Impostor

Chapter 2

I felt like throwing my phone out the window when my alarm started blaring at seven. I wanted to be ready for this interview today though, so I dragged my tired body out of bed and headed to the kitchen for some well-deserved coffee. I started a playlist on my phone and blasted the music through my portable speaker. Today is my day and I am going to get that job. I dance through the rooms while getting ready for my interview. I wanted to be both practical and professional with what I wear. I decided on a white button-up blouse and formal black chinos. I put my trusty black heels on and walked to my vanity to start my make-up.

I didn't really wear make-up, just eyeliner and mascara. I tied my curly hair into a high ponytail and sprayed a little perfume before adding a simple silver bracelet. I looked myself over and after being satisfied with what I looked like walked out of my apartment. I was getting a ride from one of my friends. I descended the stairs and opened the main door to see her bouncing next to her green Mazda. She had a giant smile stretched over her face.

"I'm so proud of you! You better make him fall in love with you." She said with humor shining in her hazel eyes. "Really, Amber? Do you have to be so loud?" I groaned and walked down the rest of the steps. She walked around the car and ambushed me with one of her bear hugs. "Good morning to you too." She smiled and skipped, yes skipped, around to the driver's side. I looked at her and shook my head before getting in the car.

I swear Amber thought that she was a race car driver. We stopped in front of an impressive skyscraper with "Wulf and Co" scrawled in silver over the front door. I got butterflies while looking at the expensive building. I turned to Amber and hugged her before getting out of the car. "Thanks for the ride." I smiled nervously. "You got this." She said with a wink and before I could back out of this, she drove off. I turned and stared at the top of the building. That must be where Mr. Wulf's office is. I took a deep breath and checked the time on my phone. 08:40. I swallowed and started climbing the steps that led to the entrance of my potential workplace.

The receptionist looked up as I stepped through the rotating door. She had a smile on her face that never seemed to slip. I smile back while approaching. "Good morning, Miss. You must be here for the PA interview." She sounded so nice that I almost started crying from being so nervous. "Yeah, I am." Thankfully my voice sounded steady. "Great, so what you're going to do, is go up to the tenth floor and enter the door right in front of the elevator." She smiled and pointed over to the elevator. I smiled gratefully and walked over to the elevator. Pressing the up button, I wait impatiently for the elevator to drop to my level. The doors slid open with a loud ping that almost made me jump out of my skin. I compose myself before entering the elevator and turn to press the button for the tenth floor.

The doors were just about to close when a deep voice called out to hold the door. I struck my hand out right in time to stop the doors from closing completely. I lifted my gaze to a man wearing a black suit and black-rimmed glasses. He is certainly one of the most handsome men I have ever seen. His brown eyes looked deep into mine and I struggled to breathe. I broke eye contact and stepped back. "Thanks." He smiled and a dimple popped on his right cheek. I smiled back and looked at the buttons to keep myself from staring. "No problem. Are you also going to the tenth floor?" I have to say that I really hope he says no. I hope he already has a job here so that I can see his adorable dimple every day. "Yeah, I am so nervous for this interview." He said with a cute little chuckle. He is the opposite of Mr. Wulf and yet I feel a burst of butterflies every time he looks in my direction.

"Me too." I smile and press the button, watching the elevator doors slide close. "I'm Michael." He said with a little wave. I smiled at the notion. "Jane." I said and waved back. He chuckled and adjusted the glasses sliding down his nose. The doors didn't open again until we reached the tenth floor. Michael is a great conversationalist and we spent the entire elevator ride talking about anything and everything. He held the elevator doors while I got off on the tenth floor and followed behind me as I opened the plain brown door. I stepped inside and noticed around thirteen people similarly dressed as me waiting for their turn at the interview. Michael and I were the last to arrive.

We took a seat next to each other and talked silently while waiting patiently for the interview to start. People were staring at us probably wondering if we were friends and if we were why we would be competing for the same job. We promised each other in the elevator that there would be no hard feelings between us if either of us got the job. The one who got the job would be paying for lunch though. Before long the door that we all entered through opened and the receptionist walked in carrying a large box.

"For privacy reasons, I would like you to please place your cell phones and any recording devices into this box, please. Your items will be returned when your interview has been concluded." She smiled and walked past each of us holding the box out for our cell phones. I reluctantly dropped my phone into the box and watched as Michael dropped his into the box right after me. We waited for everyone to drop their devices and then the receptionist put the big flat-screen TV on before leaving the room. I heard a click and got up, walking over to the door and feeling at the handle. "She locked the door." I said and every pair of eyes in the room turned to me. There was a moment of collective silence before everybody got up and stormed the door at once.

I quickly moved away from the door and made my way to the back of the crowd where Michael was calmly sitting. He patted the seat next to him and gave me a dimpled smile. "Won't do much good panicking. Let's just see what they have planned." He said and pointed to the TV. I nodded and sat down next to him. We sat there for at least 15 minutes before everybody calmed down and sat down as well. As soon as the last person took their place, the TV beeped and we all looked up at it. The screen displayed a familiar black suit with no face.

"You have been selected as suitable candidates for the position of Mr. Wulf's personal assistant. As you know, this is a very competitive job interview. We cannot hire all of you, only one of you will be hired. If you look to your left, you will see six workers' cubicles. There are two desks in each locked cubicle. Each desk represents one of you. If you can unlock the door to the cubicle, you and one other person are safe for the next round of elimination. The keys to each door are hidden within the waiting area. You can quit at any given moment, but then your application for this job will be rejected. In the workers' cubicle, you will find one ladder leading to a trap door in the ceiling. The next round is on the eleventh floor. Good luck." The receptionist's voice cut off and the screen turned black.

Murmurs of disagreement and outrage could be heard. "This is ridiculous!" A middle-aged man shouted. Shouts of agreement followed shortly after. "I think this interview is going to be fun." Michael said with a smile as he eyed everybody. I agree, this is going to be fun. I walked over to the cubicles and noticed that they had small pictures on the doors. Michael joined me and looked at one picture. The picture only contained teeth that were smiling. "Confidence is key." Michael murmured under his breath, but I caught it. He walked forward and twisted the knob, pushing the door open. I smiled at him as he gestured for me to enter first. "Good job." I praised him and he just gave me a lopsided grin as he walked in and shut the door behind us, locking it from the inside.

"Wouldn't want anyone to cheat now." He said and looked up at the trap door. "Ladies first?" he smiled. I rolled my eyes and pulled my high heels off before climbing the ladder. The trap door was heavy, but I managed to push it open and reveal the next escape room.