, see if she was comfortable with the idea.
She laid back down again and closed her eyes, and soon drifted off to sleep.