Paralyzed In Happiness

Part The Tenth

Summary
In which a dream comes true, and a phone call is had.

Part The Tenth

December

Snow stuck to the ground where Sera was. She wore a long black coat and waterproof boots. Her hands were covered by leather gloves and a baseball cap covered her recently cut hair. Currently the eighteen-year-old was walking home, stomping through snow drifts.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, she passed a red and green clad teenage girl with blonde hair and shimmery pink lips. The girl seemed to be posting purple flyers on the telephone poles.

"Hi!" The girl said, waving at Sera as she walked past

Sera ignored the girl and kept walking.

The teenage girl turned back to her flyers for a moment before deciding to rush after Sera. "Hey, it's Christmas! Where's your cheer?" She said

"It's not Christmas." Sera replied

"It's December 24th." A familiar voice whispered in Sera's head

"Shut up." Sera muttered at the internal voice

"Who are you?" The teen asked

"I'm no one, from nowhere, and I don't do anything."

"You have to be somebody."

Suddenly the wind caught Sera's coat and blew it back, revealing the black handgun on her hip.

"Woah, are you like an FBI agent or something?" The teenager asked

"I told you. I'm nobody."

Once Sera made it back to the apartment, she stomped the snow off her boots and went inside. She hung her long coat on its rack and stepped into the living room. Sitting around the coffee table were three people: Karen Carr, Harper Quinn, and a police officer unknown to Sera. He was incredibly average, brown hair, brown eyes, black police uniform. He stood about an inch taller than Sera and seemed uneasy in the room.

"Ah, finally, just the girl we were waiting for." He said, standing up and holding out his hand.

Sera looked at his hand scornfully, and asked "who are you?"

"Ah, sorry, Sergeant Grant Harris. I was the one who recommended your family for Protective custody."

"So, you put us in this hellhole, good to know."

Carron

"Zoie." Kyra's voice said in the dark

Zoie only responded with silence

"Zoie, wake up."

"Go away, Ky."

"Sixth months is too long to do this, Zoie."

"Fuck off."

"Zoie, be downstairs in half an hour."

"No."

Kyra shook her head and left the room.

Thirty minutes later, Kyra kicked in the door, threw the blankets off Zoie, and dumped a bucket of water on her. Zoie sat up and opened her eyes. After six months she looked like Hell warmed over, her eyes were sunken and dark, her hair was tangled, and the pink had almost faded to the point of disappearing entirely. She wore only a t-shirt and panties and was currently soaked.

"What the fuck, Kyra?" Zoie said, balling up a fist.

"You have a call waiting on the house phone." Kyra replied

"I don't care."

"Would you care if I told you it was Sera?"

"What?"

"Answer the phone."

Zoie stumbled out of bed and ran out of her room to the phone in the hall. Picking up, she waited for a second, hoping to hear her girlfriend's voice, but nothing came

"H... Hel... Hello?" Zoie asked, her voice shaking

"Zo'? God, it's been so long since I've heard your voice." Sera replied, smiling sadly through her voice

"It's... It's been six months... Where... Where are you?"

"I wish I could tell you, but I promise I'm coming back, sometime soon, Officer Harris claims, but I don't want to talk about me, I want to talk about you. How are you? What've you been doing?"

"I... I... I miss you."

"I know. Believe me I know, but... This was the safest option I could take. I had to protect you."

"From... From what?"

"...no one, just... Please, what have you been doing? Did you finish that painting? I'd love to see it when I get back."

"I..." Zoie looked down the stairs at the place her masterpiece had once hung. It was in tatters now, shredded with a paint knife. "I haven't yet no, but I'll get on it, as soon as possible, I promise."

"Have you talked to Tracey or Misty? I was allowed to call them earlier, they said you've been locked in your room mostly, but that doesn't sound like you, I didn't believe them."

"Um... I haven't talked to them much, no... I've been... Um..."

"Zoie, please tell me you're okay."

"I... no. I'm not."

"Oh Zoie... Listen to me... You make me the happiest I've ever been in my life. I promise you, I will be back. Never forget that."

"You left. Sera, you left, why did you leave?"

"I... I can't - I won't tell you. Zoie, I love you, but I need you to be strong for a little while longer. Talk to Kyra, I know she wants to help you, and I'll try to convince sergeant Harris to let me call once a week. Please, please just... Don't go down that rabbit hole, and please be there when I come home."

Zoie stayed silent for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes, until finally she said "okay. I promise Sera, I'll try, but... Please be home soon."

"I'll try, Zo'. I hate this place... Anyway, enough of this sad shit, how's Scarlett?"

"She's pretty big now, she's almost as tall as me on her hind legs, and Kyra says she's gonna get bigger. Kyra's been...really great, to both of us... Though she did dump a bucket of water on me."

"Well, why’d you make her do that, ya' goof?"

"I didn't know you were on the phone. Ummm... Hey, did you know that Misty and Tracey were together?"

"What do you mean?"

"They're a couple."

"You mean like.... Going on dates and having sex couple?"

"Yeah."

"WHAT?! HOW DID THEY NOT TELL ME THIS?"

"I don't know, babes."

"I didn't know Tracey was gay... I knew Misty was, of course, because of that time we... Um... What? No, nothing. We did nothing..."

"Hmmmmm....."

"Oh... Hey, Zo' I have to go. I'll try to call again soon."

"Okay... Bye, Sera."

"Bye babes."