Taming The Lockwood

One

Bang! Bang! Bang!

An incessant sound startles me from my slumber and I immediately awake, echoes of the sound ringing in my head.

I let out a groan and reach out blindly for my phone lying on my bedside table, my hand slaps every object it makes contact with, until I finally find it.

A sigh slips past my lips and I burrow further into the comforts of my duvet, smiling as a blissful feeling washes over me.

A whirring sound fills the emptiness and I scrunch my face up in frustration, muttering curses. "DAVE!" I scream at the thin wall of my bedroom, receiving a shrill 'sorry' back.

Yet the sounds merely gets louder and louder.

My eyes glance over at the angry red numbers reflecting off of my alarm clock and I let out a squeak in response.

It's Monday: 8:15.

Holy moly.

I'm going to be late.

Immediately, I rush out of bed, the coldness that hits my skin causes shivers to run down it, but the thought of being late to my first job interview seems to be far more daunting.

I sprint to the bathroom to complete my morning routine, slapping on the smallest amount of concealer to hide the dark circles beneath my eyes. I thicken my lashes out with a layer of mascara, brightening my hazel coloured orbs and the blonde mane that once sat atop my head is replaced by a simple french braid within a record time of 5 minutes.

If there is anything I was proud of, it would be how organised my life was, but yesterday, Sophia had somehow managed to persuade me into going to a party that her boyfriend, Alex had thrown. From what I can remember, I had found a little hiding spot in perfect view of my best friend, which I had crawled into and hugged my old copy of 'Jane Eyre' until she was beyond passed out and in the safe arms of her boyfriend. By the time I had returned home, it was 3AM and the fatigue from the day took its toll on me as soon as I made contact with my bed.

Right as I've finished making myself look presentable, I quickly hurry back to my room, slipping on a black pencil skirt that has a slit cut into the bottom near towards my left thigh, and pair it with a simple white blouse which I tuck into my skirt. I grab my bag, exiting the front door of my apartment before I make myself even more late.

****
Smacking a wad of notes into the driver's hand, I wordlessly leave the taxi, glancing nervously up at the building that towers over me. A massive plaque hangs at the very top, the words Lockwood Enterprise carved into it. The wall to floor windows reflect the buildings surrounding it and create an endless illusion of offices and business associates. I remember seeing an exact same picture of the building on Wiki.

My mind runs over the relevant research which I had conducted and drilled into my head all week like an ongoing mantra.

Founded in 1932 by two brothers in France and passed down to their heirs upon generations, the company continued to hold the position of leading defence manufacturer and contractor. Its main base currently sits in England, but it also has hundreds of bases overseas. The current CEO was Gabriel Lockwood aged twenty seven, looking for a new, business minded personal assistant. Being the oldest of three, he had a brother, Raphael Lockwood and a sister, Lilian Lockwood.

It was the only job I could find in the area and with my current budget, moving away or travelling further was most definitely not an option.

Taking a deep breath to calm the butterflies that awake to play in the pits of my stomach, I enter the revolving doors, my fingers playing with the straps of my bag, anxiously.