✓1.0 | Letters From Serena

13 | -

CLOSING HIS EYES, Seth Naifeh revelled in the calm and convivial atmosphere of the park. The musical psithurism of the foliage coupled with both chirps of blue-birds and the footsteps of occasional walkers soothed his mind. But he knew it wouldn't last.

As soon as the others arrived, it was easily predictable—expected almost—that the quiet atmosphere would be no more. The calm would evaporate, replaced with sky-high tensions and borderline hatred stewing amidst everybody. Yasmin had set the location to be at Ivory Park, the largest park in the town of Oaksville.

Always the early bird, he had arrived ten minutes before the actual send-off was meant to be. Better for them anyways, to be shocked one by one rather than all at once.

It was still summer. Despite nearing the end of it, the days and nights were still sultry with scorching temperatures but it was as if Serena herself had seen what they were planning and had done her best to accommodate them. Today the clouds shaded the sun's harsh ray. It was a comforting thought, one that he toyed with as he waited.

Time seemed to pass at an agonisingly slow pace. One minute stretched into what seemed like 10 hours, and it was getting hotter. Was it just him?

Seth fidgeted with his hands as he sat cross-legged on a mahagony-coloured bench at the park, a thin sheen of sweat layering his face as his eyes darted in all directions. He couldn't shake the feeling as if someone was watching him, waiting to pounce.

Casting his gaze to the pathway, he lowered his head, holding it in his hands. It was only him and his own mind— for now. He rubbed both of his eyes. He really needed more sleep. The three hours of sleep he had gotten the previous night was making him paranoid. Paranoid of talking to people he didn't want to talk to, people he didn't want to see. No doubt the feelings were mutual.

If Seth Naifeh was being honest to himself, it wasn't just paranoia of seeing the recipients of Serena Wilson's letters; he wasn't ready to say goodbye. It was the bitter pill that he hadn't quite swallowed whole— that with this finale hosted by Yasmin, this final action; Serena Wilson would be well and truly gone.

The crunching sounds of fallen leaves beneath a boot caught his attention as he lifted his eyes, coming face to face with Diana Nethel who looked as uncomfortable as he felt. As sadistic as it might have been, he took slight comfort in that. In knowing that it wasn't him that felt like he didn't belong.

His eyes briefly skimmed her figure; her hair had been styled up into a chignon bun and she had chosen to adorn a midnight-coloured dress with sleeves made of a translucent-black material with lace patterns extending all the way to her wrists.

Modest but elegant, as always.

He nodded once in acknowledgement of her presence as he leaned back against the bench, any trace of the stress he had earlier hidden from sight.

This was the Seth Naifeh everyone knew. The one who was calm, collected and definitely not running on only three hours worth of sleep.

"You too?" she quirked an eyebrow at him, some of her earlier discomfort evaporating too as she realised she wasn't going to be the only anomaly in Serena's send-off. Diana too noted his semi-formal attire, the button-up collared shirt he had chosen to wear, paired with jeans.

Merely shrugging his shoulders in an ambiguous response, she let out a small smile at this Smoothing down her dress, she took a seat next to Seth's sedentary position. A comforting silence settled over them and for a moment, it appeared that the silence would wallow with them in the abyss until the others arrived.

"You know, Serena taught me something," Diana began to speak, hands clasped and eyes set forward to the grass— not meeting Seth's. "forgiveness. I'm choosing to forgive myself because of her. She taught me to live my life to the fullest. That my mistakes and pasts aren't defined by a single action."