Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Chapter 12
"Seraphim?" I could hear someone calling my name, but I couldn't recognize their voice; it sounded as if I was under water. I tried to stand, to move, anything to make the pounding go away, but fell over as soon as I stood; my equilibrium was gone. Somebody shouted my name, and I felt strong arms pick me up off of the floor, but everything was so blurry, I couldn't make out their face. Someone was talking to me, and I knew they were moving me, but the pounding in my skull increased as I slipped into oblivion.
I came to with Will's face in my eyes.
"What happened?" I asked, shaking my head as I sat up in what I then realized was a hospital bed.
"You freaked out," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You were getting ready to tell us about Phase Two of your plan."
Thinking back, the impromptu meeting came forth from my memory. As did my telekinesis. Looking around the room, I saw a half-eaten donut on the table next to Will. I reached a hand out toward the donut, let loose with my powers, and… nothing. Nothing but a small headache.
"It's gone," I said, shocked. I tried to reach out again, but noticed something strange.
"What's gone?" Will asked, concerned.
"Not gone," I rephrased, "something's blocking it."
"Blocking what, Seraphim?" he asked. "What's going on?"
"Get me a doctor," I said. "One that specializes in mental abilities. Something's blocking my telekinesis."
It took less than a minute for Will to find a doctor. Bruce followed them in. It took ten to explain what was going on.
"Have you come into contact with any strange chemicals recently? Anything you've never dealt with before?" Dr. Andrews asked, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.
"Not that I know of," I said, scratching a sudden itch on my wrist.
"What's that?" she asked, staring at my wrist.
"Just a bug bite," I said uncertainly, extending my wrist towards her.
"And it itches here?" she asked, tapping a fingertip on the tiny red bump. I nodded. "Do you ever wear any kind of wrist ornaments, any bracelets or the like?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "Jewelry is a describable item."
"Didn't your dad slap a power neutralizer on you?" Will asked.
"That's right!" I said.
"Where is this neurtalizer?" Dr. Andrews asked.
"Um…" I said, thinking.
"Christing said something about getting it to Medulla, I'll track it down," Bruce said, cell phone in hand as he dashed from the room.
"Is it strange to anyone else that my guardian is calling my teacher by her first name, and has her on speed dial?" I asked.
"Just make sure he gets me that bracelet as soon as possible, alright?" Dr. Andrews said, shaking her head and leaving the room. Alone again, I turned to Will.
"Alright, Will," I began. "Enough of my drama. How are you holding up?"
"I'm alright," he said with a shrug.
"No you're not," I said, grabbing his hand when he looked away. "Your mom just died, was killed by my father for harboring me. Don't tell me you're fine!"
"What do you want me to say, Seraphim?" he asked, his eyes glistening with tears I just knew he was fighting. "That I want to kill your dad?"
"I already knew that one," I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself. Tell me something else."
"What else is there?" he asked.
"I don't know, Will, but you need to break down," I said. "If you keep all of that bottled up, your gonna explode. And I'd rather you exploded at me than at your friends, I've been through this kinda thing before. So yell at me, scream at me, blame me, kick my bed, you can even cry. Just let it all out."
"But it's not your fault," Will said quietly.
"In a roundabout fashion it is, but you've got enough to worry about right now," I said. "Just… just let it out." Will nodded, letting go of my hand, and moved to close the door. "Leave it open," I said. "They're gonna hear you anyways, and it'll be better if they can see that your not hurting me." Will nodded and took out a deep breath.
ACOAACOAACOAACOA
An hour later, Will and I were sitting in my room, holding hands simply for the comfort of knowing someone was there. The hospital staff had come running when he started yelling, but I shooed them out eventually. He did kick my bed, like I'd suggested, and the staff had to replace it due to the leg being bent ninety degrees the wrong way. Bruce was sitting in the chair on the other side of my bed. He'd raised an eyebrow at the clutched hands, but said nothing. Magenta, Layla, Warren, Ethan and Zack were also there, Standing around the room as if they belonged there. Which, I suppose, they did.
"Alright, guys, your gonna have to fill your parents in on the rest of the plan, since this room is too small for everyone," I said.
"So the plan's still on?" Zack asked.
"Just because I don't have my powers for some reason doesn't mean the plan won't work," I said. "It just means I have to rely on my father's training, and use it against him. Now, here's what's gonna happen."
ACOAACOAACOAACOA
It was another two days, two long, test-filled days, before I got released. Dr. Andrews managed to get a trace of whatever was in the bracelet, which had, it seems, led to the loss of my powers, and was using it to try to come up with a cure. We (my… friends, I guess you could call them, and their parents) were gathered in the living room of Bruce's house (I guess it was my house, too), getting ready for the coming battle. Unlike everyone else (who either had some level of invincibility or could shape shift into something that armor wouldn't help), I was decked out in Kevlar. There were knives and a few guns stashed everywhere about my person, and Bruce and I were arguing.
"Your not going up against him," Bruce was saying. "Feel lucky I'm even letting you go at all."
"If it wasn't for me, you'd have no idea where he was," I said.
"Which is why I'm letting you come along," Bruce said. "But I won't let you go up against him."
"You don't understand," I said. "I have to be the one to kill him. I have to see it… I have to hold the body as the life seeps out of him."
"In your condition…" Bruce began before I cut him off.
"My condition has nothing to do with it," I said. "I was a cold-blooded killer before I had my powers, and I'm not so reliant on them that I've forgotten what that bastard taught me. No, I have to be the one to do it, no matter what anyone else says or does. I don't care if he's your 'arch-nemesis' or whatever, that… thing is my father, and I'll be the one to send him outta this world and into the next."
Before Bruce and I could argue any longer, Will dragged me into the kitchen, out of sight and earshot of everyone else.
A/N: See, I'm not dead, I promise. I've just had a lot going on lately. But, between two jobs and getting ready to press the restart button on the college thing, I'm gonna try to get another chapter pumped out soon. So, keep the faith, I'll update as soon as I can. In fact, I think I'll start it now.
Lots o' love to all my readers (and a little extra to my reviewers).
Writer in the Night.