Episode Two, Part 1: 
S e r u m

Aeryn met the group at the gates, having spent the last 20 minutes pacing by the fences, waiting for their return.

Wynn smiled as he saw her, already on his way over, but his face dropped quickly as he realized that something was wrong. He grabbed onto Ares' arm, tugging him in his direction as the three of them reach each other.

"What is it?" Wynn's voice was low, already heavy with a deep fear that something had happened to Elara.

"I don't know. She was fine; she was up and talking to Quill, and she said she'd be ready to talk about what happened when you guys got back, but she fell asleep again, and the screaming came back."

Wynn looked to Ares, sharing a look of regret as they were about to hurry to the Sovereign's Quarters.

"Wait!" Aeryn held them back for a moment longer. "She's awake now," she informed them, "but whatever she's going through, she remembers all of it, and it's taking a toll on her." 

Wynn nodded. "What are you saying we do?" 

"Just be patient with her." Aeryn sighed. "I think she's having a hard time opening up about it. Quill could barely get much out of her, so don't let her see you get frustrated if we can't figure out what's happening." 

Both brothers exhaled. What Aeryn had revealed to them made them aware of how significant their situation was. But as they made their way to see their sister, they had no choice but to bury all their fear away. 

//// 

Elara felt, for the first time in days, a true sense of peace as Wynn and Ares walked into the room, and she knew she had all of her brothers around her. 

She hurried up from the bed, her body still weak and not prepared for her quick movements, and she stumbled, falling suddenly, only to be caught by Ares. 

He pulled her up a little, as she hadn't quite hit the ground, and Elara threw herself around him. It almost made all of the torment worth it for that moment: to feel her brother's embrace again. 

Elara pulled away, not catching sight of the smile on Ares' face, and searching for Wynn. He stepped into sight, arms already open before his sister even reached him. 

His hand held tightly against the back of her head, holding her close, waiting for all the sorrow to melt away. 

"How are you feeling?" Ares murmured, his hand resting on her back, and Wynn pulling away from her. 

Elara's heart sunk in her chest, realizing what it meant that they were here: she would have to confess about the visions and tell them all the awful things she had to do. 

"Okay." Was all she could say, too nervous to look up at either of them. 

Before Ares could speak again, the door behind them opened, and Sol, Kodiak and Fenn entered the room, looking around at her brothers to see if it was okay for them to be here. Without even so much an answer, Elara peered around Wynn, a little light returning to her eyes. 

"Kodi?"

The Sovereign looked up, not having realised that she was standing there, awake - until she said his name. As his eyes met hers, everything else seemed to drizzle away for one, perfect moment, and as quick as he was moving across the room, Elara was in his arms. 

With the girl's hands slung around his neck, Kodiak leaned back a little, pulling Elara slightly off the ground. 

"I'm so glad you're okay." He mumbled into her hair, setting her back on the ground, but not ready to let go. 

Elara didn't know what to say for a minute. She wasn't okay, and even though having everyone back together was a relief for her heart, it didn't make the scars on her heart any less noticeable. But for Kodiak and her brothers, she knew it would have changed things for them. 

So she agreed with him, not ready to break his heart. "Yeah, me too. And I'm glad you're here." 

"Uh," Ares coughed a little awkwardly, hesitant to break up their reunion. "Since we're all here..." He struggled to find the right words, afraid that he would trigger some sort of emotional response in Elara. "Maybe you should...tell us what you remember"? 

He looked to Aeryn and Fenn as he spoke, searching for reassurance that how he asked was okay. They nodded, smiling comfortingly at him. 

Elara could suddenly feel everyone's eyes on her. She felt overwhelmed by how many people would have to hear what went on as she slept, but as she looked around the room, she knew that no one was expendable. They all played an important role in her life, and in learning the truth about the Alteration. 

"Okay." She repeated from earlier. There was a noticeable shift in her voice and not a single person was immune to observing the difference. Before anyone could feel it arrive, the tension in the room changed, and everyone followed Elara as she went back to rest on the bed, crowding around listen. 

////

Ares and Elara were sitting on the bed, their backs pressed up against the wall behind them. The boy had his arm slung over his sister, and she leaned into him, wanting to believe that if she drifted off, the darkness wouldn't be able to reach her. 

All she had explained was the purpose behind each of the phases: to test her loyalty, strength, and endurance; and that the drugs knocked her out, meaning that she couldn't escape from the trials, even if she tried. 

"So when you fell asleep earlier, was it like being in one of the phases again?" Quill asked, debating whether he wanted to hear her answer or not. 

Elara shifted against Ares so she could see her brother, nodding sadly, almost ashamed to know that he had heard her struggling. 

"Do you remember what happens in the visions?" Ares asked. She could feel the resonance against his chest as he spoke and wondered if he could feel the pounding of her heart as she leaned against him. 

"Not really." She lied, looking down at her hands. For a moment, they were red, but she hurried to blink several times, relieved that as her vision became clearer, she realized they were clean. 

"That's not what you said earlier." Quill frowned, looking between Wynn and Ares to raise concern. 

Kodiak was leaning up against the wall, his vision dazed as he listened intently, finding himself shifting to face Elara at her brother's words. 

"Ell?" Wynn asked delicately, wanting her to tell him it was true. 

"Yeah, I remember." She muttered in frustration, reluctantly confessing. 

"All of it?" Wynn continued. 

"Every moment." 

"Why did you try to hide?" 

Elara leaned forward, sighing as she rested her elbows on her knees, and dropped her head into her hands. She glanced around the room, carefully looking over everybody one by one; Fenn and Aeryn were sitting at the desk in the corner of the room - Fenn seeming to note down certain things Elara said, working together to try and understand what was going on in her head. 

Sol was trying to seem like she hadn't been staring intently the entire time, defeated with worry as she searched her mind for ways to keep her safe. Wynn was in front of Elara, Quill at the foot of the bed, and Kodiak standing at the opposite end, leaning against the wall. 

There was an obvious hesitation to speak, so Wynn reached forward, tapping her hand with his to get her attention. 

"Hey," he said, and she looked up at him. "You know you can tell us anything, right?" 

Elara shrugged. "Maybe not this. Maybe you'll think of me differently after I tell you." 

"I think we already do," Kodiak spoke up, unable to hear any more shame spill out of the girl's mouth. 

Elara looked up at him for the first time in a while, wanting to know what he meant. 

"I can't say the same for your brothers, but I had no idea how strong you were. I know you think I kept you alive in the labs, but I think you were the one saving me. Trust me, whatever it is you're afraid of, it's not going to happen. We're all in this together." 

Elara forced a smile onto her face and looked back down at the ground, feeling selfish for not giving them anything. 

"Bad things happen in the visions." She admitted. 

"What kind of things?" Ares asked. 

Elara sighed. "I-I don't have a choice. They tell me I need to whatever it takes to survive, or I won't make it out of the vision alive. And because it's not real, I do it. I hurt people." 

"Who do you hurt?" Ares continued. 

'You. Wynn, Quill, Kodiak... Everyone I care about.' That's what she would have said if she was being honest. And she would have told him that it felt real every time and the regret of what she done lingered long after she woke up; and sometimes, she didn't know it was a vision until she saw them again... 

"No one. I don't know. I guess it's no one in particular. Just people who don't deserve to be hurt, but I'm trapped, and I can't stop myself from doing it. It makes me afraid of what I am." 

"No," Ares mumbled, quickly pulling her his way. He kissed the top of her head, holding her close to him like he was sheltering her. "It's not real. It's a- a dream, Ell. It doesn't mean anything." 

"It means something to me." She muttered. 

"I know. That's not what I meant." He sighed. "I just mean that the things you had to do, it doesn't mean anything about you. It was a test. A drug-induced hallucination. Not. Real." He emphasised. 

Elara nodded for the sake of not having to talk about it anymore. She leaned backwards, and so did Ares, resuming their place against the wall. 

She allowed herself to close her eyes, debating whether she wanted sleep to come. A part of her was still afraid - like the last light of innocence with flickering inside of her, and she wanted to keep it burning for as long as she could, but something had shifted; there was a desire in her to face another one of her visions. Like it was the drug itself she was chasing, Elara was hungry to know just how much she could endure. She wanted to find her breaking point. 

Ares looked down at his sister, his chest heavier than the weight of her head, and was almost as afraid as she was for her to fall asleep again. He looked up at the group, sharing equal looks of apprehension as them all, not wanting to move too much and disturb her. 

One by one, everyone made their way out of the room, until it was just the four siblings and Kodiak left alone. 

Wynn looked at his sister carefully, confirming she was asleep before he began to whisper. 

"Anyone else get the feeling like we didn't even scratch the surface?" He asked. 

"Yeah, me." Kodiak sighed, rubbing the back of his head, his vision falling down towards the girl he loved. 

"I think we gotta find a way to get that drug out of her system." 

Two // Part One
Chapter Two already?

It means something to me.