The Skin Thief

Chapter 22

"Are you okay, Ivy?" Peter asks. I gulp and force a smile.

"Yes," I say.

"Good, you were looking a little pale there."

"Oh," I say and widen my smile. "No, I'm fine. It is all a little bit daunting, that's all."

"Ah, yes, I completely understand," he says, both of us knowing what is really scaring me. A cheeky smile crosses his face. "I threw up in the toilets on my first day I was that nervous." He shudders. "Well, it was either that or the gone-off yoghurt I had for breakfast."

I can't help but laugh at Peter's efforts to lighten the mood. It works too and I feel a little of the fear dissipate.

"Right," he says and opens a glass door into a reasonably sized office. "This is you. Welcome to the basic intel department."

I pause to look around. The room is bright, but not in a way that makes it feel that glaring white lights are beaming down on you. Somehow, it almost looks like daylight. It has walls of light and dark grey and some have nice wooden fittings. Green plants add colour too.

There look to be about twenty desks in total and a few glass walls lead into single offices or conference rooms.

Peter leads me over to a desk near the wall. "This will be you," he says, pulling out the leather chair.

"It's a lovely workspace," I say, admiring the modern wooden desk and sleek computer on top.

"Oh yes, this place is state-of-the-art. Only the best of the best for our defence teams," he grins.

"As it should be," I chuckle.

"Absolutely," he agrees. "Now, let me show you your staff room and the changing rooms and toilets, then we can meet your manager."

I am introduced to my direct manager and the rest of the team, many of whom are in the same apprenticeship scheme as me. Some are starting at the same time; others are half a year to a year above.

When I finally sit down at my desk, my head is spinning. All I can think about is Marcus and the strange terror that grips me at the thought of growing close to him.

He looked so normal in his dark grey suit. In fact, he was very handsome with his smooth, slightly tanned skin and neatly cropped dark brown hair. Yet, even from the distance away I was from him, there was a strange coldness about him. He held himself in a way that said 'I can kill everyone in this room and barely break a sweat.' I shudder thinking about going up against someone like him. I don't even want to be on his radar, let alone in his bed.

"Ivy?"

I force on a smile and look at the young woman who stands next to my desk.

"It's Serena, isn't it?" I ask. She smiles widely and nods her head.

"Well remembered," she says and holds out her hand. "I like to introduce myself properly, without all the managers and Peter hanging around."

I take her hand and shake it. "Well, it's nice to meet you," I say. "Have you been here long?"

"A year," she says and leans closer. "I'm waiting to be accepted into another department though, so I may not be working with you for very long."

"What department?" I ask. She takes a seat in the chair next to me and puts down all her notes on my desk.

"Well, I want to work more in defence against other realms," she begins and I raise my eyebrows. She doesn't notice my expression and continues talking. "I want to help Mr Kaiser catch Second Realm spies."