Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

Paperwork and Memories

"Big Sis is back!" Jacob called through the kitchen the instant that Kaya walked through the door.

Kaya grinned at the younger man. "You say that like you thought I wouldn't return." 

"Oh, no! Never that." Jacob shook his cap-covered head. "Betty asked me to tell her when you got back. Don't know why." 

"Should I go see her?"

Jacob shrugged. 

Kaya blew out the stressed breath she had been holding the entire ride back to Conditus. If she could handle an entire afternoon with Zoren trying to convince her that Lina was also at fault, she could handle whatever Betty threw at her. 

"I'll see what she needs." Kaya turned her steps toward the office. Honestly, it couldn't be that bad. 

Kaya knocked twice on the closed office door and waiting for Betty's "come in" before she opened it. 

"I hear you're looking for me?" 

Betty held up one finger and crooked it to beckon Kaya inside. 

Kaya swallowed. She could handle this. Couldn't she?

Though she didn't know what the heck Betty wanted with her, Kaya shut the door behind herself and steeled her nerves. 

"Relax, I'm not an old biddy or anything." Betty shoved her glasses up her nose. "There are a few documents you need to sign." 

"Oh."

Kaya hadn't thought about that. She wasn't used to a large company's policies, since she had never worked in one. 

Betty motioned to a seat near her desk. "Come sit. It will only take a few minutes." 

"Yes, ma'am." Kaya shuffled to the chair and made herself semi-comfortable. Or, at the very least, she tried. 

Betty slid a small stack of papers across the desk. "Look these over and provide your signature. HR will take care of the rest." 

Kaya didn't feel that she needed to respond verbally to the command, so she nodded instead. Seriously, why did Conditus like paperwork so much? Did it give them some sort of sick satisfaction?

Thankfully, the terms used on these papers were cut-and-dried. Kaya understood without fail what she was signing, so she provided the signature requested. 

Betty took the papers back when Kaya had finished and gave a bright smile. "Welcome to the family. Let us know if there's anything we can do to help you out. Don't hesitate." 

Though Kaya knew she would hesitate anyway, she nodded her agreement. Each time someone told her they could be trusted, it became harder to trust. They didn't know what she knew. They hadn't lived it. They hadn't run from it. 

The memories left a sour taste in Kaya's mouth. 

Without waiting to be excused, Kaya escaped Betty's office and headed straight for her workspace. She didn't have the mental capacity to notice that Jacob craned his neck to follow her progress. Neither did she notice Marcy doing much the same. 

Kaya didn't see them exchange a worried glance. She didn't even realize they were in the room. 

Until she could get her memories and imagination under control, Kaya could focus on only one thing. She would give her all to the food she cooked, in hopes that it would calm her frazzled nerves.