SERAPHINA'S POV
My eyes are definitely playing tricks on me.
Yeah, most definitely.
I'm sure I was back at school selling cookies to get some funds for my campaign, right?
Yet, somehow, I've been transported to what seems like older times, in the midst of huts on fire, and the strong stench of blood, smoke, and death around me.
Then there's the large, black wolf standing in front of me with blood-red eyes that seem to almost glare. Fear cripples me and freezes me in place, and I'm unable to let out a sound or run away.
It slowly draws closer, a menacing aura that even I, a human, can feel. It oozes off the beast that I know for sure is a werewolf and a higher ranking one definitely.
His presence is almost as powerful as Artemis'. Almost as superior as the Alpha King's.
He growls now, baring his blood-soaked teeth with chunks of raw flesh hooked between them at me. My heart drops instantly. Unable to scream or run, I brace myself, getting ready to be ripped apart by its jaws.
"Sera!" A voice call like an echo in the back of my mind.
"Sera, wake up!"
Just like that, I feel myself being transported away, and my consciousness is tossed back into my body.
I blink my eyes again, and I'm staring at the shop burning - only this time, Jasper runs out with the large piggy bank that holds all our money while the stand collapses behind him.
"Sera!"
I look to the side, and Olivia crouches over me with a worried look on her face while she shakes me back and forth. Right next to her is Artemis - silently watching, eyes highlighting a storm of strange emotions buried beneath the ice.
"What happened?" I ask, sitting up
"There was an explosion from god-knows-where, and you were on the floor. Are you okay?"
"I think so?" I look over myself, not seeing or feeling any bruises.
"Are you sure?" Artemis asks now, his expression quite severe and tight.
I say nothing at first when I meet his eyes, a dark feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. Those blues. They remind me of the beast that was just about to kill and probably eat me.
It feels like I'm staring back at it.
"Yeah." I say absentmindedly.
He's reluctant to buy it, worried and restless for some reason. Artemis sighs finally, prying his face away from mine.
"You should take her in." He suggests to Olivia now. "She seems shaken. The rest of you can leave; Ace, Jasper and I will take care of everything."
She looks shocked by the suggestion and kind gesture but takes it nevertheless, helping me up to my feet in the next second.
Just like that, while everything erupts in flames, leaving a million and one question as to why in our minds, each of us head back to our dorms, leaving everything to Artemis like he'd asked.
I'm still deep in thoughts, pondering on everything that's just happened; from the fire to what felt like a flash-back or a vision maybe.
Olivia walks a few feet ahead of me as we head back, and I don't notice the person walking up to me from the front.
Unconsciously, I bump into them with my shoulders roughly, pulling me away from my thoughts and back into reality. I trip, catching myself before I fall.
"I'm so sorry." I begin to apologize before seeing them, and when I do raise my eyes up, I come face to face with Kamila.
On instinct, I freeze, growing silent, knowing that with her, an apology won't be enough - especially not one from me. I'm already well-versed on the extent of her hatred toward me.
I brace myself for her to start up something right now, maybe make a sly comment about my torched appearance.
Instead, she does the most shocking thing ever.
"Are you okay?" She asks, taking my hand in hers with genuine concern on her face.
I'm shocked to stupor, letting my jaw fall out like a classless hobo on the side of the street.
Did I hear that correctly?
Maybe my hearing is all messed up from the loud explosion. Plus, I hit my head pretty hard as well.
"Sera, did you hear me?"
Sera? Not human filth?
"Uh... I'm fine."
"Perfect. You need to watch where you're going, okay?" She offers it like a genuine advice from an actual concerned person.
"Okay..." I say, still fully stunned.
She wastes no more time, walking past me and heading to wherever she was walking towards before we bumped shoulder. She leaves me there, completely astonished.
I stand there for a few seconds, replaying it in my mind for a while before I shake it off. I have more than a million things on my mind to worry about, things more important and pressing than Kamila acting out of character.
I run up, catching up to Olivia who has already made it half-way to the dorm, and we end up walking side by side until we are indoors.
The second I'm in, I crash onto my bed, letting out a heavy sigh of exhaustion and staring up at my plain white ceiling.
Somehow, even with the hiccups, the end results of today are satisfactory, and with the funds we've made, I'm sure that we can only move forward from here for sure.
I feel a bit giddy, feeling it all come together and having made more friends along the way; Juliet and Alice being the funniest addition as well.
Even with Gabe's sudden return, nothing could ruin our progress if we maintain this pace.
"How do you feel?" Olivia asks from her own bed, laying on the side while turned to me.
I smile tiredly.
"Not so bad, actually. Everything's looking up, I guess."
"It is, and thanks to Artemis, today was perfect." She adds with a smile but this time, I frown.
"Even without his help, we could have done it just fine."
"No offense, Sera, without him, I'm not sure we could have made half the progress we did today. I get you don't like him, but he was helpful."
"I guess I'm the only sane person left on planet Earth then."
"No, really. Besides that, he felt different. The Artemis I'm used to is a sadistic cold-hearted bully that tormented me for most of my life in school - but today, he seemed more focused on getting on your good side than anything else."
"What do you mean?" I raise a brow now.
"I can't explain it, but it's as though you've rubbed off on him more than you realize. You've managed to make him a little bit of a reasonable person in under two months."
I shake my head, disagreeing with her completely. What I see is completely different compared to her.
"He seemed the same to me. I know all this is an act to let my guard down. He's still the same snake."
"Possibly. I might be wrong." She shrugs a shoulder.
"Yeah, possibly..."
"I was honestly scared that you'd have a concussion at some point, honestly. You seemed really taken aback by the explosion." She comments on it, changing the topic just like that.
"I was." I agree absentmindedly, remembering the vision. A part of me feels compelled to spill every single detail to Olivia, but that would entail starting from the very beginning from when the visions began and mentioning the book.
I might be potentially exposing myself as a weirdo, or maybe something more than that, and I realize that I'm not yet ready to bring another person into this world.
Possibly when I have everything figured out, maybe then I'd include her. I feel bad, but there's nothing else I can do at this point.
"I wonder what the cause was, maybe a leaking gas or something else." She yawns, snuggling into her pillow, already fully exhausted from the day. "Maybe Artemis will find out what the it was by tomorrow and let us know."
"Yeah."
In only seconds, she falls asleep, snoring lightly by my side. I turn away from her staring at the ceiling once more and lost in thought.
Then I remember to ask Juliet and Alice if they're okay as well and back to their rooms. But when I search through, strangely, my phone is nowhere to be found.