Born to Fly

Fractured Souls and Sacred Places - ✔

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Same as I did yesterday."

Mary takes my vitals. "Still having those nightmares?"

"Yes," I say.

"Hopefully, we get that worked out today. Your counselor will be in at ten. Try to pull your thoughts together before he gets here, honey. He has a way of bringing out emotions from the particularly numb and distraught. There hasn't been one person he's seen that hasn't used an entire box of tissues afterward."

"Oh boy. I can't wait."

"Girl, he's going to make you miss your kindergarten boyfriend by the time he's done with you."

Yeah, right. Nothing can make me feel, anymore.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Jim asks.

I don't bother to turn from the window. It's nice to let the sunlight in every now and then. Every time Lee has stopped by, she's brought a small plant to join the collection in my window sill.

"I want my things from the safehouse. They're the last things I have of him."

"I need a key." Jim's been strange ever since the accident. He's been so terse with me. If I had to guess, I would say that I'm a constant reminder of his failure— of how he was almost the last of the Gordons. I think he feels guilty, but he shouldn't. My stupidity is not his fault.

"I don't know where it is. Just break in or something. I don't care."

"Lee and I will bring it in a few hours."

As soon as he disappears, another man enters.

"Hello, Miss Gordon." This fellow wears a suit and tie. I assume he's one of the financial advisors.

"I'm sorry. I still haven't figured out a payment plan. May we discuss this later?"

He sits in the chair where my brother just was. "I'm afraid you misunderstand me. I'm Doctor Warrick. I'm your counselor for the time being."

He's the opposite of what I expected.

"You're so young. You're like twelve."

Both of us are shocked by what I said.

"I'm twenty-seven, which makes me older than you. If this is going to be a—"

Detective Bullock runs through the door. "Sera, do you have a second?"

Doctor Warrick tries to reel it in. "We're in the middle of a—"

"It's about Penguin."

"Of course," I say. "Please."

Bullock encourages the counselor to return at a later time.

"Miss Gordon!"

"I'll make you a deal. We can talk once you've graduated high school."

The doctor storms away while my friend bellows with laughter.

"You should really let him do his job, Sera."

"And I will when you're not around."

"Works for me." He joins me at the window. "We're close to finding him."

"You think?" I avert my gaze to the sky, which seems unnaturally blue today. "Where?"

"We found the car along the side of some country road near a forest. We think he may have escaped in there."

"Why would he want to go there? He's without resources in the wilderness."

"Maybe he wanted peace to die."