《Previously》
When they neared the door, Y/N noticed something red covering it.
Is that...blood?
Y/N and John glanced at each other in slight horror before both had the same urgent yell.
"Sera!"
Tackling the door down in a frantic hurry, Y/N felt horror in every fiber in her body when she took in the sight.
It was Seraphina, unconscious and hunched up on the floor as a crimson stained knife was sprawled next to her.
🌌Chapter 21🌌
"S-SERA?? W-WAKE UP!" Y/N and John both rushed to the unconscious girl's side at lightning speed. Y/N lightly shook Seraphina's body, crying desperately, "What happened?! Shit, she's bleeding here!"
The H/C girl pointed to Seraphina's bloodied wound on her hip. That must be where she got stabbed! Fuck, who could do this?! John must've had the same thoughts since he asked, "Who could've done this to her?! Why couldn't she use her ability to rewind the wound?!"
"I don't know!" Y/N cried back, her mind racing a million miles per hour. She almost felt dizzy, but kept together for Seraphina's sake. Hastily, she grabbed the girl's abandoned phone and scrolled through the contacts until she found the one she was looking for. Shit, please pick up-
"Hey Seraphina, what's up?" Elaine's casual voice picked up on the other end, making Y/N sigh in relief before explaining speedily, "Elaine! John and I need you to come here right-"
Beep.
Y/N almost dropped the phone in shock. This bitch just hung up on me. John had a murderous expression on his face when seeing that Elaine wouldn't hear them out. His hands were balled into trembling fists and his forehead was scrunched up in anger. Y/N could tell he was about to explode.
I don't got time to calm him, we need to help Seraphina first. Looking through more of the contact names, she stopped at a particular one when an idea popped in her head. Pressing the dial button, Y/N chewed on her lip anxiously when it rang repeatedly.
"Hello? What is it Seraphina?" A certain blonde's voice asked.
"Arlo!" She nearly yelled, cutting straight to the point. "Grab Elaine and come to John's place right now, please!"
"Y/N? Why-"
"Just do it!" Y/N hung up on the call, not wanting to waste any more time. All they had to do now was wait.
-
Elaine and Arlo stood inside John's apartment, eyes wide as saucers and jaws hanging open in slight terror. The sight of Seraphina's unmoving body and the bloodied knife was unnerving. It was the first time Y/N had seen Arlo so surprised, not that she could blame him.
"Seraphina!" Elaine cried, running over to kneel beside Y/N. "How did you end up like this?!"
The bluenette stared at Seraphina's body for a moment before slowly looking up at John. "Y..You creep! What the heck did you do?! How DARE you hurt her?! What did she do to deserve this?! Explain yourself--!"
Y/N noticed that John was slowly losing it the longer she accused him.
Before Elaine could react, John raised his arm up with a dark expression and aimed it at her face. "Will you shut the fuck up al-!"
Milliseconds before his hand made contact with the healer, Y/N shoved her away and took the impact of the slap instead. A deathly silence fell upon the room, nobody dare moving a muscle. There was a nasty bluish purple bruise--literally--slapped onto the left side of Y/N's cheek. A drop of blood slid down the side of her mouth, but she wasn't at all fazed.
I know Elaine was being a bitch, but to think he was going to hit her this hard..
"John," Y/N gritted his name out while talking firmly. The gruesome bruise on her cheek slowly vanished into thin air while her left eye glowed a blazing E/C. "You need to control your emotions right now. Seraphina is severely injured, and we don't have time for this."
John blurted, still in shock over what just happened. "Y-Y/N..I-"
The H/C girl shushed him before gesturing to the awestruck healer who hadn't moved a muscle since she was saved. "Elaine, come here and heal her."
"O-okay.." She replied obediently.
Working her magic, a faint green glow was placed above Seraphina's body as Elaine healed her wound. The other three, one of them being Arlo who Y/N forgot existed for a moment, watched in a deafening silence.
Strange. How did she get hurt in the first place? Arlo thought as he leaned on the table arms crossed. Someone overpowered her? No, that's ridiculous. Maybe she was jumped? But she's too fast. Perhaps she was tricked? But if that were the case then she would still have her kit to back her up. The only explanation I can think of...is that she didn't use her ability...
A period of time passed before Elaine pulled back and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "O-okay, all done. Most of the damage was from the stab wound, so she should be fine now." A piercing gaze that belonged to John directed itself at Elaine's cowering figure.
He narrowed his eyes, "Then why hasn't she woken up yet?"
The bluenette shivered, avoiding eye contact, "I..it's strange. She's perfectly healthy, yet something is off..."
"Something is off, huh?" John sneered. "NO SHIT!! Anyone could've figured that out! Be specific!"
"I-I don't know, okay?! That's beyond my power!" Out of reflex, Elaine raised her arms to block her face, squeezing her eyes. Y/N watched the whole scene unfold with hooded eyes. I can't watch this shit anymore. "John, control yourself. You're going to end up doing something you're going to regret. I know you're concerned about Seraphina, but we all-"
"What have you done up until now John?" Arlo cut in, staring deeply at John. "If you want to know the cause, then figure it out yourself."
The two males had an intense staring contest before John looked away and sighed. Y/N could sense the hesitation in his eyes when his orbs looked up at her. "...Y/N...do you mind going into another room for a minute..? There's something I need to do that you can't be here for..."
Something he needs to do that I can't be here for? It clicked. The only logical thing I can think of is that he wants to use his ability. Why else would he ask only me to leave? He already knows that Arlo and Elaine found out, but he still thinks I haven't. Should I just come out and say it...?
You know what, fuck it.
"If you want to use your ability, then you can go ahead. No need to try and hide it from me anymore."
He stiffened, shoulders hunched up. His head whipped to glare at Arlo menacingly. "Did you tell her?! I swear to god-" He accused.
"I didn't." Arlo interrupted sharply, returning John's glare with his own. "She'd been knew for a while now. For someone who's close to her, you sure haven't realized how observant she is."
John was at a loss for words. "H..how.."
Proping her arm on her leg, Y/N sympathized, "He's right. I found this out on my own. I'm still not sure why you kept this to yourself, but I do know you have your own reasons. What I'm also concerned about is how Seraphina is going to react when she finds out. Even though I'm forgiving doesn't mean she will be the same. You two have been close for a while now and she trusts you a lot, you know?"
He was quiet. "...I know. I'll tell her eventually...just not now."
I don't believe you, but okay. "We'll continue this conversation another time. Go ahead and do what you were going to do."
Taking in a deep breath, John stared at a quivering Elaine for a few seconds. Arlo told me that John's ability allows him to copy another person's ability. Hm...
After a few seconds, John stopped staring at Elaine and turned his head to look down at Seraphina, much to the healer's relief. His eyes then began to glow a golden-orange color, startling Y/N. It felt weird to see John's eyes glowing. Hovering his hands over Seraphina's body, he kept it there while it glowed the same color as his eyes.
Is he..scanning for other injuries? So he copied Elaine's ability just by looking at her. Impressive.
All of a sudden, John's movements ceased and his eyes widened by a fraction. He turned Seraphina's limp head to the side to reveal a needle hole on her neck.
"What the hell is this?!" John exclaimed.
"A needle.." Arlo answered, feeling uneasy. "Maybe she was drugged. That's why she's not waking up. But how did they manage to catch her?"
John clicked his teeth, facing Seraphina's unconscious body once again. "I don't care about that. I just want to know who did this to her." Scooping up the girl's body, he carried her to somewhere she could lay down comfortably. Y/N, Arlo, and Elaine meanwhile were stuck in an awkward atmosphere. Without a word, Elaine stood up and walked off somewhere only to come back holding a glass of water.
"Y/N. I brought you some water." She offered, extending her arm out to the confused heterochromatic girl. She brought me water? I would've thought she'd give it to Arlo instead.
"Uh, thanks." Accepting the cup, she hesitatingly took a sip from it.
"Also," Elaine cleared her throat, tucking a stray strand of blue hair behind her ear nervously. "I want to, um, thank you for taking the..hit for me. I'm sorry we got off to a wrong start.."
Y/N waved it off, "Don't read too much into it. It's not a big deal."
"Still, thank you."
There was a period of silence as they all wandered into their own thoughts. Everything was running smoothly right now, yet Y/N couldn't help but feel an uneasy feeling bubbling within her, almost as if something horrible was going to happen.
Maybe I shouldn't have eaten four packs of ramen this morning.
-
It was pitch black outside, only the shimmering of the twinkling stars and shining of the moon peeking through. Aside from an occasional car speeding by or a cricket, there was no sound.
In the midst of this was a peacefully sleeping Y/N. She was laying down on the couch while Arlo and Elaine were sleeping on another. Now, Y/N was a very light sleeper already, the slightest of noises capable of awakening her. That's why her eyes immediately snapped open the moment she heard shuffling.
Who the fuck-
Her eyes widened the moment she saw that the person that was causing the noise was an intruder. The stranger raised his arm over Arlo, a familiar knife gripped in his palm.
"Fuck--!" Y/N cursed loudly as she yeeted herself several feet to shield Arlo. Her eyes shined a bright E/C and F/C as the knife pierced through her right arm. The intruder yelped in pain as a stab wound was now on his arm as well. Y/N took the chance to rip the knife out of her arm and tackle him to the ground. Wrapping her left arm around his neck, she held him securely in a headlock as he struggled against her raw strength. It was a mystery how Y/N managed to restrain the guy like that without using her ability. By now Arlo and Elaine were awake and in awe over the scene.
"What brings you here at this time asshole? I was trying to sleep." She breathed out, tightening her lock. He started making gurgling noises.
Y/N observed her right arm that had drops of blood trickling down it. Her skin cells were very slowly repairing themselves. Why the fuck is this taking so long to heal? It should've been gone three or four seconds after he stabbed me. It's just now gone, and it's been almost 30 seconds. Wait a second...that knife...
Her eyes sharpened, "Guys, that's the same knife Seraphina had with her. He may be the one behind this." The stranger was now trembling at how coldly E/C and F/C eyes stared at him.
Stomp. Stomp. There was a click and light filled the room as an irritated John entered the room. "Can you guys shut up? I'm trying to sleep--" He trailed off, taking in the scene in front of him. "Uh...what the hell is going on here?"
"I think we've found the one responsible for Seraphina," Y/N revealed before snorting, "Can you believe this idiot? He actually had the balls to come back for her. Well, not for long anyways since I'll cut them off if he doesn't tell me what the fuck he did to her."
"I'm...not revealing...anything!" The intruder managed to grit out.
"Hold on, we're missing something here." Arlo pointed out. "Someone of this caliber could never harm Seraphina. How did you do it? Tell me."
CRASH!
The sound of shattering glass erupted from the room down the hall, the very same one a certain unconscious girl was in. John immediately dashed full speed to check it out. "Sera!" Elaine and Arlo followed him swiftly, leaving Y/N to deal with the stranger. She scoffed and elbowed him in the face mercilessly, which knocked him out cold. I'll deal with this imbecile later.
She raced toward the rest of the group and saw John jump out of the window. Arlo and Elaine had just arrived as well and tried to absorb the scene. One of the kidnappers had Seraphina over their shoulder as they hurriedly ran to the mysterious white van. Y/N wasted no time and hurled herself out the window like a badass, not before grabbing a shard of broken glass off the ground.
Y/N and John wouldn't make it to Seraphina in time before the kidnapper made it to the van. She felt relief flood her system when Arlo activated his barrier, prohibiting the kidnapper from moving any further.
The H/C girl was just about to activate her ability to knock out the kidnapper, but he suddenly pulled out a knife and held it to Seraphina's throat. "Stay back! Make one movement and I'll kill her!" Unlike John, she wasn't fazed by his threat.
Like hell you will. She took note that he was holding the knife with his right arm.
While the stranger was distracted yelling at John, Y/N secretly pulled out the glass shard she grabbed before coming down here. Not hesitating a moment, she slammed the shard into her right arm, hard. She didn't need to wait for his shriek of agony for her to charge and send a delivering blow to his gut.
"John!" She called his shocked figure over. "Can you restrain him while I go check up on Seraphina?" He nodded, gritting his teeth angrily while seething at the one who intended to kidnap his best friend.
Meanwhile Y/N headed over to Seraphina, who was being tended by Elaine. She noticed how her eyes were still shut tight. Damn, after all this she's still asleep? What did they do to her? However, Y/N's head snapped to John's direction when she heard his ballistic yells.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH HER DIDN'T I? YOU PIECE OF SHIT--!" He stabbed the stranger in the shoulder with a knife, making him scream.
"Get him off me!" It was almost as if he was talking to someone in particular. A moment passed before Y/N realized, Fuck, the van--!
The van had somehow managed to smash through Arlo's barrier and was now speeding rapidly toward John.
"John! Look out-!" Y/N warned, but it was too late. She was too far to save him and the van already close. A spray of blood flew out of John's mouth as he was knocked back several feet. In the process, his body collided with Y/N's, and she winced when a knife laying innocently on the grass suddenly made its way several inches deep into her thigh. She wasn't sure where it came from or how it managed to plunge itself there, but she did know that it was one of the knives the intruder brought.
She also knew that it hurt like a bitch.
Fuck, my pain resistance went down because of this stupid thing. It's going to take a few minutes to heal. Despite the pain she was going through, Y/N ripped the knife out of her thigh with a grunt. Even if I lose more blood, I don't want to risk it affecting my ability anymore than it already has.
"We're running out of time! It's going to wear off soon, and when that happens we're done for." Her ears caught the two intruders mumbling, not very discreetly if she had to say. Her eyes widened when she noticed them scrambling to get back into the van. I can't let them escape like this!
John had shakily gotten to his feet and attempted to stop them in a last minute effort by copying Arlo's barrier. Unfortunately, the van busted through and drove off fast. Y/N tried to run after it, but her leg was numb and loosing blood rapidly.
In the end, the culprits escaped, leaving the four Wellston students in a puddle of blood and regret.
•••
Hhhshsh hello lovelies
School is shitty and a lot more work than last year so I'm holding on for dear life 👍👍👍👍👍
Ngl Y/N could've moved out of the way before John flew into her and not get stabbed in the leg bc her reflexes, but I kinda needed a way for the intruders to escape cause ya know, plot.