Chapter 1 – Rebirth in Shadows
Page 3 (Part 5/5)
The last streaks of sunlight burned low across the courtyard, gilding the stone wall where Seraphine still sat. Claire stood a few feet away, arms wrapped around herself, caught between retreat and confession.
That was when Jim appeared.
"Claire?" His voice carried across the quiet, and the sharp note in it startled them both.
Claire straightened too fast, guilt flickering across her features. "Jim—hey."
Seraphine tilted her head, letting her expression shift to something fragile, something carefully arranged. "We were just talking."
Jim's gaze swept from Claire to Seraphine and back again. His brow furrowed, suspicion shadowing his features. "About what?"
The tension between the three of them thickened. Claire opened her mouth, then hesitated, caught between her instinct to accuse and the guilt Seraphine had seeded hours before.
Seraphine didn't wait. She leaned forward slightly, voice hushed with false vulnerability. "I was apologizing. For making her uncomfortable."
Jim blinked. "Uncomfortable?"
Claire's jaw tightened. She wanted to push back, wanted to say it wasn't that simple. But Seraphine's words struck first, framing the moment in a way that made Claire's protests sound petty before they even left her mouth.
"Yes," Seraphine continued softly, gaze dipping. "I think she doesn't trust me. And… I don't blame her. It hurts, but… I just wanted her to know I don't mean any harm."
Jim turned toward Claire, eyebrows raised, silently asking if it was true.
Claire hesitated, frustration sparking in her chest. She could feel the ground slipping beneath her, the narrative already bent in Seraphine's favor. If she pushed too hard now, she'd look cruel. If she stayed silent, she looked complicit.
Seraphine's power brushed against her again, nudging that guilt deeper, making every instinct feel heavy, uncertain.
"I… might've been a little harsh," Claire admitted finally, her voice low.
Jim's frown softened, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Really?"
Claire swallowed, hating herself for the words, but unable to stop. "Yeah. She… she didn't deserve it."
Seraphine let her lips curl in a faint, bittersweet smile. "Thank you, Claire. That means a lot."
The silence that followed was rich with tension. Jim exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. "Okay. Good. I was worried this was going to turn into some kind of fight."
Seraphine shook her head gently, voice soothing. "I don't want fights. I just want… friends."
The word lingered between them, deceptively simple. Jim nodded slowly, his wariness tempered by empathy. Claire pressed her lips together, still battling the gnawing voice that screamed something was wrong.
Seraphine felt their conflicting emotions, tasted them like threads in the air. And she tugged, ever so lightly, reinforcing the closeness she craved, amplifying the doubts she needed.
The moment might have ended there—fragile, uneasy, but tilting in Seraphine's favor—if not for what came next.
From the far end of the courtyard, the shadows stirred. Not metaphorical ones this time, but real. A whisper of movement in the dimming light, just beyond the school gates.
Seraphine noticed it first. Her power prickled, recognition sparking. Something other than her web was moving in Arcadia Oaks tonight.
She hid her reaction quickly, but her heart quickened.
Jim followed her glance, his body tensing instinctively. Claire too, suspicion snapping back into focus.
"What was that?" Jim murmured, already half a step forward.
Seraphine forced her voice calm, curious. "Probably nothing."
But inside, she was alight with interest. A secret of her own, deeper than any mask. Because she knew—whatever lurked in those shadows would only tighten her grip on the Trollhunters.
She just had to make sure they never saw it coming.