Surface R: Reunion

Part 03.1

::CODY::

It takes me a few seconds to realize Sean isn't going to finish the sentence.

That isn't much like him. I look over to see what's up and he's staring out at something in the distance.

"Sean?" There's a look on his face like he just ate something that was really rotten.

He tears his eyes from whatever he was looking at and towards me again. "I'm sorry. I thought I saw something."

"Really? What?" I glanced out to where he was looking before and see a brief glint of something from a fair distance away. It's not like anything I've seen before, and I've seen a lot up here. "I see it!" I jump up. "But I don't know what it is. I'm gonna have to tell Trey—"

"Don't bother," Sean's quiet, emotionless words interrupt me. I looked back and he's staring at those glinting speck. "I know what it is."

"You do?" I blinked. "But you haven't been on the surface for more than a couple of days. How could you know—" I stopped and stare at him as he pulls out a familiar object. The tracker. But... That means... I sit down again with a thump. "then... those are them. From the underground." He doesn't say anything; he doesn't look at me. "So you're still leaving?" I stand again and move over to the edge of the roof and jumped back down.

"CODY!?"

Sean cries, finally snapping out of whatever trance he was in.

"I have to go!"

I don't know why, but this doesn't feel like the first time I felt this way, I felt like this happened before. And it makes me sad. But I can't think clearly. I ran back to the medical carriage, just as Corrin seemed to be leaving it. Great, I did not want to go to him to disturb his work or have anyone else see my cry, even if they were Lori and Meeko.

"Corrin!"

He whips around in shock, looking around before glancing lower to see me going for him. "Co—" He exhaled sharply when I dove and crashed into his stomach before crying. "Cody?! Hey, hey, what's the matter?" He sounds alarmed. "you're not hurt, are you? Was it Sean? Did he say something mean again?"

"N-no, he didn't..."

I told him about the glint and the tracker. Corrin seemed frozen in shock for a moment.

"Oh kiddo, come here," He wrapped his arms around me and carried me up. "I'm so sorry, you really are fond of him, aren't you? I'll talk him into staying..."

"No!" I shake my head. "Then he'll hate me again! I don't want him to hate me, I want him happy, I just don't..."

Corrin studies me for a while. "Look, Cody, I need to tell Trey about the people from the Underground, since he's going to need to know." I'm placed back down, and I panic at his words, but Corrin takes my face in his hands and smiled softly. "But I promise not to mention Sean, okay?"

"Thank you Corrin!" I embraced him again.

He laughs, returning the hug before standing. "Now get going, go talk to Sean. It might make you feel better, okay? I'll meet with Trey, now."

"All right."

Corrin leaves and I do my best to wipe my tears before I head off. I don't want Sean to see me crying. There's still time. I could try making Sean like it here better so he wouldn't want to leave. I ask around where Sean was. I doubt he's still up on the train. Someone said he's back at the room he was staying in.