The Eye of the Beholder [slow updates]

2. You Don't Say

2. You Don't Say

Two Years Later

"And then he went on rambling all about he was a certified Olympic swimmer and how he was offered a full scholarship to Yale, but then he turned it down just because he didn't want to give up his lifelong hobby for the sake of a few courses."

Rosaline whirled across the kitchen as she gathered up ingredients from here and there. She was in the mood for something sweet, and she was going to use whatever she had in her pantry to implement it.

"Charming!" Her phone vibrated on the island that separated her from the living room. David paused for a second before he continued. "I don't want to imagine what you have told him in response."

"Let's just say we won't be seeing much of him for at least five years ahead of us," She confirmed his thoughts and slammed the shutters closed. She made her way to the counter and pushed the daily mail aside to save enough space for the rest of the containers. One of the envelopes slid off the granite surface and danced all the way down to the checkered ceramic tiles.

"Holy crap!" She breathed and froze in her spot. She doubted if David could have heard her exclamation, but apparently not even her whispers could skip his supernatural hearing skills.

"What's wrong?" He asked. The tension in his voice couldn't be looked over.

"I think I got a letter from the GCO," She clarified and kneeled down to pick up the stray envelope. It had a set of golden letters embossed on the top left corner. The words said: GCO in a bold font, followed by the testimonial vision they had stamped onto every paper that belonged to them. "Did you have get anything in your mailbox this morning?"

"No, I didn't," David replied, but his voice sounded unsure. "Are you certain it really is from the right address? It could be a matching format, or maybe even an imposter. We get that a lot."

"It has the golden stamp. I'm sure of it." Her forefinger traced the outline of the tiara that glimmered under the soft light of the room. "It's from the company. Why would anybody there want to get in contact with me?"

In a rush, she tore off the lid and skimmed through the contents. She snatched the lonely piece of paper inside it and pulled it out. Dropping the envelope on the counter next to her phone, she unfolded the paper and read out loud.

"Dear Mrs. Gareth, I am to inform you of your scheduled interview for the following Wednesday at ten o'clock in the morning. You are advised to enter the company through the north gate. Please bring a national identification card along with you at the time of arrival. Please don't bring any personal belongings. Your phone must be kept away at the check point and you will not be gaining access to it during the period of the appointment. You should arrive at least ten minutes ahead of the scheduled time to guarantee some extra time for the security check. Thank you for your patience, Philip K. Hartman, Personal Assistant of CEO, Gareth Corporation, LA."

She stared at the piece of paper in front of her with furrowed eyebrows and a creased forehead. "What the bloody hell is that?"

"Apparently Joseph wants to talk to you," David said as if it were a matter of fact. His words didn't make sense. Why would Joseph want to talk to her? And if it really were a letter from him, why didn't he just give her a call or pay her a visit? Not that she would have approved of either action, anyway.

"And his miniature brain didn't think of a better idea to talk to me than this?" She rolled her eyes at the fact. "It sounds more like a job interview than an attempt at making a small talk, David. What is going on?"

"Honestly, I have no idea what he is talking about. He didn't mention anything during our last meeting regarding this," He replied, but for some reason she found it hard to believe him. "Check the bottom of the envelope. Maybe he left some sort of a clue for you to solve out."