Their Situation, Our Problem

Chapter 6: Sofia

Elijah gave Sofia a very general checkup, before handing her an unopened bottle of ibuprofen. He took more time on Amara's leg. He said to share the ibuprofen and wrapped Amara's ankle. He found some crutches -from where, who the hell knows- and gave them to her.

As he brought the crutches to Amara he turned to Sofia and asked, "May I speak to you alone."

"Why," Amara questioned instantly.

"I just to need ask her a few personal questions," Elijah replied.

"There's really not much personal we don't know about each other," Amara answered.

"It's ok Amara. I'll be right back," Sofia intervened. She followed Elijah towards the empty office. He opened the door for her and let her walk through. Sofia's nerves went haywire and she showed it. Elijah must have seen she was nervous because he left the door slightly ajar. He walked around Sofia and leaned against the front of the desk. His intentions were clearly so she could be closer to the door. He eyed her a bit before speaking.

"I wanted to thank you." Elijah said after a few seconds of silence.

"We really didn't do much," Sofia replied. She kept her eyes down on her fidgeting hands as she continued to speak. "If it weren't for you guys, they would have had three kidnapped girls instead of one."

"You held them off, which saved my sister, so thank you. That is something I will forever be grateful for, but I actually meant when you saved my life." Elijah explained.

"I also wanted to make sure that you understood that your actions were clearly self-defense." Elijah spoke again but this time with a more careful and delicate tone.

This grabbed Sofia's attention. She stopped fidgeting and looked up at him. She gave him an appraising look before she spoke.

"No matter the label, it doesn't erase the fact that I ki-" Sofia stuttered and gulped before starting over, "that man is still dead. Because of me."

"That man, if he can even be classified as such, was in the process of kidnapping my younger sister, when I arrived. And make no mistake, he would have killed you if he had gotten the chance. If we had not arrived when we did, there would have been two dead girls and one kidnapped girl," Elijah responded in that perfectly polished English of his.

"And he might not be dead," he added as an afterthought.

"I shot him in the face, I doubt he's alive." Sofia deadpanned.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wasn't a rapper, 50 Cent I believe, shot nine times and still survived?" Elijah asked.

Sofia flat out stared at Elijah as if he had grown an extra head right there and then.

"Am I wrong," Elijah asked?

Sofia's lips quirked up the tiniest and a small smile, if you could call it that, shown through.

"No, 50 Cent was shot nine times. One bullet is actually still lodged in his jaw. It's just, you don't seem like the type of person who knows who 50 Cent is, much less that he was shot nine times." Sofia said.

"Well, we're all full of surprises." Elijah said.

"Yeah, I guess we are." Sofia agreed wistfully.

Sofia didn't understand what was happening. And to be fair, she wasn't really paying attention. Her life made no sense right now, and instead of being at a police station she was having a conversation with her classmate's older brother about the fact that she had just shot someone to save his life.

No. Sense. Whatsoever.

Colton popped his head in through the door before anything else could be said, "You're seven minutes in heaven are up. Nik and Crutchy are already in the SUV out back."

"Ignore him, he was dropped as a child." Elijah sighed as he stood, "Repeatedly."

Colton made a great show of looking insulted and huffing before walking off.

Sofia turned to follow but Elijah held her back, "Remember, you did nothing wrong."

Elijah's gaze held her still for a few seconds. Eventually she nodded and he let go of her arm. He walked out of the office and Sofia followed behind him.