Blameless

FOUR

As Mia returned to the group, Mia and Sam disembarked, the weight of Ty's offer to Mia still hanging in the air. The two found themselves walking side by side, hands interlocked, Sam squeezed Mia's hand gently, a silent reassurance that he was beside her.

The corridors of the Air Train station were dimly lit, and the rhythmic echoes of their footsteps resonated with the unspoken thoughts shared between them. Mia looked up at Sam, a red hue appearing on her face as she stared up at him. His blue eyes glistened in the dim lights, his neatly combed blonde hair perfect, not a single strand out of place. He was the ideal image of perfection, and Mia knew if anyone deserved to be apart of Leader's program, Sam was just that person. But Mia on the other hand had doubts in herself. She was only good at following orders, never had she thought she'd be the one who could possibly be making those rules for others to follow one day.

Reaching the Learning Center, their destination, Mia and Sam paused for a moment beneath the artificial glow. Sam broke the silence. "Mia, I know this is a big change for you. I can see you're nervous, but don't be. I'm here to support you. Leadership or not, we navigate this together."

Mia offered a grateful smile, appreciating the steadfast presence of not only a friend, but a boyfriend who she could tell cared for her more than anything. She leaned into Sam, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. As they parted ways at the entrance of the Learning Center, Mia watch Sam disappear through the exit and towards his new destination at the data building, her worries disappearing as she replayed his words in her head.

Alone now, Mia accessed her schedule interface, a routine action that had become second nature. To her surprise, the daily plan displayed a single message: "Today's schedule has been cleared."  Mia looked up, scanning the hallways to see if anyone else was around, or if she'd see Sam coming back to tell her he too had his scheduled cleared for the day, but no one appeared.

Walking  towards the exit, Mia decided it may just be best if she returned home till it was time to meet up with Sam later that evening. But as she kept walking down the street, the thought of Ty crept into Mia's mind. The allure of his unconventional perspective beckoned, a desire to know more about what Ty said he knew tugged at her curiosity. Mia pondered whether she should try and contact Ty, but she didn't know how. Pulling out her tablet Mr. Caddel had given them earlier that morning, she scrolled through until she found the contact list programed to the tablet. 'Maybe Mr. Caddel added it himself, how else do I contact my partner?' She thought, clicking the search bar and typing in his first name. 'Now what did they say was his last name was?' Mia stopped for a moment and looked down at the screen, Ty's name was the only name that appeared. 'Huh?' Mia shrugged to herself and clicked his profile to message.

With cautious keystrokes, she composed a message to Ty, expressing her desire to meet and discuss more about this new program, hoping to not seem as though her curiosity was getting the best of her. The holographic message hovered before her, awaiting confirmation. Mia took a deep breath and pressed send, stuffing the tablet back into her bag and continuing her walk to her home, awaiting Ty to reply to her message, assuming he too had a cleared schedule or at least wasn't in class.

Returning home, Mia opened the front door, the automated voice greeting her as she entered. "Welcome Back Ms. Brandy. You have 0 missed messages and no packages waiting."  "Thanks." Mia said, replying to the voice as she set her bag on the kitchen table, quickly pulling out her tablet, hoping to see a message from Ty, but to her surprise, there was no reply. Setting down the tablet she sighed, making her way up the stairs and into her room.

Once in her room, Mia changed out of her uniform and pinned up her hair, sitting down at her desk. She gazed out her window, staring at the trees blowing in the wind. Perking up in her seat, she remembered what her father told her earlier that day. "The wind!" Mia stood up, running down the stairs and out the door, closing her eyes, and letting the breeze blow against her face. A whistle tune began to hum, mixing with the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the day surrounding Mia. "Thank you, dad. I really needed that." She spoke softly, closing her eyes tighter trying to block out the other sounds around her until the wind had stopped. How her dad knew she was outside or that this was the time she really needed comfort, she didn't know, but she had never been more grateful for her father.