S a l e t é I I

XV - Côtes - Dix

As Sleeves led them around to the other office block, which was only a short walk down and around the platform that made up the second floor, Cassia took a look down at the proceedings that were unfolding below. The circle of lights was persisting with its admirable glow, and she could clearly see that Monet, Chief, Gunner and the other children were all still present, though it looked as if any trading had been concluded.

"Careful!"

Sleeves had drawn Cassia's attention back to the path ahead with good reason - in some places, holes were present in the ground, creating a handful of hazards across the particular area they were now crossing. Efforts had been made to cover them, with pieces of wood and sheets of cheap metal bridging a few, but others remained. They were easily avoided, and no doubt easy to dodge if you were a long-standing resident, so Cassia made sure to pay attention as a newcomer.

She could still hear talking coming from the floor above them, which sounded muffled, like it was emanating from the other side of a wall. It did look like larger rooms were up there, more like rectangular blocks than the square ones on their current floor.

Cassia had no idea what they might have held. More workshops? More tools, or machines? Probably. If not, maybe the kids had done something with the space?

Whilst crossing over to the other side of the floor, Cassia spotted what looked like an old lift - a square platform with railings around it, with a small gate, and an accompanying box with a selection of buttons. Looking up, she could see that a matching hole was present in the ceiling, confirming her suspicions. Judging by the lack of any sort of lighting or sound, and considering the state of the rest of the building, it was safe to assume that it was just another fixture that was out of action, left to sit and gather dust like everything else, its inactivity leaving the ladders as the sole way to get up and down.

She couldn't help but think of Klavdiya.

Speaking of ladders, one of the ones mounted on the support pillars on this side of the room was broken. It was possible to go from the first floor to the second using it, but it bent backwards and featured a missing segment of considerable size beyond this point, rendering one unable to continue up to the third floor.

Knowing the the ladders could break left Cassia feeling a little more unsteady about the whole situation.

More childish drawings adorned the walls around here, varying wildly in colour, size and shape, the presence of such youthful touches reminding her to keep an eye out for crayons. Taya might not have been especially talkative or even friendly with her, but Cassia was more than prepared to try and solve her problem regardless, seeing as she was as much a member of the group as anyone else.

Whilst she was younger, she'd been in that group for longer, and so Cassia felt as if she owed her a particular kind of respect.

"Hold up."

Sleeves set about trying to open the door waiting for them here too, only to struggle. Even as she pressed her weight up against it, shoulder first, it refused to give. After a few attempts, Uliana gestured for her to step aside, where she proceeded to fail after giving some similar efforts.

"It doesn't feel like there's something on the other side... It's just stuck." She said as she paused, resting for a moment.

Cassia was about to start suggesting other options when Uliana resumed trying to open the door, and this time she gave it some hefty thuds, pulling back before moving in quickly. Cassia was a little worried, as it was a metal entrance and she didn't want Uliana to hurt herself.

To her relief, the door finally gave way after the third hit, opening partially as several clumps fell to the ground from its frame, indicating that a build-up of what might have been rust had been keeping it shut.