"Administrative assistant duties will vary according to the environment in which the position is based.
The job specification for an admin assistant is frequently open to interpretation."
Best-Job-Interview.com
___________________________
CALI
"Cali, Gaven has repaired the Jump Chamber!"
Lorne's words startle me, abruptly cutting off my conversation with the general. He speaks rapidly and out of breath.
"Gaven...he's...he came through for us. He's been obsessed with fixing the Chamber."
He pauses, and I hear General Randolph demand that Lorne stop talking and step away from the microphone.
"Cali," the general is back, and he is all business. "Our objective has changed. It's imperative that we find a way to get the LTU's back from those men. We can't pinpoint your locator signal without them."
I try to latch onto the significance of what both men in my Reality have just revealed, but the gentle tenor that whispers in my left ear distracts and frightens me.
"Do not fear me. I am Ro'monthu Ra's ally." The words are accompanied by the unnerving touch of a hand coming to rest gently on my shoulder.
"You must buy time for us. Keep Segomo Reese talking."
"Cali?" Lorne's voice is laced with concern. "Did you hear me? This means we can bring you home!"
My answer is an affirmative cough.
Segomo Reese raises an eyebrow in question.
I'm taking too long to answer him.
He raises the arm holding Diesel's sword so that the tip of the blade comes to rest against the wound on my jaw.
I hiss at the stinging pain.
"I asked you," he says with displeasure, "where are you from?"
Renewed fear surges and courses through me. It's a heady rush that fills me with panic and accelerates my heart rate.
The pressure of the unseen hand becomes a grip on my shoulder.
And then my body tingles, every nerve tapping into something electric in the air.
I exhale and feel my fear ebb.
An aura of light briefly fills my vision, and I feel as if I've stepped into a vacuum. There is no sound outside of my own heartbeat.
It thrums in my ears and is joined by...another.
It's Diesel's heart. I'm certain of it.
And then I become aware of two more heartbeats. They're fainter, and I know it's the boy and the owner of the enigmatic voice whispering to me.
With the rhythms of each heartbeat come sensations and a blend of emotions.
Involuntarily, I take a deep breath and with it comes the memory of Diesel speaking three words:
On my honour.
Then the light retracts, my vision clears, and the heartbeats are replaced once again by the sounds around me.
But the emotions that filled me coalesce and become my own.
I'm fueled by the strength I draw from the conviction of purpose I felt in my companions.
I go still and grit my teeth. Ignoring the pain, I narrow my eyes at Segomo Reese and focus on one thought:
I will come out the victor.
"Mr. Desmond. Enough! I am in command here." The general's words abruptly silence Lorne from saying anything further. "Cali, you need to answer Segomo Reese's question. Keep it simple. Tell him...tell him you're from the North. Go from there. Together we'll figure this out."
"I'm from the North," I say, at a loss for anything further to add.
I'm startled with how foreign my voice sounds to my ears.
I don't know what just happened to me. But, I know that in this moment I am more than just myself.
"Good...that's good, Cali..." the general urges.
"The information this Jen-er-el suggests will not be enough." The mysterious voice counters. I'm shocked that my invisible companion can hear so clearly what General Randolph is saying to me.
"Segomo Reese will demand more and lose patience easily. Offer to trade something that will speak to his greed. In exchange for the lives of Ro'monthu Ra and the pup."
"A trade?" Surprise makes the question escape my lips.
"What did you say?" General Randolph asks, perplexed.
"A...what?" Segomo Reese raises an eyebrow in question.
"Lie to him," the mysterious voice instructs. "Very soon his life will be forfeit. But you must stall. Make him believe there will be a trade."
"You want to offer a trade?" There is growing irritation in Segomo Reese's voice.
"You? Make a trade?" He frowns and shakes his head.
Mouth set in a grim line, his countenance hardens.
He puts pressure on the sword, and I feel the angry bite of his mounting impatience as steel pierces the skin on my face.
It's a shallow cut, but it hurts like hell. Even though I flinch and my eyes water, I keep them trained on the bastard.
My unseen companion utters a curse so close to my face that his breath raises the hairs on the nape of my neck.
I glance at Diesel.
His eyes following Segomo Reese's every move are a brilliant sapphire that flash in the sunlight. The muscles in his neck are taught, his jaw set in fierce determination.
"You play games with your life." Segomo Reese's warning is a deep and menacing growl. "We only trade in what gives us advantage in winning at blood sport. And I doubt you have anything to bring to the arena."
In a flash an idea comes to me.
I know the direction I can take this to both stall and hopefully get the LTU's back.
I may not be immortal or have any kick ass fighting moves, but I've mastered the art of practicing interpersonal skills from my experiences as a Receptionist.
I channel my best impression of an assertive office supply sales rep.
"I can offer you something the other competitors can't. Something that will give your..." I look around at the foul lowlifes hovering over my every word, "team the winning advantage."
General Randolph's voice cuts in. It's low, and his words are a measured warning. "Cali? What are you doing?"
I don't acknowledge the general. Instead I gaze steadily into Segomo Reese's eyes and say, "What I offer is a game."
"A game?" he scoffs.
"A WHAT?" The general loses his composure. "Cali, this is NO time to go rogue."
Maybe he thinks that last word will shake me, but my attention on the asshole in front of me is unwavering.
"Your reputation as a trader and the games you play are known to everyone in the North," I say, using a tone of voice that I hope will speak to Segomo Reese's ego. "We are famous for our games as well."
"He does not believe you," the whispered words are as urgent and frustrated as the general's. "You must offer him something valuable before he kills you!"
My invisible companion is right. Segomo Reese isn't taking me seriously. I see in his eyes a cruel promise of finding delight in my pain.
His lips curl into a wicked grin.
In one swift and fluid move he is towering above me, and the sword's blade is against my throat. I'm forced to lift my head and look into his eyes.
The invisible fingers on my shoulder flex once and then release.
The men restraining me are a solid wall at my back. Their grip on my arms tighten, holding me in place while Segomo Reese presses his body up against mine.
I hold my breath, while the nauseating and sour stench of his washes over me. He narrows his eyes and tilts his head.
He moves it side to side and sniffs the air around my face, then bends his head to graze his nose against the skin at my throat.
"You smell strong. Like them." He mumbles before quickly licking the skin at my jugular. "And you taste..."
His voice trails off as his tongue makes a second and slower swipe of my skin.
I shiver with revulsion.
"I can taste them on you," he says with disgust and fascination. "The Immortal and...a wolf."
Segomo Reese raises his head to meet my eyes again.
"You don't smell like it, but your taste is human," he growls in contempt. His heated glare dares me to contradict him.
With a satisfied smile, he steps back to resume his stance with the tip of Diesel's sword once again resting against my face. This time on the cheek bone just below my right eye.
Segomo Reese's face loses all expression. Deceptively composed, his words are carefully enunciated.
"Now. You will answer my question."
His men have grown silent. They seem to hold a collective breath. Even the repulsive troll, Walter, ceases his incessant snorts.
The casual way with which their leader says his next words are a visceral punch to the gut.
"If what comes out of your mouth next does not please me, I will slit the pup's throat."
Without taking his eyes off me, he makes a gesture to his men with the nod of his head.
With a gleeful grin, Walter pulls a knife from his belt and runs over to the boy. With a punishing grip on the boy's arm he yanks the child close to him, pressing the dirty blade against his throat.
The boy's amber eyes widen a fraction, but his hopeful gaze remains fixed on me.
I can hear the panicked voices of my colleagues in the Terminal. The general is barking orders while Lorne and Harvey speak rapidly and loudly.
The voice in my left ear gives a frustrated huff before it whispers, "Listen carefully. Tell him that you are from Exe Dua Ro'in. The ancient place of our forefathers."
"Does Exe Dua Ro'in mean anything to you?" I ask, pronouncing the foreign words as best I can.
Segomo Reese's face registers surprise, and his eyes narrow in suspicion. He pauses for a beat before asking, "Where did you hear that?"
"SHHHHHHH....!!!" And with that, General Randolph once again regains absolute control of his authority in the Terminal.
"What's that she's sayin', boss?" Walter calls out.
"Sounds like another language," another chimes in.
"I thought she said Dorin," Walter's voice is tinged with apprehension. "Is that what she said?"
Several eyes turn toward the northern mountains that are barely visible in the haze of the day's heat.
A few men spit on the ground and draw a symbol in the air. It looks like a couple of them make the sign of the cross.
Curious.
Words like "cursed" and "ghosts" are muttered in hushed tones.
Segomo Reese ignores his men. He tilts his head slightly, studying my features.
I have made him wary of me.
"Who are you?"
My mysterious companion gives a satisfied chuckle. "Tell him this..." and I pay very close attention to the repeated string of strange words that follow.
When the whispers cease, I raise my head proudly and say, "Exe'ni Caleya ua beyurn beyral."
The foreign phrase coming out of my mouth is a mangled attempt at mimicking the eloquent accent in the voice that instructed me to say it, but it has the desired effect on Segomo Reese.
The hand holding Diesel's sword drops to his side.
He stares at me dumbfounded.
My words have disarmed him.
I feel the palpable weight of unease in the air around me.
I glance at Segomo Reese's men. The men behind me shuffle their feet, uncomfortable with how my words have affected their leader.
The boy begins to laugh in delight.
Walter grits his teeth in anger and gives him a firm shake, effectively quieting the boy. But the child can't suppress a grin.
I glance at Diesel and do a double take.
His eyes are wide with astonishment. On his face is a comical expression of surprise. His mouth hangs open, and his eyebrows are raised.
I hear the heavy intake of General Randolph's breath indicating that he is about to break the silence, but Lorne abruptly cuts him off.
"General Randolph! LET her speak!!!"
Surprisingly, the general obliges.
Quickly, while I have Segomo Reese's full attention, I once again adopt the overly confident persona of a self-important sales rep.
"What I offer will make you innovators in your...on your field, or arena...or wherever it is that you play your games," I push on.
"Innovators?" Segomo Reese blinks in utter confusion.
"I mean...that you will have something none of your competitors do. It will make you richer." I look pointedly at Walter. "All of you."
I let those words sink in. I look around at Segomo Reese's men as they slowly digest what I'm saying.
I can feel a momentum building inside of me with every word I say.
I imagine Segomo Reese and I are standing on a set of scales.
Everything I tell his men add the weight I need to tip them in my favour.
"I'm what they call a Receptionist."
I'm greeted with blank looks.
Good. If they've never heard the title before, then I may have a better chance at being persuasive.
"A...resept shunnist...?" The enigmatic voice to my left sounds bewildered. "I do not know this. Is it your rank?"
"Resept shunnist," Segomo repeats my words slowly.
"Like I said, I come from the North," I reiterate. "And we make trades in only the most dangerous games. In one lethal blood sport in particular."
I remember Segomo Reese's promise to his men. How he spoke to their greed as he challenged Diesel.
"Segomo Reese can't give you what I can," I say to the degenerates that follow him. "I can promise you more than a weapon to bring immortals to their knees."
I look pointedly at Diesel, who has regained his composure.
Many eyes take in the proud warrior whose hard glare challenges them to think of him as anything less than a God among them.
"Victory in the game we revere means guaranteed infamy," I continue. "You don't kill Gods. You become Gods."
All heads swivel and pivot toward me.
I can't be certain, but it feels as if the ground beneath my feet tremors slightly.
Is that the restless movement of Segomo Reese's men tightening the circle around us?
Many of them push forward, eager to hear me better.
Walter's hold on the boy slackens and he moves a fraction closer to his leader, tugging at the chains that bind the child.
I feel a stroke of invisible fingers at my elbow.
"It won't be long now..." the words are whispered encouragingly.
I shrug away from the breath that fans my cheek and the distraction of my enigmatic companion.
"I traveled here because I heard that your clan is famous for training the fiercest fighters," I continue addressing Segomo Reese's men. "And as a game trader in the...Admin Clan, I was trusted with coming to...scout for talent, and to choose the best among you."
Segomo Reese glances at his men. He looks unsettled as he registers their growing curiousity and proximity.
The fierce leader's control over them is tenuous now that I have twisted his own words to speak to their hunger for the power that comes with the potent promise of victory.
Straightening and standing to his full height, Segomo Reese levels a black glare at the men standing closest to him. They cower and step back.
His voice is like a clap of thunder as he projects it above the heads of the crowd.
"Tell us more about this game," he demands.
A larger tremor shakes the ground, and I see a number of men glance down at their feet and then askance at each other.
It's alarming, but I don't take my eyes off the copper haired bastard in front of me.
My smile is sweet and generous as I speak with confidence.
"It's called hockey."
"Where the HELL are you going with this, Cali?" the general's words are an exasperated demand.
"General," Lorne abruptly interjects. "I think I know."
"Hawk key..." Segomo sounds out. A muttering of the two words are passed among his men, and I hear with every utterance an unfamiliarity of the game.
"What is this hawk..." But, Segomo doesn't finish. His eyes widen as they're drawn to something in the sky above my head.
A massive shadow blocks out the sun.
The gust of wind that follows whips my hair around my head and a stirring of dust into my eyes.
The hands restraining me from behind release.
An alarming shriek like the wheels of a freight train halting directly above me makes me duck.
The ground shudders, and there is the sound of a massive stampede of something very large and very close.
Cries of alarm go up, joined by screams of pain.
I straighten, swiping the hair away from my face.
I blink rapidly, struggling to clear my vision against the sting of dirt in my eyes.
The world coming into focus reveals black shadows moving in a blur around me, and two pinpoints of light flash directly in front of my face.
A crescendo of howls unleashed from the throats of feral beasts and their dying prey crashes into me as a massive sea of wolves pours over the crowd in waves.
Terror grips me.
A spine chilling scream behind me drowns the sound of my own startled shriek.
Sharp claws grip my shoulders, keeping me from falling when the body of the dying man behind me hits my back on his fall to the ground.
My attention is drawn to the man holding me up, standing directly in front of me.
A man with the eyes of a wolf.
*************************
A/N: The next, and EXCITING (I'm biased) chapter will be posted in the next couple of days...
Thank you friends, for your patience.
It seems like I've needed the many months I've been absent from Wattpad to have the experiences I need to grow creatively.
Life happens. We embrace it. Work through it. Celebrate all the good that comes from it. Then share what we've learned with others. That's my 2018 in a nutshell.
Cali's world is expanding. The extent of it is something I didn't expect. World building is daunting, but an amazing and wonderful experience. I get to go to places in my head that are breathtaking, adventurous...and super cool! ;-D
As you've seen, I'm introducing a language. It's a work in progress. So, however you choose to pronounce the words and phrases until I get the accent right... just go with it. LOL.
This is a draft. It'll be full of all kinds of errors. And feedback is great. I love hearing your comments and suggestions. I take note of every single one of them for when I make future revisions. :-D
xo
Twyla Rae