SEEKERS-- EPISODE 5b: TIES THAT BIND

She lived in a medium-sized duplex which had an upstairs deck. It had a brick porch and panel front. A wooden door centered at the entrance with a landscaping to capture the beauty. The entire structure had 4 front windows, a front yard with a walkway and no trees blocking the sunlight.

  Sophia Torres folded the last piece of clothing and tucked it into her suitcase. It hadn’t taken her long to pack as she didn’t have many clothes; one of the things being a Bluecorp member does to you. There was a knock on the door. Peeping through the keyhole, she paused, opened it and took a step back smiling knowingly.

“Luke, come in.”

“So this is where you’ve been hiding out.” He said immediately he entered, glancing round briefly.

Sophia narrowed her eyes, “I’ve not been hiding. I’ve been…busy. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Sure.”

She moved over to the kitchen and he caught sight of the suitcase.

“Are you going somewhere?” He asked her as soon as she returned with the drink. He collected it and set it on the foam stool near him. She was avoiding his eyes.

“I’m moving.”

“Where?”  He stared at her, slack-jawed.

“Division 2” she replied facing him this time.

“Why?  How?” He was flabbergasted.

“Why… well, because I need a change of environment… how, let’s just say I talked to captain.” She zipped the suitcase shut and rolled it to a corner. Luke couldn’t believe what she was telling him.

“So you are just going to leave?” 

“Yes.”

“Without telling me…how did you even get an approval so quickly? Captain would never approve of a sudden decision. You have to give at least a 3 month notice before shifting base.”

“I already did that.”

“How long ago?”

“2 months.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Luke wasn’t going to forgive her easily. She watched him as he rubbed his forehead and walked to the balcony. His eyes portrayed hurt.

“I’m sorry.” She followed him. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you would try to talk me out of it and I didn’t want that. Division 2 is very cool, besides Captain said they could use my input over there. I would be happy there.”

“This is because of him right? Brandon.”

She didn’t reply. He just had to bring Brandon into everything. Even though he was part of the reason she was leaving, she felt Luke had no right to judge her actions.

“Soph why do you do these things?” His voice was low. “When are you going to stop putting others before yourself? So what, you can’t stay in the same town with your ex-boyfriend because he has no memories of your moments together. I mean why is it even important that he remembers? You broke up with him…twice and he never changed for you. You were molding yourself to become something he wanted. He wasn’t-”

“Luke, stop it. You don’t get to judge me. You’ve not earned that right. I am doing this for me…This is for me and not for Brandon. I couldn’t stop the extraction, I couldn’t save him but I can do this… I can pack my things and start afresh. This is for me and if you really care about me, you would let me go and be happy because each day would just be a reminder of the many things I couldn’t do.” She walked out to the garden. The sun was starting to set and she gazed at the beautiful rays that soaked up the compound.

“We’ve been partners for almost six years. You were the only person that kept me sane after my sister’s death. We work so well together Soph, You can’t just wake up one morning and leave. Bad things happen to good people. We handle thousands of Cases all the time, People get extracted every day. People who are better than Brandon, people that don’t get into trouble deliberately; school teenagers, Bus drivers, a flight attendant, a nurse. Just anyone who happens to know something they shouldn’t know. Something that messes with the original design set for them. These people have friends, relatives and families also so why in the world is Brandon’s case different?

“I can choose who I grieve over. It has nothing to do with work. At Bluecorp, we are trained not to have any feel of emotions. Outside work, I’m human and I care about him. Dawn would be your partner, Captain said she is dexterous.” Sophia said quietly and walked back into the house, brushing against him. Luke followed her, chiding himself for deviating from the actual reason he had come. He had planned to tell her how he felt about her. Right now, he was beginning to think the feeling wasn’t mutual.

“Okay, I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath. “This came as a shock that’s why. I never imagined that you would leave. What I would advise is that you think this through first. Oakdale is a great town. You can be happy here. Brandon is 50 miles from here and I’m sure he doesn’t remember what this house looks like. He is just going to think of you as a memory.” Luke paused and decided to leave Brandon out of the conversation. “You don’t have to go halfway across the world to find happiness. Sometimes what we seek is right in front of us.” He emphasized his last statement with his eyes fixed on her.

Sophia smiled weakly and shook her head. “Luke…you and I can’t work. it’s not you, it’s not me. I just don’t feel that way about you. I’m leaving tomorrow and I’ve made up my mind. I’m sorry. Goodbye Luke. ”  

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