Fidelis quickly made his way toward first period. Sera's emotions were still burning in the mark and worrying him. He wanted to find out what had happened during her parent conference. He arrived, handed the pass to the teacher, and slid into his seat. His eyes strayed to Sera. She had her head down, her hair covering her face. He couldn't see her expression but could sense the tension running through her.
What bothered him most was Al's unconcerned behavior toward Sera. He couldn't understand the other guy. Wasn't he and Sera supposed to be best friends? Al's indifference was just one of the many reasons why he didn't like the guy claiming to be Sera's friend. His friends were more of a friend to her than Al.
He kept an eye on her and respected the distance she was keeping between them. He didn't push the issue, biding his time until lunch so he could learn the truth. Their fourth period teacher got them to a stopping point and dismissed them for lunch. He stood and moved toward Sera. She stood, swayed, and then crumpled toward the floor. He managed to catch her, hugging her to his body.
"Sera?" He reached out his hand to touch her face and recoiled with a curse. She was burning up!
"Romeo? What happened?" Blainel asked as he hurried over to them.
"She's sick."
Fidelis scooped Sera up in his arms and rushed to the clinic. He ignored Al's shout, intent on getting Sera some help.
He ran into the clinic, startling Nurse Raysnick. She came over a frown on her face.
"Mr. Lancaster, what is going on?"
"It's Sera," he stated, moved to the bed, and laid her on it. "She fainted and is burning up."
"Understood," she said briskly while grabbing a thermometer and her clipboard. She came to Sera's side and stuck the thermometer in her ear to get a reading. It beeped and she made note of the temperature and took her other measurements.
"What's her temperature?" Fidelis anxiously asked, craning his head to look at the clipboard.
"It's 103. I need to call her parent so she can go home."
"Can't she stay here?"
"Only if her parent doesn't answer the phone. I can't do much more. Her parent didn't sign the medical release form or bring any fever-reducing medication here. My options are limited, I'm afraid."
"Can I at least get a cold washcloth to put on her head to cool her down?"
"Yes, I'll grab you one while I call her parent."
Fidelis watched Ms. Raysnick leave. He grabbed a chair placed it by the bed and stroked Sera's sweaty forehead.
She whimpered in pain and his heart clenched. He felt helpless.
"Sera, I don't know what to do," he whispered, holding her hand in his. He gave it a gentle squeeze and was surprised when her eyes flew open.
Her eyes were unfocused, and her hand tightened around his. His eyes narrowed when she started mumbling. He leaned in closer, trying to hear what she was saying.
"Sera, what, I can't…,"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please, no more! I'll behave, please no more!"
"Sera! You're safe. I'm here," Fidelis whispered soothingly.
"Please don't punish me anymore. I'll behave, I promise!"
Her fearful pleading enraged him. What in the world had happened to her over the weekend? He hadn't wanted to believe her when she said she was fine. He knew she wasn't. The mark would never lie about her emotions. His thoughts focused on her when she tried to pull from him and curl into a ball.
She was repeating "I'm sorry," over and over again. It was heartbreaking.
He heard footsteps and glanced at the door. He frowned at Al who stood there, expressionless, his eyes on Sera.
"What happened to her this weekend?" Fidelis demanded, coming to his feet and stalking toward the silent Al.
"It is none of your concern."
Fidelis's temper flared and he moved into Al's face. "Like hell, it isn't! She is my girlfriend and if someone hurts her it is not only my duty, but my honor, to save her from more harm."
He glared at Al, daring him to dispute his claim.
Al opened his mouth to speak and snapped it shut. He abruptly stepped aside and let a frowning Ms. Raysnick enter.
"Well?" Fidelis asked, impatiently wanting news about Sera's father.
Raysnick handed him a cool cloth and went toward Sera. Fidelis followed and put the cloth on Sera's head. She sighed a little but was still burning to the touch. "Did you speak with her father?"
"No. I'll try again in thirty minutes. Keep putting a cloth on her to give her some relief from the fever, but there isn't much more I can do."
Fidelis decided at that moment he would take Sera home. He wasn't going to leave her in the school clinic nor let her go home to her father who had obviously done something to her. Until he found out what was going on, he would protect her. He slowed his breathing, reached inside his core, and pulled forth a tendril of magic. With a quick flip, he sent it into Ms. Raysnick's mind.
"You will let Sera go home with my father and me because he is on her approved contact list," he whispered the order into her mind. "You will mark it down as her father having picked her up."
Fidelis kept his gaze trained on Ms. Raysnick's face. Her unfocused eyes and slight trembling let him know the mental command was working on her.
"Ms. Raysnick, I'll call my dad now so he can come get us," he said cheerfully and pulled out his cell to call his father.
"That's fine, Romeo. I'm going to go to my office to finish some paperwork. Please stay with Sera and let me know when your father gets here."
"Sure thing," he replied. He waited until she was gone before settling in next to Sera.
"What just happened? Why did the nurse give you permission to take Sera? You are not on her approved list!" Al snarled and marched to the bed, his furious expression, turning his face red.
Ignoring Al, Fidelis dialed his father and was glad he picked up after the first ring.
"Dad, can you come to school? It's an emergency."
"Do I need to bring backup?"
"Nope, I took care of it. Sera needs help."
His father was silent for a second. "Got it. I'll be there in ten."
Fidelis put away his phone and took the cloth from Sera's head. He went to the sink and rewet it with cold water. He placed it back on her forehead. He took her hot hand and held it, stroking her fingers gently.
"You can't take her, I won't let you," Al spoke up after a few minutes of silence.
"You can follow along like a good puppy, or I'll make sure you are too busy to even come with us," Fidelis threatened, briefly looking Al in the eyes, letting him know that Al had no control or power in this situation.
"Fine! I'll go get our bags," Al snapped and stormed from the clinic.
Fidelis sighed. He really couldn't stand that guy. He frowned when he felt the cloth on Sera's head was warm. Her fever really was too high. He untangled his fingers from hers, grabbed the cloth and soaked it in cold water again. He placed it on Sera and was startled when she flailed her arms, her frightened feverish gaze on him.
"I'm sorry! I'm useless and pathetic. I'm sorry I'm a disgrace. I'll do better," she whimpered, tears running down her face.
He really wanted to punch someone. Who the hell had said those things to Sera? She wasn't any of those things. She was amazing, intelligent, and a joy to be around. He jerked his head up at the sound of a cough. Al stood in the door with two backpacks.
Fidelis was up and moving before he had time to think about it. Coming to a halt before Al, he jabbed the other boy in the chest with his finger.
Through gritted teeth, he snarled, "Who the hell told Sera she's useless, pathetic, and a disgrace? Was it you? Or was it her bitchy twin? Or maybe her asshole father? So many choices. Wonder which one is right?"
"It's none of your business. You should worry about your own issues and leave Sera alone," Al growled and pushed Fidelis away from him.
Fidelis stood there, clenching his fists, trying to rein in his growing fury. He let Al walk past him and took a breath to regain control. He returned to Sera's bedside and contented himself with scowling at Al. They remained silent, their hostility filling the air. It didn't break until Fidelis's phone rang. He glanced down and saw his father's number.
He removed the cloth from Sera's head and scooped her up, cradling her to his chest. The heat from her body was scalding. They needed to get her to one of their healers soon.
"Where are you going?"
"My father is here. You can follow us in your car to our house or you can go home. Your choice. Personally, I hope you go home while we take care of Sera."
"Like hell, I'll let you take her wherever you want."
"Like I said, you can follow. No one is stopping you," Fidelis retorted and left the clinic with Sera.
He wasn't surprised when the receptionist wished him a good afternoon and told him she hoped Sera felt better soon. His father stood by the door. He opened it without a word, and they went down the steps and to the car.
His father opened the door. Fidelis slid in and repositioned Sera so he could put her in a seatbelt and hold her at the same time. The door closed and he watched his father speak briefly to Al. Al took off at a jog and his father got in the driver's seat.
"Did you use magic, too?" he asked.
His father chuckled. "Sometimes using it is for a good cause. Let's get your lady to the house and have the healers look her over."
He didn't say anything else as he settled in for the drive to their in-town residence.