When Lana finally opens my door, I let out a huge sigh.
“Finally!” I blurt, too excited to contain myself.
Lana looks as pretty and professional as always.
She laughs lightly. “I can tell someone’s glad to be getting back to some kind of normal.”
“You have no idea. I’m not used to being this idle.”
“Well, I’m sure our chefs will have you looking forward to the end of the day once you start working with them, but you’ll start your new job next week.”
“Next week?” I ask, hugging my bundle of belongings tighter. “Does that mean …”
A lump rises in my throat, and I can’t even finish the question. The thought of being stuck in this tiny room all alone for any longer makes me want to scream.
Lana blinks at me. “Oh. No. Please, don’t worry. The job is only delayed because of current staffing issues. Our existing staff can only handle training one new person at a time. I thought that might be a good thing since it’ll give you a chance to settle into your new room before you get started. You can get to know how this place runs, and Dr. Clarke and I can check in on you to make sure you’re doing okay before you start working.”
I nod slowly, taking in what she’s telling me and trying to calm down.
I don’t really understand why they’re delaying my start date if they need more staff, but I’ve only ever had one job, so I wouldn’t know how any of that stuff works.
“Let’s go,” Lana says, holding the door open for me. “It’s much nicer in your new room.”
I step into the hallway and wait for her to follow.
I know how to leave this corridor, and I’ve seen the main hallway now, but I have no idea where my new room might be located.
Lana leads me into the big, bright hallway.
“We’ve had to close off a few rooms because of a security threat,” she tells me. “So, this is the closest I could get you to a room near the kitchens. We already moved the chefs and the other kitchen staff to these floors, so you’ll be living next to your co-workers.”
I picture the off-kitchen room that Colleen shared with me back in that house I thought of as home, our sleeping areas split up with curtains to make two separate rooms and a thin hallway that led to the pantry’s door between us.
My heart hurts a little that I’ll never see that make-shift room again, but it hurts worse that Colleen is gone from my life as completely as if she never existed.
I push thoughts of the past down as I follow Lana to the elevator across from us.
Stop thinking about what you’ve lost.
There’s no going back, especially now that I know the whole truth.
I shouldn’t want that, and I don’t, not really.
It’s just … confusing.
You’ll get over it.
I nod slowly as I wait by Lana’s side.
She pushes the button for the elevator, and the big doors open with a pinging sound.
I follow her inside, and I watch as she presses the button for the second floor.
“You’ll be free to spend time in the gardens, and the cafeteria whenever you feel like it,” Lana starts as the elevator doors close. “At least during the day. All the main doors get locked after dark and we have to be very security conscious because there are over a hundred Omegas in the building.”
“It’ll be nice to go outside whenever I can,” I admit quietly.
After dark was always one of my favorite times to sit outside, but I understand why they can’t leave the doors open here. Omegas are seen as a rare commodity by the kind of men who stole and sold my mother. They need to be protected.
