Ignite

Chapter Four

The office was big, the biggest building in the Flors-Wols States. It was made of white marble, and was three stories tall. That was all the hollowed out Earth where they lived could hold, otherwise it would be bursting into the surface world.
It was also the only building with windows, as it was tall enough to look out over the underground city.
There were four, circular columns holding up the grand building, and the entire thing was polished and clean.
As the family lumbered up the white shining steps, Lilian's head looked as if it would fall off her neck as she twisted around so much, trying to get everything in view. She wore her white dress and grey tights, the opposite of Sabine's grey dress and white tights. It was the formal uniform of the FW after all, but it certainly cramped Lilian's style. She couldn't run, jump, do cartwheels, or climb in this dress. And the tights were scratchy.
But, it was for Amber, or that's what Kenny told her, so she quit tugging on her tights and started to pay attention - she wanted to tell Amber all about their adventure!

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Okay, so maybe Reye and Kendall weren't completely honest with Lilian, but she was still young. Maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but they did it.
These were the guilty thoughts running through Reye and Kendall's head as they marched up the steps.

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While everyone seemed preoccupied, Sabine was attempting to occupy herself too - she was counting the steps up to the front doors. ...15...16...17...23...36...47...
She wouldn't let herself think about Amber, it was too much too soon. But the the report on T3 said "MISSING OR DEAD" not just dead...
Kendall and Reye clearly had next to no hope of ever finding her, but there was just a part of Sabine that wanted to believe she was still out there.
Sabine shook her head. No. She wouldn't let her mind drift. She and to focus on the task at hand, whatever that was. The T3 had said to come to the Office, but nothing else.
Finally, after 73 steps, the quartet reached the front doors.
The doors weren't really that exciting, just clean-cut steel doors with no handles, so you could only be let in. Kendall walked up confidently to the door, and placed her hand on it. A small green light flashed out from above the door, scanning each of them. Lilian let out a breath.
"Woah," she gasped as the light swept over her.
"SMOLL, KENDALL. PERMITTED." An automated voice spoke out. The doors opened, and Kendall slipped through. Immediately after she walked over the threshold, she turned around like she was trying to say something - but the doors slammed shut.
"SMOLL, REYE. PERMITTED." The voice rang out again. Reye walked through the door, then it shut.
"SMOLL, LILIAN. PERMITTED." Now it was Lilian's turn.
The voice clicked off after that, and only then did Sabine start to worry that she'd been left behind. After ten minutes, with no call in, Sabine walked up to the door. Nothing.
Just as Sabine started back down the steps t go home, the voice spoke again.
"SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING, MS. SABINE KELLY. PERMITTED."
The door opened. Sabine scrambled back up the steps and through the door.
She gasped and covered her mouth from screaming. What she saw was not what she was expecting.