Masquerade ✔

Chapter 20

"Now?"

"I won't necessarily have a time to go later, so yes. Now."

Amyeliana also stood. "Then I'm coming with you."

Clara glanced up at the sky. They would still have daylight for at least another hour. "Alright, but we should hurry. I want to be back before dark, and I certainly don't want Ezra coming up here to look for us only to find us gone."

Amyeliana just nodded and followed Clara back into the building and to the ground floor.

Amyeliana took the lead, as she knew the path better than Clara. Clara didn't notice anything unusual until they actually got to the site.

The black Tower and Bridge fences stood tall above them. A surge of nervousness that she couldn't explain ran through Clara at the sight of the white logo.

"What do you notice that's different from other sites?" Amyeliana asked her.

Clara looked around. Most construction sites were noisy at all times of the day, dirt and dust coming up in plumes from inside of the fence. People came in and out all the time.

This site, however, was absolutely silent. The outside area wasn't even dirty. And no one was around; at least not on the outside. "It's too quiet," Clara said. "Which is weird, but why are you so concerned?"

"They always enter through there." Amyeliana pointed to a small door in the fence that Clara could hardly see. It was black, just like the rest of the wall. "There's usually more entrances, right? But with this, there's just the one. I've walked the whole perimeter, and only one door."

That was odd. "Like they're trying to control who comes in and out?"

"That's what I thought. But also, Clara, what if there's a fire or a collapse or something? You can't get an entire crew out through one door in a short amount of time."

Clara could see her concern, and the thought didn't fill her with confidence either.

"And Ezra's been getting home later, too," Amyeliana told her.

"How much later?"

"I mean, he always got home after me and Archibald. But not he's barely home before you are."

"So they're keeping him for an extra two hours, even though he thought his hours would stay the same?"

"I don't know Clara, it just doesn't seem right to me."

Clara could hardly blame her. Ezra already worked long hours and safety measures weren't particularly good to begin with. "He has seemed to be more tired lately, even though he prefers it to meat packing."

"And that's all that Archibald can see, even though I've told him a million times that I think it's dangerous," Amyeliana said. She sounded like she was about to cry. "I'm just worried he's going to go behind Ezra's back."

"He wouldn't do that," Clara reassured her. "And he certainly wouldn't go behind mine. Look, I said I would talk to him, and I will. Everything will work out."

"But what if something happens to Ezra, here?"

Clara felt ill just at the thought. "It won't," she said, firmly. "If things start to get too dangerous, he'll get himself out."

Clara doubted that Amyeliana was convinced, but it was time for them to get back. "Come on, you'll feel better with a little food in you."