Hey all, yes I am back again for a bit. This chapter is super short, but hey, it's better than nothing. I'm not going to make any promises about a scheduled update, just know that I will not be abandoning these fics any time soon. Thanks for the favoriting and following, they're appreciated. A lot happened last chapter and now we're getting a short taste of the consequences for Serena, I see the Blackthorn Clan in their early days being selfish and stuck in their old ways. Just my interpretation, anyways, enjoy.
There was a small uproar between the adults of the kids in Serena's class as well as the ones that attended Lance's birthday. The Elders called an emergency meeting that she was not allowed to attend. Her father wasn't allowed either. Before leaving for the meeting, Rowan promised Serena and her father that she and her grandparents could handle it. But that made the both of them feel much worse about not being present. It felt odd that Serena wasn't summoned to the meeting. She hadn't gone to school or even left the house. She couldn't bear to be in that school without Clair and Lance at her side to protect her. She hated the way it sounded, but there was no way she could face these people without them, not after what she did.
Her and her father resign to stay at the Wataru's house where Lance and Clair also wait for their parents to return with news. The two have been out of school for a few days, but are in much better health than the initial day after exposure to the freezing temperatures. Serena has been over once since they came home and both of them were grateful to her for saving them. The same goes for their parents. Neither quite remember how she was able to save them, and while they're desperate to know, their parents warned them to wait until after the meeting with the Elders.
After today, Serena can answer any questions they have, and she's even been practicing. The first time was with her parents, and the next hundreds of times were in front of her mirror. So far, her dialogue is consistent and she can explain it enough without giving too much away. She's not going to tell them about her uncle or the scars. She's going to say that her power came about because of her age. It's less of a hassle.
In the Wataru home, Lance and Clair spend their time in the living room. Their exposure may have been short, but that didn't stop them from getting sick. Now that they're getting over their sicknesses, they will be heading to school the next day.
"Serena!"
Their greetings never fail to make Serena smile as she takes her spot between them on the cushy couch. They make room for her as she brings Lance's homework from her mother and Clair the homework Rowan received from the school that morning. Both push the papers away and implore about the meeting.
"I don't know anything about it," she admits in a whisper. Aaron is in the kitchen, and the kids have been asked to not talk about it. But what else are they supposed to do? The whole town talks about it, why shouldn't they? "Maybe they thought I would... argue." She catches herself before spilling the beans. They can't know about her powers just yet. She assumes the council thought she would attack them.
"But you should be arguing, because you've done nothing wrong," Lance counters with a frown.
"It's not fair," she agrees. She's beginning to feel that life will always treat her this way.
"Our parents said they will do everything to help, so I wouldn't worry about it," Clair tries to comfort her.
"Easy for you to say," Serena snaps at her, hurt that Clair could brush off something so important.
"I'm just saying that things are going to be handled fine," Clair revises her statement.
Serena takes a deep breath to relax and nods at Clair. "I hope so."
OoOoOoO
Serena picks at her second slice of the pizza her father ordered, being unable to cook something appropriate for the kids himself. It smells delicious, complete with gooey cheese melting down the sides and pepperonis sprinkled on top. Her first slice was great, but ever since the incident at the lake, she's been debating seconds for her meals. On either side of her, Clair and Lance dig into the pizza without a single care. Her eyes slide to her father as he munches on his own piece with a smile on his face. She lets out a tiny sigh and pushes her plate away.
"What's wrong, honey?" Aaron touches her arm. "Not hungry?"
"Not really," she shrugs. "How long was this meeting again?"
He retracts his hand to rub his chin in thought. "It's been a little over four hours."
Serena is about to argue when the front door opens. Her lips shut as Rowan enters the house flanked by Kaida, Wesley, and Clair's parents. They look tired and stop whatever conversation they were having. Clair leaves her seat and rushes towards her parents, Lance follows to do the same, but Serena stays glued to her seat. Her body is rigid and her breathing comes in quick little bursts. This is worse than being yelled at by her old principal. She doesn't want to be kicked out of this school. She has better friends here, friends that actually like her.
Aaron stands up to approach his wife. She turns to speak to him, but he leads her away from their daughter. She frowns and is about to ask why when he begins speaking in a hushed tone. "All she's had to eat today was toast and a slice of pizza."
Rowan's mouth snaps shut, and she glances around him to focus on Serena. Their daughter stares at nothing while finishing her glass of water. She pays no attention to the pizza in front of her. "No fever?"
"She's not sick," he affirms. He moves his head to make their eyes meet and keeps his voice firm. "What did they say?"
Rowan lets out a prolonged sigh and runs a hand through her light colored hair. "She's in the clear. My parents argued that Serena couldn't have a fair shot of redemption if they banned her because of bullying in the clan. They believe it's clan blood responsible for her powers and they're proud of it."
"Pricks," Aaron growls, but it's true. There's no history of psychics in his family and the chances of her getting it from him are minuscule. It has been obvious that it's from Rowan's side since the beginning. Though after the events with his brother, they suspect that she has a lot more power than before. He lets that go and rears his head at his wife in disbelief. "Wait, your parents actually helped?"
"My parents aren't that bad. They do love her. Just not how she was, erm, born," she coughs at the end of her explanation
Aaron raises a brow at her. "You mean conceived."
"Stop it."
He laughs, kissing her forehead at her blush. The two of them beckon everyone to the dining room table. Serena keeps her hands in her lap and watches the adults converge on either side and in front of her. Clair and Lance take a spot on either side of her, waiting for the verdict. Rowan sits across from her, her eyes sweeping over her daughter, checking for problems. Her eyes land on her plate of untouched pizza. Rowan makes a mental note before clearing her throat to speak.
"The Elders have decided to be on your side for this. Damarius and his son were discredited, meaning they weren't believed by the Elders, and his boys should leave you alone. You're not in trouble."
Serena doesn't believe it at first. She continues looking at her mother until it all sinks in and then she cracks a smile. The weight on her shoulders disappears, and she sags against the table for only a moment. Then she realizes what this means and straightens her back for her mother to continue on.
"They asked that you keep yourself in control," Rowan finishes the final sentence, grinning at her daughter.
"Control of what?" Clair demands to know, interrupting Serena's moment of happiness.
Worry takes its place as Serena realizes that this is the moment she has been practicing for. Now she's going to have to tell everyone that is present. Her blue eyes fly to her mother's, looking for support. Rowan gives her daughter a small nod to encourage her, her light blue eyes fill Serena with hope and warmth. Her mother is always right. There hasn't been a time that she wasn't, and, to Serena, that gives her the strength to answer Clair.
"M-my powers," she starts with a deep breath. "I pulled you out of the water..."
Serena starts in on how she saved them and what happened at her last school. The words come out in a rush and some tears do manage to escape. However, she makes it all the way to the end when her voice dies down, and it's silent. Lance and Clair glance at each other. Neither had expected her story to be as intense as it was. They could barely believe that it had actually happened to Serena. The girl they loved, the one who made them happy by just being present, had all these terrible things happen to her. Things that made her wary of who she got close to and what she had to be thinking in order to not make their desks go flying.
Clair is the first to speak. She leans forward on the table, and everyone watches her. Her parents watch with wary eyes while the Wataru's watch with tense apprehension for whatever the little girl has to say. Lance watches his cousin, knowing exactly what she will say because he's thinking the same thing, and it's not often that he and Clair can't read each other.
"So, can you lift us up again?"
Serena starts at the words, wiping off the last of her tears and glancing at the two as if they had grown two heads each. With those words, she feels as though Ishihara's terrified face is miles away, almost forgotten in her mind. Simple words, uttered with the possibility of seriousness. Neither of them found her dangerous, which is what she sees herself as. Instead, they see it as a way to play and don't mind it. Maybe she isn't something to be feared...
"I mean, if you want to," Clair leans back, self conscious, thinking she should have let the adults respond first.
"I can, but I shouldn't," Serena finally answers. There's a hopeful smile on her face.
Lance and Clair perk up and the kids begin talking in a flurry of questions, asking whether she can read their minds, lift up the entire school, or see into the future. Serena finds herself breathless by the end of it all. She's only gotten to talk to her mother about what she can do, and, even then, it felt like a taboo to do so. With these two, it's like a new discovery that they can't wait to research.
"No matter what," Clair's mother interrupts the questions, her smile is wide and her shoulders are relaxed. "We still love and accept you. We're grateful you were there to save our daughter and Lance."
Serena nods, smiling at the woman and holding back more tears as the other adults thank and hug her. She feels warmth unfurl in her chest, and though it's accompanied by an odd ache, she relaxes and decides that this is as close as she can get to being normal, to being the Serena she was before this happened. That girl feels so far away, she can't even remember who she was then.
A fleeting thought whizzes by, and she hears the voice say, just as it had so long ago, "Who am I?"
In response, as if on instinct, Serena thinks about how the voice almost answered its own question.
I am ready to be.
Aaaand she's safe, for now. The Elder's see her as a product of their clan blood and want to use that to their advantage for clans around the world. Selfish, but it keeps her safe from some trouble. Thanks for reading, if you have questions let me know! :)
