Seraphine

twenty five

Seraphine

The following weekend is heaven for Seraphine. She spent every waking moment with Derek, almost cried tears of joy when he called off work to be with her.

They watched movies, ordered takeout, shared soft touches and tender kisses. She really believed she had her old Derek back, and she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"I'm headed to class, Derek," she calls, adjusting her sunglasses in the hallway mirror. He comes out of their room wearing nothing but gray sweats, smirking when her eyes are drawn to his bare chest. Derek pushes off the wall and stalks towards her, making her cheeks burn.

They haven't done anything more than kiss, but Seraphine has been on edge all weekend, waiting for him to make the first move. That anxiety could also be her waiting for the other shoe to drop and him to beat her again, but Seraphine doesn't give more than a second to those thoughts when they cross her mind.

That was the old Derek. This is her Derek, her soulmate.

Derek reaches her and lifts a hand, and she hates herself for flinching. A flash of guilt spreads across his face, and she smiles reassuringly up at him, leaning into his hand when he presses it to her cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Sera. I was just--so angry, and lost, and--" Seraphine steps up on her tippy toes and seals her lips against his, cutting him off. It's only a peck, but it has her insides warming.

"I know, Derek. I'm okay, I promise."

They haven't talked about that night since she woke up Friday morning. She hadn't thought about her professors all weekend, no matter how many times they tried to plant themselves into her brain.

Seraphine smiles up at her boyfriend as she settles down on her feet, shrinking down to her normal height. Derek smiles back down at her and brushes his hand back through her hair.

"I'm gonna go grocery shopping today, do you want anything?" He murmurs, and Seraphine rolls her eyes to the left, thinking.

"Hm. Chocolate?" She asks hopefully, and Derek grins, raising an eyebrow.

"Reece's, right? I'll get you a big bag you can snack on, babe." Seraphine's lips quiver, and tears cloud her vision.

Is it over? Are we finally back to the old ways?

"You remembered," she whispers, and he nods.

"Of course I did, I love you. Now, get that cute butt to class," he pats her head and sends her off giggling.

"I love you too, Derek," she says as she shuts the door, on Cloud 9.

She practically skips to class, feeling light as a damn feather. The Psychology building isn't nearly as daunting as it usually is, and she's grateful for her sunglasses as the sun is beating down today.

Her ripped jeans brush against her blue Chucks, Derek's faded Nirvana tee falling off of one shoulder. There's a black velvet choker around her neck, working with her makeup to cover the fading bruises.

Seraphine feels great, perfect, even. Everything in her life is going right.

So when she walks up to the closed door leading to Dr. Reeves' class and tugs, she frowns when it doesn't budge.

Locked. Why would it be locked?

Seraphine's hand goes to her pocket, and she pulls out her phone. She finally turns it on, having been away from it all weekend, and sees a slew of emails.

The most recent one being from Dr. Reeves, to the whole class.

Class,

I have some personal business to attend to, so I will not being having class today. Please come next Monday ready to learn and I will introduce your first big project of the semester.

Thank you and have a good day off,

Dr. Luca Reeves

Seraphine's eyebrows furrow, but she shrugs and pockets her phone. Guess I'll get to spend more time with Derek.

She smiles at the thought, already planning out the rest of her day. She'll go home, surprise Derek, maybe even go to the store with him! And then, they'll cuddle up on the couch and watch some more movies while she stuffs her face with chocolate, and maybe, just maybe, he'll touch--

"Miss Thatch."

Seraphine freezes in her tracks, a cold chill running down her spine. She knows exactly who that voice belongs to--and she does not want to face him.

She considers just running from him, from them, but a warmth is at her back and she knows she's trapped.

I am their assistant anyway. I can't run forever.

With that thought, she turns on her heel and sends a fake smile up at him, pretending not to notice the way his eyes widen and then narrow at her appearance.

"Hello, Dr. Reeves. I assume you're taking me to your office, where Dr. Brummer, Dr. Wern, and Dr. Michaels are waiting for us?" She asks sweetly, though her tone has a bite that leaves her professor blinking down at her in surprise.

"You are correct," he recovers within a few seconds and lifts a hand, letting her lead the way. Thankfully his office is right next to the room she was trying to enter earlier.

"Why did you still come in today?" He asks as she tugs on the handle of his office, and she shrugs.

"I had my phone off all weekend, so I didn't see your email until now. Hello, professors." She greets the rest of them, pushing her sunglasses up on her nose.

A chorus of 'hellos' rises from the other three men, and, just like Dr. Reeves, they all look confused.

Her eyes go first to Dr. Wern, and she swears she sees hurt in his expression, so she averts her gaze to Dr. Michaels, whose confusion is partnered with anger--that same anger she felt when they were in Dr. Brummers' office last week. Dr. Brummer himself sits behind Dr. Reeves' desk, staring at her with pursed lips.

"So, my position as your assistant..." Seraphine starts, fiddling with the new Rick Grimes mini funko-pop keychain Derek had bought her this weekend. He's wearing a big sheriff's hat that matches his uniform, portraying his character from the earlier seasons.

"Right. Well, we all have different tasks for you to complete," Dr. Reeves starts, going to lean against the front of his desk. He studies her for a moment, making her squirm under his scrutinizing gaze. She's suddenly grateful for the sunglasses--for a completely new reason.

"Okay. I'm sure I can handle them all." She says confidently, again sending a fake smile towards her professors.

"We don't doubt that you can, Seraphine." At the mention of her first name, her smile wavers. Her mind brings her back to Thursday night--the warm mansion, the soft touches, the easy smiles and back-and-forth banter.

Her heart flutters, but she shoves the feeling away.

"I would like you to grade the journals your classmates turn in," Dr. Reeves finishes, and she nods. She's familiar with the journals he's assigned every week--always turns them in early. She'll definitely have time to grade all twelve of her classmates'.

"I need an editor for my new book I'm writing." Dr. Brummer draws her attention, and she quirks an eyebrow, nodding. She's familiar with his earlier works on the art of creative writing, and she's suddenly eager to read what he has to say.

"I am trying to convince the school board to open up study abroad options for the Philosophy department. I need a well-written research paper that maps out the benefits, for both students and faculty, and combats counterarguments. Are you interested?" Dr. Wern's voice is soft, and Seraphine feels guilt claw at her throat. She swallows, drops her head, and pulls out her phone with a nod, opening her Notes app and typing up all of her tasks.

When she lifts her head again, Dr. Michaels is right in front of her, his hand coming up towards her sunglasses.

Seraphine doesn't have time to do anything but gasp as he grabs the darkened glasses and snatches them from her face with a snarl.