Aftermath || Sequel to The World Without Them [HIATUS]

07 | Reinforcements

 Sage stood in her room, hands set on the small table under the window as she looked out of it. On a sunny day she would've been able to gaze out at all of Niska from her position at the top of the apartment complex near the Capitol Building, but now a layer of fog shrouded the city in its mist.

 The girl stared through the glass for a couple moments more before standing up straight and drawing the curtains closed. She knew that any more time spent thinking would surely throw her mind into even greater turmoil than it already was, especially given the circumstances of the day's schedule.

 Corinne was set to arrive in just a short while, and there was still much to prepare.

 Sage made for the door, making sure to grab her identification card and pull on a thick winter coat before leaving. She then walked into the hallway, made sure the locks were set firmly in place, and hurried towards the elevator that would take her to the ground floor.

 The greenette was still getting used to her new surroundings in Niska, one of those being the apartment building she, Frost, and several other members of her team now called a temporary home. Despite there being rooms readily available for occupancy in the Capitol Building, living elsewhere was a safety precaution that Acacia had urged them to take. With the state of current affairs, it was much too risky to live in the place where the public would think them to be. Therefore, they had decided to take up residence down the street in one of the tallest apartment buildings in the city where they knew their existence would be better hidden.

 Sage stepped into the elevator and watched the doors close. A ding sound echoed out from the mechanism's speaker, and within moments she felt it move. As the floor number displayed on a small screen to her left decreased steadily, she glanced over at her reflection in the mirrored walls. She only had time to take in the tired look in her eyes before the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

 The Iris weaved her way through the empty lobby, giving a short nod to the man behind the front desk. He was an employee stationed there by Acacia to monitor those going in and out of the complex in order to protect them. She tried and failed to remember his name as she stepped onto the street and into a large black SUV that would take her to the Capitol. As soon as she was seated, the car pulled away from the curb. 

 Although the ride was short, it gave Sage time to collect herself. It had been months since she had last seen Corinne, and even then that had only been for a couple days when she, Frost, and Mana were on the run in Brightwood City and in search of the person who went by the name 'Foxglove', not having the slightest clue that she was the one they had been looking for all along. There were so many things that Sage still had to ask, and even more topics that had to be discussed in detail.

 The girl was snapped out of her thoughts by the vibration of her phone in her pocket. She brought it out and peered down at the screen, not all that surprised to see that her mother had sent a text asking about her whereabouts. Sage couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto her face as she typed out a reply.

 She had just sent the message when another came through. When she saw that it was from Frost, she blinked curiously and clicked on the flashing icon. 

 Corinne is here.

 Sage felt her heart leap. She immediately turned her gaze to the window, relieved to see that they were just about to pull up to the Capitol's back entrance. With her mind moving faster than her fingers, she responded.

 I just got here. I'll be walking up in a second.

 The driver barely had time to put the vehicle in park before the Iris burst out and rushed to the guarded entryway. Seeing the hurry she was in, the officers standing watch moved aside as quickly as they could to avoid her, and within the minute she was running towards the lobby.