The ceiling was white.
Dominic stared at it for a long time, counting the seconds between breaths, trying to piece together the gaps in his memory. The last thing he clearly remembered was fighting Dora in the cafeteria, the heat, the blood.
Just white.
He sat up slowly.His ribs ached, but they were healed. His head throbbed with a dull, persistent pressure behind his eyes, like someone had been digging around in his skull.
[How long was I out?]
The window showed a sky transitioning from bruised purple to the first hints of dawn. Hours, then. Maybe a full night.
Dominic swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. The floor was cold against his bare feet. His uniform hung on the back of the door, cleaned and pressed somehow.
[Do we really have to do this until the end of our lives? At this point I'll lose myself]
He opened his closet.
[I've been blacking out lately]
He looked through the file of clothes sitting down at the bottom.
[My memory has been hazy as well, like there are blank gaps in my mind]
He caught his reflection in the small mirror above his desk. Crimson eyes stared back at him, ringed with shadows.
[There were times that I had woken up in places I don't remember going. I used to think it was exhaustion but stress hasn't ever been a factor, but ever since the Mirlo estate, it's been getting worse]
His eyes flickered blue.
[Am I losing my mind?]
Dominic blinked. The reflection was normal again.
"Get it together," he muttered, and opened the door. "I've got to get back to normal."
The hallway was quiet.
Not the peaceful quiet of early morning, but the hushed, fragile stillness of a place still processing trauma.
Doors were closed. Lights were dimmed. The usual bustle of students heading to early classes was absent, classes had been cancelled, of course, after the invasion.
Dominic walked toward the common area, his footsteps echoing off the walls. He passed Kira's room and heard nothing inside.
The common room at the end of the hall was a large, open space with worn couches, a kitchenette, and windows that looked out on what remained of the courtyard. Someone had left the lights off, letting the grey pre-dawn light fill the space with shadows.
Seraphina was there.
She sat on one of the couches, her legs tucked under her, a half-empty cup of tea growing cold on the table beside her. Her pink hair was loose, falling around her shoulders in soft waves, and she wore an oversized sweater that had to be three sizes too big, the sleeves swallowed her hands completely.
She was staring out the window, watching the sky lighten, and didn't notice him at first.
Dominic stopped in the doorway.
Seraphina turned at the sound of his footsteps. Their eyes met.
Her face went red.
Full-on, burning crimson that spread from her cheeks to her ears to somewhere beneath that oversized sweater. She made a sound, something between a squeak and a gasp, and immediately looked away, her hands flying up and immediately fanning herself.
The sleeves swallowed her completely.
"Umm," she stammered. "D-Dominic! I didn't-I mean, I was just.." She grabbed the cold cup and took a desperate gulp, then immediately choked. "Hot."
Dominic blinked. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" The word came out too loud, too fast. She set the cup down with a clatter, tea sloshing over the rim. "I'm completely fine! Why wouldn't I be fine? Everything is fine! The invasion was fine! The deaths were fine! Everything is fine."
She stopped. Took a breath. Let it out slowly.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice smaller now. "The stress is getting to me, I mean…another one could happen again anytime, and next time, a lot more people could die."
"I guess you haven't changed since I last saw you, we have been messaging but I haven't seen you since you left the Shaw house."
He crossed the room instead, settling onto the couch across from her. The cushions sagged beneath him, old and worn. Through the window, he could see the courtyard, the craters, the rubble, the dark stains on what remained of the grass.
"So, how long was I out?" he asked.
Seraphina's eyes flickered to him, then away. "Most of the night. You and the others all woke at different times. The little one that's always stuck with Hoshimi was last, I think. Maybe an hour ago?" She pulled her knees up, hugging them to her chest. The oversized sweater swallowed her entirely now, just a pink-haired head poking out of a mountain of fabric. "Neila and I woke up first. We fought someone from the Smiths, said she was a student here once."
"Was she hot?"
"Asshole."
Dominic smiled cheekily. "Anyways, how has your life been without my graceful presence?"
"Are you sure you're Dominic? Rather abnormal for you to care about another person."
"I'm being nice."
"You're not."
"What?!..I'm not nice? You're hurting my fweelings."
Seraphina clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "Anyways, pay me the money you borrowed from me, you've been ignoring my messages about it."
"I did?" Dominic looked up at the ceiling, tapping his finger against his chin. "Since when?"
Seraphina sighed and waved her hand. "Nothing, I don't need it anymore, you're never going to pay me back anyways. Why'd you even need money anyways? Aren't you the top candidate to be the next head of the Walkers?"
"I needed some money for school stuff."
"SO you do remember."
"Anyways, since Edward refused to wander around the campus with me, will you do the honors then?"
"No, I'd think I'd rather trust his words than trust yours."
"Okay.. I'm sorry."
"You look tired," Seraphina said. Then, quickly, "Not that, I mean, you look-you look like you've been through something. Which you have. We all have. So it's normal to look tired. Not that you look bad, tired! You look-" She buried her face in her knees. "I'm going to stop talking now."
Dominic felt his lips twitch.
"Nah, I'm just messing with you."
"Fuck off!"
"Maybe." She grabbed a pillow and threw it at his face.
He caught it easily, one-handed, still wearing that faint almost-smile. "Good reflexes."
"Shut up."
They sat in silence for a moment. The light through the window grew stronger, painting the room in shades of gold and gray.
"Dominic," Seraphina said quietly. "Can I ask you something?"
He nodded.
"Do you wanna go out? You, me and Edward."
Dominic waited.
"I mean, if you want it to be a d-"
"Shut up."
"Sure, I'd like to go out with you two."
Another silence. Comfortable, this time.
Then footsteps in the hallway, purposeful and quick. Both of them turned as Hoshimi appeared in the doorway, his violet eyes sweeping the room with that familiar detached assessment.
"Good," Hoshimi said. "You're both awake. I have an announcement."