Comfyvember 10

Story: clone sister (original) Prompts: Overcoming fear — Sharing a bed — Lullaby

Lightning flashed. Thunder growled. Lily sighed and rolled over, squinting at the light from her phone as she checked the time. Four hours until she had to get up for work, and she couldn't sleep. Tomorrow was going to be just wonderful.

Another crash of thunder. It wasn't just how loud the storm was. She hadn't been able to sleep through a storm in five years.

With a defeated sigh, Lily sat up and turned on the lamp on her bedside table. High time she admitted defeat and just did something useful. She picked up her phone and scrolled through a few playlists before picking one filled with soft, soothing music. She just needed something to focus on instead of the rain pounding the windows.

Loving and fighting Accusing, denying I can't imagine a world with you gone

Hmm. Not her favorite, but....

Lightning flashed again, and beneath the sound of the thunder that shook the whole house, Lily heard the sound of a tiny squeak. Looking up, she found that the door to her room stood ajar, though it was hard to tell if the squeak had come from the hinges or the small girl peering through the gap.

“Ivy? What are you doing up?” Another roll of thunder answered her question. “Are you scared?”

Ivy's round eyes glistened in the golden light of the lamp. “My heart is pounding very hard....”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that means you're scared. Why didn't you go get Mom and Dad?”

Ivy shrank back a little into the shadows. “Your light is on. They are asleep. I do not know why...but I did not want to be alone.”

Hold on, I still want you... Come back, I still need you...

“Well, come in, then,” Lily said impatiently. “No sense in just standing in the doorway.”

Ivy slipped inside and carefully pushed the door shut behind her. She didn't come any closer, just stared at Lily with that flat, unnerving stare. Not for the first time, Lily wished they'd had enough to afford some kind of personality conditioning before they brought her home, even if it wasn't Rose's personality.

The next blast of thunder came an instant after the flash of lightning, deafeningly close. Sounded like the storm was right overhead. Since Lily was already looking at Ivy's face, she saw the exact moment her face scrunched up with fear, eyes going wide, forehead furrowing, breath catching....

They pull you in to feel your heartbeat Can you hear me screaming, “Please don't leave me”?

Rose used to be scared of thunder. When she was Ivy's age, she would run crying into their parents' room on a night like this. She never went to Lily for comfort.

But...Ivy wasn't Rose.

Lily pulled the covers aside. “Come on. You can sleep with me tonight.”

Ivy darted forwards, vaulting up onto the bed and diving under the covers. Lily couldn't suppress a small smile as she tucked the blanket around the little bundle of warmth curling up against her side.

I don't wanna let go I know I'm not that strong I just wanna hear you Saying, "Baby, let's go home."

As she lay down beside Ivy, Lily wondered if she would get any sleep at all this night. But maybe at least Ivy would.