BO
The kitchen was warm. Steam rose from the pot on the stove. I stirred the broth slowly, watching the vegetables tumble in the liquid. The scent of herbs filled the air. Rosemary. Thyme. A hint of garlic.
I was making snacks for the Omegas who worked the night shift. Simple food. The kind that stuck to your ribs and kept you going through long hours.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps. Quick and urgent. Voices raised in the hallway just outside the kitchen. Not shouting. But loud enough to carry. Excited. The kind of noise people made when something big had happened.
I turned down the heat on the stove. Wiped my hands on my apron. Walked toward the doorway.
Three Omega girls stood in the corridor. Their heads were close together. Their hands moved as they talked. One of them saw me and her eyes went wide. She elbowed the girl next to her.
They all looked at me.
"What is going on?" I asked.
The first girl opened her mouth and then closed it before she looked at the others.
