I slam my locker shut and begin walking away from my hallway. I adjust my school books on my arms and dodge some kids in the hallway. "Skylar! Skylar! Wait up!" Yells a voice behind me.
I glance over my shoulder and see Brock running through crowds of teenagers. I wait for him to catch up, pausing at the staircase. Teenagers push past me, making stumble a few times. Brock finally catches up.
He still has a electric mohawk. Literally. His neon green eyes meet mine. "Hey, Madison." He says, placing a metal hand on my shoulder.
I immediately tense under his touch. Me and Brock just met. We aren't really close... but he did save my life. Brock doesn't seem to feel my tension. "Hey." I mumble. Brock grins. "Where you going? Maybe we can hang out some time." He says. Alarm bells go off in my mind. Hang out? With Brock? If he likes me...
I shake my head at that silly thought. Who would like you? Guys don't just magically fall at your feet. I think to myself. Brock wouldn't like me. He's a tough guy. No one would like...
"Uh sure," I answer before I can let my thoughts wander off even more. "But not right now. I have a job now." I try not to sound pride but I fail miserably
. Brock arches a brow. "Really? You're saying this just to make an excuse or...?" I chuckle as I shake my head. "No, I'm not. I literally got a job yesterday." I say. We both begin to walk up the stairs.
Brock nods. "Okay then, good for you. Where can we meet up when you're done?" He ask. I shrug. "I honestly don't know when I'm going to be done. But... maybe around eight? Where do you wanna hang out?" Brock winces. "Eight is kinda bad for me. I'm always hosting parties." He says. I roll my eyes playfully. "Sure."
Brock winks at me as he begins to walk away. "You know me. The dude with all the epic parties." He says. I scoff. "Yeah, sure." I say. Brock gives me a slight wave. "See ya around, Skylar." He says. I salute him back and he disappears into the maze of halls. I emerge on the first floor of the building.
I look around as I scratch my head. Where did Jade tell me to meet her...? Oh. Right outside the training room doors. I take my time walking there, observing the small things around me. The small cracks on the walls. The dust on the corner of a wall. The pictures that hang on the wall.
My finger fiddle with the papers sticking out from my binder. I don't bother getting a backpack, thanks to my wings situation. I just carry my things in my hands.
I did all my homework in my classes, knowing today I would be busy with Gabriel. I finally get to the entrance of the training room. Jade is already standing there. She nods slightly in acknowledgement.
I try not to be bothered by the fact of what happened yesterday. Jade is... so strange. She acts like smiling or laughing is such a sin. I've never seen her face do anything other than a small smile. "Hey." I mumble, leaning against the doors. Jade folds her arms. "You came on time." She says. I look at her. "Of course I did."
I notice her decorated left arm. That henna seems like it never fades. The tips of her fingers to her shoulder blades is just covered in designs. Really cool.
Today's she wears a black tank top with capri leggings. Her silky black hair is up in a high ponytail. I frown. I can't do that with my short hair.
When I tie it up, pieces of hair sticks out. Jade looks at me with her jade colored eyes. "Alright, Madison. Lets go, Gabriel has a meeting to go to." She says, jerking her chin toward the other side of the hallway. I nod. As we begin to walk, Jade begins to go over some basic rules with me.
"You will be given a set of passwords, usernames, and other confidential things. When we get to his office, you will sign some papers indicating that you will won't tell a single soul everything that happens around you in the office. If you do, there will be some consequences." Jade says. I nod.
She begins to explain to me that only a certain number of people are allowed to the fifth floor of this building. You need a certain password to get it.
She gave me that too. Jade begins to explain that Gabriel isn't the only one in charge. The Nukka company is owned by a council. Of course Gabriel Nukka is the head of the council but other people contributed to the ideas of different things.
"You will receive folder, notepad, and phone to take notes or communicate with Mr Nukka. Since you are now his secretary, you will assist him in any way as possible. After you're done with school, this will be your official job." Jade says. That stops me dead in my tracks. Jade looks over her shoulder, staring expectantly at me.
"Wait what? My official job...? No, I don't want to do that as my career." I say. Jade purses her lips. "What do you want to do then?" She asks. "I... I want to be a music professor." I answer in a sudden small voice. Jade scoffs. "Believe me, this job will pay much more than that." She says.
My heart feels suddenly wounded by her comment. Jade sees this too, she doesn't say anything else, knowing I'm hurt by her snarky comment.
She abruptly closes her mouth and keeps walking. I trail after her quietly. That? That? Music has been part of my life since a little kid. It isn't just some thing. I don't care how much they pay you.
I want to be a music professor because I love it, not for money. We continue to walk in an uncomfortable silence. Jade stays silent in front of me, not offering an apology or anything. We reach a wooden door with a keypad on the handle. Jade gestures me to look. She presses a series of numbers.
6.3.2.0.4.1.
The keypad blinks a green color and Jade opens the door. I follow her into a tight hallway. We reach into the end of the hallway and I find two metal doors. An elevator. Wow. A hallway just for an elevator. "Is this the only entrance and exit for the fifth floor?" I ask. Jade shakes her head. "No, that would be a fire hazard." She answers in a duh voice.
I ignore her tone. She presses the up button and the elevator dings. The metal doors open. I step in, not waiting for Jade to say something. She comes in next to me and presses the button number, five. The elevator squeaks and shudders a bit as the doors close. My toes curl as I feel the elevator rise.
My stomach does somersaults as I feel the weird rollercoaster sensation wash over me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of heights or anything. It's just that weird elevator feeling I'm getting.
The elevator dings each time we reach a different level. Finally, fifth level. The metal doors open and I step out. I'm instantly exposed to bright light. I notice there is large windows at each side of me. Rays of sunshine pour in the wide hallway, making it seem cheerful.
I pause, waiting for Jade to catch up. She walls up beside me, not saying a word. She gives me a slight, indicating to continue. We walk forward, emerging into a workspace full with cubicles. About twenty people sit in the cubicles, clicking away at their computers.
Some have headphones on, others don't. But everyone of them have ID's hanging around their neck.
The co-workers don't even give us a second glance as we walk by. I guess it's a regular thing to see teenagers walking by. A series of doors lay in different parts of the vast workspace. Jade leads me to a random door.
Jade jerks her chin toward the inside of the small room. A camera on a small stand, facing a wall with a blue background.
In front of the camera is a desk with a woman typing away, her eyes glued to the computer screen. As Jade closes the door loudly, the computer woman looks up. I notice she seems slightly annoyed.
Jade takes a seat on the chair that is right beside the camera. The woman pulls out a clipboard from the desk drawer and hands it to me without saying a word.
She hands me a pen as well. "Uh, what is this for?" I ask, cutting off the silence. The woman looks up at me with bored brown eyes. "Fill the forms out. Then take a seat right in front of the camera." She says, not really answering my question. "Okay." I mumble as I click the pen. The first question.
Name. Middle. Last. Skylar Chelsea Madison. Some of questions I know from the back of my head, others I don't. The form begins to change. Where is my house address?
I blink a couple of times. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I ask Jade which address should I put. Jade grabs the clipboard from me and writes something down.
Her nice elegant writing makes my big squared writing look even uglier. After a few moments of filling out the form, I'm done. I hand the clipboard back to the lady behind the desk.
She skims through the forms and nods. "Wait for just one second." She tells me, typing in my information into the computer.
I sit down on the stool that's in front of the camera. Awkward silence fills the room again. I play around with my fingers, trying not to think about what's happening. Minutes pass by, the woman is still typing away. Jade leans back on her chair and glances up at the ceiling. For a quick moment I wonder what is going on in her head.
Why does she act like that way? With no emotion. Her face is usually expressionless. Why? I rapidly look away as Jade gives me a glance. I go back to playing around with my fingers. The typing has stopped. The woman looks up. "Alright. Now, look straight into the camera and smile. One... two... three." She says.
She clicks some thing in her computer and I hear camera make a snapshot. I blink rapidly. That woman didn't gave me a chance to smile properly. I frown.
"The ID will printed out in just a second." She says, typing some thing in the computer. A whirring sound comes from underneath the table.
The lady bends down and grabs something. She hands me a ID card that's connected to a weird clip thingy. "Sorry about that. We're out of the necklace IDs." The lady says. I give her a forced smile. "It's... okay." I say. Jade stands and walks over to the door. She opens it and motions me to follow. The lady resumes back to her computer. I look closely at my picture.
A wavy short haired girl, with wide hazel eyes staring straight back at me. I sigh. This is what I get. I clip the ID to the pocket of my shirt as Jade leads me yet to another door. Jade stops walking and faces me. She begins telling about all the things that comes with the price of being Gabriel's secretary.
I have to tell no one what I hear, see, or speak of. Gabriel puts a lot of trust in his secretary so I have to be able to trust him back. Blah blah blah. More rules and regulations.
Jade finally tells me that my job is to follow orders of Gabriel. No one else. I nod, making Jade nod as well. "Good. Alright, in five minutes we will have a council meeting. Gabriel is already in there and so is some of the council members. Please don't leave a bad impression." Jade says.
My heart beats faster. I can do this. I can do this. I give Jade a confident nod. Jade turns around and leads me into the room. A big oval table stands in the middle of the room. People in suits and ties fill the tables.
At the ends of the table sits Gabriel. Only two women are here other than me and Jade. The rest are men. The dark ebony table looks like the ones from the movies.
When important people have meetings on who they're gonna kill next. Jade takes a seat next a blonde man. People barely glance at me as I make my way toward Gabriel. I curse at myself. I should have come more prepared.
I'm a secretary wearing a polo shirt with light blue skinny jeans and matching Converse.
I place all my things on the table, right next to Gabriel. He nods at me. "Nice to see you again, Skylar. Today you will be taking notes for me. Feel free to say any ideas that come to your mind." He says. I smile and nod.
The table seems half empty. Two more men walking into the room, carrying a small briefcase. As I begin to organize my work space, four more people come through the door.
A big screen stands behind Gabriel, maybe for presentations or things like that. Next to the screen is a small desk with a computer and a chair.
The last man comes in, instead of taking a seat he remains standing. He has dark hair that is combed back in a weird slick way. His dark blue suit matches with his light blue tie.
His angular face looks a bit too... weasel like. His sharp blue eyes dart around, watching all the people. The murmurs stop as the man smiles.
"Hello, everyone. Nice to see you all today. As usual, we have some things to discuss." He says in a voice that sounds like he's lying. He eyes trail the rest of the room until he finds mine.
Shock fills his face. He grins, making a chill go down my spine. His pure white teeth shine in the sunlight. His pointy cheekbones make him look like the Joker when he grins. "Ah, I have failed to see our newest member of the council. Please stand, and introduce yourself to us." He says, his eyes never leaving mine.
Everyone turns to look at me. I receive some cold expressions or some warm welcoming ones.
I set down my notepad and pen nervously. I slowly stand, making my armchair squeak in the silent room. The weird weasel man still grins at me, his expression looking hungry. I clear my throat. "Um, hi everyone. I'm Skylar Madison, Gabriel's new secretary." I announce, my voice trembling.
A few people slightly shake their heads as they hear me call Mr Nukka by his first name. From the corner of my eye I see Jade frown. The weasel man nods.
"Welcome to the council, Skylar. I am Bullard, nice to meet you. You may take a seat." He says. I sit down, gulping. People snap their attention away from me. Gabriel gives me a reassuring wink as I retrieve my notepad.
Bullard continues. His eyes snap away from mine. He takes out his suitcase and opens it, taking a small stack of papers out. I click the pen, ready for any note taking. Bullard clears his throat. Everyone takes out their laptops or notepads as well.
"As you may all know, the mutating gene of the people who have it is developing." He says, pacing the room with his hands clasped in front of him.
I jot something down. "The mutants of this generation are well... mutating." He says with a slight chuckle. "Instead of their protection which the activation chip provides, kids are being borned without it. Mutants show be able to gain their powers at whichever age now. Things are changing. Instead of unleashing their power at age sixteen, different mutants are getting their powers at different times." Bullard says.
I look up from my notepad, shocked. People don't have control over their powers anymore. The mutants who are receiving the power can at any age now. One man speaks up. "Why is this happening all of a sudden?" He asks.
Bullard looks at the man who spoke. "It might be the fact that science is evolving. Others think it has something to do with Harold Davis." He answers.
I write it down. "I've heard that Harold Davis is kidnapping mutants all over the world and their partners to do experiments with them." A woman says. Bullard nods.
"Yes, I was getting there. Turns out you're right, Harold is working on something bigger than all of us. These new types of mutants... they don't have partners." He says. A collective gasp erupts from the table.
"No partners? What is this man doing?" Someone says angrily. "No doubt he's making this for that uprising army of his." Says a snarky voice. Murmurs rise from the council. Bullard adjusts his suit. "Settle down, settle down. Let me explain." He says. It takes a while for everyone to get quiet again. I hold my breath.
"This hasn't been going on for these past few months, people. This has been going on for years. For this generation to be impacted right now, means that the generation before has already passed it down. Harold wants us to know this. How do you think we just found out about it? After all these years, I think Harold is playing a little game with us." Bullard says.
More protests and murmurs erupt from the council. Gabriel stands up and gestures everyone to quiet down. "Now, Bullard, how do you know this is true?" He asks once the room is silent. Bullard scoffs.
"I have my way, Mr Nukka. I have sources, spies, as you call it. They report to me everyday." He answer quiet snarky.
Gabriel takes his seat and motions Bullard to continue.
"Mutants can receive their powers at any age, any time, and any way. The government is noticing this as well. I have heard rumors that they're discussing news laws directed to mutants. Camps are being built. People are getting tested. This is only the beginning, everyone. Any AMOTG is to be reported to the police." Bullard says, pacing again.
I gulp. It's not safe out there. In the world. What would Granny and Pops do? The amount of links is decreasing. Mutants will have no one to control their limits. I prevent myself from shivering.
The world around us was getting dangerous by the moment and I didn't even know it. Suddenly, I am grateful that I'm Gabriel's new secretary. I get to be up to date with everything happening.
Gabriel leans in and motions me to do the same. "You are dismissed to go, Skylar. We will begin to discuss things that you can't hear." He says in a gentle tone. I nod. I pack up my things, everyone looking at me. I stand up and clutch my things as I walk toward the door. Bullard grins that nasty grin of his.
"Farewell, Skylar. I hope you enjoyed your first day." He says with those heartless blue eyes.
I straighten and keep walking, trying not to show my fear. I glance over my shoulder and see Jade. She gives me a small nod. My lips tug on a small smile before I leave the council.
«-»
The door creaks as I close it behind me. I sigh as I place my apartment keys on the kitchen counter. I place my things on the small dining table and walk over to my bedroom. I quickly change into more comfortable clothes.
A simple baggy sweatshirt with a pair of yoga pants. I slip on some running shoes and tie my hair in a short ponytail. It took a while to put on my sweatshirt due to my wings. Dakota had cut all my tops for my wings could fit in it.
Two slots are in all my shirts, making it easier for me to change. But now I'm getting use to the small breeze against my shoulder blades.
I walk out of my bedroom and trudge over to the entrance door. I grab my keys and loop them around my neck. I lock the door behind me and walk down the hall.
Through the balcony, I notice it's late afternoon. I probably have homework today but I don't care anymore. I have changed since the last few days.
A week back, I would have concentrated on homework as soon as I hit home. But now... I just don't have that in me.