And Life Goes On

Doesn't Add Up (6)

Jenna's P.O.V

       Sean leads me outside the door to the Classroom. Then, we take a sharp left, and he stands still.
"What is it with Saturdays?" he mutters under his breath. I look around him and see a long line of people waiting in front of the desk. Every five minutes or so, we take a couple steps forward, but after half an hour has gone past, we are only in the middle of the line. "Give me a sec, Jenna. I'm just gonna go see what's going on. It shouldn't take this long to get through." He marches past the cue, fist bumping a couple of people as he passes. I take a few steps forward, and after about ten minutes, he comes back.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"There was a guy up at the front who wasn't matching any of the forms, so they were looking for it. They had to close one of the lanes. I found the form, though, so it should be getting faster soon."
       We make it to the front of the desk, and the woman asks me for my name.
"Jenna Thatcher."
"Okay, Sweetie, let me just find your form... cool. You're going to be a... whoa! Uh..." she hands the paper to Sean. He looks at it and his eyes get huge.
"What?" I ask, slightly alarmed.
"Jenna, it says you're going to be a soul collector..."
"You didn't say anything about a soul collector?" I question, his confusion confusing me.
"I didn't think I needed to... Jenna, soul collectors are meant to be extinct." I look at him bewildered, as the lady behind the desk grabs the form back.
"Sean, how about you take her to see Matt before she signs anything." she suggests, nodding her head.
"Good idea. Come on Jenna." He turns and starts walking away, so I follow.
"What's going on?" I ask, when I catch up to him.
"We're going to see Matt. He specialises in jobs... he's kinda like chief assigner? So he should know what to do. And if he doesn't, we will have a problem on our hands."
"Sean, I'm so confused right now."
"I know, just... come with me and we'll figure it out." He places his hand on my back and pushes me forward gently. This simple action shoots electricity up and down my spine, and I let out a little gasp. I look at Sean, now blushing furiously, and see a smirk playing against his lips, but when he sees my face, it turns to an unreadable expression.
"Uh... sorry." He says
"Don't worry 'bout it." there is a sudden awkwardness between us, and we walk the rest of the way in silence.

       We get to a small building, and Sean opens the door for me. I blush slightly, even though it is what any man would do. He heads towards the lift, and we get in.
"Floor seven hundred and ninety seven point five. Doors closing. Going up..."
"Wow. Lot of floors." I say, trying to start conversation.
"Yeah. Sky isn't actually that big, so you have to try and compact the space. More and more people are becoming suicidal... we have to keep track of it."
"Yeah..." this act to try and rid the awkwardness didn't really work. "So you said I have a room?"
"Yes, I don't know where it is yes, I didn't look on the paper; too busy trying to figure everything out, you know. You're different, Jenna."
"Good different?" I joke, deadly serious.
"I don't know yet... maybe after we see Matt we can figure it out." I glance at the little box above the lift doors that tell you what floor you're on. It reads 342 so we're still going up. "Jenna?"
"Yeah?" I look up at him. Sean is probably about six two, and at least a head taller than me. Somehow, it makes me feel more innocent around him.
"Uh... what made you... what made you kill yourself?" He asks hesitantly. His question is not what I expected.
"I had an abusive boyfriend, and my sister kissed him the night before, and we went to the beach the next day... but all he wanted was sex." I shrug.
"Yeah, but I was reading your files... you've never been suicidal before."
"No, no I haven't."
"So why then?" He pushes. I lean against the lift wall, pressing my head on the wallpaper. 
"I dunno, it just kinda dawned on me that my existence was pretty pointless."
"It doesn't add up..." he mutters.
"Hey, you killed yourself, stop going on at me for doing it too!" I argue protectively, standing up straighter to make myself look taller, but i still look tiny compared to Sean's tall frame. 
"Jenna, I died because I was depressed. You just randomly decided that you wanted to die." I give him a disgusted look. If he read my files, he should know why. And then he turns around and says he thinks I 'don't add up', like what the fuck?
"I had a family who didn't give a damn!"
"Oh for fuck's sake Jenna! Most people in Sky had a family who didn't give a damn! But they had solid reasons! You only had a spur in the moment, and you were dragged off the cliff, and you're meant to be an extinct soul collector! Don't you get it? This. Doesn't. Normally. Happen." I turn away from him, tears stinging my eyes. I hear him murmur from behind me "I haven't sworn in twenty years. Why am I swearing?"

~~~~~

Hiya anyone reading this! So if you're liking this story, please vote; it really means a lot, and it gives motivation, I guess. I have actually finished this story, I'm just updating randomly, but if you desperately want a new chapter, let me know, because i'm happy to update whenever, I'm just being lazy at the moment. 

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