Learning to be Strong Alone // Jeraphina Fanfiction

Chapter XXVI: And it Was Him

"LTBSA Arlo character redemption
arc? 👀"

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3rd POV

The girl began wandering around the room, stepping into her black boots and putting on a dark hoodie before anyone could even attempt to stop her. She paced back and forth, quiet objections firing from either side as she trudged along the walls.

Arlo abruptly stood forward as she walked past, his hand grabbing at her arm and tugging it towards him, stopping her in her trek.

"Seraphina, you're not doing anything about this," he told her, watching her face as it slowly contorted to a fit of silent anger, "you'll end up in jail, or worse, for breaking into a government building."

Seraphina stood silently, refusing to move from her stance, mind set on a mission.

She glared at him. "You can try to stop me, but I'll be gone by the time you realise I'm not here," she said with an eerie certainty, eyes flicking away to the window.

He frowned at her statement, brows lowering on his face. "You don't have an ability, may I remind you, so you're not—"

"I'll go!"

All eyes turned to Remi as the words fell from her mouth. She stood with her hand raised, a doubtful yet somewhat determined spark lit in her eyes.

She blushed slightly at the sudden attention and quietly lowered her hand.

"If not being able to protect herself is a problem, then I'll go," she suggested to them. "I have an outfit, and a name from . . . you already know what."

She stood from the couch, "So I can do it."

Arlo glanced at the girl, angry blue eyes seeming to look over her offer of self-sacrifice, studying it with care and consideration . . . before looking away.

"No."

The room fell into a silent misery at his verdict, the thought of hope quickly being mushed into some sort of hot pea soup by just a single two-letter word. The one thing keeping them from answers.

And it was him.

So they thought.

Surprising everyone though, he removed his hand from Seraphina's arm and turned to Blyke and Isen.

"Your dorms are on campus, right?" he asked them, only reaffirming something he surely knew.

They nodded in reply.

"Good," Arlo spoke, picking up a piece of paper and scribbling a couple of things down. He handed them the paper. "Get me these things in a size you think will fit, all preferably in black or in some shade of grey."

The blonde-haired boy looked at the two girls who stood by him, mouths gaping and eyes wide with confusion.

"You two aren't going because I'm going."

The steps slowly faded into the carpeted office, the quiet click of the door echoing through the halls as it assumedly closed—partially closed, at least.

Alden watched patiently from the spot in his room, eyes slowly tracing the under edges of the door for any new flicker of movement.

When there was none, he stood from his chair, the soft pattering of his sock-covered feet being heard as he made his way to the end of the room. Alden pulled his door open, a dim crack of light shining on his golden eye as he peered through the gap.