unhinged

This hasn’t really happened to me before. Sonya didn’t seem to be altogether too worried about Chris. Of course it was normal to feel personally anxious she might have gotten involved in a break in. But for someone with so much anxiety and emotion, it didn’t seem like anything else was on her mind about the crime. Emma was full of enough anxiety to want to consider every way a situation was wrong or could go wrong and she knew enough people like her to feel like Sonya was different. It didn’t seem like she knew Joaquin at all either which made wandering into a stranger’s house all the more weird.

In case someone tries to mug me. I thought Norway had a really low crime rate. Emma realizes almost immediately how her words contradicted each other. An optimist would think it was just because Sonya was so caught up in the stressful moment. A pessimist would think it was because she was hiding something. Emilia wasn’t usually an optimist when it didn’t require making someone she cared for feel better. Sonya was a stranger and, in this case, the only suspect she knew.

She strained her faulty hearing, looking behind her at the open door but there was no sound of police sirens nor flashing lights yet. Hadn’t Sonya already called the police? In a town where 911 calls were more or less rare, this came as a surprise to her. Emma looked back at Sonya. She really didn’t want to think of this woman as anything more than an innocent witness. “I don’t know, Sonya… But break ins aren’t too rare, there’s nothing you need to worry about. You’re safe.” She lied, trying to sound reassuring as she made her way over to her. “Is there anyway I can borrow your phone? I left mine in my car and there’s someone in the department I need to call as soon as possible.” She lied three times in a row, hoping she could determine something from the woman’s phone or anything else that came out of her pocket.

But she’d have to be quick grabbing the phone and avoid touching her skin. Already, the stress of the moment was sending more and more tingles of electricity underneath her skin. It took all her willpower and control to remain calm coming closer to Sonya.

"Maybe you should call your friend, Chris, to let him know that his house has been broken into,” Sonya said. Maybe that would draw him back in. She was really itching to kill someone now. She didn’t like all the prying questions that Emilia had, but Sonya couldn’t say anything or she’d blow her cover. Although, her excuses and lies may be exposed any minute now. Sonya was good at lying and acting. It was basically second nature for her, but sometimes, brute force was a better tool. 

As Emilia continued to talk, Sonya walked around, now circling the blonde woman, almost like a lion going after their prey. Emilia wasn’t a dense woman. She was a forensic scientist and surely had the skills and brain that got her that job. She didn’t fall into it by accident. But Sonya had the skills and brain too. It was about to turn into a game of cat and mouse. “Yes, here’s my phone,” she said, tossing Emilia over her burner phone that was just about to die. She wasn’t entirely sure what Emma was about to do, but she was sure that the woman would be checking to see if she called the police or call the police herself and report that something was off. 

By now, the cops would have shown up, but they hadn’t since Sonya never called them. As Emilia was preoccupied with the phone, Sonya sighed and took out her gun. She held it up to Emilia and waited for her to pay attention to her. “I really didn’t want to have to kill anyone today. The blood is just so tedious to clean up,” she said in an exasperated voice. She scratched her forehead and adjusted her aim. “So, two quick questions...what color is your blood? And where is your friend ‘Chris?’ He’s really the person that I’m here for.”

Emilia tried to think like a cop, which wasn’t all too easy. The things they had to do at crime scenes weren’t too bad but when it came to protocol and dealing with people, she wasn’t all too good at it. After a moment of hesitation and trying to separate her fear and worry for Joaquin with what she had to do, Emma spoke again. “What’s your name? Full name?” She asked before turning to the door. “I’m Emilia Freygard, I work with the police. Forensics…” She trailed off, distracted as she inspected the door’s keyhole. Crime scenes - now those were her thing. There was a tiny bit of exposed metal around the key hole. Experience told her there was a high possibility the lock had been picked because marks like the ones she saw were finer. Keys didn’t often do that. Whoever did this one clearly had skill because the ones she usually saw were far messier and more obvious. The woman had mentioned hearing someone and she doubted it’d been Joaquin.

“It’s good you called the police,” she concluded, straightening back up and glancing back to the woman. “It’ll be okay.” Emma mustered up a smile she hoped was encouraging. She looked afraid and anxious but the more-or-less proof Emma had that this was a crime scene awakened the more cautious part of her. If she was going to treat this as a non-bias law enforcement official would and not as a concerned scientist, she had to consider her a suspect. Habit had Emma glancing down at her hands. As expected, the stranger wasn’t holding anything and there was no obvious trace of chips of metal coating or anything from where she could see. The woman said she was on a walk… “Do you have your… purse or bag?” She tried to question her as casually as possible.

"M-Me? My name?” Sonya blinked a few times and then nodded. “Sonya. Sonya Falkenrath. I just moved here like a couple of months ago.” She put her hands to her head and a few tears rolled down her cheek. “I’m sorry I’m freaking out...I just...This hasn’t really happened to me before.” She took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair. “Emilia Freygard? Forensics?” She internalized the information, telling herself that she needs to take special care. Emilia was trained to look at the details that others would miss. There was no room for mistakes. 

She nodded as Emilia reassured her that everything would be okay. Sonya tilted her head to the side as she watched the blonde woman staring down at her hands. “I don’t have a bag. I don’t like carrying anything with me when I go on walks in case someone tries to mug me. I-I carry a wallet, but like one of those thin clips that holds your ID and a few bills that men usually have. I thought that Norway had a really low crime rate. Do you think it’s the same person who killed Deborah Edwards?”

Emilia’s head shot up to the staircase where her eyes widened at the sight of the stranger. Joaquin did not seem like the sleeping around type. The surprise of seeing a woman she didn’t know and the adrenaline still in her veins had her pulse racing and her skin tingling with electricity, though unseen. Emma’s voice faltered for a moment, even after she finished listening to the stranger’s fearful  ramblings. The idea some random person off the street went in Joaquin’s house was not strange to her just yet - worry was flooding through her.

“W-Wait, hold on,” she stammered, taking two steps forwards and then hesitating. No need to freak her out anymore. “The door was open? Did you see anyone here? A man?” She scanned the foyer and then rushed into the next room. “J-Chris?! Chris?!” She could hear her frantic heartbeat pulsing in her ears as she ran back to where the stranger was. 

“He’s my friend,” she explained breathlessly. “And he might be in trouble.” Emma paused, catching her breath and trying to speak calmly. “My name’s Emma. I need you to tell me everything you saw when you decided to come in.”

Sonya wiped her face as tears started to well up from all the “stress” and “fear” that she was exhibiting. “Y-Yes, the door was open. I thought I saw a light on, but when I came in, there was nothing. I-I thought I heard someone in the back bedroom, but no one’s there. I think they went out the back or something by the time I got into the bedroom,” she said frantically. She started breathing heavily and ran her hands through her hair. 

“H-He’s your friend? This Chris guy?” Sonya was curious to know if she meant friend or something more. Joaquin seemed pretty friendly with the woman with little Mateo at the movie screening. Of course, that was a different kind of friendly. “S-Should we do something? I mean I called the cops but is there something else we should be doing? W-Where’s your friend? Is he in trouble? Is someone coming after him?” She walked over to get closer to Emilia. She stayed close by, continuing to play the part of scared and anxious. “Are we safe here? M-Maybe we should leave and let the cops do their thing when they get here.”

“Okay, so. You’re not answering your phone which is really, really worrying and annoying me so… I’m going to your house. In fact, I just got here,” Emma spoke into the phone, distracted as she turned off the car engine and grabbed her bag. “I was at the school and I heard something about this new kid who has your son’s name. So I looked into it… They’re here. I don’t know, maybe you already know this,” she rambled, almost breathless as she walked around her parked car. “Sofia and Mateo, right? Well someone just went missing and they were a custodian at the school so I’m pretty sure whoever is after Silvers has eyes everywhere. We need to talk right-” The phone beeped, signaling the end of the voice message. Emma huffed out in frustration and walked to the door of his house as she pocketed the phone. 

She was about to knock when she realized the door was already slightly ajar. The sight made her freeze. Her hand slowly fell back down to her sides as her heart beat accelerated. Doors left open were never good things - especially not when it was the home of smart, former law enforcement that knew better. Especially one that was a Silver aware of danger. The smart thing for her to do would have been to call for the police, or at least help. Emma knew that. But she also knew there was no one else but Joaquin who knew as much as she did about what was happening, nor that she could trust. So with a surge of determination and courage, she slowly nudged open the door and walked in. “… Chris?” In case of worst case scenario, she decided to call out with his alias.

Sonya was in Joaquin’s bedroom when she heard someone calling out for a man named...Chris? She furrowed her eyebrows, irritated by the fact that someone was coming in and about to ruin all the fun. “I really didn’t want to have to kill someone today...but if I have to,” she said to herself. She was a little tired of cleaning the blood off herself and having to find new clothes. Still, the pleasure of killing people was far greater than the tiresome chore of cleaning up. She pulled out her gun, took off the safety and peeked out the door of Joaquin’s bedroom. The home was small, which meant it was wide open and easy for her to look around and spot a blonde woman walking in. Unfortunately, the house was small, which meant it was hard to hide.

Sonya waited a while and then saw that the woman was unarmed. Even in the dim light, she recognized her as a member of the police force. Although, she was a scientist, not a real cop with a badge. She waited, then decided on another plan. Sonya put her gun away, hiding it under her shirt, and came out with her hands up. “Please don’t shoot! I was just checking to see if anyone was hurt inside,” she said. “I-I saw that the door was open and I got worried. W-Who are you? Do you live here? I-Is Chris your husband? I’m so sorry that I just walked in. I-I called the cops j-just in case.”

Sonya had spent weeks finding out as much as she could about the Silvers in this town. With some work, she’d been able to find some and with some more work, those Silvers disappeared without a trace. Weeks ago, she’d encountered a small child named Mateo. When she returned the child to his mother and another man who was presumably his father judging by the similar facial features, she thought that the man looked familiar. Sonya had heard of the man, Joaquin, and that he was a Silver who was supposed to be dead. His rare abilities would really be something to study. Sonya waited until Joaquin left his apartment before going up to the door and picking the lock. She glanced around before entering slowly and quietly. 

Considering she was still establishing herself as a personal trainer in Kingsholm, her schedule was rather empty. As a result, she spent most of her shifts at the front desk of the gym. She was glad she was attached to the gym and thus wasn’t dependent on specific paying clients to earn a living. Besides, it was fun to help the beginning gym-goer who was still learning the ropes but wasn’t quite prepared to pay for frequent personal training sessions. 

When someone approached the desk, she looked up and offered them a polite smile. “Welcome to Run The World. How can I help you today?” The standard phrasing was a remnant from her days of working in LA. Where they’d found it very necessary for her to announce the name of the gym whenever welcoming any guests or clients. 

Sonya smiled when she saw Sofia Vasquez at the front desk of the gym. She remembered weeks ago when she found the woman’s son who had wandered too far away. Sonya stole the child away for a while until she steered the kid in the direction of his mother and presumably his father. The similar appearance told her that the man was the kid’s father, but the man disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Sonya stayed in the shadows, avoiding the woman and telling the child not to say a word. Six year olds were easy to persuade.

“Hmmm...” Sonya looked up at the signs that were all around the place. A lot about getting ready for the holidays and losing that stubborn winter and holiday weight. There were even a few signs about getting ready for summer already. “You are a personal trainer, yes?” She smiled at Sofia. “What are your rates and what kind of exercises do you do for your workouts? I’m looking for a way to burn off some energy and I need someone to give me a swift kick to get into gear or I won’t do it myself.”

           “Maybe not everywhere, but in my bakery it is. Especially during autumn,” she explained with a shrug of her shoulders, a smile blooming on her lips at the question of icing. “Yes! It’s buttercream. I almost always use that,” she explained with a nod, yet the smile faltered again at the other’s words. “Yeah… right. That’s not very nice to say, you know?”

"You own a bakery? You look like you are still in high school...like a child,” Sonya said as she bit into the cupcake. She licked some of the icing off her fingers as she tried it again. “I think that I prefer a whipped icing,” she added. “Something lighter than this.” When Frida said that she wasn’t being nice, Sonya looked up from the cupcake and into Frida’s eyes. “Are you trying to lecture me on what’s nice to say and what is not? I got that lecture plenty of times as a child. It’s safe to say that I know what is nice and what is not but I genuinely do not care about those things.”