Elaine. If you don't hear from us by tonight...
Alert the school.
- Arlo
This is the 213th chapter of unORDINARY.
Synopsis[]
Elaine is shocked to hear Arlo not erring on the side of caution. Seraphina clearly didn't expect to hear him declare he was going to join her after all either. It isn't long before she commends Arlo for his change of heart. Not willing to sink to the depths of levity, Arlo makes it clear that he's only going under practical pretenses. Should the situation even seem it's about go haywire, they get out of there ASAP and report it. Seraphina decides these are acceptable terms, and off they go. Elaine calls out to them and begs them not to do something so crazy. Arlo instructs her to stand by and inform the school if she doesn't hear back from them by nightfall. Elaine can do little but watch as they depart.
The two arrive at the Lovun Cafe, and enter to see the place bustling with customers. Neither of them see anything alarming, and they sit down to wait. Their waitress for the afternoon, Ella, arrives to take their order. Seraphina asks for a mango iced-tea, while Arlo orders a black coffee. Seraphina teases him for liking a beverage that's as bitter and plain as his personality.
Outside, Leilah approaches the cafe. She's on the phone with an unknown associate, who confirms that nobody's following and it's now safe to proceed.
Back inside, Seraphina notices Arlo fidgeting. When she calls him out on it, he asks how in the world she can be so calm. She replies that it's all someone like her can do to keep from becoming completely useless. The front door opens, and Seraphina looks in shock at who enters. Arlo is wondering how much longer they're expected to wait when he notices Seraphina staring. He turns to see a woman he doesn't recognize approaching. She begins to greet Seraphina before she finds Arlo eyeing her with suspicion. When asked who she is, Leilah apologizes and introduces herself, and reveals she was the one who sent the invitation. Arlo remains wary, but Seraphina slams the table and angrily demands to know why Leilah dared to return after such a long absence. Arlo realizes that the two must know each other. Leilah gets closer to Seraphina and tries to apologize, but Sera isn't having it. She makes clear her feelings of abandonment, adding that Leilah left home without so much as a good-bye. Leilah defended her decision by recalling how unbearable it was living there, but Seraphina throws this argument back by mentioning how she had to remain trapped with everybody who remained. Leilah says that it didn't seem right at the time to disrupt Seraphina's training just when she was beginning to show great promise, but Seraphina asked whether Leilah gave any thought as to how their parents would treat her after she ran away. Arlo realized that the two must be sisters. Leilah swore she would make it up to Seraphina, but they needed to get down to business before it was too late. Seraphina accused her of making plans to disappear again. Arlo finally spoke up, and reminded Seraphina that, despite the issues that existed between Leilah and herself, keeping a level head during this meetup was her idea. Arlo's good point calmed Seraphina down, which impressed Leilah.
Leilah wondered why Seraphina brought along a surprise plus one. Seraphina answered that the invitation didn't specify that she couldn't. Leilah saw her point, but made it clear that the information she had was for Seraphina's ears only. Arlo wanted to stay close by, an opinion seconded by Seaphina. Leilah wouldn't concede to their wishes, citing the immense risks she took to arrange this meeting. If they wouldn't follow her rules, then she would take her leave immediately. Arlo opted to try forcing her to stay, but Seraphina desperately called out to her sister before he could try anything. Deciding that the chance for new information was too important, Seraphina asked Arlo for some privacy. Begrudgingly, Arlo walked out of earshot, but not before warning Leilah that he would keep an eye on the both of them. She promised she wouldn't try anything, and sat down to talk.
Leilah started off by saying she wished their reunion could have happened under better circumstances, but there were urgent matters to resolve. Seraphina asked why Leilah had kept her distance until now. Leilah said she would explain everything in due time, but Seraphina needed to listen to what she had to say. Leilah revealed that she was a member of an organization called Spectre, which had recently developed a drug that could permanently disable a person's ability. The shocked Seraphina's first instinct was to accuse Leilah of rendering her powerless. Leilah fervently denied this, having ordered her team to stay away from Seraphina as soon as she heard she was being targeted. Seraphina demanded an explanation as to why the order was seemingly disobeyed. Leilah said that it was because she had failed on an assignment, so she was sent away, completely unaware of the attack they initiated on her sister. Seraphina noted that Spectre wasn't a very organized organization. Leilah confirmed this, mentioning that there was much infighting in their ranks. After the disabler had been developed, Spectre's executives couldn't agree on whether they should proceed with what they originally planned to do with it. It wasn't long before some of them began to exploit the drug for personal gain. Seraphina asks what good could have possibly come from developing that awful drug in the first place. Leilah isn't willing to disclose anything else until Seraphina agrees to some terms: in exchange for getting her ability restored, Seraphina would work for Leilah.
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