The first family arrived expecting a name.
Tessa had sent the invitation through a survivor organization they trusted. It said the consultation concerned people who might have relatives affected by the reservoir. The older man had read might as a caution officials used when they already knew more than they would say. He carried his daughter’s description in a folded cloth and asked which list she was on.
“There isn’t a verified list of everyone inside,” Tessa said.
“Then why did you ask us?”
“Because the proposal may affect your search and the communities connected to it. The invitation doesn’t establish her fate.”
His wife took the cloth from him before he crushed it in his hands. They stood together in the doorway, caught between relief that no death had been confirmed and anger that the journey had not produced a new fact.
“Do you still want to take part?” Tessa asked.
The wife answered first. “We came. We can hear it.”
