Seraphina opened her eyes slowly, the light already filling the small room. For a second, she didn't move. She just lay there, staring at the ceiling like she had forgotten where she was.
Then everything came back, her chest tightened.
She sat up slowly, her gaze drifting to the small table by the wall. The breakfast she made the previous morning was still there, cold and untouched.
The sight made something twist inside her. She pushed herself to her feet and walked over, staring at it for a moment longer before turning away. She wasn't hungry, she hadn't been since yesterday. The house felt emptier now. Her mother hadn't come back. Seraphina glanced at the door like she expected it to open… or maybe she knew she wasn't coming but still hoped she did.
But hope, they say, changes nothing, or maybe it does, for some people but certainly not Seraphina.
A breath left her slowly.
She's not coming back.
The thought settled in her chest, heavy and final. Seraphina looked around the room one last time before moving. There wasn't much to pack since she never got to unpack. Her hands moved on their own, arranging the clothes properly without thinking much about it. Thinking hurts.
Her eyes fell on one of her books on the table. The one she had left behind while leaving for Sterling heights. The same book her father had gotten for her in high school. She paused briefly and stared at it, her chest tightened and her mind drifted.
Her father's laughter used to fill this house, warm and welcoming.
But it was gone, too quickly.
The memory of his death still felt unreal sometimes. One moment he was there, working, trying, promising things would change. The next, he was gone in a car accident, just like that.
And after that… everything changed. Her mother changed. The warmth faded, the conversations grew shorter, the care quietly disappeared. And just yesterday, she made her understand she stopped caring.
Seraphina had learned not to ask too many questions. Because answers didn't come anymore.
Seraphina shut her eyes briefly, pushing the thought away before it could settle too deeply.
She zipped her bag and picked it up. There was nothing left for her here.
The bus ride back felt longer than usual.
Seraphina sat by the window, her bag resting on her lap as she watched the world pass by. People moved. Cars honked. Life went on like nothing had changed. Like her world hadn't just shifted overnight.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her bag.
She had sat like this before, countless times.
Rushing to school and rushing back home.
She got the scholarship but couldn't let it slip away because the school was far from home. She worked for her bus fee, day and night. Every moment she wanted to quit but didn't.
Sterling Heights was her one and only ticket. The place was different. The students there lived in a world she didn't belong to. Expensive clothes. Expensive cars. Loud laughter that didn't worry about tomorrow.
She had learned to stay out of it. To keep her head down, and to avoid their drama.
Her life there was quiet, just the way she wanted it. Classes, Library, then back home.
A simple, safe routine.
Until…Emily.
A small smile touched Seraphina's lips despite everything.
Emily Williams, Soft-spoken, kind, nothing like the others.
She had noticed Seraphina first, sat beside her in class, started small conversations, offered help without making it feel like pity.
And somehow… It became a friendship, a real friendship. .
The kind Seraphina didn't even realize she needed until she had it.
Emily never made her feel less, Never made her feel out of place. Even when it was obvious they came from completely different worlds.
The cloud darkened, Seraphina looked out the bus window and a smile touched her lips.
Her memory shifted again.
Rain, heavy and relentless.
The bus had gotten stuck in traffic that morning. Time slipping away faster than she could control.
Seraphina closed her eyes briefly, remembering the panic that had settled in her chest that day.
The test she had studied so hard for, she had missed it, just like that.
Because life refused to be fair.
She had walked into school one hour after the test, soaked, exhausted, already knowing it was too late.
And then—Emily had looked at her and exhaled.
"You can't keep doing this," Emily had said gently.
Seraphina had tried to brush it off, "I don't have a choice."
But Emily didn't accept that, "Come live with me."
The words had come so easily. Like it wasn't a big deal. But it was, It meant everything.
Seraphina had shaken her head immediately.
"I can't afford to pay the dorm fee."
Emily had smiled. "It's free, I stay alone."
Seraphina had stared at her, confused.
"Why?"
"Because I want to help," Emily said. "And because I don't like seeing you struggle when you don't have to."
It had felt too good to be true, but Emily had meant it.
A single tear slipped down the side of her face. That was supposed to be my turning point.
Moving into the dorm, Getting closer to school, Focusing fully on her studies. A chance to finally breathe, To finally stop struggling so hard. And for a while—It worked. Everything felt… lighter. Until that night, when she saw what she wasn't supposed to see.
Her home didn't feel like home anymore and even the school she fought so hard to get into didn't feel safe anymore.
I didn't ask for this. She hadn't asked to see anything.
Hadn't asked to feel this constant fear sitting quietly beneath her skin. Her life had been simple. hard…but simple. Now, nothing was simple anymore.
The bus jerked slightly, pulling her back to the present.
Seraphina blinked, her gaze dropping briefly to her hands. A small breath escaped her.
By the time she got to campus, the rain had started falling. Seraphina stepped down from the bus, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. The school stood tall ahead of her, just as it always did.
Students ran past her in groups, looking for shelter.
She didn't run. Maybe she needed the rain to wash off some of her worries.
Her steps carried her straight to the dorm. The room was quiet when she entered. Emily wasn't back yet. Seraphina closed the door behind her slowly, letting the silence settle around her. For a moment, she just stood there, water dripping off her skin.
Then she dropped her bag gently by the bed and sat down. Her eyes moved around the room.
Seraphina closed her eyes slowly. Damon's face flashed briefly in her mind.
Her body tensed immediately.
No.
She pushed the thought away. She didn't want to think about him.
Didn't want to think about what she had seen. Or what it could cost her.
She turned to her side, pulling the sheet slightly closer to herself.
Just focus.
That was all she had ever done. Focus, Survive and keep going.