*insert creative title*

3/4

Characters: The Potatoes and Sheela, Sleeper is mentioned.

Warnings: Starvation mention, abuse mention, crying (let me know if I missed anything! This is the angstiest part so far.)

Pairings: None explicitly, Aru x Aiden moments

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Aru POV ~

She scowled. She knew they would ask about what happened to her at the Sleeper's house, but was she ready to relive that? She took a steadying breathe and was about to start, when Aiden interrupted her. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Everyone nodded in agreement. She sighed. "I need to tell you eventually, and it might be better I do it now. I don't wanna wallow in the memories forever, you know."

She started at the beginning. She had woken up chained to a wall, with a girl, Kara, staring at her. But that wasn't important. She refused to talk to anyone, and tried to think of an escape plan. But then, the Sleeper showed up. And hit her. Over and over again. He was yelling about how she ruined his life, ruined his plan. Ruined him. By the end of the first day, she had a split lip, and she was pretty sure he had broken her leg as well. In the night, Vajra had served as a bandage for the worst of her wounds. It repeated everyday. The 'meals' she was given were just bread and water. She didn't eat it. "What?!" Mini shrieked. "You could have died!" Aru sighed. "It might have been poisoned. And I wanted to come back alive to you guys."

By the end of her recounting, everyone was dead silent. "Wh-What the heck?" Brynne said, voice wavering. She shrugged. "He beat you up, starved you, and kept you chained up!" Aru nodded. "Yeah, basically." Aiden put a hand on her shoulder, sparking an electric shock that was not Vajra. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly. She thought about it for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean, 'okay?' Emotionally, physically, or mentally?"

"All of them."

"Alright. Emotionally, not really, but I'll get better. Physically, I'm fine. Mentally, very, very hurt."

There was a loud knock on the door, and her mother, Dr. Krithika Shah, rushed in. Aiden dropped his hand, to her disappointment. "Aru!" Dr. Shah said in relief. She came over to her bedside and cupped her face in her hands. "Oh, my baby! I was so, soworried. I'm really sorry I couldn't make it earlier." She dropped a kiss on her forehead and sat on her bed. "Are you okay? What happened?" Aru recounted the story, but left out certain... details. Her mother's face became increasingly pained as she continued. "Oh... Oh my gods..." Aru nodded and hugged her mom. It was just her and Dr. Shah in the room. The others left to give them some privacy.

No POV ~

The Potatoes and Sheela were outside, discussing what Aru told them. They came to a general consensus of: The Sleeper is a jerk and must be eliminated. Mini sighed. "Goodness, I was so worried. At least she's back..." They nodded. "Yeah. But what had happened... that was terrible." Rudy said in a small voice. Her story had affected him most, made him realize that had it been him and his family, it might have happened to him as well. Aiden let Rudy lean on him, as he stared into the void. "Poor Aru." He staightened suddenly, and a grin broke across his face, the first in many weeks. "Tomorrow, we're gonna make up for the time we lost."