She could see her anxious reflection in his single round monocle. He was nearly hairless, and the sparse hairs he did have were snow-white. If the elevator jerked again, he looked as if he would burst into a cloud of white dust. Even though she’d taken the ride to the fifth level in Horizon many times, the old operator always gave her the creeps. With its rich wood panels and tan marble floors, the elevators always made her think that they belonged in some grand hotel. She traced her fingers gently along the golden-wing crests carved into the wood panels. She was shaking. She hid her trembling hands behind her back and shuddered lightly. She had abandoned her sick mother. Kara turned towards David. "I didn’t think I’d ever see the inside of this elevator again. The oracles had made it clear, my GA days were over. Don’t you think it’s weird that I’m back? I keep thinking I’m dreaming, and any second now I’m going to wake up and forget everything." "You won’t, ’cause you’re not dreaming," said David with a hint of a smile in his voice.
