𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: ANOMALY.

 Elara wasn't sure how long it had been since the mysterious encounter with her father, but her mind was still reeling from it all. She knew it would take a while for it to fully process, and she hadn't expected she would fully understand it any time soon. Maybe it was one of those strange things in life she wasn't meant to understand, and that was okay. Maybe she just wasn't meant to understand everything, and it was a part of existence she had to accept or it would eat her alive

"Elara, you have a visitor," Aurelius said, his gentle voice bringing her back out of her trance. There was something about Doctor Crane that made her nervous whenever he walked in the room. There was no reason to be nervous around him, since he had been nothing but kind toward her so far. But still, there was a strange unsettling feeling she couldn't quite shake. She wasn't sure it it was a good or a bad feeling yet, but she hoped it was good. 

Right now, she just wanted to focus on getting better. She didn't know what that was supposed to look like, but if the universe insisted on her being alive, then she was going to have to find a way to make the most it. Restoring mental energy was the first step, but at this rate, she wasn't sure how she was going to do that with all of these interruptions. 

She looked up as she saw Aurelius gesture for the person to enter, and she was confused. Did she even know anyone? Was there anyone left in her life to come see her? She wasn't thinking that out of pity. It was a fact at this point that she was completely alone in her life, something she would have to learn how to embrace if she was ever going to find a way to move forward. 

Before she could question it any further, she tensed as she realized that there was, indeed, someone that she hadn't expected to see. Someone she hadn't even considered because she was convinced she had lost him already, too. Steve. 

As the familiar sight of his figure settled in, she felt a quick rush of feelings. Confusion blended with panic and apprehension, and her eyebrows creased into a frown as she met his gaze. His expression seemed concerned, though she knew it was probably a mask. It was very rare for Steve to ever show any true emotion. Most of the time, she had learned it was just a trick to make her feel bad about herself in some way. 

She had hoped he would say something first. She didn't want to seem desperate by greeting him with anything that seemed like relief or enthusiasm, mainly because she didn't feel either of those things, but knowing him, he would find a way to interpret it that way. That's what someone as self-centered as Steve Porter was good at. He found a way to make everything about himself. 

"Steve... what are you doing here?" Elara asked, trying to keep her voice steady despite the nervousness that fluttered in her chest like trapped butterflies. She crossed her arms defensively over her chest, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that gnawed at her.

Steve continued toward her at a casual pace, his expression too stoic to read, and she hated it. She would almost rather he wear that stupid smug smile of his when he was feeling self important, but there was nothing to indicate what he was feeling or thinking. At the moment, he looked almost too polished, his dark hair perfectly styled and his clothes pristine, as if he had stepped out of a magazine rather than into her chaotic world. Steve had always tried a little too hard to be someone he wasn't, someone perfect. She knew the truth. He was far from that. 

"I was worried about you," he said smoothly, his eyes flicking over her with a mix of concern and something else she couldn't quite place. "I had to come make sure you were okay."

Elara's eyes narrowed, and she couldn't help but scoff at his words. "Why?" she demanded, her voice laced with skepticism. She knew Steve too well to believe his sudden show of concern. He had proven time and again that he didn't truly care about her, that his interest was always self-serving. "Why would you care if I'm okay?"