Beta || Iancorn (NaNoWriMo 2018)

Level Three

The inside of the building somehow looked even better than the outside. Painting and prints covered the dark oak walls, and the floor was made of what looked like marble. A large silver chandelier hung from the ceiling, setting the entire room alight.

Olivia's heels clicked on the floor as she walked, and David followed her. Employees had come out of their offices to look at him. Some just stared at him, while others whispered amongst themselves, freezing when they noticed him looking at them. The sight was a bit off, but he didn't have enough time to think about it before Olivia was whisking him out of the room.

"I'm sorry about all the stairs," Olivia apologized. The next room was small, and had nothing but a winding staircase in it. The two outer walls were made of glass. "Courtney wouldn't get an elevator. Said that it would be good for our cardiovascular fitness if we didn't get them. Which, you know, is true, but it doesn't make it any less annoying."

David didn't mind the climb too much, but the apology was appreciated. It was nice to know that Olivia was thinking of him first. Most people never had that courtesy.

Eventually, they arrived at the top floor. Olivia took him down a hall with white walls and plants every five steps to a door at the far side. She pushed the door open without knocking and held it open for him, gesturing inside with a smile. He accepted the invitation, and Olivia closed the door behind them.

The room was the prettiest he'd seen yet. Two of the walls were made of glass, and the other two were covered with bookshelves and filing cabinets. There were plants in white pots in every corner, and the chandelier on the ceiling was the biggest one he'd ever seen. In the middle of the room was a simple, smooth white desk, which had nothing but a laptop and a few piles of paper and pens on it.

Behind the desk sat a pretty blonde woman, with short hair and cherry-red lips that David couldn't tell were natural or not. In front of the desk were two leather chairs, one empty, and one hosting a skinny man with glasses and ridiculously coloured hair. They both wore formal black suits, and had welcoming smiles on their faces.

"David Moss!" the woman stood up and extended her hand. "I'm so happy to finally meet you! I'm Courtney Miller, CEO and founder of Smosh Games."

David walked up to her and shook her hand, hoping to God that his grip was strong enough. "Nice to meet you too."

"And I'm Noah Grossman, head of game design," the man across the desk stated as David sat down.

"You're the guy who did Lady Baby!" David said excitedly, remembering his name from the credits he'd seen scroll so many times. "I love that game!"

"Nice to know that my legacy persists," Noah smiled. "That's me."

"How was your trip?" Courtney asked as she sat down, smoothing out her jacket as she did. Everything about her seemed proper and pristine. She was the picture-perfect example of a CEO. "I hope you didn't have any trouble."

"No, the flight was good," David assured her. "Was the best one I've ever been on, actually."

"And the taxis?" she asked. "Olivia picked them out herself, to make sure there wasn't any trouble. I hope she made good choices."

"They were as good as taxis can get," David replied, before instantly wondering if that sounded stupid.

"I'm glad to hear that," Courtney cleared her throat. "Well, I'm sure you're excited, so let's get started, shall we? Noah, how about you explain the game."

"Gladly," Noah reached into a briefcase sitting next to his chair and pulled out what looked like a metal headband, with a black screen circling the middle of it. On the back were two silver rods that looked like they were used to plug it into something. "I've been working on it for years. It's like a baby to me."