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Ivy was down beside Carmen in an instant, carefully peeling the other’s hands from her skin, beads of blood forming as the nails were removed.
“Hey, Carm,” Ivy spoke soft, gentle. The other girl glanced up, a fear painting her features, so primal and out of place for someone Ivy would once have considered untouchable.
“You’re safe, okay? Zack’s gone to get Shadowsan, they’ll be back soon. We’re here, okay?” Ivy reassured, rubbing circles into the back of her friend’s hands. She brought them down, cautiously ensuring that the one before her didn’t snap back, spiraling down into whatever dark depths seemed to always plague her mind. It had become near routine at this point, the strangled screams at 3 a.m as another round of nightmares racked her mind, the other residents scrambling to pull her back, back to them. How long had it been, since they finally found her, chains weighing her too-frail form to the floor, her eyes devoid of any semblance of life at all. That spark, the one they always used to see light up her face, had never returned, instead replaced by deep-seated terror, its’ claws dug deep into Carmen’s soul. It broke Ivy’s, and she suspected everyone else’s, hearts, seeing their leader, always so confident, so prepared for anything, be brought so, so low.
The door silently opened, Shadowsan slipping through the widened crack. Zack followed, steps ringing out in the dark. Ivy moved aside, letting Shadowsan move in, watching as like so many times before he firmly held her arms, whispering further reassurances before the two embraced, Carmen shaking as tears tracked down her face. No matter how many times they’ve gone through this, it always hurts, hurts to see how despite everything, no matter how hard they try, she has to watch as her friend just never gets better.