Crazy = Genius

Chapter 35: My Somebody

'You're always pushing down your problems pretending it's alright'

Jeremiah stepped off the stairs and smiled slightly at the tantalizing scent of tomato sauce that met his nose as he neared the kitchen.

"Lilianna, I must admit you are the best thing to ever enter this house." He said loudly, only to be met with Otis sitting at the breakfast bar with a fork in his hand.

"Where's everyone else? Where's Lilianna?" He asked, concern clouding his face as he noticed the fully set and untouched table.

"She wasn't here when I came in. I went to find her and Terrence was sat on the floor outside the bedroom leaned up against the door. All I could hear was her screaming and crying like a child throwing a full-on tantrum. Terrence shook his head at me when I got closer." Otis explained.

"They got into another fight." Jeremiah sighed.

"You won't believe what else I saw. I still don't know if I saw it right." Otis mumbled, taking a bite of pasta.

"What?"

"Terrence was crying. No sobbing or sniffling, just a few tears."

"The last time he cried was-"

"The day Annalise died." Otis finished his sentence, finishing his pasta.

"Oh god."

"Go talk to him, you're the only one he will listen to right now."

"But Hannah and Rochelle need to eat."

"I took care of that before I ate. Rochelle is in bed thanks to Brett and Hannah is watching cartoons in Casper's room. You just go take care of Terrence." Otis assured him.

"Thank you."

"Go!"

Terrence slowly opened the door to the bedroom and stuck his head in to check on the blonde girl he had come to care about. She was curled into a ball in the middle of the bed, a pillow clutched to her chest. The sheets had been ripped and kicked from the bed to leave the room in complete disarray.

"Lili." He whisper-yelled. She didn't respond. He called out again a little louder and still nothing. He made his way towards her, gently sitting on the edge of the bed and rested his hand on her shoulder. Her breathing was shallow and slow, her face scrunched in discomfort as she slept.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here, I'm here baby." He mumbled, pulling on her shoulder to roll her towards him. She whined and flipped over as her fingers tightened around the pillow in her arms. "It's just a dream. It's not real. I will never hurt you, I swear."

"No," She groaned as her body curled into a tighter ball. "No, please don't."

"Lili, it's just a dream, you are okay. You can wake up." He assured her, immediately lifting her into his lap and trying to calm her rigid form. Her breathing picked up and she whimpered in pain and struggled in his grasp.

"Stop!" Lilianna screamed, jolting awake and looking around frantically. She relaxed when she found herself in the bedroom she fell asleep in and realized she was not being attacked the same way she had been in her nightmare.

"Lili, what happened?" Terrence asked softly, his eyes searching her face for some sign of response when he spoke to her frightened state.

"Nothing," She deflected his inquiry, ripping his arms from her torso and legs.

"That was not nothing-" He started to protest. She slipped to the floor and put distance between each other to avoid his gaze and verbal attempts to reach her.