Chapter 7: Girl on Fire
God, what is wrong with me? Serena asked herself as she stared at the ceiling. She was in her dorm and luckily Tracey was not there so Serena could finally get some peace and quiet. Soul had been so nice to her and she had messed it all up. She replayed the scene in her mind over and over. They had kissed, which was okay, but when it turned more passionate and clothes started coming off, she freaked out. All she could remember was her relationship with her last and only boyfriend Brad. Jenny, her best friend, set them up and it was going really well. They did all the typical couple stuff: holding hands in the park, cuddling on the couch during a movie, even sharing a plate of nachos when they went out one night. However, it all turned for the worse when Brad got a little too handsy. He pressured her into doing things sexually that she didn't want to do, and when she resisted, she saw the hate in his eyes, the tone of his voice, and the way he gripped her too hard, leaving bruises. She found herself resisting less and less after that, mostly out of guilt and thinking that a girlfriend should do that. She tried to talk to Jenny, but Jenny denied it, saying that is just how boys are. Serena finally cut all ties when he hit her. She made a huge scene because she was so angry. Some directed at him, but mostly at herself. She was a fool for making herself believe that doing stuff was her duty as a girlfriend. She never even loved him.
Now she thought back at her time with Soul. He seemed genuinely concerned when she ran out of the apartment. He was a nice guy and she didn't want to mess it up. He might understand if she explained herself, but she didn't want him to know that part of her past yet. While contemplating her next move, she fell asleep.
The next day, Serena found that she didn't have to do anything because Soul wasn't at school. She sat next to Maka, who was much friendlier, and Serena tried not to look guilty. Stein didn't once look at her, which was a relief. The rest of the day went by uneventful until her afternoon classes. Sid wanted them to partner up and practice their weapon skills. Of course, Serena did not have a partner, but more importantly had only turned into a weapon once. Sid partnered her with a quiet girl named Alice and walked her through the transformation. She had to remember what it felt like the first time. She had been scared out of her mind, but she remembered seeing the boy and how much faith she had put in him. She felt something stir in her soul and she lost feeling of her body.
"Excellent!" Sid said. "Now Alice—"
Actually, Alice had been doing fine. Serena had turned into a huge sword and Alice was holding her up fine, so they were somewhat compatible. But something had gone wrong, Serena felt their souls connect and a power surge between them. Then they were on fire.
The next thing Serena knew was that she was in the infirmary. Stein was sitting in a chair next to her bed.
"Good. You're up," he said. Serena startled and Stein continued, "Don't worry I didn't dissect you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Thanks," she responded. "Where's Alice, my partner for class?"
"A little shaken, but completely fine. She is in way better shape than you are."
"That's good. But what exactly happened?"
"It looked like you tried soul resonance when you shouldn't have. That caused your soul wavelength to surge and was released in the form of flames, your energy medium."
"Does it happen a lot?"
"It happens every once in a while, but nowhere near that extreme."
"Huh." Serena looked out the window. "How long have I been here?"
"Couple hours. Sid called me down about halfway through class."
"Have you been here the entire time?"
Stein nodded. He moved closer so he was looking Serena directly in the eye. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Serena was shocked at how genuine he sounded. Then he blew cigarette smoke in her face.
"Ew!" She exclaimed, coughing. "Don't poison my lungs!"
Stein laughed. "I thought you might react that way." Then he walked out of the room, still laughing.
Serena grunted and flopped back down on her bed.
(A/N): So instead of doing math homework or writing an english essay, I decide to write the next chapter. I have great priorities :)
