Soulmate Run

Last Stop

I drove the rest of the way in silence.
The area wasn’t large.
A bus terminal.
A fuel station.
Two clinics.
Four motels.
One cheap lodge.
That was enough to narrow it down.
I slowed as I passed the first motel.
Then kept driving.
Hotels were too expensive.
The bus terminal was too exposed.
The clinics made little sense unless she was injured.
She’d been running since yesterday.
She needed somewhere cheap.
Somewhere she could disappear for a night.
A motel made the most sense.
A few minutes later, I pulled into an empty parking lot.
The company vehicle idled quietly.
I rested both hands on the steering wheel.
Then…
I switched off the engine.
Silence.
I looked ahead through the windshield.
I had no reason to leave the car here.
If anything…
It only made things more complicated.
My fingers found the silver ring on my right index finger.
It turned once.
Just in case.
I didn’t know what that meant.
Only that I couldn’t ignore it.
I stepped out, locked the vehicle and walked toward the roadside.
The next taxi stopped beside me.
“Where to?”
I gave the driver the name of the district.
The journey took only a few minutes.
When I got out…
The search began.
The first motel.
Nothing.
The receptionist hadn’t seen her.
The second.
Nothing.
The third…
The receptionist listened quietly as I described her.
Brown eyes.
Dark hair.
Eighteen.
Travelling alone.
She shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen anyone like that.”
I thanked her and left.
One motel remained.
If this one failed…
I’d have to start the search all over again.
The clinics.
The bus terminal.
Anywhere she could have gone.
There was no reason to hold back anymore.
The reception desk was almost empty.
A young woman looked up from a book as I approached.
“I’m looking for my younger sister.”
She smiled politely.
“I’m sorry, sir. We can’t give out guest information.”
“I understand.”
I slid the photograph across the counter.
“Have you seen her?”
She looked down.
Only for a moment.
Then back at me.
“No.”
The pause had been small.
Almost impossible to notice.
Almost.
I picked the photograph back up.
“She left home this morning after an argument with our parents.”
The receptionist remained silent.
“I’ve been looking for her ever since.”
Still…
Nothing.
“I don’t even care if she’s angry.”
“I just need to know she’s safe.”
Her expression softened slightly.
“But I still can’t tell you if she’s here.”
“Why?”
“Because if I tell the wrong person…”
She stopped herself.
“I could put a guest in danger.”
“You won’t.”
She looked at me carefully.
“How do I know you’re really her brother?”
“You don’t.”
I held her gaze.
“But if she really is here…”
“I’d rather she be angry that I found her…”
“…than spend another night believing she has nobody.”
Silence.
The receptionist looked at the photograph again.
Then at me.
Finally…
She sighed.
“Room twelve.”
“Third floor.”
“Please don’t tell anyone I told you.”
“I won’t.”
I slipped the photograph back into my pocket.
“Thank you.”
I turned and walked away.
The staircase creaked beneath each step.
Second floor.
Third.
The corridor stretched ahead.
Quiet.
Room numbers passed one after another.
Eight.
Ten.
Eleven.
…
Twelve.
I stopped.
This was it.
The wooden door stood silently in front of me.
One hand reached toward it.
Stopped.
Inside…
Aria had just finished putting the empty paper bag into the bin.
The knock echoed through the room.
Once.
She froze.
Another knock.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Nobody knew she was here.
Slowly…
She walked toward the door.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
She stopped with her hand hovering above the handle.
“Who is it?”
Silence.
Outside…
For the first time…
I heard her voice.
Young.
Uneasy.
Human.
My hand slowly moved toward the doorknob.