expire

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The third elevator ride did the trick; my balance, finally, needed no assistance from Solstice to keep me steady...but the handrail did come in useful.

Tine, who had stayed completely silent throughout the journey to my sector, now said;

“Now Ivy, I want you to remember this: floor 16, room 8, sector 24, bi-sector 2. Got that?”

Her beady eyes searched mine expectantly.

Floor 16, room 8....sector 25? or was it 24.....

“Uhh..”

“Good. A week from now, you and I have a scheduled get together; it is mandatory for all newcomers to come visit me, and I need you to remember the way to my office, as Solstice won't be accompanying you,”

I shot a fleeting glance in my Paladin's direction.

“It's only a little progress update – how you've settled in, any questions you have...Then is the time to ask them. We just need to keep track of you, that's all,”

“Oh,”

Then she fell silent, and I felt in no way encouraged to break that silence. Tine's face, despite only a second ago being open and friendly, welcoming even, was now tight, and her eyes glared at the buttons on the lift, as if trying to force the doors open with her stare. I averted my own pupils to my left, where Solstice stood warily, fluid even when still. She met my eyes and sent a beseeching look my way, and I widened them as if to say 'What....the....hell?'

She widened her own back at me, and I bit my lip, but only succeeded in sending shivers through my teeth. My skin was hard as ceramics; there was no way my teeth would break through my glass-like lips. But of course, my teeth would be that way too...

I decided not to test it.

Then the doors slid silently open, and I felt obliged to stay quiet; I did not like this 'new Tine', and got the feeling that if I did something out of line, she would send me to some kind of detention. I swivelled my head around anxiously as we followed Tine through the elevator doors and into what seemed to be an identical maze of white corridors and large blue numbers dotted at random intervals on the walls. There seemed to be no doors accompanying them.

As we rushed past the many identically blue and sterile-white hallways, I concentrated hard on trying to memorize them, but they all looked too similar; maybe focusing on the feel of the floor would help better, as it was a patchwork of the smooth blank floor I had come across in the lobby, glistening white tiles and thick white carpet I could sink my toes into. 'What a strange assortment' I wondered.

A couple of corridors later, Tine stopped abruptly, and indicated for us to stand back, as if she were about to perform a magic trick. The number '24' glowed in a bright but beautiful azure blue hue on the wall behind Tine, and now I recalled her earlier mention of 'sector 24, bi-sector 2'. This must be my new home.

With a slow sweep of her long arms and the click of her glassy fingers (which sounded more like a xylophone tap instead of a 'click'), a large section of the smooth wall slid upwards, and a large, round room was revealed. From where I stood, I could see two doors, one labelled 'bi-sector 1', and the other labelled 'bi-sector 2'. I wondered how many 'sectors' and 'bi-sectors' there were overall...

“Here we are. Sector 24, bi-sectors one and two. From here on out, it'll just be you, your Paladin, and the rest of your assigned group. I will be in my office, should you ever need my assistance. I hope you'll remember to stop by in a week for the progress update. Only when on a task will you be permitted to leave the Kerran campus. I'll see you soon, Ivy.”

And with that, after giving Solstice a slight nod as if to bid her farewell, Tine swept away, her vivid clothing swishing behind her. As she stepped back out through the door, Solstice and I stepped in, and the sudden realisation of everything dawned on me; the room, despite it's wide and spacious size, felt suffocating, and Tine was the only supposed link I had with the 'outside world'. Before she disappeared around the corner, I reached out and grasped a small swatch of the silky fabric draped from her arm, tugging her sleeve until the material creased and became taught. She twisted, too fast for my eyes to catch her, and stared at me, shooting me cold. Her eyes held me fixed in place, and for a moment the words were lost in my throat. Her sharp eyes probed further until my they reappeared.

“B-But there's so much more I don't know...about Kerran...Vierra, what on earth is this...who you ar...”

“There's a lot you don't know about me Ivy.” She said, before she tugged free of my loose grip and marched onward down the corridor, the slick white entrance closing behind her.