Episode 1 (Serena Season 1)

Serena's other hand seizes my wrist and holds tight, pulling with all her strength,

but I hear stone scraping under her shoes when the tension between us suddenly goes slack.

I scream as she tumbles down with me into the pitch black hole,

reaching for anything to break my fall.

My back meets something solid and sharp,

pain blossoming across my shoulder right before I slam into the ground with a loud thunk.

Serena lands right next to me, arms crossed to guard her head,

but when I try to sit up, my arm is too stiff to move.

(What was I thinking, stepping on an old stone in a weird temple!?)

(That has never gone well for anyone, ever.)

MC: "Oh, that really hurts."

Serena: "What hurts?"

Serena brushes the dirst off her hands and onto her skirt,

eyes narrowed in concern as she looks me over.

MC: "My shoulder's throbbing and my arm doesn't want to move."

MC: "That's bad, right?"

Serena: "It's probably dislocated."

Serena: "But I can fix that."

Serena: "Let me take a closer look."

Shifting onto her knees, Serena grips my arm at the elbow and wrist,

frowning when I wince.

Serena: "I'm going to have to pop this back into place, ."

A. What?

B. I lied, it doesn't hurt.

C. Is there another way?

---

A. What?

MC: "What?"

Serena: "Oh don't worry, you'll be fine."

---

Serena: "It's either that now or surgery later, and we're a little ill-equipped at the moment."

MC: "Is it going to hurt?"

Serena: "Yes."

(...At least she's honest.)

Serena: "Look me in the eyes and take a deep breath."

Serena: "Just focus on your breathing for a moment."

Her expression is perfectly calm, something to anchor to as I slowly inhale,

centering on the air filling my lungs instead of the deep ache in my shoulder.

Serena: "On the count of three."

MC: "Okay."

Serena: "One--"

The second I breathe out, there's a sustained pull along my arm,

sending pain searing through it before something pops.

My shoulder sags, feeling coming back to it with countless tingles,

but the spike of agony fades as quickly as it came.

MC: "Oh my god! You said at three."

Serena: "Doctor, not god."

Serena: "But I lied."

Serena: "You looked like the type to flinch."

MC: "That's not fair at all."

Serena: "Feel better?"

MC: "...Yes."

Clyde: "Hey!"

My head snaps up to the hole we fell from, squinting to see all the way to the top.

Clyde: "Are you two alright down there? We heard screaming."

Serena: "We're fine."

Serena: "Just some minor injuries."

Serena: "It seems like we fell into another room."

Serena: "There's probably a way out."

Clyde: "Just stay put, hey?"

Clyde: "I sent Logan to find something to use as rope so we can haul you out."

Serena: "As long as he doesn't send that drone down here."

Serena's attention flickers to me, her expression grave,

and I wonder for a second if I've managed to do something unspeakably wrong in the last ten seconds.

Serena: "..., you're bleeding."

MC: "W-what?"

I look at my hands, which are dirty but unscathed,

but a glance down reveals a deep scratch along the outside of my thigh,

blood staining the hem of my skirt.

As soon as I see the scrape, it starts to sting, and I hold back a groan.

(This is just one thing after another.)

Serena: "Keep still."

Despite her words, I almost jump when Serena pushes my skirt up my legs,

leaning down to examine the cut with more scrutiny.

A blush rushes right up my face,

lingering there as her fingers brush over abraded skin, firm but gentle.

(Even when she's not looking right at me, that gaze is intense.)

She doesn't seem embarrassed in the least,

but I bite my lip when Serena's warm hands leave my skin,

only to tear off a long strip from the bottom of her skirt.

It's slowly wrapped around my thigh like a bandage,

her face close to mine as the ends are tied together in a tight knot.

MC: "You didn't have to, um..."

Serena: "It's just a skirt."

(Then why is my heart beating so fast?)

TK: "Hey! You two still alive down there?"

MC: "We're here!"

Clyde: "Logan, hold onto the other end."

Logan: "I got it."

I hear a thunk before a thick vine uncoils down into the hole, slack falling limp on the floor.

Serena offers me a hand to help me to my feet,

slow so I can balance on my uninjured leg, and that blush rushes right back to my face.

(She must think I'm helpless by this point.)

Serena: "I'm going to tie this around us so we don't fall."

MC: "Will that work?"

Serena: "You'll shred your shoulder a second time if you try and hold on by hand."

(Ouch.)

It take a minute for her to tie us both to the vine with loops and knots,

but I'm impressed by how stable it looks.

As soon as we're secured, Serena gives the vine a hard tug to make sure it doesn't come loose.

Serena: "Clyde! We're ready."

Clyde: "Arthur, you have the end back there?"

Arthur: "Ready when you are, captain."

Clyde: "Pull!"

I hold my breath as we're hoisted right up into the air,

but despite a few threatening creaks fro the vine,

they manage to bring us all the way to the top.

Clyde starts tugging Serena's knots free, letting us separate again.

Clyde: "You alright there, Serena?"

Serena: "You fall down one crumbling temple, you've fallen down a hundred."

Serena: "'s the one that was injured."

MC: "I'm fine."

MC: "I mean--"

MC: "The shoulder part hurt and now I'm kind of dizzy, but..."

(Really, really dizzy.)

(Uh oh.)

The world starts to spin, knees wobbling right out from under me,

and I collapse to the floor before any of the hands reaching for me make contact.

As my vision starts to fade to pinpricks of black,

I see Serena leaning down over me again, but her voice sounds like it's underwater.

Serena: ", look at me."

Serena: "Stay conscious."

Serena: "--"

Everything goes dark.