Page 45 of Elas

Instead, I smile and say, “Of course. I’ll see you later, okay?” His expression tells me he doesn’t believe me, but discussing this further is impossible right now. It’s not the place, and neither of us has the time.

He sighs, glancing at the clock and determining the same thing. “I’ll be here to get you at the normal time. Be careful.” There’s a pointed emphasis on the word, and I nod in understanding. Clipped footsteps echo through the hall, and Elas turns towards the exit, though I notice he’s walking much slower than normal.

“Ahh, Mr. Beckett,” Chief Aeliphis says as she rounds the corner. “Are you on target to finish the file room today?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I answer, and I’m baffled as she simply nods and continues to her office. Confused, I look behindme and meet Elas’s gaze as he glances over his shoulder. He questions me with his eyes, but I shake my head.

I have no clue what just happened… or didn’t happen.

Whatever weirdness was in the air yesterday has dissipated, and everything is uncomfortably normal. Elas’s giant frame hesitates before he disappears outside, and I walk towards the file room. Few people are in this early, and I only pass a couple of medics in the hallway. They nod politely or say ‘good morning,’ and by the time I close the door behind me, I’m almost convinced I imagined everything yesterday.

Hours tick by, and though I remain on edge, my guard eventually drops. The monotony of the work calms me, and I get lost in my head, daydreaming about nothing in particular. A sense of accomplishment fills me with pride as I push the last file into place. Even though they’ve pulled me from patient care, this proves that I can still make a difference.

Conversation in the hallway draws my attention away from my project. “This is the room, ma’am?” an unfamiliar deep voice asks, and Chief Aeliphis grunts her agreement.

“Leadership has decided these files are too much of a liability here. They are to be transported back to Ljómur.” I suck in a sharp breath and walk on silent feet to the door.

“The commander knows to expect these?”

“The commander is the one who authorized the transfer,” she says, her voice laced with an unspoken threat for questioning her orders.

“Understood, ma’am.” Hinges squeak as a door is opened, and someone releases a low whistle. “This willtake several trips. We were only given a van for transport, and this is more than we were expecting.”

“You can make the drive in a day,” she barks. “I won’t tolerate any slacking to drag this out longer.”

Hesitation coats the man’s words as they crawl out, uncertain. “Yes, ma’am, the drive takes a day, but there’s the return trip to consider. And… sleep,” he adds feebly, his voice trickling off to a murmur.

“Sleep?” The Chief uses her disappointed tone—the one that’s low and growly, and makes you feel insignificant. “There are two of you. Sleep in the fucking van.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says in a rush.

“How many trips will this take?”

There’s a moment of quiet where I can only hear the thudding of my heart before he finally answers, “Three, ma’am. We should be able to do it in three.”

“Make it happen. I want this room cleared by the end of next week.” I lunge away from my spot at the door as she walks in my direction, but she bypasses this room and continues on her way.

“Gods, she is fucking terrifying.” A different voice grunts in agreement, followed by a series of sighs and the shuffle of feet. “Come on, then. Let’s get these boxes loaded.” For several long minutes, the only sound is muffled movement and the shuffling of paper mixed with muttered complaints that are nothing more than a hum from here.

“You’ve got that one?” Another grunt. “Alright, these need to be loaded.” The receding footsteps disappear, and I creep back to the door, the wood warm against my ear as I listen. When it’s silent, I twist the knob and push into anempty hallway. The door to the room of files is pulled, but a thin border of light illuminates its outline.

It isn’t shut.

Indecision locks my legs in place for too long, and the gruff voice and clopping footsteps return. I busy myself with work, and within an hour, the process repeats itself. The workers load boxes and carry them away.

This time, I don’t wait. As soon as they round the corner, I step into the hallway. My whole body trembles as I take a few lengthy, quiet strides towards that open doorway. Drumming, deafening thuds of my heart fill my ears as I get closer, the thirty feet suddenly like a mile.

“August!” I jump straight off the ground and spin, clutching my chest as Xeni grins at me. He’s clueless. I nearly died of a heart attack, and he was this close to digging my grave. “Scared you, did I?”

“Sorry, sorry, I was just…” I glance around and wave vaguely. “Bathroom.”

His lips twitch. “All that time alone in your little room making you skittish?”

I force my face to relax into a smile. “Must be. I’ve gotten so used to being by myself, I forgot what it was like to hear your incessant talking all day.”

“Ouch,” he laughs, clutching his chest and playfully staggering forward. “Right in the heart, August. Right in the fucking heart.”

Voices echo through the halls, and I try not to let my disappointment show. “Well,” I say with a touch of awkwardness as I hike my thumb over my shoulder. “I gotta…”

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