"Alright then," Sara stood up from her seat. "Tomorrow."
Then she heard the knock on the door. All of their eyes quickly followed the sound.
"Come in," Simon responded.
The door opened slowly. Sarla was standing there, calming herself down. Her eyes quickly wandered inside as she stepped in. Sara was standing, Julian was also about to leave, and Simon sat calmly. All of their eyes were on her.
"Hey?" She said nervously.
"Sarla," Sara said as she moved towards her. "Haven't seen you for ages." She hugged her gently.
"Yeah, well," Sarla said, lost for a second.
Sara leaned back from the embrace and asked, "So what's up, coming this late?"
"Yeah," Sarla said slowly. "I have something to—"
"Wait a second," Sara said, halting her sentence. Sara's gaze dropped low, looking at her stomach. "Isn't your... Uh. Did you..." She tried hard to find the correct words.
Sarla understood quickly. She gave a soft smile to Sara, her hands gently grabbing Sara's hands. "Yes. She's already been born."
"What?" Sara realized she was overreacting but still... "Why didn't you inform us? When was your delivery?"
Sarla breathed out once, her eyes looked past Sara. Simon and Julian were calmly listening to their chatter, smiling faintly after hearing the news.
"Five days ago. I tried to contact you guys, but someone told me that you were busy with something, so I thought this could wait."
"Yeah, we were kinda busy," Sara mumbled, "but we had enough time to visit you, right?" She glanced back at Julian and Simon.
"Yeah, obviously," Julian agreed heavily. "We're talking about new life."
"See?" Sara said, chuckling faintly.
"Yeah, my bad."
"Anyway, where is she?" Sara asked, looking past Sarla. "With her father or something?"
"She is outside," Sarla said, glancing back a little. "She started crying non-stop all of a sudden. Then I found Paul on the way, and left her with him."
"I see," Sara replied faintly. Then— "Wait, what? You sure he can handle her?"
"Yeah," Sarla replied calmly. "She seems to like him."
"Whatever," Sara scoffed. "Oh, what did you want to talk about again?"
Sarla's eyes wandered to Simon. "I've something to talk about with Simon. Personally."
Sara glanced back at Simon quickly. For a moment, she waited. Simon nodded slightly, and she let go of Sarla's hands. "Alright then. I'll catch up with you later."
"Yeah."
She walked past Sarla. Julian also stood quickly, giving Sarla a faint grin, as he walked past her. Sara watched Sarla's back for a moment. Her shoulders were tight. Her fingers were trembling.
The door closed with a soft thud.
Sarla took slow steps forward and sat down across from Simon. Her breathing was slightly rough, and her eyes looked up at him, but fell down quickly. She didn't know how to start the conversation.
Simon said calmly, his voice carrying the same caring tone. "You sure you should be moving already?"
"No—I'm fine," She replied quickly.
"I can see that," Simon nodded once. "But it looks like you are in a hurry."
"Yeah..." She said faintly. Her ribs twitched for no reason, her lips moving, but no words coming out that she wanted to say.
"What did you want to talk about, Sarla?" Simon asked, his voice soft and gentle.
"I..." she hesitated, her eyes searching for answers in her trembling hands. "We... we are leaving the island tomorrow morning. Johnson and my daughter."
She swallowed and looked up at Simon's face. Still. She continued, "Johnson is shifting to Zester. He had already received the news a week ago but held it off until my delivery. I thought about it for days, and I think... It's best for her. We should shift to some new environment and start again."
Simon considered her words carefully. "If that's what makes you feel safe and happy, then I'm not going to stop you."
"Thanks," She said faintly.
"Yeah, but be careful. A different place doesn't mean safety. I'll do what I can. But after that..." He looked at her with steady eyes. "You'll have to do it yourself."
"Yeah. I know."
Simon gave an assured smile at her. "You don't have to be so tense. Starting again takes so much, and your daughter is giving that chance to you. You should be thankful."
"I am." Her voice was fading.
"Have you decided on a name for her?" Simon asked casually. "I know she'll be happy if you—"
"You should decide," Sarla cut him off mid-sentence, quickly realizing that she had said it louder than she intended. Her hands trembled more, and her shoulders dropped low. She repeated again, "You should decide."
"Me?" Simon asked, a little shocked, but he knew where this was coming from.
"Yeah, you," Sarla said as her eyes lifted up to him. They were red, filled with tears. She wasn't asking him. She was begging him. But why?
"You know why," She spoke up. "Everything I am today. Everything I have. The reason I'm still breathing is because of you. The reason she was able to be born is because of you."
Simon didn't answer.
"I'm very grateful to you," she hesitated. "To the High Table. To everyone. But... But now I want a way out." She stopped for a breath, then: "From everything."
She clasped her hands together as tears streamed down his cheeks. She repeated, her breath ragged, "I'm... I'm sorry. I know what I'm asking is too much, but still... I want it."
She slowly rose from the seat, her body trembling from fear or guilt—she couldn't tell. "Please..."
Simon stood up quickly and walked over to her. He gazed at her trembling figure before wrapping her in a gentle embrace. She didn't resist; it felt as though she needed this. Her face pressed against his warm chest, and she broke down again. "I'm sorry, Simon. I'm sorry. Please... forgive me."
"Yeah, I heard you clearly." He gently brushed her hair.
Sarla seemed to calm down after that. "I don't want her to grow up in this world, like the rest of us. I want her to live a normal life," she whispered.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I'll talk with the higher-ups if needed. No one will ever touch your family."
"You promise?" She looked up, barely able to make out his face from how close she was.
"I... promise."
She hugged him back tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"But I can't guarantee everything," Simon added. "You also have to stay sharp."
"Yeah, I will," she said firmly. Her body began to feel lighter again, as if all her weight was finally lifting. "I must seem like a helpless child to you right now, don't I?"
"You are strong," Simon said softly as he started to release her from his embrace.
Sarla, sensing that, quickly pulled him closer. "You haven't told me what name you've decided on for her."
Simon didn't answer quickly; things like this always took time, even for him. Sarla looked up at him with anticipation.
Simon finally glanced down at her, a soft, almost too gentle smile on his face. Bringing his face closer to her ear, he softly said the name:
"Mia."
...
"It's already this late..." Julian said lazily as he checked the time on his phone.
"Yeah," Sara answered with the same energy.
"Are you going to head home, or wait for Sarla?" Julian asked, his eyes wandering over the walls.
"I'll wait," she answered. "What about you?"
"I'll head to the hospital," Julian said casually. "You know how it goes."
"Yeah, see you..." Her words faded at the end when she saw him.
Paul.
He was sitting slumped against the wall on the waiting seat, his head hung low, his face overshadowed by his hair, and in his trembling hands rested a newborn.
Sarla's daughter.
Sara's steps came to an abrupt halt, then Julian asked the most obvious question:
"What's up with him?"
Julian's steps slowed a little. Sara saw Paul's lips moving slowly, and she walked forward, at the same slow pace as Julian. Their boots made no sound; the only audible sound was their low breathing.
They walked closer, slowly but steadily, then heard the light murmur. Sara stopped first, her hands quickly reaching Julian's shoulder.
Confused, he turned quickly, and saw Sara tilted her head left and right—he knew what that meant:
"Don't."
In his hands lay something precious and fragile. No, calling it "something" didn't sound right, because it was real, breathing. Paul could see it clearly. The purest form any living being could achieve, rested on his trembling hands.
He breathed out roughly.
One day, the rot of this world, which no one can escape, not even him, will reach her. He was already corrupted, rotten. His fingers twitched from the fear that he would be the one to stain her.
The baby saw his trembling, and her small fingers reached his face. She brushed it slowly.
"Bwa."
He didn't know what she meant by that, or he just didn't want to understand. His lips twitched slightly, then tears trickled from his eyes, running down his cheeks and landing on her face. She blinked once.
"I'm sorry..." The words barely escaped his mouth.
Her hands quickly grabbed his hair, pulling him closer. She wanted something from him, but…
"I can't..." he answered. "I can't save you,"
the way he couldn't save himself.
The only things that existed in this world were pain, suffering, and inescapable tragedy.
"Why?" he asked softly. "Tell me why? Why are human beings born when they all just suffer."
Like him. Like you. Like everyone else.