The strange girl I found at the doors of the sanctum

19: The Envelope

Such an adorable picture, I might draw it sometime.

Stephen's POV:

She was asleep with bandages on her hands, knees, some on her face, and a needle in her hand to give her medicine. She had a bandage were her heart is, with wires connected to a machine to make sure it's beating. I couldn't look at her, it reminded me too much of when I was in that position. Only worse. I went to the sanctum and opened the Eye of Agamotto, freeing the souls and powers of the sorcerers, Mordos soul was too dark to save.

He's gone.

I came back as fast as I could, but she's still under. "Stephen . . . you ok?"
"If I'd given her both her presents on her birthday, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"Stephen you didn't know—" "If I'd dropped it on her bedroom door at least three or five hours after our argument, or before I went to sleep, we wouldn't be in this situation." "Stephen—"
"If I'd of given it to her the next day after her birthday. We wouldn't be in this place—"
"Stephen!!!"
Wow . . . did my ex just yell at me?, she came up behind me and took both my hands. These hands all covered in scars.

"Stephen, this isn't your fault. So much has happened to the both of you, even if you've only known her for 2 months. You should go get some rest, I promise I'll bring her to you when she wakes up." "Christine I can't—"
"She wouldn't want to see you like this Stephen, no, she shouldn't see you like this. Please, go get some rest. Not for me, but for her." I'm pretty sure I've got bags under my eyes. As much as I want to stay, I should be guarding the sanctum. I took one look at her on that hospital bed—wanting to move a strand of hair from her face—and my hand started to shake. "Stephen, are you—"
"Give this ring to her when she wakes up." I was out before she could say another word.

*time skip*

Sera's POV:

Beep...beep...beep
That sound, like something you'd hear at a hospital.
Beep...beep...beep
As I opened my eyes, I could see light. Maybe I'm dead.
Beep...beep...beep
My vision was a little blurry. As it started to focus, I saw bandages, a machine making an annoying sound, and a table with medicine and needles. Yup, I'm in a hospital.
"Oh god . . . my head." "Hey don't move, the medicine is taking affect. Don't worry, the pain will be gone in a moment." To my left, my cloak, and to my right, Christine. "What happened?" Strange, the envelope, the man behind the mask, my birthmark, "Christine where—"
"You need more time to rest Sera, I'll take you to Stephen when you're all healed up, don't worry, he's alright." I hope you're right Christine. After everything that's happened to that man, I hope you're right.

Stephen's POV:

It's sunset in New York City, it's been almost a day, and Christine hasn't called not once. I've walked up and down the sanctum, drank tea, I couldn't meditate or rest—I was too scared about what I'd see if I fell asleep—and the only thing I heard was the sound of New York outside. I didn't hear a single knock, or phone call.

But I did hear the sound of a portal downstairs.

Down stairs, a 15 year old girl with ginger hair—a strand of her hair in rainbow colors—with black converse shoes, black jeans, and a Rolling Stones T-shirt. To her left, a deep violet cloak, and to her right, a beautiful woman with ginger hair like hers, that you'd think she was her mother.

"You're alright," I said.

"Well, like Elton John says, 'I'm still standing'." That you are Sera, that you are. I've waited till the last minute once, I am never doing that again. Now I just have to get—
"Stephen, I found the envelope at, oh, Sera. You're ok . . . Is this a bad time?"
"No Wong, it's the perfect time." He handed me the envelope, neither he nor Christine had to say anything, because I knew we were all thinking the same thing.
It's now or never.

"Sera, we need to talk."

Sera's POV:

We sat down at the seats near the fireplace. A perfect setting for some serious talking. He kept looking at me then at the envelope, I already know what's in there, but I just need to hear it from him.

"Sera, when I found you at the doors of the sanctum all ruined, I thought you were just one of those normal teenagers who run away from a horrible life. But when I saw that birthmark, and saw you with a relic, I knew there was something special in you. And we both wanted to find out what. I taught you everything I know, from fighting positions, to fighting skills, to magic spells; I was glad to see you learning the tough spells on your own. Every time I knocked you down when we trained, you got back up and left; you came back the next day stronger, knocking me down. You'd spend a whole day practicing spells, and then I'd find you asleep with the book still open. You were always happy when you achieved something. After all this, I knew you deserved something big; something bigger then a birthday party. It took a lot of thought and motivation, but I knew it was just the right thing to do."

He handed me the envelope. All I could do was look at it, and think about the past 7 years of my life. Just 2 months here, felt like almost 2 years.
There's no going back now.

I took a deep breath, and opened that envelope.

And took out the adoption papers.

"Sera . . . I'd like to adopt you."

He said the words, and I'm holding the papers in my hand.

Cliffhanger.