Stolen Time

A new direction

Seraphina was walking through the hallway deep in thought when someone waved at her shouting her name.

"Seraphina!" Evie was running up to her, spirited as ever.

"Morning, Evie," she acknowledged the other girl with a half-smile. Her situation wasn't one in which she could find herself truly smiling.

"Were where you yesterday? I haven't seen you all day," Evie fell in step with her as she continued to make her way toward the cafeteria.

"I went to the mall to get a new phone the day prior."

"After you got back to the dorms?"

She was clearly upset and Seraphina couldn't blame her. She was the one who helped her through that day and advised her to rest in her room rather than deal with constantly being triggered. So it must be bewildering to her that she went to the mall after feeling so unwell.

She deserved some kind of explanation.

"Yup. I just couldn't deal with being coped up in my room without any means to communicate with others any longer."

"You could have just asked me to buy you a phone the next day, you know?"

Evie tried to downplay it with playfulness but she was obviously bothered by her carelessness.

She sighed. "I know. But I just couldn't wait any longer. It was driving me crazy. I tried to get some work done but I couldn't even use my laptop."

"Why?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line. "I can't remember my password."

Evie made a face that told her she no doubt realized the implication of this but decided not to comment on it.

"I'm sure there are ways to bypass that. You could take it to the shop..." she started to say but trailed off realizing that would again require her to put herself into a potentially triggering situation.

Seraphina also wasn't ready to show her face in the same store she oh so graciously fled the other day. Why did the laptop service have to belong to the same store?

Evie then had another idea. "What about asking Isen or someone from the computer club? They must have a solution for this!"

Seraphina bit her lip. If only that was an option.

"Not a chance. They're all either Arlo's or Cecile's people."

"Oh, right."

They have talked a lot about her situation during the last week meaning Evie was familiar with her view on the two particular high tiers and everyone involved with them. They wouldn't refuse to help her but rather use it as an opportunity to manipulate her or have something over her head.

No thanks. That wasn't something she was remotely comfortable with. She was isolated and vulnerable as she was already.

"So did you manage to get a new phone?" Evie changed back the topic to the original expertly driving away the conversation from the uncomfortable patch.

Unfortunately for her, it was an out of a frying pan into the fire type of situation.

"No. I got triggered really badly and had to leave last minute."

"I'm so sorry." Evie looked at her empathetically but she knew she didn't deserve it in this particular case.

"I kind of walked into it on purpose."

"But why?"

"I needed answers," Seraphina said suddenly stopping and startling Evie. She faced her completely and the smaller girl gulped sensing the seriousness she oozed.