Out of the Darkness (v2.0)

Chapter One

April. Ellanor timidly went through her papers for the sixth time in the past hour. Other girls and guys came and went. They would all enter the office of Elijah Asmund with a smile and leave with a frown... or a sob. In fact, she was counting the ratio of 'frowns to sobs.' That ended up being fifty to fifty. This did nothing to help the butterflies -- no -- snakes slithering in her stomach.

Admittedly, this had to be the fanciest place she'd ever been to. The walls were a mix of sparkling white and intense black, and everything was so sleek and clean that she swore that the pay roll of the janitors could last her a lifetime. The lights nearly blinded her, for she had never seen anything so bright in her life other than the shine of a hospital. A hospital. That was exactly what this office building reminded her off. The hustle and bustle seemed to be the same. People carted around documents here and there. And while the atmosphere could be mistaken as happy, one look at an employee's face made sure there was no doubt that life here wasn't too enjoyable.

Like how hospitals give hope or take it away.

Still, Asmund Industries paid well, and moreover, being the personal assistant and secretary of the 'big boss' would certainly earn a good income.

In fact, Ellanor was so caught up in observing her surroundings that by the time it was her turn to be interviewed, the woman at the front desk had to call her name a third time. "Ellanor Ignacia!" the lady said in a much louder volume than the first two tries.

Ellanor had almost jumped out of her seat -- what an embarrassing notion -- but quickly got to her feet rather than toss herself to the floor out of surprise. "Sorry," she said in a low, somewhat flustered whisper. The woman just nodded stiffly, her chin tilted up as she watched Ellanor swing her bag over her shoulder and walk to the door. Another woman opened the door for Ellanor and urged her inside the office. As of now, Ellanor could only think of how pretty they were, but maybe Elijah hired people based on not just aptitude, but looks. Then again, it's charisma that got people places. Too bad she had very little of both looks and charisma.

But once she stepped through the open doorway, the door shut behind her with a loud, unexpected THUD. It made her stumble forward on her heels, yet again, she caught her balance. These little things got to her too easily -- making her paler than she even was. It was like seeing ghosts. Like going through the same cycle at the same time at the right intervals... yet never expecting it.

... Or maybe she did expect it. It just wasn't something you were supposed to get used to.

Gosh darn her nervousness and the sudden noises.

The office itself was barely lit -- a strange, alien contrast to the world right behind the large door. A single seat was in front of the main desk, and while it looked threatening like an electric chair, Ellanor's restless legs begged to be dragged right into it. Would she be allowed or told to sit down soon? The lack of lights provided an odd sense of security compared to the blaring, blank outside, and it was then that one might realize how darkness could sometimes be a better option that the light. But... only sometimes, of course.

In fact, the darkness allowed the silhouette of the noisy city roll on outside of the confines of the large window which had set itself at the very back of the room, locking out the voices and sounds -- an entirely translucent wall on its own that provided insight. Not inclusion. Ellanor could imagine that it was probably tinted to add some extra privacy, as many a person may love to get a peek at was aristocracy was like in the modern age. And by a peek, that would be not looking at the contemporary artistic style of the paintings here and there, nor even the obvious steel vault that sat in the corner, concealing what could be millions of dollars; no -- they would be truly be aiming for a glance at the man who sat at his desk as of right now -- the epiphany of money and cold, cold wits itself--