I walked towards the bus stop, reaching and sitting down on the waiting bench, awaiting the bus to arrive. Few minutes passed, the book stayed silent inside my coat, not moving, just being a regular book.
The bus made its way over towards the bus stop, stopping right front perfectly, I got up from the seat getting onto the bus. Walking down the aisle, for some reason today the bus was overly full, so I had to take a seat in the very back.
Finding this seat open was actually quite lucky considering how crowded it was, I'm surprised it hasn't been taken already.
I looked into my coat and pulled out the book, I wondered 'if I would open it, what would happen?' The bus started moving along towards the next bus stop after some more passengers got on. I took the chance and opened the book, or what should have been me opening the book.
It was locked shut like one of those fake books, I even gave it more force trying to open it. I tried with more, still didn't work so I stuffed it back into my coat and waited to get to the stop near my office.
Once I finally got off the bus I quickly made my way to the office, going through the front doors and heading up some stairs. I grabbed the phone from my pocket and checked the time, it read 8:40 in the morning. I sighed before opening into the office where people were already making haste starting work.
I looked over towards the old run down machine and clocked in for the day. Walking towards my desk, I set down the book and everything in my pockets into a drawer, that's part of my desk. Turning on the old computer, even giving it a slap in hopes it would work faster.
Sitting down in the chair, grabbing the mouse and moving it over towards the emails, double clicking to open it.
Before I could read my first email from my boss someone from above me yelled out,
"Yoku! Thanks to you not being here yesterday the boss ate everyone out. I suggest you be careful today."
It was one of my fellow coworkers, Victor, hes a nice dude, we both are called the boss work dogs. Well many people here are called that unless you reach out and try to make friends with them higher ups, meaning the boss.
I mean the boss does also have a boss, but he never visits this run down company. In simple we are a overlooked branch company.
"Yikes looks like I'm walking on glass today.."
He handed me over a coffee,
"Here take it to the boss and hope he doesn't eat your head off. I wish you luck!"
Shoving the coffee towards me he ran off helping others with there work, I looked towards the boss office and gulped. 'One step at a time.' I walked closer and closer, reaching my hand out towards the door and knocking.
"Excuse me I have your coffee, Boss."
Normally I would be trembling in fear, I really have to give one to Phalton he's a pretty cool dude. My nerves we're pretty still as the boss yelled out,
"Come in!"
Opening the door right when the boss saw me he made a face filled with agitation. It seems I wasn't the only guest in the room, I looked over and made eye contact with a man. He seemed a little older than me, maybe thirty's?
I handed over the coffee, and left the room. I looked over towards Victor who gave me a thumbs up, a few others were sighing and wiping away sweat from their forehead.
I can completely understand where everyone is coming from, once your on the radar of the boss no doubt that it could throw everyone off. You can picture it like, someone pasted a paper on your back saying kick me but instead it says stay away unless you want to be made target practice. Taking my seat back at my desk I looked over the email, one of them was for a revision, another was fixing the AC unit.
A few more was for revisions, making a table, I think you can understand, work that should be bounced around to everyone but it's only going towards the work slaves...
Immediately I got to work opening files that were sent to me, time passed quickly and the man from before finally walked out of the room. It caught my attention and I wasn't the only one, in fact many people looked over.
Then the boss walked out and gave us 'the' look, so we all looked away, after all it's better not to agitate him.
I revised many papers, until I felt a presence behind me, so I looked back, it was the man. With the boss in tow,
"Is there anything you need?"
Looking up towards the man, he looked at me then back towards the computer, moving his gaze all the way to the boss who was huffing and puffing. The boss caught his breath and said to the finely dressed man,
"Oh you see all our computers..um we had to replace the computers and they uh...haven't came in yet"
I've only seen the boss act like this unless it's to a superior, I took a big gulp looking at the finely dressed men, I tried lowering my gaze. My body didn't move though it just looked at him awaiting a response.
He looked back towards me,
"Continue with your work."
I nodded and got back to it but the presence behind me never left at all, it waited like a hunter that found its prey. Shivers wanted to run down my back but it felt like confidence was surging below instead.
Revision after revision and sending them back to the respondents. Minutes passed and it was still there, until I felt a hand on my shoulder. The finely dressed man patted my shoulder and walked away viewing a few other people's work.
Once it happened to Victor he looked over at me and rubbed his arm's wording a word with his mouth 'creepy.' Once I was done with the revisions the man walked into the boss office as the boss followed behind.
I got up from my seat and walked over towards the AC unit near Victor, he got up from his seat once I came near.
"I'll go get the tools."
Victor ran off into the closet in the corner of the office, I looked at the AC unit and tried to turn it on. Didn't work, I sighed and wondered where in the hire statement said have experience with fixing AC units...
Victor came back with tools in hand, so many in fact he dropped one on the way. Placing them down next to me, with that I started working on it quickly. I opened it up and searched for a reason why it wasn't working, time passed, minutes upon minutes, with Victor's help. We spent the next hour or two trying to fix it, nothing was working.
Victor looked at me and said,
"You got your self new clothing?"
"Yeap, out of nowhere I went on a buying spree."
He looked at me with a surprised face then with a grin,
"Since you feel like spending how about buying me dinner?"
I pushed him away,
"Get back to your work Victor I'll try a few more things."
Victor looked at me and shrugged,
"Yea I still have a few more data sheets to input you got this man!"
Looking back over to the AC unit, I sighed thinking about what to do next, that's when I noticed something on the floor next to me. It was the book...
How the hell did it get over here?..
"Psst Yoku I know how to fix it."
The book opened up it's page fluttering away, 'oh so now you want to open.' It landed on a page describing how to fix it, I sat there and wondered how the book would know how but it looked right. So I tried it and who would have known, well anyone would guess, a book knows how to fix an AC unit more than me.
I let out a gasp, finally I don't have to keep banging my head against the wall trying to fix it. I picked up the book,
"Thanks for the help book."
"Of course Yoku! I shall help you out when ever I can!"
How nice of it, I put it back down and put the tools away back into the closet it took a while. Walking back over I picked the book up and went back to my small little office space. Right when I sat down though, the finely dressed man appeared again from the boss office, he cleared his throat and raised his voice.
"Everyone please go home for today."
I looked at the person dumb founded, go home? I looked over to Victor and he also looked dumb founded. The boss came out of the office, and walked all the way to the door that leads to the stairwell. He looked awful, his hair looked like bed hair, his shirt looked wrinkled and pulled up.
Then the man again spoke up,
"There will be a new change of management and until then all of you will have pay leave and we will contact you when to come back to work."
With that everyone went out of the office making their way down stairs out the front doors. I was the last one out, with the doors closing behind me. Everyone was confused, some had worried faces plastered onto them. Even I could feel it, then I felt my coat and remembered, I forgot the book in the office.
I ran back inside, up the stairs, all the way to my desk finding the book on the desk still. I felt relieved, I grabbed the book, turned around to leave and I found the man again. He was on the phone so I simply bowed and walked passed with the book in hand.
Now again I was back outside thinking of what to do, I walked around for awhile. Until I found my way again in front of the book store again. I opened the door, the bell again rung for my arrival, taking a few steps inside. The man who ran the book store came over,
"Oh look who it is! Will you be a regular now?"
I looked over towards him with,
"Maybe so, I found the book from last time wonderful to read."
He gave me a grin, then as we was walking away he waved with saying,
"Get comfortable then there are many books here to read."
He disappeared into the back of the bookstore, I looked around letting my fingers glide along the books. Looking for any that stood out, nothing did though, then the book spoke up.
"Yoku in that aisle over there!"
Before I knew it the book flew right out of my hand over to an aisle, I quickly followed it. It made its way over, then stopping, moving itself next to a book.
"This one!"
I stopped and tried to catch my breath, looking up I picked the book out from the bookshelf. I sat there for a few seconds,
"Open it! Open it!"
The floating book was chanting to open it at this point, I looked down at the book, I felt excited looking at it. Instead of opening it though I looked around, looking for the chair I sat in before. Finding it again, sitting down, gripping the book in hand.
My heart felt like it wanted to jump out of my chest, I feel like if I were to every have a heart attack it would be now. I grabbed onto the book, and slowly opened it.
Just like before my surroundings warped together, everything became blurry. I tried to keep my eyes open but they were forced shut.
When I opened them again, my surroundings were different, I stood right in front of a door, with a note in hand. Remind the lady that her knight has been chosen, clean the doors and windows, wash the knights clothes.
I trembled in excitement, something unknown to me made me felt excited. It wasn't like the first time, the only thing I could think of is my personality has been warped with Phalton.