Is Magic a Superpower?

Chapter 2

*updated

 Two weeks had flown by, and before she knew it, Estefani was heading out from her apartment with Liam, the company car was awaiting the two. It looked like a black Lincoln Town car. On the inside were black leather seats, and in the backseat, a brown towel was laid out for Liam to lie on. She quickly got in, and they took off to San Jose.

For the first ten minutes of the ride, all she could see were endless wheat pastures with cows and horses, since she lived near farms and vineyards. Once they were on the freeway, they passed a set of outlets, the parking lot filled with cars. They crossed a bridge where the ocean could be seen, the surface of the water reflecting the sun. If she looked for too long, her eyes would hurt, so she kept them on the city that could be seen from afar.

Estefani wondered when they would arrive at San Jose. She had never been to a city before and was excited to see what one looked like. It wasn't until halfway to San Jose that they finally got to see several different cities up close. They went under a green bridge with bronze statues of people on each end. Getting closer, they hit traffic. Estefani sighed; she had been sitting in the car for more than an hour, and petting Liam wasn't helping in passing the time. She took out her phone to see how much longer the ride would take. Thirty minutes. She never felt a car ride take so long. All she could see were discolored buildings and cars getting off of the freeway.

They finally arrived at Eleanor Software. Estefani looked up in awe to see all the skyscrapers. Eleanor Software was eight stories tall.

Inside the lobby, there were white chairs all around the first floor. People were sitting, many of them having coffee and engaging in small talk.

As Estefani looked around, a woman with a tight knee-length black skirt and a brown blouse with kimono sleeves came toward her.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I have a meeting with the head of Eleanor Software," said Estefani. "I'm from Jupiter Computer Hardware."

"Name?"

"Estefani Guera."

"Please take a seat while I give her a call," said the woman, walking behind a black desk.

Estefani obeyed, taking the nearest seat she could find and waited. Liam laid at her feet giving a loud sigh. If she thought the car ride was long, this felt like an eternity.

"Miss Guera," a loud voice called, echoing throughout the first floor.

Estefani's cheeks took on a tinge of red as she felt all eyes on her. She hurried to the front desk, where the woman stood there waiting with a young man.

"This is Miss Evans' intern. He'll be taking you to her."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Estefani, and this is my service dog, Liam," she said. Her voice was rising a few octaves higher. She extended her hand in greeting.

"Oh, yes. Miss Evans mentioned you would be bringing a dog," said the intern. "My name is Gabriel."

Gabriel was a little bit taller than Estefani. He had the same light sepia skin that she had and maple-colored eyes. He wore a light grey button-up shirt and nice jeans. His short black hair was pushed to the side.

They headed toward the elevators, which were next to the front desk. The elevators were closed, and right next to them was a sign, written in big letters "EMPLOYEES ONLY." Gabriel took out a card and swiped it on a box between the elevators. The elevator opened, and they were able to go in.

In the elevator, Estefani took a deep breath, building up the courage to speak to Gabriel. She was never very good at making conversation with a total stranger; they always made her a little nervous.