Later that evening there is a knock on the door. It is a runner. I step outside and close the door quietly behind us. We don't get messages very often and when we do, they are rarely good news.
"Ebon Callie?" he asks.
"I'm Ebony Carlile," I inform him.
"Did you apply for the job at the Shard?"
I nod.
"Close enough. I have been told to pass on that you have been accepted for an interview tomorrow morning at the Glass Shard at 1000. Congratulations." He is deadpan.
In contrast, my heart does summersaults.
I watch as he runs off into the distance to deliver his other messages.
For a second I feel excited, but then my heart drops back into its rut. I haven't even had time to process the fact that I missed out on the job, and now I have an interview? It has been a turbulent day.
I step back into the hut to the surley faces of my siblings. The thin walls of the shack did nothing to quieten the conversation held outside.
"So, I guess you're going for real then," Kayla asks.
A lump sits in my throat. I don't have any words. So I nod.
The second goodbye is no easier than the first, in fact, if anything it is harder. We now know what to expect being apart from one another, and honestly, it sucks. I also only have the evening to mentally prepare. Annie clings to my leg in desperation. Even Jason doesn't look too pleased about it.
I kiss Adam on his clammy forehead barely visible above the duvet and tousle Annie's hair on the way out.
"You never know," I say as I step back out onto the street, "I could be back this afternoon."
With a final wave, I start back up the familiar path to the shard. The half-hour walk goes quickly as I weave in and out of the river of humans.
I don't pause when I get to the shard's base platform I walk confidently towards the doors which slide away releasing a blast of cool air. Only once I am inside, I stop with my bare feet against the cool, hard tiles. I take a moment to adjust before making my way over to the reception.
A young lady sits behind it with her short dark hair slicked down and tucked behind her ears.
I clear my throat quietly. She glances up and her eyes widen in shock as she takes me in. I do my best to appear unphased by her obvious surprise at my appearance.
"I am here-" I start.
"-for the interview, yes I figured." She cuts me off.
She checks something on the screen in front of her.
"Name?" she asks.
"Ebony Carlile."
"Ebon?" She asks me.
"My name is Ebony."
The lady swipes through the screen in front of her.
"No, no, that's not right," she tuts, "we are definitely waiting for an Ebon. Ebon Callie."
I let out my breath. "I am Ebony Carlile." I say, uncertain now.
What if they sent the message to the wrong person. Runners are notoriously terrible at getting the right customer. I should know. It is difficult to find people in Harlem.
What if this opportunity was never mine to begin with. The lady continues to flick through the screen shaking her head.
A door on the far side of the room opens. I didn't notice it before. It is on the opposite side from the corridor.
YOU ARE READING
A Shard of Glass
FantasiaIf you were lucky, you were born in Darlington. When the great city walls finally gave way to the rising water, the people moved up. Their houses, now partially submerged became islands of salvation from which a new society was born. If you were n...
