Serena pushed open the door and she squinted to let her eyes adjust to the light in the room. At the table sat five people. Darius was peering at a stack of papers before him, his hair looked flat as though he had not taken the time to comb through it. On his right sat Elder Evelyn, who was deep in conversation with an older man with thick glasses who she had come to know as Elder Julian.
At the far end of the room, Elder Iris and Livia stood over to the side, laughing about what Serena assumed was a joke. Serena pushed the door closed and the wind helped her to slam it, which made everyone in the room pause what they were doing and look up.
Serena flinched. Of course, she thought bitterly, and forced a polite, awkward smile. Her fingers curled tighter around the hem of her sleeve. The room was uncomfortably quiet before Elder Iris cleared her throat.
"Welcome," she said.
Serena nodded at her and replied, "Thank you."
