Tessy's POV
"What took you so long?" Marcus asked.
"Just some elevator trouble." I replied, taking a seat.
The cafeteria was getting empty as workers returned to their desks.
"I got some buns for you. It's really good and was selling out fast." Sarah handed me some greasy brown balls.
I smirked. "This thing? Selling out fast? They are so oily you could fry another set with the drained oil."
"I think they ran out of parchment paper." She defended.
"I see. I can't eat this though."
I stood up to get some chicken wings and a drink. The older attendant seemed impatient, sliding the tray toward me without looking. I let it go. I didn't want a scene.
I turned too soon.
"Woah, careful."
I stood there, looking at the mess I had created. The man's shirt was stained with iced tea.
Good gracious! My wings didn't fall off.
"Oh my. I apologize. I didn't see you coming."
He turned to look at me and said, "It's fine I guess."
I still felt guilty. "If you don't mind, I could send it to a laundromat for you. I'll cover the fees."
"Or you could compensate me with lunch. I'll soon be off work."
I looked at him properly this time, and I noticed his lanyard. It was blue.
"I'm actually here with other interns, I don't know if they'd be comfortable with that."
"We wouldn't know if we don't try. Where are you sitting?"
We walked to the far end of the room.
"Uhm, I sorta..."
Marcus interrupted, "Naa, it's fine. We saw what happened. No one's hurt, right?"
"Yeah we're fine." The guy chimed in. Sarah was quiet.
"You've not introduced yourself yet." Marcus said, breaking the awkward silence.
I was busy with my wings.
"My bad. I'm Robert and I work as an astronaut here. Uh, anything else?"
I stopped for a moment, my heart racing. My sister had worked as an astronaut too. I was beginning to think of he had any idea who my sister was.
"You know, you really are inconsistent." I turned to face Sarah who had finally spoken. "You rejected the buns because of oil. Oh the irony"
"Wings don't consume much oil." I said in my defense. We later continued, talking about random nonsense till Robert decided to leave.
The rest of the day passed without incident. Over the next few weeks, we were assigned mostly menial tasks. Our mentor was rarely available as he was always working on multiple projects. He came in one time with Robert.
"Hello. I'm here to introduce your temporary mentor and my new assistant, Mr. Robert Smith. I'd be off for an assignment. Take care." He ended and left.
Robert smiled sheepishly. "Hi guys. We meet again. I'm your new mentor and we can save the introduction. If you need anything, my office is just right opposite this."
By the end of the month, the routine had settled in. I was having trouble deciding whether to ask about my sister or just keep shut.
The question hovered at the back of my throat and curiosity was getting the better part of me.
That was what led me here, in front of his office door. I was hesitant and on a second thought, I turned to leave but got the scare of my life. He had been standing there all through.
"Did you need something? I saw you standing and thought you didn't get a response. Want some?" He raised a brown bag of chicken nuggets.
It was now or never.
"Hi Robert. I just wanted to ask a question, that is if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't. Come in." He replied almost immediately, ushering me in.
"So, hit me. What question?"
"Do" I paused, but the concerning look on his face made me continue, "you know anyone named Emma Hale?" I watched him intently, waiting for reaction of some sort.
"I do," he said slowly. "Actually… I know two." For a moment, he said nothing else. The silence pressed in, thick enough that I could hear the faint hum of equipment beyond the walls.
I waited, afraid that if I spoke, I'd break whatever fragile honesty he was weighing.
"One passed away," he continued.
He hesitated, eyes drifting past me for a split second, like he was deciding how much to say. My fingers dug into the edge of the chair.I could feel my chest tightening.
"The other works at Glenn now. We worked closely for about two years before I took a brief vacation. When I returned, I heard about her death."
The room felt too warm all of a sudden, despite the steady hum of the air conditioner. Robert was the first person to actually talk about my sister since her death.Everyone else seemed to have forgotten her and moved on. I just couldn't.
Forgotten wasn't the right word. It was more like she'd been filed away. Closed. Finished.
But if one Emma was still alive, then I need to check.
"Uhm thanks. I'll be going now." I shut the door behind me before he could say anything else. If I stayed, I knew I'd ask questions I wasn't ready to hear the answers to.
The rest of the workday blurred past me. By the time I reached my car, my hands were shaking. I drove home on autopilot, one name repeating in my head the entire way.
I reached for my phone.
Detective Jones' number was still saved. I stared at it for a long moment, my thumb hovering, wondering what would happen if I pressed call.
My phone rang.
Detective Jones.
"I was just about to call you," I said.
"That's funny," he replied. "I just got a call asking about your sister."
My pulse spiked. "From who?"
"That's the thing," he replied. "They didn't ask about Emma Hale."
I swallowed. "Then who?"
"They asked for Emma Thompson."
"Emma Thompson," I whispered.
"Yes," Detective Jones said. "And Tessy—"
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone as a new notification appeared.
*Unknown number: 1 missed call.*