Arlington (Book One)

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Waking up this morning I can feel the energy buzzing through my system as I hop in the shower. I stand under the hot water for a few moments and watch as all of the water molecules fall to the floor. It always amazes me the way the world is made and how molecules are structured. I finish up in the shower and throw on a light purple blouse with my vibrant blue blazer. I grab a pair of black slacks and my flats. I also opt to put on some ChapStick and mascara; that is the only make up I know how to do.

Walking out the door I stash my keys in my large purse. My dad had bought this purse for me years ago to fit my laptop and smaller supplies. I don't use it very often because it reminds me of the bags that moms bring to PTA meetings, but it is perfect for what I need today, so, I figured I might as well use it.

Stepping onto the subway I relax for the fifteen-minute ride into the center of the city and let my thoughts wander away from me. I wonder who the other three interns are going to be. I hope Randy doesn't give me a lot of grief for being the team leader. I don't want any conflict to happen; I just want to work on an amazing project and gain as much knowledge as I can from such a prestigious company.

Stepping off the subway I walk above ground. I can't help but look up at the massive skyscrapers towering thousands of feet above my head. I feel so small among these massive buildings, but in the same sense, it also feels familiar. I make my way the last few blocks to the building that Caspian is housed in. You can't miss this building even if you tried. It is twenty stories high and the front is entirely made of tinted glass and metal.

Walking into the lobby my breath is taken away from the intricate metalwork all over the high ceilings of the lobby mixed with different shades of blue and gray glass. I push my glasses higher on my nose not wanting to miss an inch of this entrance.

"Let's go, Ava, we don't want to be late for our first day," Randy says breezing past me, and I roll my eyes.

"Whatever you say, Sandy," I say, and he narrows his eyes at me but doesn't respond.

We both walk over to the front receptionist and I tell her that we are two of the college interns and she nods enthusiastically and gives us directions to the eighth-floor room we are supposed to be meeting in. We catch the elevator in silence and walk down the long hall until we arrive at the conference room. The walls are tempered glass so we both can see that there is already a person in the room.

Randy surprisingly opens the door for me and lets me walk in before he does. I see a tall man who couldn't be more than four years older than us leaning against the whiteboard hung on the wall, reviewing a stack of files. His head whips up and he gives a very bleached smile, to us. He flicks his long dark brown hair out of his face and puts the files down on the table. That's the man I ran into on the street the other day. I can tell he doesn't recognize me, but he's wearing the same charcoal grey suit.

"Good morning, you must be Aviva and Randolph," the man says walking over and shaking our hands.

"Yes, that would be us," I reply back shifting my bag higher on my shoulder.

"Please take a seat while we wait for the others to arrive," he says.

Randy sits next to me but doesn't say anything to me; rather he pulls out his phone and scrolls through a social media app. I pull out one of my notebooks and my tablet; I open the PDF of a textbook from this year and start taking notes. I have read almost the entire textbook throughout the duration of my class but some of the best subjects we didn't get to, and I want to learn more about them, like the nerd that I am.