In Charlie's Arms

45 • Shocked

Seraphina's eyes narrowed on her uncle's face as he stared obliviously at the screen of his television, mindlessly watching a man speak in detail about aliens and the great pyramids. He didn't seem to notice Sera at all, despite his chair having been positioned in the corner, providing a view of the entire room.

His fingers drummed nonstop atop the leather armrest of his recliner, the only indicator that things weren't as they seemed.

"Sera!" Her father exclaimed, jumping up from his spot on the couch next to the recliner.

Arthur straightened in his seat, his eyes snapping to Sera's as his brother neared her.

"My goodness! You shouldn't be standing!" Jordan said. "Come, sit down," he quickly placed a hand on her upper back, and ushered her towards the couch.

Sera was very aware of her uncle's suspicious eyes on her, no doubt wondering why she wasn't in his room "recovering" like he and Zavala had planned.

She would need to make up something fast, on top of her primary mission of getting her uncle to turn his back towards the direction of the basement.

"How are you feeling?" Her father asked. "Your uncle told me everything." His features suddenly flipped from concerned to angry. "I swear, when I get my hands on that boy, I'm gonna make him regret ever being born—"

"Woah, Dad," Sera cut him off. "What are you talking about?" She tried to look confused, remembering that she wasn't supposed know about the new coverup story Arthur and Zavala had created.

Jordan looked to his brother. "Did neither of you tell her?"

"Tell me what?"

"Um," Arthur started, leaning forward to take a better look into Sera's eyes. "What exactly did the doctor tell you, dear? And, um, why are you out here? He told me that you'd be asleep for a while."

His eyes made Sera want to squirm. They scrutinized her, like he could see right through her.

She tried to act like that wasn't the case. "I woke up in your room," she started off, her voice shaky. "He-he told me there was an accident and, uh, said I lost my memory. He also mentioned something about a sedative wearing off. I think he went to go get more, and I left the room when I heard my dad's voice." She looked to her father. "What exactly happened?"

Her father spoke, telling her the phony story about Charlie shoving her down the stairs.

She could barely hear him, her mind too hyper aware of the front door only a few feet away, wondering how long it would be until Zavala's backup arrived.

With that thought running in the back of her head, the door began to feel like a ticking time bomb. She felt the thin hospital gown beginning to cling to her back as sweat traveled down her spine. The stress was beginning to get to her.

She needed to speed things up.

"Um, uh, wow," Sera said, feigning shock. "Charlie really did that?"

Jordan nodded. "Yes, and he won't ever hurt you again, do you hear me?"

"I'm going to go get the doctor," Arthur announced suddenly, still eyeing Sera suspiciously. He fumbled with his crutches before using them to stand up.

Sera's heart sped up as he crossed the room, her brain a jumbled mess as she tried to sift through the onslaught of ideas that popped into her head, trying to find one that would effectively keep him from going to the basement.

"WAIT!" She ended up yelling out, standing up fast from the couch.

Arthur stopped, whirling around as quickly as he could with crutches and coming to face her.