#kinderdays 02.

The storm rages outside and everyone inside the hotel holds their collective breath. It's like they're all balanced on the edge of a knife. The din of rain on the roof and against the windows, and the steady thump, thump, thump of debris hitting the building doesn't help. 

But Mara can't sit still, years of experience pushing her to action so that she and Nele come up with a plan. Ordinarily, she'd prefer not to get the enforcer's permission but she needs her support. Especially if she’s taking Vincent with her. Alexei’s nephew might not seem important to some, but she knows that if anything happens to him on her watch (or Nele’s), there’d be hell to pay. And all Mara wants is to get to Teddy and Felix, wherever they are.

So she plays by the almost irrelevant rule book and gets approval from the enforcer to head out. Before she does, the doctor scans the crowd of restless individuals. People huddle together in pockets of two or three as the wind whips and howls around them and she looks at each cluster of people, searching for Ophelia. When Mara spots her, she tucks hands into her thread-bare scrubs and makes her way over. Resting a gentle hand on Ophelia's shoulder, she tries to garner her attention. "Hey, can we talk?" Mara doesn't want to worry her colleague but wants her to remain alert while she treks outside. Just in case.