I stared at my reflection a few moments longer in the mirror. I lingered for a while on the spot that had conveniently shown up this morning; I had covered it with some foundation so it blended better into my brown skin. My eyes stared back at me, dark and looming. I noticed how one was slightly swollen, making it appear bigger than the other. I kept biting nervously at my lips; I knew I was smudging my clear lip gloss, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. My anxiety was going through the roof and I hadn't even stepped outside yet.
"Muna, are you there?" I heard the voice of my best friend Amanda from my phone.
"Um, yeah. I'm here," I replied, clearing my throat and diverting my eyes to my FaceTime call with Amanda. She was still in bed and honestly that's where I wished I was right now, rather than about to head out to a new job in a completely new state.
The idea of being in an unknown territory, not knowing at all what to expect honestly freaked me out. It was clear that Amanda had picked up on that.
"Muna, you will be fine. Now please, for the love of God, stop stressing," Amanda said rolling her eyes at me, "I've got to go back to sleep. It's still pretty early and my roommate is kind of a light sleeper."
At this, Amanda glanced over to the other side of her room. She seemed to say something to someone, but it was muffled.
"I miss you. You've got this and I love you".
She hung up.
Once again I was left staring at my reflection in the mirror of my new apartment. I was wearing a white blouse and a navy-blue skirt-suit. I was vaguely aware of the ache in my feet from the high-heels I was wearing, and my braids were tied up in a ponytail. I felt so uncomfortable having to dress this official, but I guess it came with the job status. This was going to be my life now, so the sooner I got used to it-the better.
Okay Muna, you've got this. Just breathe. You can do this.
I sighed deeply, picking up my bag that was slung lazily over the chair, and began heading out of my apartment. I had barely unpacked most of my belongings and they just lay scattered around in brown boxes; I walked around them like I was in a maze before making it to my front door.
I stepped outside and was immediately flooded with noise and people bustling about. Only being here for a few days, I had already found that living in California was so different to back in Philly, I honestly didn't know if I could ever get used to this, but I had to. I had worked at Starlight Industries for the past two years and had recently been promoted, which entailed me having to leave my life as I knew it behind in Philadelphia and coming here. But I really, really needed the money. So what other choice did I have but to accept the job offer?
"Hey, watch it!"
Too late. I stumbled forward, lost in my thoughts, and collided with a young man holding a cup of what I presumed to be coffee. It sure looked like it all over my white blouse.
I gasped and looked down at my shirt. My first day at work was already morphing into a disaster. I tried to blink back the sting in my eyes from both the burn of the coffee against my chest and the overall embarrassment.
"Oh, sorry, sweetie," the man said hastily. He was barely even looking at me and he was off again. Moving on with his life, going his way. I mean, what did I expect him to do? I stood there for a minute longer, clutching my black bag tightly in my knuckles. I could feel myself slowly crumbling down and my breathing becoming shallow.
Just breathe Muna. Deep breaths.
"Late. On your first day."
I had just entered Starlight Industries. It was a huge towering building which was not surprising seeing as this was the Head-Quarters. It stood so majestic and I was already intimidated staring at it from outside. Now the intimidation I was feeling seemed to have multiplied twenty-fold as I stood trembling in my heels.
A blonde-haired woman with her hair packed up in a tight bun stared at me from piercing blue eyes. She had a frown etched into her face and had wrinkle-lines all across her forehead.
"I'm sorry," my voice came out in quick breaths, "I experienced a slight inconvenience on my way."
My mind slowly wondered back to the man who had spilled coffee down my shirt and how I had to stop in a public bathroom and try to get the stain off my shirt. It was still apparent, but not as obvious as before. After missing my bus, I had to wait another fifteen minutes before I could get on the next one and had practically run the rest of the way to work. My feet were killing me, to say the least.
The blonde-haired woman looked me up from head to toe. She didn't seem at all impressed with what she saw. Sighing, she motioned at me to follow her and began walking away, her heels clicking loudly against the marble floor of the office.
"I'm Alice Ross, I'd be helping you settle down and get into your new job as the CEO's Personal Assistant these first few weeks. I hope this late coming of yours shall not be a habit."
"It's a one time thing, I promise," my voice was etched with desperation but there was not much I could do about it. I badly needed this, and I was already off to a bad start.
"I hope so," Alice Ross responded without glancing back at me, she walked into an open elevator and I followed her in, "you got a very good recommendation from the Starlight branch in Philadelphia, that's the whole reason you are here now. Do not disappoint."
I gulped audibly.
The elevator door opened with a ding and once again I followed Alice Ross, trying to keep up to her in my heels. She was wearing heels as well, but walked like a model on a run-way. The floor we were on was a lot busier, I got a few curious glances and immediately began feeling self-conscious.
"Time for you to meet the CEO," Alice Ross stated, taking me down a corridor. The noise from the people began fading away and all I could hear was my heart beating in my eardrums and the sweat trickling down my back.
It's crazy. I had worked in this company for the past two years but had no idea of who the CEO was, or what he looked like. I knew little about him, and here I was about to become his Personal Assistant. I had heard that the CEO was a really private person, maybe that contributed to why I did not know who he was.
Great.
We came to a stop at a looming brown door and Alice Ross knocked on the door before opening it and strolling inside.
"Miss Rose, your new Personal Assistant has finally arrived."
I thought I was going to pass out right then and there. When I thought of the CEO I had imagined some prim and proper, boring looking white dude in his 50s, nothing could have prepared me for what was before me.
First, the CEO was a woman. Not a Mr, but a Miss. I mean, I was all for breaking the glass ceiling, but it completely took me off guard. Second, she seemed younger than I would have imagined.
The room was enormous, with a massive window showing a beautiful view. It was lined with shelves of thick books, and there she was, seated at a large black desk, her legs crossed over the table while she flipped through a stack of papers in her hands. She had short black hair that seemed to fall into her eyes and was dressed in a dark grey pant suit which she topped off with matching grey trainers. Trainers with a suit, and she pulled it off so graciously. I felt my feet scream out to me from inside my tight heels.
I hadn't realized how long I had been ogling at her, not saying a word until I heard Alice Ross clear her throat. The CEO still had not looked up at me.
"I hope this one can hold it together and won't quit after the first week like all the others, Alice," the CEO stated, her voice came out loud and clear and there was a hint of an accent but I couldn't place it. She still had not looked up and was flipping through a stack of papers.
"I hope so too," Alice Ross said, sending me a sideways glare.
I didn't know it was possible for my heart to beat faster than it already was. Why had the others quit after one week? What was this? And why hadn't the CEO acknowledged me? Here I was thinking I had achieved something getting this job, but it seemed I could easily be fired, just as quickly I had been hired.
"I'd leave you to it, Miss Rose." Alice Ross stated before giving a little curtsy and walking out of the room.
I listened as the door shut behind her and was filled with surprise when I found myself wishing she wouldn't leave me alone with the CEO. My eyes were still fixated on her, even though she had not as much as glanced at me. I suddenly felt really cold but hot at the same time, and I didn't know what to do.
I mustered every last bit of courage I had. "This promotion is an honor and I'm so glad to finally meet you Miss..."
My voice trailed off just as the CEO raised her head and finally looked at me. I felt like my heart stopped for a second. She had dark green eyes, a long slim nose and plump pink lips. She held my gaze intently and slowly smirked. It had not clicked just how young she was. She didn't look much older than me. Alice Ross was probably years older than her, yet she was the one that was CEO.
"I'm Anastasia Rose, call me Miss Rose."
I finally placed the accent, it was Australian. Her voice was music to my ears.
"You must be Muna Johnson."
I nodded my head, not trusting my voice at all, my eyes still locked with Miss Rose's. I shifted awkwardly under her intense stare, I almost wished she would go back to ignoring me. Almost.
She stood up slowly from her desk, towering a few feet above me, I already felt intimidated enough as it was. I dug my nails into my palms and bit my lip. She dug her hands into her pocket looking down on me, the same smirk tugging at her lips.
"I look forward to having you work alongside me Muna Johnson, well... if you manage to last here that is."
Then she chuckled. Imagine how psychotic you must be to laugh after saying something like that? I was trembling like a leaf in my heels.
"Get Alice to show you around and explain how your job works, I have a meeting to attend to. Think of today as an orientation, I want you in my office at 8.30 am prompt tomorrow."
With that, she strolled out of the room. I listened to the door shut behind her, echoing throughout the now empty room, and released a breath I hadn't even realized I had been holding. My eyes were still etched into the spot where she had been standing just a few seconds ago.