After Effects

Chapter 35 • After Effects

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Friday
August 26, 2011
11:20 am
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I shoved the front doors to the Remora House open and stepped inside. A flash of white light sliced the floor in two and then a knee-weakening thunder boomed outside. I growled lowly and clenched my teeth harshly as I looked up to see all the occupants of the ground floor stop their rapid movements to stare at me. Gasps sounded throughout the room and as the lights flickered off for a second and another thunder was heard, a scream echoed through the halls.

"Katherine? Is that you?"

My head snapped over to my left where a girl I recognised from my floor, had asked the question. I scowled harshly and then whipped my hands out causing splatters around me as mud and water hit the clean tiles. Martina covered her mouth with a hand.

"What the heck happened?" she continued.

I blinked and looked at her with a deadpan expression. 

Well if she was genuinely oblivious to what was already obvious then this girl needed a checkup!

The rain was pouring outside, there were consistent lightning and thunder, and the clouds out and above were so dark they made the midday resemble midnight! If that wasn't enough to explain what had happened then message to the oblivious: there was a death storm out there and I had been caught in it! 

I didn't spare her an answer before I marched off towards the Remoras' elevator, ignoring the fact that the owner would be furious to find me there. It was his fault why I was in the situation in the first place and while this was a pathetic payback, it would suffice for the time being.

I glared at my spectators as I passed each floor, even though they couldn't be blamed since only a Remora is allowed to take this elevator and no doubt they had wanted to find out which of them it was inside. Well, surprise-surprise when they looked up and saw his assistant there, looking pissed... with mud and water covering her from head to toe. And oh! You also couldn't miss the bouquet of flowers hanging from her hand because they too were a sight to behold with their beauty so corrupted that they now resembled its carrier's own disheveled and filthy state!

My blood pressure rose in anger along with the colour in my cheeks. Great! Now I was a muddy, wet, disheveled tomato!

It took forever to reach my floor, but it was probably because I was so anxious about the top three things on my very new to-do list:

1- Strangle my boss,

2- Shower in his bathroom, and then somehow,

3- Change out of my clothes...

...though of course somewhere between those things I would probably have to hide his body or something, hey, I was thinking up the important stuff first. Oh and I was feeling pretty brave at the moment so no, I wasn't even bluffing about that showering bit. So what if it's his private bathroom, I would clean the tub first of course... and he'd be dead anyway so it's not like he would mind.

I left the elevator swiftly and marched down the hallway towards my desk where I deposited my handbag and then turned to Riddian's office door where I would carry out my plans.

The door slammed shut behind me and my eyes snapped around to find my target. He wasn't sitting in his usual chair today but instead on one of the couches. He was without a jacket and his shirt was rolled up on his arms. His eyes concentrated on the laptop before him and he seemed to be deeply submerged in his work when he paused for a second to rub his chin. He looked so at peace working, even with the flickering lights above him and the heavy rain, thunder, and lightning. I almost didn't want to disturb him but-