Page 68 of Love Me in the Dark

“They needed to take copies,” I said, cautiously.

Admittedly, that had seemed strange, but then I’d never travelled before.

“Yes, but they didn’t need to keep them.” Rada glanced at the back of the driver’s head.

The guy was huge, with closely shaved hair. Next to him was the woman, Charlotte, who had met us at the airport. We were alone in the back of the twelve-seater.

“What did the paperwork say?” I whispered.

“Just that they’d need to see them and take copies.” She licked her lips. “It’s probably nothing. Look out the window and get your first glimpse of the UK.”

I scowled, staring out the window at the grey motorway, annoyed that she always treated me like a child. For goodness’s sake, I was twenty-three. I’d coped while she was in the UK, admittedly, it had cost me our grandmother’s gold necklace at the pawnshop to keep food on the table, but I managed.

My gut twisted with a restless feeling. Aside from going to our grandparents’ house in the country, I've never been out of our city before now, and all the people at the airport, coupled with Rada’s worry, were a bit overwhelming.

After forty-five minutes, we pulled up in front of an old warehouse. I touched Rada’s shoulder, but she was frowning, staring at the rundown surroundings.

“Is this it?” I asked.

It wasn’t very visually appealing and just added to my unease.

“I don’t know,” Rada said.

“Let’s get your paperwork done.” Charlotte opened the door next to Rada and beckoned us out.

“Is this where we’ll be staying?” I asked.

“No, this is just where we do the intake.”

“What’s an intake?” I questioned Rada, not recognising the context for the English word.

Charlotte’s heels clicked on the concrete as she walked toward the door at the front of the large building.

“The pack said the intake was our personal, employment, and health information, along with a medical, but I thought we’d be going to an office,” Rada said, shifting from foot to foot.

“What shall we do?” I asked, my scalp prickling as I realised the huge guy who’d been driving had come to close the car's back door.

“Do we need our things?” Rada called to Charlotte, who held the door open.

“No, we’ll bring them.”

Rada took a deep breath and nodded, grabbing my hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

Inside was cold and grey. We walked along a long corridor and through a door. The room had a few hard chairs along one wall by another door.

“Wait here, and the doctor will call you through.” Charlotte disappeared through a door to the left before we could ask any more questions.

I sat, but Rada paced in front of me.

“Angelina Bachev?” An elderly man in a white coat emerged from the door next to us.

I stood up, nerves filling my chest. Rada held up her hand in front of me, but let it drop at the last moment.

“See you soon,” she said.

Tightening my hands on my jacket, I went inside. It was also grey here, with a metal examining couch and a small table where the doctor sat. He gestured for me to sit on the bed.

He asked me basic medical questions in Bulgarian, and I answered. I’d not been to the doctor much, and there wasn’t much to go over.