M-13

First Day In The Real World

My face heats up. "I wouldn't ever do anything like that here, I promise!"

"I believe you, don't worry," Mr. Mora says with a bright smile. "Now, you're twenty two... what's your plan for the future?"

I shrug because I haven't really thought about it. "I don't know... I'm almost done with college, I will be this summer, and I'm graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology, but I haven't thought much about actual work. People like me don't really get hired, so I have been relying on trying to find remote work."

"Well, if you would like to stay here for now and prove you're a good worker, I will personally help you find opportunities. My niece has Mistacesemia and she's thirty now, and she struggled to find work so I helped set her up with one of the facilities I have a personal connection with on the East coast."

I am really getting to admire and like Mr. Mora.

"I really appreciate that and I promise I will work hard and do whatever you need!" I exclaim, and he smiles at me.

"I appreciate that," Mr. Mora says. "Now, Beni is at the desk right now, she knows you'll be there and she'll train you today and tomorrow, and then Danielle or I will keep an eye on your the following day because Beni has the day off."

With that, Mr. Mora brings me to the front desk area, which is rather spacious and has a lot of filing cabinets. There's a young woman at the desk with short, shaggy black hair that has frosted tips and I can see the start of a tattoo on her shoulder before it's covered by her shirt.

"Beni, this is Silas," Mr. Mora says, and Beni turns around in her chair with a smile on her face.

She has a nose ring and her aura reminds me of a punk-goth high school kid but her smile is very inviting.

"Hi," I say, sitting in the chair beside her as Mr. Mora excuses himself to go prepare a room to meet with his next patient. "I'm Silas and I have Mistacesemia."

Beni is chewing gum and blows a bubble, popping it with her teeth before she answers. "Hi, I'm Beni, and I have chronic depression and ulcerative colitis."

"That felt like an overshare."

"You shared something personal so I felt that I should as well," Beni responds. "It's nice to meet you, Silas."

"Likewise," I respond, and Beni moves her chair to the side, inviting me to sit beside her at the front of the desk so I can see everything she's doing.

Beni hands me a piece of paper and a pen. "We have several programs we use here and they can be a bit difficult, so you may want that. However, our job concept is rather simple; we are responsible for scheduling appointments, categorizing them, and making sure we do not overlap schedules or schedule an appointment when the preferred doctor isn't in. Danielle, Lincoln, and Mr. Mora are our three doctors and we are the two receptionists. We had Kasey as a part time worker, but he's a brat and never showed up or called out, so you're his replacement!"

I spend the next four hours walking through the tasks with Beni, and she is both an amazing teacher and a tech genius. She also has an interest is assisting people with Mistacesemia, so that's why she took the job, as well as because it has good benefits and she likes being able to shut down clients without the malfunction who are prejudice.

She's someone I feel like I can be friends with.

My first friend...

"And that's how you can hack the network of the Oregon Supernatural Investigation Unit," Beni says, showing me the files for it. "The head there is a total dick, but I'm sure you know that. You're dating Atticus and Lincoln, right?"

I nod, my face getting warm. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Lincoln can't keep his mouth shut."

A laugh escapes my throat. "I should have guessed," I say, because Lincoln is a loose lipped guy, so I'm not very surprised he spilled our relationship. "And yeah, the boss there is a douche. What are the benefits of hacking into the network?"

"We rarely work with the unit, but if there's ever an incident on the news about someone being attacked by someone with Mistacesemia, I like to look into it to get all of the details," Beni says, shutting down the computer as we close up for the night. "We're only open eight hours a day, unless there is a severe emergency, but since this is a specialist unit that prioritizes Mistacesemia, most stuff is scheduled in advance."

I look at the schedule on the wall where my name has been newly added and has my scheduled, which almost lines up with Lincoln's. Luckily Atticus, Lincoln, and I all have Saturday off together and I have three days off while my boyfriends each only have two.

"Kitten!!!" Lincoln shrieks, leaving his office space in the back. "Are you ready to go?"

"Lincoln! Don't call me that!" I exclaim, catching Beni's smirk.

She grabs her backpack and pats my back as she brushes by me. "I think it's adorable, Silas. Have a good night! I'll see you two tomorrow!"

"Night," I say in a muffled voice because my hand is on my face.

Lincoln snickers, kissing my cheek. "So cute," he coos, dragging me toward the door. "Goodnight, Mr. Mora!"

"Goodnight, boys!" he calls as we leave through the front door and get in the car.

We drive home in comfortable silence, and when we get to the house we walk inside, only for the scent of something burning to reach my nose.

I wrinkle my nose in disgust. "Atticus?!"

He runs out of the kitchen, stains all over his front and terror in his eyes. "Help me," he says, and both Lincoln and I rush to the kitchen. "I tried to do a nice dinner but I'm not good at cooking alone and I burnt the bread and I think something is on fire... agh, I'm so bad at this!"

There's smoke billowing from the oven, so I surround it with a wave of my energy and push the smoke out of the open window.

Lincoln turns off the over and throws the burnt bread out on the porch and then lights a scented candle while I get to work making a pasta and chicken dish that is easy enough and won't take long.

Atticus looks distraught. "I'm sorry, I tried to do something nice but I fucked it up," he says, and I'm shocked to see tears in his eyes.

"Baby," Lincoln says, hugging Atticus and pulling him over to me so I can embrace both of them. "It's okay, shit happens."

"I can't do my job and now I can't cook for my boyfriends!" Atticus wails, grabbing a cloth to cry into.

Lincoln mentioned that Atticus has guilt that engulfs him when he misses work and he hates to feel as though he's useless or a failure, but that's how he's feeling about himself right now.

"Don't worry, baby," I say, kissing his forehead and using the pet name that always makes him blush. "You did your best and it was all in good spirits."

"Yeah!" Lincoln exclaims, dishing up our meals. "Come on, let's go cuddle in the theatre room, baby. It was Silas' first day!"

Atticus forced a smile, and it hurts to see. He's usually so peppy and happy, but he seems so sad right now and it hurts to see.

"Okay, let's go," Atticus says in a soft voice as we leave the kitchen.