The Sidekick.

due

Looking at myself in the mirror, I adjust the light white blouse that loosely hugged my top half. The people who work for offices are to wear white and black colors strictly. I was a little worried for my first day at Hydro Cooperations. Perhaps, the neckline on my blouse was too low, even though The Government had handmade my clothing, in factories. The Government thought women shouldn't show too much for it was a crime.

My watch buzzes, I had set an alarm for the first surfing trolley I could catch in the morning. If I miss this one, there wasn't another one that would give me enough time to settle in at my new job.

I slip out of the dorm and onto the platform outside of my door. Below it is a very deep drop that is pitch black, I can hear the tubes moving and zooming around. I type in 'Lobby' to the keypad, though it was pointless, because that was the only location I could go. To visit another's dorm was forbidden. The tube zips up and I step in. The glass casing of the tube reveals the abyss below. The tube drops down to the ground floor at a frightening speed, though I have gotten used to it.

I grip the black leather briefcase The Government had gifted me in honor of my new job. The tube stops, letting me off to the floor that I requested. Halting in the middle of the lobby for a deep breath, a boy knocks into me. His shoulder hitting mine in rough friction. Identical brown curls spill from his head. His hair was long for a boy, The Government wouldn't like this, they would have a fit. The strange boy's eyes narrow at me, they are vibrant emerald, that held a darkening forest behind his pupils. He is taller, only a couple inches though. He wears a white dress shirt and black slacks, he works for a company as well. He opens his mouth to say something, but turns his heel and walks away quickly. I forget about the boy, running off to catch the trolley that I had scheduled.

When I reach my floor at the Hydra building, I pull out one of my papers Orion had printed out for me. The paper read that I was set in cubicle fourteen.

"Morning Ms. Windsor." Marge, the friendly robotic voice, welcomes me as the office doors slide open to my arrival.

"Good morning, Marge." I smile happily, already feeling very welcomed into my new, permanent community. I would work here until death, just like everyone else.

The office floor is dead silent. I am early, the only other person sits in an office alone. The blurred glass hides the person from my view. Their office is different from the cubicles. I believe he's the supervisor of the floor. I assume it's a he, a woman would never be trusted with such high ranking. Women were seen as lower than a male.

Passing each cubical, I find my empty one. It's not dusty, but nothing is set on the desk. A chair with wheels is lined up to the grey counter. Unlike all the other cubicles, mine did not have a plaque plastered on the front of the box office. There was simply just a number fourteen.

I place my brief case down, bending down and snapping the clasp open. My hands pull out the mixed pack of pens. The majority of them were red, black, and blue, but I had a purple one from school. I plop them in a black cup like Orion's office and lay three to the right of the desk. I set more of my office belongs up around the desk area such as paper, staples, sticky notes, and even a staple remover. These were hard to find among all office supplies. The factories didn't waste time making office supplies when there were so few companies. The Government only made what we needed to survive.

I stand back, satisfied with the my work. I turn around to get my morning coffee and find my papers to edit. I bump into someone as I exist my cubical, which made me mentally cursing. I didn't need this to become a thing.