Chapter 1 (Elaine)

It was my first day on the job. I was both excited and frightened, my stomach tightening around the bagel I had forced myself to eat that morning. I stood at the entrance of Fly Tech, my head tilting back just so I could see the top of the looming skyscraper.

The sky was a bright blue. A few fluffy clouds lingered here and there, making the scene look almost like a painting. A large passenger plane flew overhead, about to land at the local JFK airport.

“Excuse me.” A man in a purple polo walked past me, a leather messenger bag slung over his shoulder. With an air of confidence, he grabbed the door handle and swung it open. “Are you coming in?” He asked, glancing back at me.

He looked around my age, a head full of shaggy blonde hair. His eyes were a murky green, swimming with intelligence. In his shirt pocket, a fancy-looking pen reflected the early morning sun.

“Oh! Thank you.” I followed the gentleman inside.

Instantly, the New York humidity faded away as I stepped into the air-conditioned lobby. My heels clicked against the polished tile floor.

“Wow…” I mumbled to myself, taking in the luxury of it all. A two-story water fountain with a built-in LED light display. State-of-the-art touchscreen devices lined the back wall, allowed employees to clock in with a single tap or guided confused customers through the building.

The man in the purple polo had his palm pressed against the screen. “Um, excuse me.”

He stopped and turned around, the screen behind him flashing his employee picture and full name.

Lopez, Fredrick.

“Uh… I’m new here.”

“Ah.” His eyes wandered up and down my body, almost as if he was checking me out, but in an oddly, non-sexualized way. “So, you must be the summer intern.” He stuck out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Name’s Freddie.”

“I’m Elaine.” I stood there, waiting for him to say something else, but he just kept looking at me, as if he didn’t know what to do in the presence of a woman. I sighed softly. This had to be yet another computer science nerd whose brain turned to mush whenever they were approached by a decent-looking girl like myself.

Maybe that was the reason I had never started dating. Studying software development had always been my passion, but it didn’t bring me in contact with men. Someone who knew exactly what he wanted, how he wanted it, and exactly how to get it.

“Um, do you mind giving me a hand? I’m not really sure where I’m supposed to go for employee orientation.”

“Oh. Right, right. I’ve been here five years, you know. I’ve almost forgotten how confusing it can be on your first day.” He boasted. “Do you have your ID number?”

“Yes… give me a second.” I rummaged through my bag, looking for the email I had printed out this morning with all my information. I cursed myself for not being more organized.

Finally, I found it, hiding at the bottom of my purse. There was a red stain in the corner, probably from the fruit snacks I never finished.

“Um… X556BHJ2.” I said, squinting at the number. “I think.” The ink was a little smudged.

“Okay. Well, you punch in that number here and then it’ll prompt you to place your palm on the screen, but since you probably aren’t in the system yet, I’m sure it’ll direct you to Mrs. Kilroy’s office. She’s the person that handles all the newbs. Now…” He paused to look at his watch, which looked suspiciously like it belonged on the set of a 90s cartoon. “… I really should get going. I’m debugging the latest software update so I have my work cut out for me. I hope to see you around the office.” With a friendly smile, he waved before disappearing down a hallway.

Beside me, a woman in a black pencil skirt and a tight white blouse punched in her number. Her hair was done up in a perfect bun. Not a single strand of hair was out of place. Her red lips were pursed together, connoting her seriousness. Her black heels were spotless.

Suddenly, I felt inadequate in comparison. I had on some maroon slacks and a black peplum shirt. It was the best I could come up with that could pass as business casual. I definitely didn’t own a pantsuit like some of the other women that walked by.

I gulped down my anxiety. It’s going to be okay. I’ll make it through this. I mentally pep talked myself.

Finally, I entered my employee number. A loading symbol spun on the screen before a generic profile picture appeared, along with my position, shift, and break times.

Welcome!

Warren, Elaine.

Please proceed to Mrs. Kilroy’s office.

A map replaced the prompt. A blue line traced the path I was supposed to follow. I committed it to memory.

I was just about to walk away when the screen changed.

Would you like to take your employee ID picture?

Yes. No.

Feeling obligated to do so, I pressed the bright green button labeled Yes.

My face appeared on the screen. Even in ‘Portrait,’ it looked huge on the 72’ display. As expected for a company like this, it was of the highest quality, putting all my imperfections on display for everyone to see. My pores looked outrageously big. My eyeliner crooked. My eyebrows unkempt.

I looked around, praying there was no one else in the lobby. Thankfully, the only other person was a cleaning woman who looked much more interested in her phone than my picture.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped back, standing on the little X marked on the floor. Once I was in the appropriate position, a bright light flashed, along with the familiar click sound.

I blinked, trying to regain my vision.

Thank you! We hope you enjoy working at Fly Tech!

Once the picture was taken, there was no option to try again. The machine started to make a loud noise before a fresh ID card was printed below the screen.

I grabbed it, feeling the warm plastic between my fingers before I glanced at the screen one more time. It was back to its default setting, waiting for the next employee to step forward. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a line of irritated workers, tapping their feet as they waited for me to finish.

Quickly, I scrambled out of the way and down the hall, toward the elevator I was supposed to take. The woman in the black pencil skirt was still there, her lips pressed into a disapproving scowl like she was annoyed that she would need to share the elevator with me.

Ding!

The elevator arrived and we both got in. She pressed the button to her floor but didn’t bother to ask me where I was going. Sighing, I pressed the button to the fifth floor. As we started our ascent, I felt my stomach twist into a knot and sink to my feet.

I counted to ten in my mind, trying to calm myself down. I had already gotten the job, there was nothing to worry about.

Ding!

I reached my floor and stepped out, not bothering to glance at the woman who stared a hole into the back of my head. Once the elevator doors closed, I realized that I had no idea which way I was supposed to go.

Left… or right?

Cursing myself for my bad memory, I looked up and down the hallway, looking for some kind of a hint.

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the cavernous hallway. I turned my head and spotted a very handsome man in a black suit, slicked back hair, and the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen. He walked with his hands in his pockets, his manner nonchalant and yet somehow serious, as if he owned the world and knew it.

“Um… excuse me…” I stepped forward, hoping to get his attention.

He stopped and faced me, raising an eyebrow in question, but not saying a word. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“Do you mind telling me where Mrs. Kilroy’s office is?” I asked, hoping that this wasn’t someone important. I really didn’t want to make a fool of myself on the very first day.

The man grinned, the hard lines of his face softening ever so slightly. The corners of his eyes crinkled, his high cheek bones dazzling in the overhead light. He just seemed to stare at me for a moment before he thrust his thumb to his left. Right beside me was a door marked ‘Kilroy.’

My face turned red at the realization. “Oh… um… sorry, I don’t know how I missed that…” I stammered, hoping this man didn’t think I had asked him for directions just because he was attractive.

He nodded before disappearing down the hallway, leaving behind an air of mystery. Who was that man? Why hadn’t he said anything? These questions buzzed around in my mind until I heard the sound of a door opening behind me.

I turned around to face an older woman with blotched skin and glasses that were much too big for her face. Even as she stood there, they slid down her nose. “Ah! You must be Miss Warren. Please, come in.” She pushed back the door, revealing an extraordinarily neat room. “I thought you had gotten lost.”

Quickly, I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry I took so long, there was a bit of a queue for the elevator.” I lied, hoping she would believe me.

“Ah. That happens sometimes.” She nodded, grabbing a colorful pencil from a cup on her desk. “Okay, we just have to get you properly set up in the system and then I’ll show you to your desk.” She started to type, using the end of the pencil to press the keys. “It looks like you already took your company photo and had your ID printed out.”

It was only then that I realized I still had the plastic card in my hand. “Oh, yes.” I nodded.

“Good, good. That makes my job a little easier. Now, for some questions.”

***

After what felt like hours, we were finally finished. Mrs. Kilroy clapped her hands and got up in a flurry, her large, colorful skirts turning into a blur. “Come along now. You’ll be working on the 7th floor with all the other IT people. They’re a nice bunch. You should have no problem getting along with them, but if you do encounter anything… troubling… just let me know, and I’ll take care of it.” She smiled, looking back before she opened the door to the stairs. “I don’t like the elevator, I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, no. It’s not a problem.” I answered, but I soon found myself struggling to keep up with the overly-energetic woman.

By the time we got to the seventh floor, I was out of breath. I didn’t know if I was just severely out of shape or if this woman had lungs of steel.

“Alright. This way.”

Once I made it through the door, I was met with a large room filled with cubicles. People worked away, typing furiously on their keyboards. Lines of code flashed across their screens. Some people were vehemently clicking, threatening to break their mice at any moment. Others were quietly playing minesweeper, hoping no one would notice.

“Here you are.” Mrs. Kilroy showed me to a small cubicle near the corner. She then stepped to the side. “Freddie, do you mind coming over and meeting your new mentee?”

Freddie stood to his full height, his head peeking over the wall of his cubicle. “Ah, we’ve already met, actually.” He chuckled. “Helped her with the sign-in process downstairs.”

“Perfect, then I’ll just let you two get to work.” She smiled once more before she disappeared.

“Looks like we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other.” He grinned, seemingly pleased by the idea.