Beneath the Shadowlanders

Chapter Sixteen: Abigail

I'm the first one home. Good. Maybe I'll have time to shower after all. I drop my bag by the door, stripping clothes as I run up to my room. I scan through the meager offerings of my closet and settle on a pair of slightly nicer jeans, a green top, and a navy blue suit jacket. I jump into the shower before anyone else can get home and claim the bathroom. The water is barely lukewarm when I jump in, but I don't have time to wait for it to heat up. I hastily scrub the scent of formaldehyde and ammonia out of my shoulder length blond hair. I keep it short so it doesn't get into my lab work, but somehow I always come home stinking of it anyway. I run the water over my skin, letting the soap do its work. I'm tempted to linger, as the water starts warming up and it feels really good on my back muscles, which ache from leaning over lab tables all day, but if I take any longer, I'll be late for my interview. I shut off the water before I have a chance to think twice and rapidly towel off. I'll have to let my hair dry on the way. I throw a hair tie around my wrist, just in case.

I hear the front door slam as I'm tugging on my jeans. I pull the jacket over my top, rolling the sleeves up to my elbows. I run downstairs just in time to see mom disappear into the kitchen. She turns around when she hears me on the stairs.

"Bee? What are you doing home so early?"

"You're not going to believe this. I have an interview. At Underland Hydroponics Corporation," I exclaim as I tug on a pair of green platforms the same color as my top. I can't stop beaming. I know I shouldn't be wasting time standing here, but I can't help but brag a little bit.

"Really? That's fantastic! When is it?" Her eyes light up with pride.

I check my watch and gasp. "Twenty minutes. I have to go!"

I practically burst out the door, barely grabbing my bag on the way and sprint delicately (can you sprint delicately? I tried.) to the tram stop. I reach it just in time to hop on the next tram to UHC. I have 17 minutes to go. At this rate, I should be there a few minutes early.

I lean out the side of the tram as it moves along, hoping to convince my stubborn hair to dry a little faster. I'm pretty sure it only succeeds in making it a hot tangled mess. I'm grateful that I remembered to grab the hair tie.

The tram stops at the elementary school, where I see several mothers get off, then at the high school, where I think I see my sister get on toward the other end of the tram, and finally Underland Hydroponics. I sling my bag across my shoulder, stepping lightly off the back and heading straight for the wide glass front doors. It's not the first time I've been here – all the schools did field trips the year after the migration, to show us where our food came from, I guess – but I'm excited nonetheless. I pause and take a breath before pushing through the door and stepping into my future.

The lobby is very minimalist, with massive windows across the entire front façade, a two-story ceiling, and soft slate carpet with a matching tile walkway down the center. A receptionist sits at the far end behind a steel counter/desk between two industrial spiral staircases to a balcony overlooking the entire room. Hallways stretch off to either side of the balcony, disappearing behind the walls on either side of the room.

I approach the desk politely. "I'm here for an interview. Terrance sent me?"

The receptionist looks at me like I've grown an extra head, before checking something on her computer screen. "Abigail Castellan?"

"Yes," I respond in a voice that sounds more like a squeak than I would have deemed dignified, but she doesn't appear to notice or care.

"Upstairs, third door to the left."

"Thanks!" I make my way up the staircase closest to me, pausing at the top to admire the view. I could get used to a view like this. I find the door quickly enough. It appears to be the office of a Mr. Steven Crawford. I knock three times.