oblivion | the rookie (old version)

ZERO | i'll take her

959 words

          Sofia Abigail Arcane had not known many good people in her life. Her mother died when she was three and her father was an abusive asshole. She was an only child and grew up with a hole in her chest. Her mind raced as she stared into space, trying to think of one person, just one, that would let her stay the night.

          Why was she looking for someone to stay with? Because her father had been arrested. She knew he was guilty of whatever he got caught with and so much more. He was the reason she wore a sweater in the middle of the summer in California. The bruises that littered her torso, back, and arms were so normal to her that sometimes she forgot what it was like to not be in a constant state of pain and aching.

          But it had all come to a stop when the cops came bursting through the door a few hours prior. She'd had a gun pointed at her and barely flinched. She had scars that ran deeper than any bullet wound she might endure. But the gun was brought away from her and to her father, Carmine Arcane, when they realized she wasn't the threat or target or whatever.

          She'd been ushered from the dingy house, though she could never quite find it in herself to call it home, by a female named Zoe Andersen. She was escorted back to the precinct and given a place in some sort of break room or conference room; she wasn't entirely certain.

          Sofia Arcane was many things, but brainless wasn't one of them. She knew that in the event that the case went to trial, her father would serve a lengthy prison sentence and she would gladly testify against him. She also knew that with no living relative and being a minor, she was more than likely going to be put in the foster system. The likelihood of her life improving plummeted at the concept. She'd heard enough stories, read enough articles when her father was passed out on the couch or out restocking his supply.

          So, she tried to dredge up a name, any name, of someone that could supply her with a place for the night and maybe help her figure out where to go from there. What pulled her from her blank stare and unhelpful thoughts was the sound of voices just outside the room.

          There was no way for her to know who it was; there weren't any windows, just four gray walls and a wooden door like the one that belonged to the janitor's closet at her school.

          "I'll take her."

          Sofia was almost positive that she was the person being referenced. Who would want to take her in? She wasn't worth anything to anyone, so what was the motive behind such a gesture. Trying to crack the code as to why someone was fighting to take her in left her deaf to the rest of the interaction on the other side of the door.

          But she was once more pulled from her train of thought, though this time it was by the opening of a door rather than a not so inconspicuous conversation. She looked up to see the cop who'd escorted her to the precinct, Zoe, and a pair of men entering the room.

          Zoe appeared the most relaxed while the men were stiffer. She was clearly there to play nice cop and the men were there if someone needed to play bad cop. That wouldn't be necessary though.

          "Sofia," Zoe began. But she was cut off by the thirteen, no, fourteen year old.

          "What's going to happen to me?"

          Sofia's blunt nature was something she'd never quite gotten a handle on. She had been surrounded by brutal honesty her entire life; it was the only way she knew how to approach such unfamiliar territory.

          "Seeing as there is no one readily available to take custody, Officer Bradford has offered to take temporary custody until other arrangements can be made," Zoe answered in a professional manner.

          Sofia simply stared at the woman, almost as if trying to figure her out. The way she'd worded the answer was almost too close to a textbook response. But then the thought occurred to her that they were trying to minimize any potential trauma surrounding the situation. Well, sadly for them, there was already enough trauma rooted in her to start a fucking garden.

          Still, it was nice to know that someone was willing to take custody of her, even if temporary. Plus, it's not like she was planning on sticking around much longer anyways. If she was being honest with herself, she'd been one beating away from snatching up her go-bag and ditching what was left of her childhood. Sure, streetlife wasn't easy, but anything seemed better than what she endured.

          Another thought came to her.

          "Which one of them is Officer Bradford?"

          It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together. Both of the men had slowly relaxed their postures once realizing there was no immediate need for a bad cop. Zoe tilted her head in the direction of the one to her left, my right. He seemed alright enough, a little rough around the edges, but there was almost a recognition in his eyes as he took note of her constant fidgeting.

          She hadn't even realized it yet, but she hadn't once stopped bouncing her leg up and down or tugging down her sweater sleeves or tapping her fingers in the air to a melody long forgotten. He had a basic idea about her. She was already at a disadvantage.

          What she said next surprised the adults in the room.

          "I turned fourteen today."