‘That’s it,’ the woman said as she busied herself slotting all the relevant paperwork into various sections of the folder that was rapidly filling up.
It had taken three hours in the end. The final medical assessment had at least been swift – a strip down and a check over for bite or syringe marks. She’d explained the cut on her hand. By that point, she wasn’t even sure she cared if they questioned it further. But common sense had prevailed on their part that she wasn’t going to do anything stupid days before she got out. And, at the end of the day, they still needed their quota filled.
The rest of the time had been spent on filling in forms and going through checklists of protocols and systems. She’d spent most of the time merely nodding her head, most of it going over the top of it, her mind still fixed on the events of the night.
Harry had got her there with ten minutes to spare. Ten minutes for her to find the strength of resolve to continue.
‘You’ll be OK,’ Harry had said, reaching for her hand and squeezing.
She’d met his gaze and squeezed back. She hadn’t been so sure. The numbness was still rife – not just at losing Nate but the prospect of moving on from everyone else she cared about too.
‘I know it feels strange,’ he’d added. ‘But you know where we are. It’s not the other side of the world although I know it feels like it at the moment.’
‘I’m not sure I want to go,’ she’d said. ‘It doesn’t feel right. Why do I feel like he’s not gone, Harry? Why do I feel like he’s still alive?’
Harry’s eyes had been laden with empathy as he squeezed her hand again. ‘Ember, I know this is tough but we both saw him.’ He’d turned his body more towards her in the confines of the car. ‘You know I understand what it feels like to wish that you didn’t have to lose someone, but once they’re gone, they’re gone.’
‘I need to go back there. I need to be sure.’
‘If you go back there now, you will miss your slot. You will lose your chance to get to Midtown.’
‘Maybe that’s for the best.’
Harry had sighed with impatience. ‘Ember, this is not the time to be making rash decisions. You’ve been through a shock. One hell of a week. You’re clinging on to the familiar, that’s all. It’s perfectly natural, especially after a loss.’
‘Everything’s different now though, Harry. The Hordas clan are gone. We can all find ways to band together, to make sure no one gets that level of power again. We’re on the right track now.’
‘And think everything you’ve worked for. Everything you’ve saved for.’
‘Which I can plough back in to ventures here.’ She paused. ‘Maybe make an investment?’ she said, her eyebrows raised as she captured and held his gaze.
‘No,’ Harry said with a shake of his head.
‘Harry, nothing is ever going to get better in this district if the people who can help do something about it keep running away. All I know is that my gut is telling me that this isn’t the right thing to do.’
‘Get across the border,’ Harry said. ‘You can always change your mind after. But if you don’t cross, that chance will be lost. Do it for your aunt. Do it for Nate.’
‘Fully processed,’ the woman finally stated with a smile, bringing her back to the present.
Ember wanted to smile back, but she couldn’t. She knew she should have been elated. It should have been one of the happiest days in the past decade. Instead, she felt nothing but the burning sense of loss.
She glanced over her shoulder, back towards the doors. Back to where she’d said goodbye to Harry – at least for now. She’d promised him to give it a few days before she came back. A few days to settle in and overcome the homesickness.
The woman slid a piece of paper towards her. ‘All you have to do now is sign on the dotted line and then you’re officially a Midtown resident.’
Ember accepted the pen. Her hand hovered over the paper for a few moments.
‘Miss Challice?’ the woman said expectantly, snagging Ember’s attention from however long she had been staring at the piece of paper.
Ember nodded. She scribbled her signature and placed the pen down. Her gaze dropped to her dress as she brushed away an imaginary crease.
In the distance she heard the further ruffle of paper. The sliding of a metal filing cabinet drawer.
‘Whenever you’re ready,’ the woman said. ‘You’re free to cross the threshold.’ She smiled. ‘I almost feel like we should have a fanfare every time we do this.’
Ember stared across her shoulder at the doors. Something niggled. Something small. Something she couldn’t quite reach. She looked back at the woman. ‘What did you say?’
‘A fanfare. It’s such an achievement when someone gets through here. A bit like a graduation, I suppose. A bit like…’
But it wasn’t that.
You’re free to cross the threshold.
Ember’s heart pounded. She instantly stood.
She didn’t remember her journey back through the doors, back through the way she came. The concerned and confused pursuit of the woman following behind her became a distant echo as she ploughed through the external doors out into the car park.
She rang his number. She rang for Harry.
‘Ember?’
‘Harry, I need you to come back and get me. I need you to take me back there.’
‘Back where?’
‘To Nate’s.’
‘Ember, seriously–’
‘Please,’ Ember said, clutching the back of her head. ‘I think I missed the most obvious thing of all. I need to go back there. Now.’