2.5: Picking Up The Pieces

Chapter 14: Wayward daughter.

Skipping ahead two and half years and nothing much has changed apart from Sera showing signs of magic and becoming a cheeky, defiant little madame.

Alexander is still no better, he has taken to drinking regularly and it's become a bad habit. So much so that he's even drinking during the day, even after having been drunk the previous night, he's now pretty much a high functioning alcoholic. The whole family is concerned about him and Joseph has threatened to take Sera from him unless he calms it down, as he's had to take her from him a few times already. Mia is now two and a half, it is pretty much indisputable that she is Seb's daughter as she has his almost unique aquamarine eye colour, lighter skin, freckles and the same hair colour too as well as looking like a female version of him.

Understandably, Seb and Hadriana are relieved by this and he's now more than happy to call her his beautiful little girl. Darina and Leto got married a year ago, when their first child was six months old. They had a baby boy and called him Rio. He's beautiful, he's almost a double of Leto with jet black hair and light golden skin, except he has Darina's big brown eyes, Rio is almost two years old now, again Darina is thankful that Rio is most likely not Alexander's child although it's still a possibility, it's doubtful that they'll ever know for sure.

Sera is now almost five years old, she has short bobbed and often messy hair because she doesn't like getting it combed. Her eyes are still huge and dominate her cute, mischievous little face.



Five year old Sera.

She is showing strong signs of magical ability, she has already set the curtains alight in Joseph's manor once before and she didn't even have to say anything, she just blinked and they went up in flames. Today, she does it again only this time in her own home. It's about lunch time and Alexander is in the kitchen alone, enjoying or rather wallowing over a small drink of whisky and Sera is rather innocently playing with her teddy bear in the living room. When just a few minutes later, he smells burning. He downs the rest of his drink and darts through to the living room to see that one drape is on fire, Sera just sits there playing, seemingly unconcerned.
"Dear Gods... Sera! Go outside now, please!"
She has a neutral, unconcerned expression.
"But why, daddy?"
He's understandably a bit frantic now.
"Because the drapes are on fire and fire is dangerous... Do not question it, just do as you are told please!"

She is already a defiant but equally smart little madame. Whenever someone asks or tells her to do something, she always asks why, seemingly not content to take anything at face value. She then huffs as she picks up Bertie her teddy bear and walks out of the front door, which for some reason was already open, Sera has a habit of leaving doors open so that was probably her doing too. Alexander rushes to the kitchen to fill a steel bucket with water, he then gets back to the living room and throws the water at the drapes. Thankfully the fire goes out and everything is safe and sound again albeit dripping in water, except for the drapes, they are irreparably damaged. He puts the bucket down on the table and walks out of the front door, expecting to see Sera standing there waiting for him. He does not see her anywhere and puts his hand on his head in despair. He thinks frantically to himself 'That girl will be the death of me... And herself too...'
He calls out at the top of his voice.
"Sera?! Where are you?! Sera?!"

He hears no response and gets a bit frantic with worry. Sera and her cousin Luis are pretty much best friends and they love playing together, he hopes she has gone to Seb and Hadriana's place to see him. So he heads there first, he gets there almost breathless as he's been running quite fast, he knocks on their door, Hadriana answers.
"Alex? You are out of breath... Are you alright?"
He's still huffing and puffing. "Yes... I am fine... is Sera here?"
Hadriana shakes her head.
"No... She is not... Has she run off again?"
He finally gets his breath back. "Yes... She went in a huff because I told her to go outside... She had set the drapes alight... It was not safe... She did not seem bothered by this at all... And now she is gone..."
Hadriana smirks at the likeness between Sera and her younger self.
"Alright... Hang on... I will just get Mia and we will help you look for her..."