Seraphina's Awakening

Chapter Seven: Calamity

"My truck!" Jack's voice makes her finally look up. His black pick-up truck sitting only two spaces from hers has a dent in the fender the size of a deer. The angle indicates it fell from above, like the tree? The only suspicious thing is... there is absolutely nothing around. The parking lot is dark and empty; they are the only ones around. Jack is too busy inspecting his truck to realize what is going on with Sera.

Just as she starts getting her breath back, she doubles over again. Something inside her has snapped. She feels like all the wind has forcefully exited her—like someone has come along and punched her in the stomach. She grips her shirt when the pain rises into her chest. Something is wrong. Something is missing, leaving. She falls to her knees, fighting a scream welling up in her throat and reverberating through her entire body. Finally coming to his senses, Jack turns.

"Sera? Are you okay?" He kneels before her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I..." she tries to form words to explain the pain inside of her, "I don't feel well."

"You don't look well." Jack's nimble hands brush her hair to the side. Her skin has grown cold, her face slowly draining of color.

"I need to go home."

"You are definitely not okay, let me drive you."

"No," she states, maybe a little too harshly. However, she needs to be alone, needs to get away from him. This isn't the first time strange things have happened around Jack, and she has a feeling he might know more than he lets on. "I think I've got it now, Jack." With every shred of adrenaline, she forces herself to stand up. Sera takes another deep breath before stumbling to her car and collapsing inside. When she turns for the last time, Jack's face is skeptical. A fake smile and a wave is all she offers him before she turns the car on and veers the hell out of there.

Driving home, she tries to focus on the road, but her mind won't cooperate. Tears fill her eyes. She's driving down the lonely, deserted road; staring out the windshield through her tears. Sera notices the scenery resembles what she feels inside, alone and dead. It's just a normal December night outside, but she can feel it coming for her—the darkness and depression creeping up on her like a monster in the night.

She pulls up to her house, puts the car in park, and pauses for a second. She sits with her hands on the steering wheel, staring down the empty, dead-end street, not hearing the radio blasting. Breathing in the darkness, she finally accepts the depression that is coming. Tears, actual tears, are streaming their way down her face now, and smearing her mascara. Resting her head on the steering wheel, she allows the tears to stream down her pale cheeks. She can't control all the emotions swirling inside her now, not like usual. Something has broken. Her last shred of self-control, lost like a needle in a haystack. All she can do now is release these emotions, allowing her mind to wander.

Her mind finally focuses on the weird feelings she felt on Jack's date to those of her dreams, and then the psychic encounter comes to mind, and the thoughts cycle again. She can't help but feel like this world will never be enough; she will never be truly whole because a piece of her lives in another realm. On top of it all, she has the overwhelming feeling that she is waiting for something, something else, something... more.

Sera blinks and she's in her room. Her eyes dart around surprised; she doesn't remember coming inside. She must have, because she lies in bed, fully clothed, with her shoes still on. The tears surge behind her eyes again and slowly begin to fall, eventually turning to sobs until she can't stop. Tears dripping down her face, she looks to the ceiling and shakes her head. She hasn't cried in years, and now she can't seem to stop. What is happening to her?

She just can't put her finger on what exactly is so upsetting. She's distraught, that much is obvious, but why? She always struggles to put her feelings into words. For some reason, she has never felt more... alone. That's it; I'm lonely. However, that doesn't seem to fit the range of emotions. She doesn't mind being alone. It's more than that. She's not lonely, she feels... lost.

Sera is completely lost in her own thoughts, wants, doubts, dreams, and desires. She feels misplaced, undecided, and dormant. There has to be more to life. She has to be missing something. Purpose? Maybe. Direction? Mostly. True love? Definitely. She is searching for answers in a world she decidedly doesn't belong.

She needs space, air, and time to think. The walls of her room are closing in around her, as if she's under that tree again. She jumps to her feet and runs out of the house. Once Sera reaches the porch, she pauses momentarily before deciding to just start walking. Walking has always been a way for her to get her mind right, but she's never gone this late at night and never in the middle of winter. Common sense doesn't currently seem to be at the top of her mind. The truth is, she can barely feel the cold while she trudges along. When she arrives at the end of her dark, dead-end street, she turns left toward town. Her emotions continue to run wild. The tears threaten to fall again, and she suddenly bursts into a run. She's running to somehow escape the feelings overwhelming her conscious mind right now. Sera whips past intersections and landmarks, but she doesn't put much thought into her destination. It's not like she can get lost in this small town anyway. She's lived here, in Angelica, her entire life; knowing the area like the back of her hand. She runs as fast as she can until her legs develop a deep ache and her lungs catch fire. Dashing into the town park, she jogs until seeing a bench by the jungle gym before collapsing with her head in her hands. All her worries and sadness seep into her again, she weeps harder. I don't belong here.

The tears dry against her cheeks, and her breathing turns to hiccups. By the time she blinks, the world becomes visible again. Once her heart calms to a normal pace, her breathing evens out, and the hiccups eventually cease. Although her mind is still a mess, she can't sit here all night. Her fingertips have already begun to go numb with cold. Sera climbs to her feet and walks out the main entrance to the park. She wipes away the remaining tears from her cheeks. Her foot is barely off the curb when she sees it. Two lights whipping around the corner, blinding her. She's frozen. They came out of nowhere. Now fully comprehending the term 'deer caught in headlights expression', because she's so shocked she can't move... and then—the pain. The careful, play-it-safe Sera has never broken a bone in her body before, but now it feels like every single one of them broke at the same time. Excruciating pain vibrates throughout her entire body until finally she goes numb. Everything turns black.

*

Fluttering of wings is the first sound her ears comprehend. She feels afraid for some reason, but doesn't remember why. Wind is whipping her hair around her face, but she can't see anything. Darkness is crowding her vision; she can't tell if her eyes are even open, because her mind can't focus. All she is sure of is that her body feels ice cold. So cold, her whole body goes numb. The only sensation her mind can process is a tingling working its way through her body. The only reason she is aware, is how it feels like scorching fire flowing through her. It traces its way around her heart, down to her toes, and back up to her heart, only to trace its way down her other leg. Her mind is weak and fading, but the fire is coursing its way through her veins. The strong wings still flap around her. The sway of them pumping up and down lulls her back to unconsciousness...