Saphora vol.1 Retention

by Jaz Johnson

 

  “Hello?” Fran answered on the second ring of her cellphone.

  “Hi, Fran. It’s Dr. Lupin. How are you?”

  “Oh, doctor. I’m fine, thank you. Just preparing for this exhibit, haha. How are you?”

  “Well, I’m a little concerned, to be honest, Fran,” he answered, looking up at Officer Johnson, who was in front of him, leaning back on the desk in her office. They had been speaking about Saphora. Fran grew silent, for a moment.

  “About what, doctor?”

  “About Saphora.”

  “Saphora? Didn’t she come to your session this morning?” Fran asked with concern.

  “Yes … But she cut it short. I had left the office to handle a visitor that had shown up in the lobby, and when I returned she was gone.”

  “Gone? Gone where?”

  “Well I don’t know. But there’s something more discerning than the fact that she left.”

  “Like?”

  “Well … Although I don’t have any proof to hold her to it, I believe she burned all of her notes. There’s nothing left of her files but ashes, I’m afraid.”

  “What? Saphora would never-“

  “Well, Fran. She had the motive. You were with us the other day during our conversation. She wanted her files. Who’s to say that she wasn’t willing to destroy them if she couldn’t have them?” Lupin proposed. Fran shook her head in silence.

  “N-No, doctor. She wouldn’t do that,” Fran argued, tired of just throwing Saphora’s morals to the wayside. Lupin sighed, pushing up his glasses.

  “But what if she did, Fran? She was the only one that was in my office from the time I left, to the time I returned. The security cameras can vouch for that.”

  “Can they vouch for her setting the files on fire?” Lupin hesitated.

  “Fran, I know you’re concerned for Saphora. And another situation like this does not put her in favor of the law. But I need you to listen to me.” Lupin paused, looking up at Johnson. She nodded. “You may want to consider sending Saphora to a mental institution for evaluation.”

  Fran’s mouth dropped at the suggestion. She even moved away from her phone so she could look at it in disbelief. A mental institution? Surely he had to be exaggerating. Saphora could not be that far over the psychiatric edge.

  “Institution?” Fran choked, bringing the phone back to her ear. “Doctor, surely you must be joking.”

  “I’m not, Fran. I need you to consider this carefully and-“

  “No, doctor. I’m not sending my child to a mental institution when there’s nothing wrong with her. And if you didn’t treat her like you have been, maybe she wouldn’t be so hostile towards you,” Fran spat. Lupin paused on the other end of the phone for a moment before speaking again.

  “Well, Fran. If you feel the need to change your mind before the state does, give me a call,” he offered. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  Lupin hung up the phone with a sigh, placing the phone back into his pocket as he looked up at Johnson, who had her arms crossed.

  “Well?” she asked. Lupin shook his head.

  “She doesn’t want to put her in an institution,” Lupin said, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands.

  “I thought she would listen to you,” Johnson argued. Lupin shrugged.

  “I suppose there is only so much one will go through before a motherly defense kicks in,” he said with a chuckle. Johnson grumbled.

  “We need that time to stall, Lupin,” Johnson reminded him. Lupin nodded, dismissing the concern.

  “Oh, I’m sure that Saphora will convince Fran on her own that she needs to be admitted. It’s only a matter of time,” Lupin reassured.

  “How much time?”

  “I give it a few days. If anything, if it takes too long, we can take it upon ourselves to declare her unsuitable for society. Whether Fran likes it or not.”

  “If it’s true … If it’s not just some mutation in her genes. Do you think she’ll come quietly when we go to take her?” Johnson asked.

  “Drug her before taking her.”

  Johnson sighed, looking off to the side, shaking her head.

  “I can’t believe this is happening under my watch. An alien? Aliens? This has got to be some sort of joke. Maybe the results came back wrong. Maybe Glover is just in trauma,” Johnson said, trying to reason with herself. Lupin shook her head.

  “Science doesn’t lie, Officer. We have to turn it in.”

  “But what about Fran? I mean, just ripping her away from her like that? She raised that girl. How is she going to react when we take her?” Lupin shrugged.

  “She may not be as surprised as you think.” Johnson’s brows furrowed as she studied the knowing look on Lupin’s face.

  “What, you think she knows?”

  “I mean, let’s be realistic. Raising her from however young she was. Surely she had to know something was different about her. Her features for one thing.”

  “But why wouldn’t she tell anyone?”

  “Well, I don’t think she knows she may be an alien, per say. But even giving up small information about Saphora. She was, and is, for all intents and purposes, her mother. No mother is going to risk losing her child,” Lupin explained. Johnson sighed, crossing her arms again.

  “And what about the second set of prints we found? They’re wacky too. Is there really a Tebias?” Lupin nodded.

  “Why did you tell us her story was false? That she was mentally unstable?” Lupin pushed up his glasses.

  “I was protecting my client. And I didn’t know at the time if my assumptions were correct. I had wanted to get skin test done of her back, but wasn’t able to. But now that you have gotten results, I don’t need to. I know I’m right.”

  “So what now?”

  “The government takes her, interrogates her. Find out if she’s a threat to the planet. They may even attempt to visit hers.”

  “And what happens if they do?” Lupin smiled.

  “Then we could be the first to visit another planet with life,” he said, standing up from his seat. “This could be the single greatest accomplishment of our time.”