To Know

Chapter 13

Seraphina sat on the edge of the infirmary bed facing John, who sat in a chair across from her.

Her hands shook and she clenched them tight to stop it.

She was a cripple now and she couldn't do anything about it.

"I really am completely powerless now, aren't I?" she questioned through the air. Whether it was addressed to John or no one else she didn't know.

"Don't listen to Arlo," John told her. His voice was a deeper now. It was different to how he used to speak; maybe it was deeper or a tone change. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"You think so?"

"Sera?" His voice was back to the usual tone. He jumped up to standing and reached out a hand to her. "Hey, no. Please don't. It'll be back soon. It just needs some more time."

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's been weeks and nobody knows what's wrong," she responded. If she cried, the bandage would get wet. "Not Doc. Not the hospital. Not the authorities. No one."

"But that doesn't move anything, right?" John continued. Why could he be positive in a time like this? "Just because they haven't found the answer yet doesn't mean there isn't one. This shouldn't even be possible. Let's wait a bit longer and see-."

"HOW LONG THEN?!" she cried out. Tears streamed down her face. "How much longer am I supposed to wait?! Months? Years."

He stared up at him – tears in her eyes.

"You know every night, I go to sleep thinking about waking up with my ability back – about everything returning to how it used to be – and every morning I wake up with my hopes crushed over and over again! I'm sick of being disappointed. I don't want to sit around and lie to myself anymore."

She flopped her head onto John's chest as he stood in front of her, head resting by his tie.

"What am I supposed to do?" she whispered to him. "Now that I'm like this: powerless with nothing left."

"Hey." John placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't forget, you're not alone." She lifted her head back up to look him in the eyes as he spoke. "I'm powerless too, remember? We'll just be powerless together! This won't stop us! We can still play games, chill on the roof, grab drinks, go shopping or whatever! Just do what we always do! It's gonna be okay. We'll get you through this!"

Her lip quivered.

Are you really powerless, John? Can you really do nothing to stop this? Or are you lying to me? For whatever reason there is to lie.

That evening, Sera sat at her desk, chewing over the maths homework. All the homework combined took so long that it felt like the teachers never considered what the others teachers were sat. And she was quick to do homework. Well, not as quick as she used to be.

Ringing filled the room, echoing against the walls – a constant alarm. She stood to her feet and picked her phone up off her bed. Through the cracked screen, the contact's name was 'Mother'.

She slide it to answer and brought it up to her ear, remaining silent.

After a few seconds, her matter called out, "Seraphina?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you say anything?" she questioned, seathing through her teeth. "You picked up the phone half a minute ago and didn't say anything."

"Why does it matter?" she responded. "I answered the phone."

"Did the Authorities come to Wellston to talk to you?"