She was silent for some time, and Tom had almost fallen asleep, forgetting entirely about her presence despite the fact that he was pressed into her, the mattress dipping with her weight. "Before you came here, everyone was rude and mean to me, no one wanted to speak with me. I did not know why or what I had done, but I felt terribly alone. I don't remember if I had a family to speak of, but I felt their absence all the same. You're the only one who has made me feel less out of a place, and I was afraid that if you didn't come back I would lose that feeling and be alone again. Since spending time with you, I haven't had any of my nightmares either," she said, her voice small, and he opened an eye to look at her. Her cheeks were wet with silent tears, bright in the light that streamed in through the window.