To Know

Chapter 29

Warning: Conversation of child abuse

Seraphina cradled her knees to her chest as Elaine pressed her hand to the bruise on her cheek and her ability flowed through her.

"Thank you," she whispered back to her. "For doing this at this hour."

"You're my roommate. Why wouldn't I do it?" Elaine replied. "Plus, it's wrong. I've never..."

She trailed off. Her eyes flicked away with a blush burning through her cheeks.

"Your parents didn't do that?" Sera asked.

"Well, no. Definitely not to that extent," she replied, her voice quavering. "I- My parents disagree with it. They both work in hospitals and they've seen the worse of it."

"But isn't it the same as what those stronger do to those weaker than them? Isn't it normal?"

"I've been questioning why that happens recently, but neither are right. Nor are they the same. Maybe it's similar in some areas, but its different." Elaine bit her lip. "You know the school hosts summer clubs you could attend over the summer."

"No, I think my parents would rather have me at home under their supervision with recent activities," she replied, drained. "Such as reading an illegal book or losing my ability."

"You could at least try."

Seraphina walked along the corridor of the school when footsteps pattered up behind her at a quickening pace.

She froze and glanced behind her to see Joker charging up behind her with his fist encased in an ice blue.

No, not Joker. An ice blue glow bursts out of the slits for the eyes of the mask.

Someone had taken up the mask of Joker.

She took a step back and brought up her hand. Then she caught his fist – the energy fizzling against her skin like light pins and needles – and pushed them away.

Bursting into a run, she made the last stretch of the corridor before turning around a corner and slamming into a chest and stumbling backwards until she fell onto her butt. She clutched her head with the other hand holding her weight up off the floor and she glanced up to see Arlo.

"Why are you so hard?" she questioned she took a shaky stand. "And tall."

"Why are you running in the corridor without looking?" he responded.

She pointed with her thumb down the corridor where Masked had started running again.

Arlo's eyes widened as the Masked came into view.

"Anyway, you deal with them."

She rushed past them and ducked into the stairwell that led up to the roof. When she pushed the door open, John leant against the chain-link fence that encased the space up on the roof.

The door banged shut behind her.

"What happened? You're out of breath," he said. He slipped his phone into his trouser pocket and walked up to her.

"Ran away from a fake Joker." She huffed out. "Well, someone who wore a Joker mask pretending to be you – Joker. Yeah, pretending to be Joker. Didn't do a very good job though."

She glanced up to him and straightened up before going to the fence.

"Did you buy the mask from the store or something? I don't see how they would have the exact any other way. Unless you dropped it somewhere or threw it away," she ranted. She slipped down the fence to the floor to take a seat and John soon followed. "Err, people have now got a fake joker idea, haven't they? Why couldn't you make the mask yourself or customise it?"