*POV* Randall Franklin the 2nd
I awoke with a start and listened to the noises of the night. The couch was quite uncomfortable but I had been tired enough to fall asleep. The feeling of being trapped washed over me and fear mixed with defeat. A loud cry from upstairs made me sit up.
I wondered what was going on up there, when the cry's turned to a duet and the feeling of fear didn't leave me. I stood. I walked to the stairs. I glanced at the chair that held the door shut before slowly ascending the stairs. I peered into the darkroom filled with crying and the sounds of restless movement.
I pushed the door open and turned on the light. Coral lay on the bed, her chestnut hair fanning out on the pillow, she tossed and turned moaning. I stepped up to the bed and shook her shoulder. The movement made her go wild. "NO! Get off me! Get! Noo. Off me!" She twisted and turned.
I rushed to the other side of the bed as the feeling of fear grew. She was having a night terrier. I scooped up the babies and moved back a bit unsure of what to do now.
She had calmed a bit but was still muttering. I wondered what had happened to her to make her have bad dreams like this. One of the babies in my arms started clawing at my shirt and I sighed.
I needed Green about now. I shifted one of them. Wrong move and they started crying even harder. "No!" Coral shouted and sat bolt upright. She was breathing heavily, she got off the bed and came off to me reaching up to take one of the twins from me.
"Lula it's alright." She soothed then glared at me. "What are you doing up here?" She asked, accusingly.
"Oh well, I awoke to them crying and you wouldn't waking up, I think you were having a nightmare." She rubbed a hand over her face and sighed. "They probably need to be changed." She pointed to a box in the corner. I brought it over before stepping out.
I waited a couple minutes like she told me to before she opened the door and handed me one of them. "Here rock him." I had no clue how to rock a baby, but I started moving slowly which seemed to calm him. She opened the door again a minute later and sighed.
"Sorry about waking you." She said as she sat back on the bed. She looked so small. Her hair hid her expression as she rocked back and forth.
"It's not a problem." I told her, and she looked up to give me a small smile.
After a minute of rocking in silence I noticed that she was drifting off. I tapped my foot and she snapped awake. I watched her for a little while until the baby in my arms had fallen asleep. "I think he is asleep." I said but to my dismay my words awoke both of them.
Coral gave me a look, before focusing back on the child in her arms. I continued rocking slowly. She began humming a little tune that filled the room and had me almost falling asleep. A while later she stopped and laid the baby down carefully. Then she helped me do the same.
Then she walked to the door I followed. She made her way all the way down stairs where she flipped on the light. And poured some water from a jug into a glass that sat on the counter. She downed it before. Looking at me.
She blushed when our eyes met. A warm feeling sifted through the stress. I watched her silently unsure of how to interpret it. She nodded then headed for the stairs. "Good Night." She muttered. Before leaving me alone.
I plopped back down on the couch and stared at the dark ceiling. "This isn't good." I said out loud. Steps sounded on the stairs again and I shifted on the couch, Coral returned and walked hesitantly into the living room.
"Can't sleep?" She nodded. Then after a second of silence she spoke. "I can't lie, I need help. But I have no idea what to do…" she started moving her hands. "Just yesterday I was running through a forest with my friend. Now here I am in the desert with my twins."
Her words made no sense to me, however I got the sense that she was lost. "So you have friends? Are they also in the desert? Do you need us to go rescue them?" She shook her head.
"I don't think they came with me."
"What do you mean.?" She sighed. "I fell in the earthquake." She told me. I wondered if she might need to go see the doctors. "This world isn't mine!" She finally said in the silence. "Not yours? Are you an alien?!" I watched her closely.
I focused on her emotions as she grew frustrated. "No.. whatever that is. I am saying I am not from this world." I didn't know what to say.
Not from this world, definitely would make her an alien. "So what world are you from.?" She sighed. "It's called earth I guess." I wanted to laugh but I tried to hold it back.
But I couldn't help chuckling. "Same here. You are on earth right now." She sighed. "I guess, whatever.!" She waved a hand in my direction. "You aren't understanding, sorry I brought it up." She then turned and started for the stairs again.
"Hey wait!" I called standing. She ignored me and marched up the stairs. The emotion I felt from her was disappointment. I couldn't help wondering if she was telling the truth. I wondered if I should follow and apologize, but I stopped as I heard the door upstairs shut.