The Pairings by Ramona Finn

Author:Ramona Finn [Finn, Ramona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Since Sarah had kept us waiting so long, we were going to miss our opportunity to blend into the end of the workday crush if we didn’t act soon.

“Are you with me?” I asked Syeth.

“Lead the way,” he said with that devilish grin. Sarah had been right about our ability to work together. Too bad there were so many barriers between us—Jarid being the biggest of all.

For once, though, I wasn’t chasing Syeth down a street or through a warehouse. This was my mission now, and I was going to prove to everyone that I was a valuable member of the team for more than my memory.

“We need to figure out how to get to the offices,” I said to Syeth.

“We could start there.” The public area of the viewing platform led to an interior café. Various people in suits milled around the space. There had to be a way for them to get up there without taking the main elevator for visitors. At least, I hoped so.

As if it were torn from the pages of a history book, the inside of the café was lined with wood paneling, and the glass displays held ceramic dishes printed with hand-painted flowers and intricate scenes. The old-fashioned look extended around the Level One areas; it was a new trend. The money that had gone into these places made my lip curl. It seemed like a waste when there were others, like the teen boy, living in rough environments while we took our past and relived it at enormous expense.

Syeth and I passed under a scanner when we entered, and I noticed that several kiosks stood in the corner of the room. Visitors from young to old stood in line to check out the mods. Syeth and I sat at the table closest to the stand where several workers in navy uniforms served patrons.

At the back of the room, there was an elevator with a placard reading STAFF ONLY in letters etched against the metal. An ID scanner blinked outside of it. Since our IDs were useless in this building, I guessed there had to be another way inside.

A few seconds after we sat down, a guy appeared from behind the stand, wheeling a cart toward the locked hallway behind the café. He scanned his ID at the door, and it clicked open.

“I have an idea,” I said, shoving away from our table. There was no way we could get into the elevator, so the hallway seemed like the next best option.

Syeth stood up behind me as I hurried to the attendant before he disappeared.

“Excuse me,” I said in the most innocent voice I could muster.

The attendant turned around and glanced between Syeth and me. The cart propped the door open. “The ordering line is over there.”

“I know,” I said, smiling. “I wanted to know if you had an order for Office 1134?”

The attendant glanced at his tablet, scrolling through the orders. “I don’t see one.”

“Shoot. I guess it never made it to you.

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