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[onlyforthedream]

There are a lot of neat contraptions in the island compound. There's something that makes all the rooms cool at the same time, so much so that I had to go downstairs to the box people told me about to find a sweatshirt, like what boxers wear when they're practicing. It's grey and too big but it keeps me warm when I'm in the compound rooms too long

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[talented_liar]

Loki hadn't left his brother's side much since the weekend began, but this was one of the few exceptions. Following Thor may have been the natural order of things since before he could remember, but striking off on his own every now and then had its advantages too. For one thing, he could actually take time to explore what happened to catch his interest. Thor might have failed to notice the faint sound of labored breathing in the distance and gone on, but Loki didn't. Instead he crept forward, unwilling to reveal himself until he was close enough to realize it was just another boy, but clearly a boy in distress.

"Do you need me to find a healer?" Loki asked, approaching him uncertainly. There had to be something he could do to help, he just didn't know what.

[onlyforthedream]

I hold up a hand to try and signal to the other boy no, but it doesn't get there. It goes instead to my chest where it clutches as the- sweatshirt, that I forgot to take off. Stupid! Too late now, though. I can't believe I didn't think about that-

But I didn't, and now I have to breathe. I have to force my lungs to open up and make myself breathe. There are tears in my eyes from the strain, the feeling of pressure building up. I try to give him a reassuring look, but it... probably doesn't come across.

Finally, I manage to shake my head 'no'.

[talented_liar]

Loki came closer then, considering and silent. Perhaps it was the heat? He had always felt more comfortable in the cold himself and sometimes felt uncomfortable if it got too hot. But if he got to that point he knew to dress appropriately. This boy had on a thick long-sleeved shirt that could not have been helping matters.

After a moment's deliberation, Loki reached out to try taking the offending garment off of him, not bothering to ask for permission or even explain himself. Why would he? The other boy couldn't say no and he couldn't try to stop him, at least not seriously. Besides, he was trying to help. It should have been obvious.

[onlyforthedream]

If I could show him I was grateful in the moment, I would, but the whole world right now is centered on the pain I can't loosen in my chest. When he pulls the sweatshirt off, gets the thick great fabric over my head and pulls it down my arms, it's like... like suddenly I'm not underwater anymore, and I thought I was. The air is still too thick, my chest is still closed up, but it's not as painful. I feel like if only I could open my throat up, I could breathe. So close

[odunham]

Olivia had been enjoying the last couple of days, learning about the grown up version of herself by the stuff in her room, amazed at pictures of herself. Soon she'd be that woman, and she wouldn't have to walk around scared, or with painful black eyes she had to make excuses for ever again.

It was a thought that kept her upbeat through the weekend, even when she felt a little lonely exploring the island (when she wasn't in the lab with Doctor Walter, of course) on her own. She wandered different paths each day, using a map the older her had kept in a backpack in her room, and it was going down one of the newer paths that she saw the kid.

He didn't look much older than her -- he reminded her of Nick, in fact, and Olivia didn't think twice. She ran over, concern on her face as she approached the kid.

"Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?" She looked all over him, surprised by how skinny he was, looking for injuries or anything else. "What's happening? Can you breathe?"

[onlyforthedream]

I'm being asked questions, and it's hard to understand them. I shake my head at the last one, wheezing instead of answer, and slide down the tree a little. It hurts as bad as it ever have. I always forget, you know? What it's like until it's happening again.

[odunham]

Annie had collapsed in their classroom once when they were having lunch, and she'd been trying to breathe but couldn't, the way he was -- but Miss Ashley had run and gotten a fancy looking needle pen thing, and that had been that. Olivia had nothing in her pink backpack to help, but dropped down beside him, wanting to anyway.

"Um, try to relax," she remembered Miss Carla saying to Annie before Miss Ashley had shown up. She took one of his hands into both of hers, surprised at how cold they felt. Maybe that's why he had a sweatshirt on, even though it was hot enough outside to sweat just from standing in the sun. "Are you hot? Should we take your sweatshirt off? Maybe that'll help you breathe."

[onlyforthedream]

I am trying, but I'm not doing a very good job. I shake my head a little, as much as I can. The sweatshirt isn't making this happen, I'm making this happen. Just like the doctors said, it's my job to make it not happen. I wish it wasn't so hard though. I curl over a little, the pressure in my chest pulling at me something awful.

[starchilde_lost]

Rachel saw the kid as she was on a run of her own, speeding around at a fast clip and she chuckled. Looked like another victim of the island's amusements, but when she saw him cutting into the jungle she swerved, intending to follow. No matter who he was usually, he was a kid and cutting through the jungle wasn't the safest thing to do. His path was easy to follow, broken leaves and disturbed soil made for a clear mark, and it wasn't long before she caught up to him.

Holy, shit.

"Hey, kid, kid, look at me." She took his hand, ice cold and crouched down, looking up at him. "Are you having an allergic reaction?" She paused, looking for a nod. "An asthma attack?" She waited again.

[onlyforthedream]

I can barely open my eyes against the pain and the feeling of squeezing around my heart, but there's a red headed lady with marks on her face and she's asking me questions like the teachers or the nuns have, before. I'm glad she knows what asthma is- I wait for her to ask about that and then nod, as clearly as I can as I try to pull in a breath.

[starchilde_lost]

"Okay." Rachel kept herself calm and tried to search through her memory, trying to remember if she knew anything that could help.

"Keep calm, try and breathe in and out. Do you have an inhaler on you?"

She prayed he did.

[onlyforthedream]

I don't know what an inhaler is, but I'm trying real hard to breathe in and out. Once, a doctor rubbed something that was cold and stinging and smelled real bad on my chest, and that had sort of helped, and once someone stuck me with a needle with... what was it... epinephrine. But I don't really know what that is or where someone might get some around here.

So I shake my head and struggle to cough, to do anything that'll free my throat up.

[daretodo]

The truth is, I kinda smell. I mean, I've been wearing my Spidey outfit for three days at this point, and while I tried to take a few minutes to wash it in this laundry room I found in that not-at-all-a-bad-guy's-lair Compound building, I got interrupted halfway through the spin cycle, and had to make a quick exit. So my suit's wet, I'm chafing in places that should not be chafed, I've eaten nothing but fruit for days, which is killer on the digestive system, and, like I said, I kinda smell.

I'm also in a tree, trying to catch a cat nap in a web hammock strung up between two branches, 'cause I'm a little weird about staying in that mansion I woke up in a few days ago, and I need to sleep sometime, even if I'm still half-convinced this is all some smoke and mirrors trick of Mysterio's, if not some new mook I haven't had the displeasure of coming across yet. So when I hear the sound of running of below me, running that's quickly replaced with an abrupt gasp, my first thought is that I'm more ripe than I thought, if I'm sending some

[onlyforthedream]

The weight of the sweatshirt being gone is a relief, but being pulled away from the tree makes me fall forward onto me knees, collapsing hard, throat still constricting too tight for me to pull in any air. My whole chest feels like it's pulsing, trying to heave but there's no air moving in or out so it can't. My eyes still squeezed shut, I dig my elbows into the dirt and shake.

[daretodo]

Oh, great, Parker, you've just gone and made things worse! It's clear enough that he's having an asthma attack, but while I'm quick with a gadget, even I can't just invent an inhaler out of thin air. Darting around to his side, I get down on my knees, and rub his back with a firm, steady hand, holding him up between my arms to make sure his airway as clear as possible, knowing it's about the only thing I can do to help until I think of something better.

"I need you to try to breathe, buddy," I say, calmly for all that it's obvious. "Nice and slow, don't try to rush anything. We're gonna get you through this, you hear me?"

[onlyforthedream]

I look up at the man in the funny pajamas, my eyes watering something fierce, and try to think about breathing. I push, inside, I push out, not trying to breathe just... It's like, I'm trying to imagine there's a block inside me, something plugging up my throat, and I need to push it out with my breath. It's hard. My fingers are more blue, now, I can see them curled up on top of each other but I can't really feel them doing it.

[broken_brushes]

I guess it was too much to ask that this kid have his medical emergency by the Compound front doors like the last one I'd stumbled upon. By the time I hurried over, I was already mentally calculating the distance to each clinic and trying to decide whether I could help carry a boy that size when I still had a cast on one arm. He was pretty scrawny, but I wasn't exactly big myself, and while the asthma was definitely a concern, I was way more worried about heat stroke.

"Hey," I gently began, and reached to press a reassuring hand to his shoulder. "My name's Shari, and I'm going to help you, okay? I really need you to get this shirt off so you can cool down." I didn't wait for permission before I was tugging the thing off. Honest to god, I don't know how the kid wasn't passed out.

[onlyforthedream]

I shudder, can't help it, and it feels like my chest is caving in even though there's a steadying hand on my shoulder. It's a lady's voice, and then a hand is pulling the stupid sweatshirt off of me. I wish I could help her but I can't. I can't do anything but curl in on myself, around the white hot needle point of hurt in my chest.

There's an awful sound in my ears, like wind sawing through thick, heavy branches. I realize it's coming from my throat.

[broken_brushes]

"Oh no. No, no, no, no," I said in a rush as I tried to recall whether I'd ever known anyone with asthma. The heat stroke I knew first aid for, but the breathing problems were completely beyond me.

"Okay, we're going," I quickly decided, and reached to heft the kid up over one of my shoulders. My doctors would probably chew me out if they knew I had half-carried a kid with my broken arm, but what choice did I have? I wasn't going to leave him there, no way.

"If you can help me, I need you to help me," I insisted as I pulled him toward the boardwalk. "Be strong, you can do it. We'll do this together, it's going to be okay."

[onlyforthedream]

It's hard to focus on anything after a while in one of these attacks. My head gets fuzzy, putting things together gets difficult. She asks for my help, or not exactly. She's asking me to help myself, I guess. I want to tell her that I'm trying, honest, and that I appreciate her trying to do anything about it, but I can't.

One of her arms looks funny, until I realize it's in a cast. She's hurt, and she's still trying to help me. It's not the first time I've noticed everyone here seems to be really nice.

If I wasn't still panicking, I'd be kind of sleepy, I think.

I try to help. I try to walk the way she's pulling, try to keep my eyes open and focus on the idea of air moving in and out of me instead of the clamped feeling. She asked me to, so I'll try.