"Emily asked me to move in with her."
Seraphina stood by the doorway of the kitchen.
Her words hung in the air, still waiting for a response.
Her mother didn't turn.
The pot on the stove simmered softly. Evelyn stirred it once, twice, like that was the only thing that mattered at the moment.
"It will make things easier," Seraphina added. "I won't have to travel every day. I can focus more on school and lectures without bothering about missing the last bus."
"And?" her mother's voice came out flat.
Seraphina blinked. "I am asking for your permission and…"
Her mother dropped the spoon with a loud thud and turned to face her, with no warmth in her eyes.
"Who you stay with or where you go is none of my business."
The room went quiet for a second.
Seraphina swallowed hard and nodded, once. "Okay."
Her mother turned back to the stove.
Seraphina headed to the room and started packing her things.
She has never understood why her mother became so cold and distant since after the death of her Dad.
Her mother worked as a chef for one of the richest families in New York and only came back once a week. She had waited for a week to tell her that Emily, her new friend on campus, offered her free accommodation to make things easier for her and this was how she responded to the news.
"I'm not gonna let her respond stop me from accepting an offer that is gonna make life easier for us" Seraphina mumbles as she stuff her things into her box.
After packing, she went to tell her mother she was leaving but she got nothing but silence from her.
Seraphina left and all through the bus ride, all she thought about was what went wrong after her father died.
********************************************
Seraphina got to Campus and made her way down to Emily's Dormitory with her bag. She knocked once and Emily opened the door before the second knock.
"You made it!" she giggled ,stepping aside immediately. "Come in."
Seraphina slipped in quietly, her eyes moving over the room, the neat bed, the soft light and large space.
"Drop your stuff anywhere," Emily said, already clearing a chair.
Seraphina stood still, glancing at every corner.
"You… you stay here alone?"
Emily smiled broadly, gesturing around
" Yeah…I mean, it's not that big so I paid double to stay in the room alone. I didn't wanna end up staying in one room with a stranger"
Seraphina chuckled "I am a stranger"
Emily sat on her bed and crossed both legs
"A stranger that is now a friend. Come on, let's help you unpack" Emily said, taking Seraphina's luggage from her.
Seraphina sits beside her. "Thank you."
Emily waved it off. " That's enough."
Seraphina let out a small breath.
Days passed and Serephina felt nothing but relieved. She wasn't bothering about the bus fee anymore. She wasn't waking up at 5 a.m anymore so she could meet up with the first bus. No watching the clock like it was chasing her.
It was just classes, study and quiet sleep.
It almost felt like something good but each time she remembered her mother hasn't called nor has she been taking her calls, she gets a sour feeling at the pit of her stomach or maybe a sense of guilt.
********************************************
After lectures one evening, Emily went back to the dorm and Seraphina stopped by at the library.
Inside, the place was nearly empty. A few scattered students, Low lights and quiet pages turning somewhere in the distance.
She walked between shelves slowly, her fingers brushing across book spines without stopping, until her hand hovered over a book.
"Omg!" She whispered.
She pulled it out, staring at the cover like she already knew it.
" Oh darling…I didn't know you were and here I was, saving up money to buy you" Seraphina whispered to the book, her hand brushing over the book cover.
Without thinking twice, she sat, opened the book and threw herself into it.
When she looked up, the silence had changed, The chairs were empty and the lights dimmer.
Her heart skipped.
She packed quickly, slipping the book into her bag and heading out.
Outside, the air felt colder. The campus had thinned out. Shadows stretched longer than they should.
Seraphina adjusted her bag and picked up her pace.
Then, she heard voices, low and close.
She slowed for a second. Her gaze shifted toward the side of a building, where the sound came from.
She should have kept walking but her legs betrayed her. Her steps moved quietly toward the building. Then she stopped behind a tree, taking in the full view of the scene before her.
Damon De Luca stood there with two other boys, Gun in his hand. A man lay still on the ground at his feet, in the pull of his own blood.
Seraphina's body froze. Her throat went dry.
"No, this wasn't…"
Before she could process anything, her hand slipped into her bag. She pulled out her phone and crouched slightly behind a tree, her fingers unsteady as she lifted it, the screen lit up and she hit the camera video recording button.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Damon didn't move, he took pictures of the body like this was normal.
Seraphina held her breath. Determined to not get caught.
Just then, her phone rang, loud and piercing. The sound tore through the silence.
Seraphina froze. Damon's head turned. His eyes cut through the darkness.
"Someone's there." he said, deep and cold.
His boys moved, Seraphina flew
Her feet hit the ground hard, and fast. Branches scratched her arms as she pushed forward, her breath coming in short bursts.
"Catch her!" Damon yells at his boys.
Footsteps thundered behind her.
Closer, as second ticks. She didn't look back or maybe she couldn't.
Her grip slipped on her bag as she ran, and something fell but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.
Not until the voices faded. Not until the footsteps were gone. Not until her lungs burned and her legs gave out beneath her but it didn't happen until she got to the door of Emily's room.
Seraphina bursted through the dorm door, lungs burning, heart hammered so hard she thought it might burst. Emily sat on the couch, her head lifted as she noticed Seraphina's state.
"Where have you been? You're late!" Emily asks, concerned.
Seraphina swallowed, panting.
So many questions raced through her mind. Should I tell her? No, I can't tell her. She will never understand… and what if he finds out I saw him?
"It's… nothing," she managed, forcing a laugh that came out jagged and weak.
Emily frowned. "Nothing? You're out of breath, and your face is pale. Talk to me."
Seraphina shakes her head quickly, fingers gripping her bag straps.
No, no. Don't tell her. She will worry too much, and I can't let anyone know. Not him, not anyone.
Her eyes drifted to her bag. Something felt off. She fumbled for her things and her stomach dropped.
Emily noticed the change, the tension and the sudden shift. "Sera… what is it?"
Seraphina opens her mouth, then closes it. She shakes her head again and forced a smile, weak and trembling. "It's… nothing. I just… forgot something in the library."
But even as she says it, a sinking feeling spreads through her. I shouldn't have looked. I shouldn't have seen it.
***************************************
Daman's boys walked back after missing Seraphina. Damon walked back behind them slowly. His gaze dropped, a book lay on the ground. He bent and picked it up.
He opened the first page and the name is written in Abbreviation.
Sera.V.
Damon's eyes darkened
"Bingo" he whispered.