a.k.a. Katana

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:

Katana was late for work. She was late for work almost every day. She had no idea how to tell time and only knew that her shift started sometime in the morning hours. Showing up early was definitely out of the question, her hours were long enough as it was.

Lee-ell told her if she was late again she would be fired but had no time to waste on an elementary level lesson in clock reading. Katana started her shift by bringing up breakfast to the family she currently tended. The day drug on and time went slower the more tired she became. Sleep had become a coveted commodity. Lee-ell wasn't making any great effort to find her another place to stay and Jundid's was barely habitable.

She flopped onto one of the beds as soon as they guests left the room for the day. "Five minutes...then I'll make the bed." She muttered to the empty room.

She was jolted awake by the buzzing of the phone on the wall. At first she was confused as to where she was and what was going on. She jumped out of the bed anyway and rushed to the door for no particular reason. By the time she got there she remembered where she was and realized she had fallen asleep on the job. Her heart was trying to jump out of her throat and her stomach felt light. She was sure she had been caught and now she was fired and how embarrassing...

Through the thudding of her pulse in her ears and her rapid breathing she realized the phone was still ringing and that she was still alone.

She tried to settle her nerves and spun a lock of hair around one finger after the other while she answered the phone in what she hoped was a very calm voice. "Room 18, level 8, how may I help you?"

"Katana, you are wanted in the front lobby." Came the desk attendant's voice. "Yes. I'll be there in a minute." She answered and hung up the phone. She smoothed the bed sheets and took a quick look around the room before bolting out the door. "Oh man, oh man, oh man..." She muttered under her breath as she rode down in the elevator tube. She was sure they were going to fire her, just after she had told Kokin she was doing great and didn't need his help.

It hadn't crossed her mind that there was no way for anyone to have known that she had been asleep for the past twenty minutes and she was just sure it had been hours.

She rounded the corner, stepping into the lobby and stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't believe her eyes, but they kept telling her the same thing. Messy dark hair, tall, tan skin, that slouchy confident posture as he leaned against the front counter chatting with the desk clerk...

Katana ducked back around the corner. Maybe it wasn't him. Lots of people had those features. She hadn't seen his face and he wasn't wearing the vest with all of the pockets. It had to be someone else. How would he have gotten here so fast anyway? No, she told herself, you're just paranoid, your mind is playing tricks on you. She took a breath and steadied her nerves again before stepping back out into the openness of the lobby.

She tried not to stare, but she couldn't help it. Her eyes kept darting over to him under her lashes as she approached the desk as nonchalantly as possible. As she came closer she could hear his voice, a deep easy sound like he was a late night d.j. The information she received from her senses kept matching up to the memory of him that was so vividly imprinted in her mind.

By the time she got to the desk she had forgotten not to stare. It was definitely him, there was no denying it any longer. A tense expression took over her features and her heart started thudding in her chest again; only this time she was not panicked. This time, she was furious. Her mind reeled trying to think of what his plan might be. Did he really think he could just show up here and tell her to get in a clam or whatever and leave?