Friday doesn't feel like it's supposed to.
By the time Selah steps off the elevator, she knows something is off before anyone says a word.
Cindy is on the phone when Selah walks in. Selah pauses just inside the doorway, sensing the shift before she can name it.
Cindy doesn't smile. Doesn't wave. She acknowledges Selah with more reflex than greeting, then turns back to the call.
Selah walks into her office and sets her bag down without sitting. She opens her laptop. The screen lights up.
Subject lines stack faster than she can read them.
Meeting Request.
Staff Forum – Today.
Clarification Needed.
Urgent: New Policy Concerns.
Cindy's voice carries faintly through the glass wall.
"I'll check with Ms. Fierce and get back to you."
The call ends.
Cindy's phone lights up beside her tablet. A preview flashes briefly. "…we should talk before today…"
She reads it, then turns the screen face down. Her hand lingers there for a moment before she pulls it back and continues working.
After a while she steps into Selah's office, stopping just inside the doorway—the place she always chooses, even though Selah has never asked her to.
"Good morning," Cindy says.
Selah looks up. "That didn't sound like a normal morning."
Cindy hesitates. Just a fraction. Clears her throat. "It isn't."
Selah leans back slightly. "Okay. Start from the top."
Cindy takes a breath. "Some of the employees are organizing."
Selah blinks once. "Organizing. Like a committee?"
Cindy shakes her head. "No."
Selah's tone stays even. "Okay. Then say the word you're not saying."
"They're talking about forming a union."
The silence that follows isn't dramatic. It's dense.
Selah looks down at her desk, then back up. "Why?"
Cindy shifts her weight. "They've been raising concerns."
Selah's gaze lingers on her. "About?"
"Policies. Procedures. Especially some of the recent ones."
"Policies and procedures that employees had input on?" Selah asks.
"Yes."
"And no one brought concerns to me?"
Cindy replies more quickly than she intended. "They did bring them to you." Then, more measured. "They are saying that they tried."
Selah rubs her temple once. "Who's leading this?"
"There's an organizer involved."
Selah nods. "Of course there is."
Cindy glances at the tablet. "They're requesting a meeting. Today. Four o'clock."
Selah looks at the clock on her wall. Then back to Cindy.
"Clear my calendar."
Cindy nods, already shifting into motion.
Selah watches her for a moment.
"And yours."
Cindy pauses just enough for Selah to notice.
"If you're able to."
Cindy nods. "I'll keep it open."
She turns to leave, but her grip tightens slightly around the tablet before she loosens it again.
"Ms. Fierce?"
Selah looks up.
"This escalated quickly."
Selah meets her eyes. "Yeah. Tell me about it."
Cindy nods once and steps out.
Selah sits alone for a moment.
Across town, Jude stands by his desk, phone pressed to his ear.
The voice on the other end is animated. Energized.
"They're not used to this kind of pressure," Matt says. "We've got momentum."
Jude listens, his brow tightening slightly. "Have we spoken to admin yet?"
A pause. "No. Still no response to the emails."
Jude doesn't respond immediately.
Matt keeps talking. Strategy. Timelines. Upcoming one on one meetings.
Jude cuts in. "That's all great work. But there needs to be a meeting set up with their higher ups."
"We will," Matt says quickly.
"You are in charge of this, Matt," Jude says. "You need to make this happen. Like yesterday."
"Ok, got it. I will get a date on the calendar."
"Good. Let me know once you have made contact."
The call ends.
Jude sets his phone down and stares at the whiteboard across the room.
His thoughts drift to 7:30.
To her.
The day presses on.
Selah fields meetings. Rewrites agendas. Answers questions that don't actually ask what they're asking.
She walks down the hallway once. A conversation stops mid-sentence. Someone looks away too quickly. Another doesn't look away at all.
By late Friday afternoon, the air feels charged. Her shoulders are tight. Her head aches.
She checks the time on the wall. Four o'clock meeting.
Ninety minutes.
Ninety minutes to figure out what to say.
She checks her phone. Nothing new.
Then she sees Jude's name in her recent texts. Old ones. Harmless ones. A headline. A joke. A picture of an umbrella.
She exhales. Time to breathe.
She types:
Running a bit late. Can we push to 7:30?
A moment.
Her phone buzzes.
Absolutely. Take your time.
Selah smiles despite herself.
Jude is still at his desk as dusk begins to settle in outside. Papers everywhere. Three full monitors with multiple open tabs. Whiteboard half erased.
He finishes the note he's writing. Caps his pen.
Then checks his phone again, just to make sure it's real.
5:58 pm.
That gives him something to hold onto.
Later, Jude's phone buzzes. A voicemail.
He plays it.
"Hey, Jude. Quick update. Didn't speak to admin directly, but I left the message with someone in the office. We're moving forward."
The message ends.
Jude stares at his phone.
Someone in the office.
He doesn't hesitate. He calls back.
Matt picks up on the second ring. "Yeah?"
Jude's voice is calm. Too calm. "Who did you leave the message with?"
A pause. "It doesn't matter. The point is, the ball's in their court."
"It does matter," Jude says.
"Look," Matt says, his tone shifting toward frustration. "We can't wait around forever. They're stalling. We need to move."
Jude's eyes narrow slightly. "If we're doing this, we do it the right way. And right now, you're skipping a step."
Matt starts to respond.
Jude cuts in. "We're not done with this conversation. Call me when you've actually spoken to admin. Then we'll move forward."
Silence on the line.
"Got it," Matt says finally.
The call ends.
Jude sets his phone down and sits there, unmoving. He exhales slowly and looks at the clock.
6:47 pm.
He has time. But not much.
He stands, grabs his jacket, and heads for the door. Whatever's happening at work can wait.
Right now, he needs to see her.