Tik Tok

Chapter Five: Office Hours

I cracked open the door to Emma's office. She was leaning back in her chair with her feet on the desk. "I was wondering when you were going to show up," she said. She tapped toe of her high heel against the desk. "So this is you again?"

"I-" I trailed off, I guess there wasn't a comment to make about that, "yeah."

" Zoe brought you here?"

'Yes."

"She was early, not the best at waiting," she sighed. "Where'd you leave her?"

"In the elevator."

"She should be fine there, did it stop?"

"Stopped working."

"And of course, you're here when I'm still here." She pulled her feet off of the desk and ran her fingers through her hair. "This is such a mess."

"At least, we found our soulmate, right?"

"Yeah," she said like she agreed with me. Her voice wasn't convincing; she carried the tone of a child forced to do chores.

"Should I ask why you're upset," I started and slipped into the chair across from her, "or should I just leave it there?" The left leg of the chair was loose. That was going to get annoying.

"Well, do I need to explain that I'm not that happy that my soulmate is you?"

"Yes."

"I don't love the fact that my soulmate falls under my job to terminate."

"We don't' know if I stop time yet," I pointed out. Emma just raised an eyebrow and motioned around the room.

"Well then," she turned to her computer and went to type something in, she hit a few keys, then ducked down into her drawers to grab a notepad, "Should have seen that coming," she mumbled to her herself.

"So, do I stop time?"

"I don't know, have you taken a blood test since you got here?"

"No."

"Why?" she asked.

"Becuase I stopped time," I answered.

"Or-" Emma cut herself off and rested her head in her hands, "something. There has to be a good answer here."

"Becuase,"

"Becuase I don't want my soulmate to be the reason that I go on the run from the government."

"Were you planning to go on the run in the first place?"

Emma looked up at me and blew her auburn hair away from her mouth "I figured it would be Zoe who made me do it."

"Nice to know you had that planned."

"Yep," she sighed. Emma sat up straighter and patted her hair down. It didn't do much to correct the tangles she'd put into it. "So," she began as she grabbed a pencil, "do you think you can start time up again?" She scribbled on the notepad.

"No, I don't know how at least," I commented. "I know that I can stop time, I don't know how to stop-" I paused for a second, "stopping it."

"You saw the door on the way in, didn't you?"

"No." I lied, "Just your name."

"Enhanced perception." She rolled her eyes as she said it. "I'm Emma Terish, Head of Ability Research," she slid the notepad over to me, "and this is the extent of the research I've been able to do about you and me." The list was empty, save for two comments about the fact that time stopped, and a line about us apparently being soul mates circled three times.