Everything Is Blue

Chapter 9

The slight breeze rustling between the buildings offered no relief from the heat. Kimbra's day was not starting well. First off, her apartment complex's power went out this morning. Her car wouldn't start, so she had to resort to taking the public transit bus. An elderly lady chatted her ear off during the entire ride to EcoTech. Kimbra swore the woman was trying to marry her off to her grandson.

But here she stood, standing in front of the dark green building she worked at for 5 days a week (sometimes seven days if there's a workload).

EcoTech. The future of tomorrow. The world's most brilliant science innovators. St. Canard's top research facility. Best places to work by the St. Canard Chamber of Commerce.

And countless other awards.

The praises that have been sung their way over the years flickered through her mind. She had always felt insignificant when it came to working at EcoTech. She didn't really deserve to be here. Every accomplishment or award they'd receive, she'd only feel worse. They were only doing their jobs. That's all.

Kimbra pushed open the glass door and strode inside. Several staff members were working, bustling up and down the staircase that led to the hallway offices and elevators. Up in the lobby hung a large banner in the lobby with bold letters Bring Your Daughter To Work Day!

Kimbra liked kids. Really, she did. Not enough to ever have any of her own, though. Bringing a child into a tech company probably wasn't the smartest of ideas, but Ainsley insisted on having a bring your daughter to work day this year.

The canine breezed past the receptionist with barely a glance. She was headed towards the stairs to go up to the lab. But overhearing a few new interns on the corner of the room delayed her.

"Just wish she'd cut us some slack." One said. A red head canine who snickered.

A tall feline giggled along with her. "Yeah, I heard from the second year group that she's a total hardass."

If there was something that Ecotech had an abundance of, it was inexperienced interns. They liked to think they were big shots getting a chance to work with a multibillion dollar tech company.

God, she was too tired for this.

They should be filing the reports from yesterday's test. Printing papers for the boys down in the lab. But no, here they were. Gossiping about lord knows who.

"Shouldn't you five be in the filing room? We aren't paying you to stand around and fiddle your thumbs." Kimbra called out to them as she stood on the stairs.

They looked up at her in shock, and the redhead began to stutter out a reply. "We were just... just..."

"Just get back to work." She waved a hand at them and brushed their excuses aside nonetheless.

"Yes ma'am!" The interns all said as they scattered.

Amateurs. Most of them, that is.

She felt a small tap on her thigh, causing her to look down. "May I help you?"

A little girl, a small lion, looked up at her with big brown eyes. "Do you always yell at them?"

Kimbra looked up to see if the child's guardian was close by. When she assumed no, she looked back down to her. "Sometimes if they aren't doing what they're supposed to."

"That's not very nice."

Kimbra couldn't help but smile. She knelt down to her, so they'd be eye level with each other. "Sometimes I have to be mean, so they'll do their jobs. It's not nice, and I don't like it, but it's just what I gotta do."