The Vanishing Complex

Chapter 6

Sofia was taken through the double doors into the gymnasium where the school counselor, and the principal were waiting. Falconers lined the exits, tranquilizer guns taught against their chests. The Falconer guiding Sofia, stopped her in front of a pair of men wearing white coats. Name tags hung from their breast pockets reading Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Simmons. 

COS armbands were snug against their lab coats. The Falconer stopped, releasing his hold on Sofia's soldier.

She met the eyes of the doctors, thrown aback by the kindness in their expressions. They smiled at her as Ponytail was led into the gym. Redness and puffiness distorted her face. Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Simmons offered sorry looks as the Falconer stopped Ponytail in front of her.

Dr. Gonzalez reached down, cupping Pontyail's chin. She greeted her warmly and stroked the top of her head, smoothing some of the frizzed hair.

The Falconers stepped back, allowing the doctors to softly speak to Ponytail. Sofia couldn't make out their words, but after a few long minutes they looked up at Sofia and left Ponytail behind them. Sofia backed away, right into the chest of a Falconer. The metal of his gun was cold against the skin of her neck

Dr. Simmons reached her first and extended his hand out to shake hers.

"This will be short. We have audio recording from the restroom where Eleanor Warren said she feels she's being pushed to the edge. Is that correct?" he asked.

Sofia looked around him to Eleanor. Ponytail had a name, and it was Eleanor Warren. She appeared smaller than before, much more broken than she had in the restroom.

"If you have the audio recording, then you don't need me to confirm." Sofia said.

The tone in her voice wavered, but she hoped Dr. Simmons hadn't noticed.

"Is that correct?" he repeated.

The friendliness in his eyes remained, but the focus of his attention made Sofia grow uncomfortable. With each second that ticked by, his intention was clear. He wanted Sofia to say yes, and she would say yes. Saving Eleanor would be the right thing to do, but she wouldn't be able to save everyone from the outside.

Sofia squeezed her eyes shut, reaching down deep into the darkest crevices of her memories. That's where she'd hidden her pain, had locked it away to keep it from drowning her in sorrow. She symbolically unlocked the door and it all flooded up, rising the to the top, surfacing with a vengeance she felt spreading through her stomach and into her chest.

Her eyes burned and ached as tears sprouted at the corners of her eyes. She opened them, landing on Dr. Simmons. A tremor wracked through her body as she opened her mouth to speak.

"They're horrible people, pushing her to the edge."

Tears leaked down in thin rivers that traversed her face onto her neck. Dr. Simmons watched her dissolve in front of him.

"Look at her, she's being broken down every single day and no one does anything! Why isn't this being fixed?"

Dr. Gonzalez walked over, exchanging a look with Dr. Simmons.

"It seems you have a personal connection to all of this. How do you know Miss Warren?" Dr. Gonzalez asked.

"I've just met her today, but I've seen what it does to people like her. How this school allows this is beyond me, and now you're going to take her away, when you should be treating those bullies!"

The doctors glanced back at the school counselor and nodded. They turned back, giving their attention to the Falconers behind Sofia.

"It seems she is having an emotional outburst." Dr. Gonzalez said.