*Six days later*

Hera's P.O.V

   My fever broke that night and I had a nice recovery. I was getting ready for bed and surprising Kanan was home yet. He would usually walk through the door and tell me how much more boring work was then the last.

   I walked out of my room in some comfy clothes and started to get worried that something happened to him. "Kanan, where are you?" I said to no one in particular. That's when the door opened to reveal the teen covered in mud.

    "What happened to you?" I asked, "And what took so long?"

   "I sort of forgot that you got to leave early today at the bar. Then I somehow got caught in a riot and soon ended up in the park. I tripped and fell into a mud puddle then walked back here," he explained.

   "Oh my stars! Are you ok? Riots can really hurt you if you aren't careful," I said worried and checked him for injures.

"I'm fine, Hera. The only thing that was bad was getting shoved into the grass at the park. Besides that, I'm fine," he said truthfully.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it. Go wash up, your cover head to toe in mud," I said making him laugh a little.

He took off his shoes then went to the bathroom. Before he shut the door he asked, "Can you get me some sweats a shirt?" I nodded and left towards his room. I entered his room and was surprised to see it so tidy. I spotted a nicely folded shirt and sweats stacked on his dresser.

I grabbed the pile then went to the bathroom. I stopped at the door and knocked. "I got your clothes," I said. He opened the door and this time he was wearing a tank top with his still muddy pants. "Thanks Hera. Your the best," he said taking the clothes.

"No problem," I said then he closed the door and I went to my room to get some sleep. I closed my door behind me then went over to my bed getting under the covers. Soon, I fell asleep to the spinning fan above me.

   The next time I woke up, it was still dark and the fan still spun above me. My body was paralyzed once again and soon the nightmare begins. The door opens and the old lady crawls on the floor into my room. Fear laced me as the woman started to crawl onto the bed then sat on my stomach.

   Then she just looked at me doing nothing. My heart raced and I wish I could ask what she want so that she could just leave me alone. Yet, my mouth was paralyzed too. There was no speaking. There was no screaming. There was just the silence expect for the scratchy noises that came out of the old ladies mouth.

   In a blink of an eye, the old ladies hands latch onto my neck then she disappeared. My body lurched into sitting position like my life just flashed before my eyes. Was she trying to choke me?! What did I do to her to earn myself to be choked?!

   The thought scared me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back to sleep at all. She will come back the next night. Then the next and the next to choke me.

   I was so scared and afraid. It felt so real. Her cold hand cupping my neck and her nails digging into my skin. Her sitting on me. Everything about it disturbed me that I started to cry. I don't want to relive that. I want it to stop but how?

   "Hera," I jumped by the sudden voice until my eyes landed on Kanan peeking his head through the the slightly open door. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked coming in. He probably noticed my tear staines on my face.

   I just kept silent, not sure how to describe it. Then realization came to him, "Did you have the nightmare again?" Kanan didn't know what the nightmare was but he was smart enough to know that it would be the same one. All I could do was nod.

   "Can you please tell me what it was about? Maybe I can help if you just tell me what your dreaming?" He said.

   "U-Um," I stuttered, "Well, it started after my mother was hurt. I didn't know she died yet until I woke up. Well, the nightmare kept getting worse and worse the whole time I stayed here, sometimes it didn't happen."

   I took in a shaky breath then looked up at Kanan with fear in my eyes. He just stayed silent cause he knew that there is more. He nodded to in a way of saying, 'I'm listening.'

   "The nightmare feels so real, like it's happening but I'm still asleep," I started to explain, "This old lady opens the door even though she is at the end of the hall. Then she crawls on all fours until she is in my room and crawls onto my bed. I couldn't do anything because my whole body felt like it was paralyzed expect for my eyes. I couldn't speak or move just lay here vulnerable.

   Well, lately she gets closer and closer to me. Tonight, she was sitting on me and just stared until latching her hands around my neck. Then she just disappeared like every night that she comes just disappears in thin air."

   I look down at my lap as Kanan began to think yet I continued. "You probably think I'm crazy,0 I said.

   "Actually," he said, "I knew someone that had the same thing. He would tell me scary stories about his dreams."

I raised an eyebrow but asked, "So do you know what it is?"

"I think he called it sleep paralysis?" Kanan said thinking.

I got out of bed and grabbed my phone. I searched 'sleep paralysis' then something popped up. I read through the page until my eyes caught something. "I think I know why I have it. I think it's from so much stress," I said.

"Then take a few days off from work," Kanan suggested, "Maybe we can figure out how relax you by doing something fun tomorrow out in the city."

   "Maybe," I said but there was still one question roaming through my head. I typed 'creepy old lady' next to 'sleep paralysis' in the search box until something else popped up.

   "Old Hag syndrome," I said to myself.

   "What?" Kanan asked confused.

   "The thing I've been seeing is called 'Old Hag' syndrome. It says, 'That you would feel a heavy weight on your chest, hard time breathing, and that you feel like your not alone in the room,'" I explained to Kanan.

"Has that been happening to you?" He asked worried.

"Not in the beginning but it has gotten worse as time passed," I said then looked at the ground, "I'm scared."

I heard him stand up and walk over until he stood in front of me. Hands gently laid on my shoulders and I looked up into his eyes. "It's okay to be scared," he said and I smiled feeling safe.

I've been feeling more safe every time Kanan was around me. It felt right to embrace him right now but held back the wanting. "Thank you," I said then crawled back into my bed.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Kanan asked me worried.

"It doesn't happen again when I go back to sleep," I said.

"Ok, night Hera," he said leaving.

"Night," I replied as he left my room. I laid back down then dozed off with a warm feeling churning through me. That's when I realized something but didn't think it through long enough before I was out.

Do I like Kanan?

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