LOGINSEREIAThe hospital room was quiet except for the beeping of machines.I sat beside Liyana's bed, watching her sleep, her small chest rising and falling beneath the white sheets. Her rabbit was tucked under her arm. Her hair was spread across the pillow like dark silk. She looked peaceful. Innocent.She didn't know that her body was failing her.A nurse appeared in the doorway. "Ms. Fontaine? The doctor is ready for you."I kissed Liyana's forehead. "I'll be right back, baby."She didn't stir.---The donation room was small and cold.A bed in the center. Machines along the walls."Ms. Fontaine, please lie down. We'll begin the testing."I lay on the bed. A nurse inserted a needle into my arm. I watched my blood flow through a tube, into a bag, into the machines.The room grew warm. My eyelids grew heavy."Just rest," the nurse said. "We'll wake you when it's done."I closed my eyes.---I woke to sunlight.The room was empty. The needle was gone.The door opened. The doctor walked in
SEREIA The ambulance ride was a blur of sirens and flashing lights.I held Liyana's hand the whole time, her small fingers cold against my palm. Her face was still pale. Her lips were still colorless. The oxygen mask over her mouth fogged with each shallow breath."Liyana, baby, can you hear me?"No response."Liyana!"The paramedic touched my arm. "Ma'am, we need you to stay calm. She's stable.""She's not stable. She fainted. She won't wake up."Valerian was beside me, his hand on my back, his jaw tight. He didn't speak. There was nothing to say.The ambulance stopped. The doors opened. They wheeled Liyana through the emergency entrance, and I ran beside her, refusing to let go until a nurse gently pushed me back."You have to wait here.""That's my daughter.""I know, ma'am. The doctor will come speak with you as soon as possible."The double doors swung shut.I stood there, staring at the white paint, my chest heaving.Valerian's arms went around me. "She's going to be okay.""Yo
SEREIAThe courtroom was a cold place. It was not the kind of cold that comes from windows or a broken heater. The cold I felt, lived in the walls, in the benches, in the eyes of the people who sat in judgment. I had been here before. Many times. The wood of the defendants table was familiar under my palms. The flag behind the judges chair was the same. The bailiffs voice was the same.I sat beside Margaret Chen, my lawyer. Valerian sat behind me his presence solid and warm. Sarah was beside him.Judge Morrison entered. We rose and then we sat."Mr. Sterling’s counsel may proceed " the judge said.Lucas’s lawyer stood up, He was a thin man with a polished look. He walked to the center of the room with the confidence of a man who had never doubted himself."Your Honor the petitioner has evidence that the respondent has a history of instability " he said. “We have witnesses who can attest to Sereia Fontaine’s behavior. Her pattern of manipulation. Her inability to maintain relation
VALERIANIt took us three days to go through the security footage. Marcus had gotten video from every camera near the place where Sereia was being held. We are talking about traffic cameras, cameras from stores and even a camera from a persons home that faced the street.We looked at the video frame by frame, hour by hour.. Then we finally found what we were looking for.The men who were at the place that night were on the video. Not the ones who actually took Sereia because Lucas did that himself with the help of a woman and Victor.. The men who guarded the place after that the ones who made sure Sereia did not escape, the ones who cleaned up.There were four of them. They were on a video from a gas station two blocks away. They were getting out of a van and walking towards a small house on the corner.That is when "that's it". I said Marcus zoomed in on the video. "Let us check the license plate on the van".Arthur checked the license plate from where he was sitting. The van was re
VALERIANThe woman’s voice was still with me after we left the cafe. I did not mean to hurt anyone.. She had hurt people. She took money from someone. She did what she was told. She did not ask questions. Now my family was in trouble.Marcus was walking beside me. He was looking at his phone. He was checking maps and records. "Victor Tolan. He is the person we need to talk to.""Where can we find him?" I asked."There is a bar on the side of town. It is called The Rusty Nail. It is not a place. It is the kind of place where people go when they do not want to be found." Marcus showed me the address. "He has been seen there every night for the month. He sits in the place at the same time.""Then we will go there tonight."Marcus nodded. "We should rest first. He will not be there until late."I looked at my watch. It was 11:30 AM. We had a time to wait. I was thinking about Sereia. I was thinking about her eyes."Take me home " I said. "I need to see Sereia."---The mansion was quiet w
VALERIANThe car drove away from the mansion gates. I did not look back.Marcus sat next to me in the seat. His face was lit up by the light of his phone. He had not said a word since we got in the car. I had not said anything either.The driver, Arthur kept his eyes on the road. He has been working for me for a time and he seemed trustworthy..The city was passing by outside the window. I saw buildings and streets and traffic lights.. None of it mattered to me.I kept thinking about Sereia. The way she stood in the doorway with her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were empty.She said it was fine when I told her to stay.. I knew she was not fine. None of us were fine.I told Marcus to talk.He looked up from his phone. "We are close " he said.I remembered that he had been saying that for weeks."You have been saying that for weeks " I said.This time he meant it. He turned his phone to me. Showed me a picture. It was a woman with grey hair and a wrinkled face."This is the woma
SEREIA"—and then Emma said my sandwich looked like a bug, but I told her it was a dinosaur and dinosaurs eat bugs so really, my sandwich was gonna eat her—" Liyana chattered whilst shovelling oatmeal into her mouth sending a spray of milk across the table.I reached for a napkin to clean up the mi
SEREIAMy knuckles were wrapped tightly around the steering wheel and every headlight I sighted through the rear view mirror was suddenly Lucas and every innocent van that passed by was a reporter.I kept looking over my shoulder my neck aching from the multiple times that my neck had twisted.I co
SEREIA“Mommy, my hair won't listen." Liyana complained and her small voice pulled me out of my thoughts."Sorry, baby," I murmured as i brushed her curls gently my mind running with a thousand thoughts."Will Mr. Puzzle be there for breakfast?" Liyana asked, as she wiggled on the small stool."I d
SEREIA The word liability rung repeatedly in my head as I watched Sarah who was waiting at the door of Valerian’s office.I had stood up from my desk and stood in front of his door, watching him lean back in his chair, looking calm like his staff didn’t just call a meeting. His eyes which were co







