REJOIN | ✔️

Chapter Two

It looked like every other building on the street; gigantic, clinical, impersonal, the surrounding hedges almost too perfect, yet it had a different aura about it. I wasn't sure if it was in my head, but the grey cement and tinted glass of the office building we stood in front of felt... warm. It felt like I'd been there before and all of this had happened already. I'd read somewhere before that feeling déjà vu meant you were on the right path and your life was about to change. I hoped that was true.

"Hurry up, Jane! I'm getting soaked!" The sudden sound of Clara's sharp tone made me jump from my reverie.

"Sorry." I shook my head to clear it and pulled open the door, letting her step in first to put down her umbrella.

If we'd caught the bus she wouldn't have needed an umbrella, considering the stop was practically right in front of the building, but she'd been adamant someone would see us and forced me to walk. Who she'd meant by "someone" was a question for another day.

I'd been so in my head the entire walk I'd barely noticed the scenery or the fact that it was even raining. The whole way there I'd been thinking about how I'd react when I finally got my letter. Would I even have the guts to go ahead with it?

I wasn't surprised it had taken this long, simply because it was offered through the NHS and there wasn't an option to get it done privately. The NHS could be pretty slow for appointments, especially at the tail end of the pandemic. Thankfully rejoining was taking a lot of strain off of public healthcare and things had definitely improved in recent months.

I'd expected the inside of the giant glass box to be a maze of hallways and offices, but instead we were met by a large open reception area with clearly marked boards showing the way to each section of the building. There was even a map, proudly emblazoned "J. Caw & Sons LTD", a smaller imitation of the sign outside. It seemed J. Caw & Sons LTD really had their shit together.

Clara bypassed reception altogether, instead comparing the letter with the board. I hadn't seen her put the letter down the entire time I'd been with her. Had she been holding on to it for the whole day? She pointed towards "4th Floor—DNA Sampling".

DNA Sampling. Sure sounds like the start to every romantic movie I'd ever watched.

It was while we waited for the elevator I realised I didn't really have any idea how the whole thing worked. What the heck do they sample the DNA for?

I hadn't realised that I'd said this out loud until my sister audibly rolled her eyes at me and said, "Do you literally live under a rock? This has been a thing for months now."

"I'll be honest, I've been avoiding the articles." My gaze dropped to my shoes. "I don't think a letter is coming for me."

Her ability to reply faltered, obviously as surprised as I was by my willingness to share. Not knowing what to say, or perhaps knowing that she couldn't say anything, she instead interlaced our fingers and gave my hand a squeeze. I felt strangely warmed by this unexpected reassurance.

She rifled through the envelope that she clutched close to her body. I noticed the edges were crisp, rather than the usual jagged edges you get when you rip something open. Clara had clearly opened it carefully. So carefully that if you disregarded the printed address and the stamp on the front, the envelope looked unused. She finally found what she was looking for and slipped me a pamphlet that said 'REJOINING: HOW THIS WORKS'. Convenient.

"Ah, perfect. I forgot to bring some reading material to keep me occupied for when you're in there, being probed."

Tossing her hair impatiently, she pulled her hand from mine with a huff. "Really, are you sure we're related?"