I can feel a thin coat of sweat forming on my skin as my body temperature rises. As I fade in and out of consciousness I can make out two familiar voices that I recognize as my parents.

"John she doesn't look good... Her fever is dangerously high. We have to get her to a hospital!" pleaded mom.

"Honey, I am worried too but they aren't letting any ambulances drive through this storm. Our only option is to drive her there ourselves" said dad with concern evident in his voice.

"I'll get the keys and you can bring her to the car" retorted mom while making her way out the door of my room.

As my dad carefully lifts me up from the bed I whine in pain, my whole body feeling like it's on fire. As he makes his way down the stairs with me in his arms, my head starts pounding and a few tears leak out of my eyes. I lean my head on my dad's shoulder, not being able to hold its weight anymore.

"Shhh... don't cry baby we are almost there, just hang on" I can barely make out the sound of my dad's voice trying to soothe me. Through my blurry eyes, I can make out the outline of my brothers as we get to the living room, where all of them are huddled.

"Ezekiel, you and Evan are in charge. There are torches under the kitchen sink in the cupboard as well as some candles in case of a blackout. Please take care of your brothers and pay a close eye to Levi and Luca. They know something is wrong with their sister and are starting to get restless" dad instructed my eldest brothers.

"You can count on us dad. Are you sure you will be okay though? The storm is only getting worse and some of the roads are blocked" Evan said concerned.

"We have no choice son. We don't know how much longer she can last like this... Going to the hospital is our best bet right now" replied dad. At that moment mom came into the living room holding the car keys as well as all both of our jackets.

"We have to go now if we want to make it before all the roads are blocked." mom said, eyes alert and worried that softened as soon as she took in the trembling forms of her three youngest sons behind their older brothers.

She swiftly walked over and gave them a very tight hug. One they returned with as much strength as they could muster. She then turned to her third oldest son that was standing nearby, trying to be strong for his siblings. "Don't worry sweetheart. We'll be back before you know it" she told the 12-year-old.

I start coughing violently as a burning ache starts in my lungs and everyone's concerned gaze snaps to me.

"Mommy is Lulu gonna be ok?" asks a little voice that I know it's Luca's, one of my triplets.

"Everything is going to be just fine sweetheart, but we need to go now if we want to make it. We love you all so much..." mom said as she gave every one of my brothers a kiss.

"Alright, kiddos. I know it's hard but hopefully, it will only be a few hours and we'll be back before you know it. Try to go to sleep and the time will just fly past" my dad stated, trying to calm my anxious siblings down.

With that, he turned around with me still in his arms, mom following close behind us. As we reached the car parked in the garage and unlocked it, I was gently placed in the back seat, while dad got into the driver«s and my mom on the passenger side.

Even with my drifting mind, I could make out the sounds of the storm surrounding us as we made our way to the hospital that was only a 10-minute drive from our home.

The rain hit the car with such intensity that it sounded like bullets were being fired at us and the loud whistling of the wind only added to the scary weather in my 8-year old eyes. But the most terrifying was the sound that came after the lightning. The thunder. Such a booming and intimidating sound that could have a grown shaking in their shoes.

"I can't see anything through this rain but we should be very close!" dad shouted over all the noise caused by the storm. After a few minutes, mom perked up and pointed ahead.

"There! I can see the ER lights right there at about 50 meters from here! Just keep driving in a straight line and we'll make it" mommy said.

In a split second, a bolt of lightning struck the ceiling of the car, making a hole in it. I don't know if it was because I was in a dazed state or because of how fast the speed of light was, but I didn't even see it coming for me. Until it struck me.

And did it hurt?

The sick feeling I had was nothing compared to this. This was pure and utter torture. The electricity coursing through my veins, making my cells go into overdrive. I could only hear a loud buzz. I let out a scream so loud and high-pitched that even a banshee would be jealous. It was excruciating pain. It hurt so damn much and I just wanted it to end.

"Ahh! Stop! Please make it stop!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping that by some miracle the pain would just go away.

"Luna! Wake up, baby... it's just a nightmare!" I could hear a familiar faint voice calling for me. But I couldn't open my eyes. I was sucked too deep into my memories.

"It hurts! Please! Make it stop!" I begged. I don't know who I was begging to but I was in such agony that it didn't even matter.

"Come on Lu, please open your eyes! You can do it, princess, just focus on our voices" said another very familiar voice. This time it sounded closer. The buzzing sound and the pain were getting fainter and I was slowly coming back to reality. The one where my breaths were ragged and tears were making their way down my face as if it were a waterfall. Low whimpers leaving me as the rest of the memory deserted me.

"That's it, baby, you are doing so well..." whispered the voice that I now recognized as Evan.

As I opened my eyes slowly, I came face to face with my second oldest brother's bright green eyes, worry swimming in them. As the waterworks calmed down and my breaths slowly came back to normal I took note of Luca by my side, hugging me close to him in a tight embrace, as if I might just disappear.

Next to him, seated by my side and by the end of the bed, was my other triplet. Levi stood there examining me with his eyes, eyebrows furrowed in concern, making sure I was okay. My hand was clasped tightly in his and he was drawing random patterns on my hand to get me to calm down.

When I was able to get my breathing and sobs under control, Evan finally spoke, referring to my constant nightmares "I thought it was getting better..." he said, looking into my eyes. You could hear the sadness coming from his voice. He hatted seeing me like this. It broke his heart and I knew it, yet there was nothing I could do about it.

"Me too... Sorry for waking you guys up..." I got ou in barely a whisper as I sniffled and wiped some of the tears with the back of my hand. This time it was Levi who spoke up.

"You know we don't care about that Lu. I just wish there was something we could do..." he sighed defeated. He then turned to Evan "It's still 3 a.m. and I know you have an early shift at the hospital tomorrow so go and get some sleep. Luca and I will stay with Luna so don't worry"

Ezekiel was working the night hour today at the police station so I knew he wasn't home and Xander and River were probably asleep. Not even a stampede of elephants could wake those two up...

"Are you sure?" Evan asked us, reluctant to leave his youngest sibling at a time like this.

"Of course. You need the sleep and I'll be perfectly fine with them" I reassured him as I mustered a small smile. He sighed defeatedly and got up, kissed me good night, and left to go to his own room.

I got lost in thought as I replayed the memory that brought on this nightmare. That was the night my parents died. After the lightning struck, my dad lost control of the car and we barreled into a tree. They died instantly due to the collision and I shouldn't have survived either.

The doctors called it a miracle. Surviving being hit by lightning is already rare enough, but on top of that add a car crash and my weak immune system? It was impossible for me to survive, yet here I am.

That night is the reason why I have astraphobia. An abnormal fear of thunder or lightning. All because of that one eventful night.

As I absentmindedly trace the Lichtenberg figure on my stomach with my free hand, Luca's voice snaps me out of my trance. "We should probably also go to sleep. How do you feel princess?" Too exhausted to actually form words I just shrug.

In response, he opens his arms and I once again crawl into them, basking in the warmth it gives me, lying beside him with my arms wrapped tightly around his waist and my face buried in his slightly muscular chest.

His arms wrapped around my shoulders and behind me, I felt the bed dip. Levi threw an arm around my waist as his hand rubbed soothing circles on my skin. Feeling protected and comfortable, sandwiched in between them, I snuggled more into the covers, sleep starting to creep its way into my mind.

"Sleep. We'll be here when you wake up" Levi whispered in a soft voice. With my remaining energy I managed to say three words, that I meant with all my heart "I love you" they came out just above a whisper.

"We love you too" they said in unison. And then I fell into a dreamless sleep, in the arms of my other halves, knowing they would protect me from any bad dreams I might have. My own, personal dreamcatchers.

Author note:

What do you think? Do you like it so far? If you enjoyed it vote and comment! Your opinion matters a lot to me and it will boost my self-confidence, making me publish chapters more frequently. A second chapter will be posted soon. Until next time!