Serafina Stone

Part 24: Feeling Betrayed

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     Daylight started peeking through the curtains. I tossed in my bed, throwing the covers over my face, not wanting to get up.

Zaria came in with a bowl of soup and a cup of coffee in her hands.

"You don't need to eat it right now, but when you're ready it will be here. We'll all be here. Just take your time." She said, placing the bowl and cup down on my end table quietly.

I rolled over in bed after she walked out and stared at the bowl and cup that sat next to me. My head throbbed from crying all night and my eyes burned. I was slowly starting to lack the motivation to continue on this journey of finding my father.

Sitting up, I rubbed my temples, then slowly reached for the coffee. The warm vanilla taste soothed my throat and eased my tiredness. I took a few bites of the soup before standing up and heading to the shower.

As I walked out, dressed and ready for the day, everybody perked up from their spots. Ziggy, Maisie, Mickey, Raven, and Blaise all sat on one couch. Cedar, Nellie, Zaria and Rome sat on the other.

"Well if I didn't know, I'd say this looked like an intervention of some kind." I said, chuckling.

Rome stood up and cleared his throat. "Sera, love..." I shot him a glare. "Sera... we're here to help you look for your father. We want this as much as you do, to finally see you have the happiness and family you deserve. Yes, we may be your family you created, but your real family is out there. We have leads." He sat back down, motioning to Ziggy, then folding his hands neatly in his lap.

I looked over to Ziggy confused. Pointing to him, I laughed, a little louder than anticipated. "Ziggy is the lead? Ziggy..."

He nodded and looked at me. "Sera... this is going to be extremely hard for you to hear... but I know your dad."

I stumbled back, it felt like I was just hit with a car. "You... how... HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME?!"

He stepped forward again, trying to inch closer. "I was just doing what your father asked me to do... He... he saw you at that place of hell and wanted somebody to keep an eye on you. He stumbled upon me when I was thirteen in my hometown. I was a scared kid with new abilities I knew nothing about and he helped me through them..."

"No, I don't care. I don't want to hear this." I slowly sat in a chair, placing my hands on my head. Rome came over and tried to console me and I shrugged him off. "How dare you lie to me, how dare you act like you care." I said to Ziggy, pointing my finger at him.

He continued to speak, needing to get every piece of information out before I got more upset. "I'm eighteen Sera... not thirteen... and I know where to find your dad. It's dangerous... and he's definitely going to kill me having told you any of this. But, I truly do care for you. As if you were my own sibling. At first, it was for him, then it was for you."

I sat there in the chair, processing everything that was just said to me. I was speechless. How on earth did this happen? How could I be so foolish? Should I trust him again to lead me?

"Were you all in on this? Did the Prince come up to all of you?" Everybody else shook their heads no. "I need a minute." I said, standing up and storming out the door, slamming it behind me.

Rome held up his hand to everybody else. "Just give her some time. It's a lot to process." before coming outside to meet me.

I sank down the wall, trying to control my tears. Rome slowly sat down next to me, scooping me up.

"I... don't... want..."

"I know." He said, as he held onto me, letting me cry into his shoulder.

After about half an hour, I stopped crying and was able to think clearly. Rome stroked my hair, gazing at me for a couple seconds. I looked up at him, closing my swollen eyes.

"You know, you've got really pretty eyes, even when tears are coming down." He said, wiping a single tear from my cheek.

I smiled slightly. "How could I not know? How did he hide it so well?"

Rome shrugged. "He has his reasons, just like the prince had his. At least hear him out. It'll lead you one step closer to finding out who your father really is."

I nodded, before slowly starting to stand up, Rome standing up first and lending me a hand. We walked back through the door, everyone still seated in their same spots they were in prior to me leaving.

"Ziggy, I'm ready. Let's find my father."

He smiled. "Well, we know from your search you did with Zaria, that he's in Wheeler. And I know, from being with him, that he does well with disguises. We are all here to help you find him. We leave tonight."

I nodded, fiddling with my fingers. We leave tonight echoed in my brain. I... was going to see my dad... I was going to find him once and for all. No matter how dangerous he believed it was, I didn't care anymore. I'm tired of the games, tired of the puzzles, tired of fighting to find the one person who should have been there all along. Now was the time to go into action and actually put the pieces of the puzzle together. Now was the time to make everything seem right.

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