Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 54: IOU

Wednesday morning came, and I decided to end that stupid lie. I could not pretend to be sick forever, especially with my father's fully-functioning nanochip telling the GSNS my every move to the clones. Otherwise, they might be able to find a discrepancy in the data and target me as suspicious. That was why I went to work, as usual.

I started to clean the men's restroom that morning on the fifth floor. My boss smiled at me when he saw me industriously cleaning the faucets and the mirror. He said nothing, though. It was better that way. The less he noticed me or talked to me, the better. When he left, I sighed and resumed my work.

Five minutes later, I was done with the men's restroom. I still needed to clean the ladies' one, though. I rolled my eyes and sighed with tiredness. I hated cleaning restrooms. To be honest, I hated everything about my damn job. The white coat. The yellow, latex gloves. The cleaning cart. The smell of disinfectant. The condescending stares I got.

Okay, a blank slate, girl. No one should notice that I hated my job. I came out pushing my cleaning cart, and forcing that stupid, trademark smile I was forced to make at work, only to be greeted effusively by a familiar voice:

"Hello, darling!" Mrs Nevermore's lovely voice was music to my ears. She was smiling at me from the large chaise longue, on which she was seated with her legs crossed. She left the magazine she had been reading on the coffee table in front of her. "My son told me the great news. I'm glad to have you in my corporation in a few days."

"I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity, Mrs Nevermore," I replied swiftly. Luckily for me, Miss Radica wasn't there. She would've been mad at me for having a private conversation with a client with such closeness and agreeableness. We were alone, the two of us, in the waiting room. "It's an honour to work for you, starting next Monday. I can't wait, to be honest."

"You're so sweet, oh, my sweet Daphne!" she answered with joy. "Now, I hope you don't mind me treating you with such familiarity. My son's told me a lot about you. You're an amazing young lady, bold and caring. I'm glad to find out that Eros and you have become such great friends! He's even found the courage to stand up for himself to his father and me as regards his passion."

"What?!" I asked in panic and worry. "What has he done?! Has he got in trouble?!"

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, dear. He applied for an internship at the Faculty of Medicine and Biology, you see. I know you know he loves Biology. Eros never hides anything from me. He told me you gave him the strength that he needed to follow his dreams before he becomes your boss at Oyster. I was glad to know you're the one behind this idea and accepted his choice. His father is pissed off at both of us now."

She was unable to hide her glee when she had said that last bit.

"I just wanted him to do something that makes him happy," I told her sweetly.

"And I thank you for your concern. He looks happier now indeed," she added with excitement as if she couldn't stop herself, "especially because the great Apollo has personally supervised his application form, interviewed him, and accepted him with the greatest expectations! He called home to deliver us the news even! He, the Living God, wants Eros as a personal assistant for a crucial project He needs help with. He spoke so highly of Eros that I couldn't believe it. He told me Eros had amazed him with the work he's been doing in our garden. I was thrilled to listen to Him speak so impressively of my son and the projects he had developed on his own! He said Eros is the most talented young man He's ever come across!"