Stepping into the unknown.

Fallout.

Black trousers with white stripes covered my legs. The stripes were vertical and a black top covered my top. The smart shoes finished the look and the handbag complimented it. Work was going to go in one direction for me. Up. I had to complete some of the sheets still and countless numbers to call. My glasses were pulled on and they weren't the desired the most but my contacts had run out so I was stuck with them. My face just didn't suit them sometimes.

"Hey, could you do tonight Am?" He looked up from his computer and smiled at me but something told me that the office wasn't running smoothly. No small or quiet chatter, no bitching in the corner and all of them worked faster than I had ever seem them work before. Something was up and just as I got to my desk I wanted to regret my once happy feelings for the day.

As I was typing and the silence suffocating me my desk phone rang. It wasn't often the phone rang and with the unusual silence in the room I jumped ever so slightly and Ambrose snickered from beside me.
"Go away Am." He shook his head and then I lifted the phone.

"Nephthys Astraea's phone. How may I help you on this fine day?" I was being bitter sweet and that was how I always was. If not people told you that you were too negative and held no enthusiasm for what you did.

"It is me, Laura. I have not yet heard if you wish for this promotion. You will have plenty more on your plate but also a lot less. Oh, it is stupid to pretend that you don't know what the job entails. So, what do you say?" I sighed and rubbed my head. It had been a week and I had forgotten all about it and that was not like me.

"If I am honest I don't think I would be able to meet the standards. There is a large workload and we are both aware of how I work. Not very well for the job at hand." I was talking out my butt and it was wrong but I was scared of the promotion. I would have a name in the NHS. More work would be linked to me and I would have public appearances that actually mattered and I couldn't just get Hella drunk. I wasn't one to lean to alcohol but it was always an option to get drunk.

"Look, I know you are scared. Trust me when I say that if I didn't think you could do this I wouldn't even give you a hint of us wanting you. Trust me, you are what this job needs. So, what do you say?" She was a little human as she spoke and it felt odd to hear her speak like that but it made sense. She was human after all.

"All right. I will take it." I could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke to me about my next steps and then we both left the call. She left me to finish up for the new job. Starting in the new paying month and so it wouldn't be long until I would earn 20 thousand more a year. Then the thought of how much pizza and chips I could buy passed my mind and then it left. I would buy all of the socks. All shops that I would go to, I would buy all the socks. For no reason other than the desire to confuse and annoy those who work and shop there.

My knuckles met the wood of the door and nothing was heard from the other side. He was either out on a case, asleep or ignoring me and judging by the odd actions of my colleagues I was leaning to the latter as he was sometimes in a bad mood. I also knew that if I stuck around and he realised that I had knocked on his door then I would catch an earful. The wonderful man of Mr Link. Something about the office forced me to have my back up anyway so with the blatant ignoring of me I huffed and swore under my breath before walking back to my desk.

At my desk I willed Ambrose to enter my mind and after a second I heard his voice. Clearly all of the other people in the room had no clue and even cool calm and collected Ambrose was surprised by my actions.

You want me in your mind?

Yeah, I was reading a book you gave me and it said that as long as the person who controls the mind wants it then protective barriers are lost.