Serina 2 -The Waking (College Town)

Dr. Jim Reynolds walked down the halls of the College Town hospice, in his hands the clipboard of one of his patients. Has he walked past rows and rows of doors, his thoughts on the medical board's ruling this morning. He turned abruptly into room 20B, the room where his patient had been placed. He glanced up at her as he placed the clipboard in it's holder at the foot of her bed. She was simply laying there, her sparkling blue eyes open and fixated on the ceiling.

"Good morning, Serina. Did you sleep well?", Jim quietly remarked. At first, she didn't move, then she blinked a few times and looked at him.

Her voice sounded scores better than when she had first began talking. "I'm fine Jim. Do you bring news?"

His face saddened as he delivered the medical board's ruling, that she would have to leave their care today.

"I see..." Serina's eyes looked down for a moment. Jim tried to comfort her, but he too could sense her hesitation. For the past few weeks, she had made nearly no attempt to walk outside or talk with anyone but a few of the doctors.

Somehow, her trust had been shattered.

"If I leave, where am I to go?" she asked finally. She looked up at Jim, her blue eyes looking almost ready to cry.

Jim knew that the question would have came eventually, and had already prepared a response for it, but for the life of him, he couldn't say it. Instead, he offered to let her stay with him until she was back on her own feet again.

She slipped out of the bed and stood upright. She stretched momentarilly and reached accross to the closet for something to wear besides the light hospital robe that they had provided. Several of the doctors had pitched in to get her a wardrobe for when she left.

She pulled the light blue robe from off it's hanger and wrapped it about herself. Something about this garment made her feel at ease, and she followed Jim from the room towards the front desk.

Her release papers were already there, waiting to be signed. It was almost ceremonial as she signed the parchment.

Jim passed by her, carrying a medium-sized chest with her belongings. He beckoned her to follow as they walked out into the streets of College Town. "It's only a few blocks away." Jim motioned again to follow.

Serina stared up at the early morning sky, her red hair flowing in the wind. Her arms instinctively went out and she stood there for only a moment before she began to hover off the ground.

Jim watched from a distance as she rose off the ground, then hovered towards him. "If you don't mind, I'd rather fly." Serina squaked as she hovered to his side.

"As you wish." Jim stuttered. He had only seen a few people fly before, and he hadn't suspected his ward could in all these weeks. In a few minutes they arrived at his front door. He set the chest down and dug in his pocket for his keys. He unlocked his door and let Serina in, grabbing the chest and carrying it to his vacant guest room.

The cobwebs rustled as fresh air moved into the guest room. He grabbed the broom from behind the door and swept them away. "Sorry, haven't had company in quite a while, my schedule keeps them away"

"I understand, Jim. Doctor's hours." she smiled jokingly. "Do I get a key?" she asked.

"I'll need to get one made on the way back to work. Would you mind coming to the hospital for one more day? Just to follow me on my final rounds? I get off in just a few hours."

"Sure, not much else to do here."

They walked back out into the street and Jim locked his door. A few people passed by, exchanging weird looks with both of them. Serina didn't care as she floated along beside him. They stopped in a locksmith's shop on the way back, and Jim had a key made for her.

They continued to walk back to the hospital, when they noticed a pair of interns with a gurney racing towards the hospital. Jim noticed and took off running. Serina literally took off and flew a dozen feet overhead.

In the gurney, a young man lay bleeding from his stomach, a crossboy bolt sticking out from the wound. Serina's guess of the man's chances were slim to none. He looked to be one of the students that she had heard about. The uniform looked familiar, though she couldn't place it's origin. They reached the hospital within moments, and the man was immediately admitted.

Jim followed behind the man as they took him into the emergency room. Serina, not knowing what to do, simply followed and stood in the corner, and watched.

Jim carefully worked on the wound, cleaning it, despite the discomfort of his patient. Once able to examine more closely, he looked at his assistant and his eyes could tell the story. "I'm sorry, sir. This is beyond what we can treat. This arrow is lodged in a vital organ, and if we remove it, you will die. We will try to make you more comfortable."

The injured man groaned sharply as the full brunt of the doctor's words took hold. Serina felt sad...yet...somehow strong. She looked at her hands. What could she do?

Deep from the recesses of her mind, a chant came, echoing in her mind. A strange melody erupted into her conciousness, and her hands began to glow...

She reached out her hands, and white energy flowed from her towards the injured man, swirling about him. Jim looked at her for a moment, then backed away from the man, his eyes fixed on Serina. <What is she doing?>

The energy began to focus around the wound, bleaching the color in the uniform around it. Jim watched as the arrow slowly dissolved into nothing.

The wound itself disappeared a moment later. The energy swirled a moment longer, then dissipated as Serina fainted and fell to the ground. "Check him out" Jim told his assistant as he knelt down beside her and checked her vital signs. She was still alive and breathing. "How is he?" Jim asked turning towards the injured man.

"He's out cold, but he's alive. Whatever she did, he's going to live now."

"That's good, but how did she get in here in the first place?"

"You didn't see? She followed you in and stood over in that corner while we worked."

"Okay...I hope that guy doesn't decide to report this incident. Serina here isn't a certified healer, so what she just did does go against hospital rules...."

"Not if we hire her." the assistant noted the look on Jim's face as he said it.

"An excellent idea...." Jim smiled to himself as Serina woke up slowly. "Serina, we have a proposition for you."

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