WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD ✸ Joel Miller

iv. Deja Vu

IV.
Deja Vu
✸

AS I'M WALKING INTO the familiar building of work, Marlene joins me at my side. "Thanks for coming in on such short notice."

I nod. "You said Ellie needed checked out?" She stops walking when we reach this particular door. I'd never been inside, but I could now hear a tapping on the other side of the door. "She in here?"

Marlene slowly nods at me. "She won't talk to us. Can you please get her out here?"

I let out a sigh. She'd brought me here, instead of work, to talk to some kid. "Okay."

Marlene opens the door for me and I analyze the room. There's a yellow sun peeking through the window, reflecting through the entire room. In front of me, there's a brunette teenager sitting against the wall. Ellie wields her pocket knife, pointing it right at me before she sees that it's me, and not Marlene.

         "Easy, tiger." I kneel onto one knee, eye level with her in the corner of this 4x4 room. There's a ghost of smirk on my face when my hands raise in surrender. "Jesus, what'd Marlene do to get you in such a bad mood?"

She shakes her head, still not letting go of her knife. Just fiddles with it. "She's making me leave."

Marlene hasn't told me any of these plans. Probably because she knows I would do anything in my power to prevent it. Before I can help it, my entire face contorts into confusion. Brows knitted together. Lips downturned into a frown. "What do you mean?"

          "She said she was taking me to another group of fireflies." Her voice comes out much of a grumble as she says it.

I glance back at the door where Marlene waits just out of sight, pretending to give us space. It makes me feel sick.

Ellie's knife twists between her fingers, catching the sunlight. "I don't want to go," she says, so quietly I almost miss it.

I sit all the way down on the floor now, cross-legged. "Did she say why?"

Ellie shrugs, but it's stiff—defensive. "Said it's 'for my own good.'" She punctuates the words with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "That I'd be safer."

Shit.

I run a hand through my hair and let out a slow breath. "Maybe... maybe it's not what you think," I offer weakly, even though I don't believe it for a second.

Ellie snorts. "Yeah, right."

We sit there in silence for a while, just the faint ticking of the knife against her boot filling the space between us. I know I should say something helpful, something adult, something wise. But all I can manage is the truth.

         "I don't want you to go either," I admit with a half-smile.

She looks up, almost-scared brown eyes look into mine, examining my face when all of a sudden, there's a gunshot. Then another. I'm quick to stand up. I begin to walk toward the door when there's a dozen in a row. Then everything goes quiet. I look back at Ellie, place my finger to my lips, and signal for her to be quiet. She nods, obeying.