Traveling the Distance Between Right & Wrong

Chapter Two

As Vivian walked over the glass bridge of the headquarters building she stopped for a moment. The sun was beginning to sink over the ridge and the sky was turning a lovely shade of violet. Tomorrow she would start on the preparations for phase two and hope everything ran smoothly. It was time for her to head home. She had spent too many nights at the headquarters building staying up and forcing plans to go out on time; this was not going to be one of them. She was trying to distance herself from her work, but it became apparent it consumed her whole life. She did not have anything else. Vivian let out a sigh as she watched the sun sink lower into the ridge's grassy protection. The moon would soon rise to protect the newly built city.

She continued walking the rest of the way down the corridor and waited on the elevator to arrive at her floor. No one else walked the lonely floor of the building, only Vivian. When the doors opened a girl was standing inside. She wore burnt orange leather and her dark skin complimented it well. The girl's brown eyes met Vivian's for a second before looking back down. Vivian read her and walked into the elevator.

"Good evening, Tiana," Vivian turned around and faced the buttons. She noticed Tiana waiting for her to say which floor, "Level One, I am leaving for the night, I advise you should too." Vivian's voice kept her flat, cold tone as she talked.

Tiana pressed the glowing number one on the pad and stood beside Vivian, "I'm excited to start the testing. I'm very glad you liked my ideas, it is the first time someone has recognized my work. I just can not believe someone chose me. That you chose me. I guess I have been so excited that I have been forgetting to sleep." The girl began to analyze her own recent patterns of habit, and her voice trailed off.

Vivian gave a small smile, she glanced down looking at Tiana's body movements. She was always aware of everyone's own individual language, "You deserved to be recognized." Vivian could tell Tiana was not comfortable beside her. Her rambling only made it more apparent.

Tiana bowed slightly. She was nervous standing alone with Vivian. She had never seen her without the mask and had never been this close to her. She knew she had accepted her ideas and placed her in a high position when it came to the testing. She was grateful for that. Tiana had run experiments and labs all her life, but no one gave her a real opportunity to showcase her work.

The doors to the elevator opened as it reached the first floor of the building, "Have a good evening, Tiana. Tomorrow is a big day." Vivian strutted out of the elevator and into the golden globe of a lobby.

Tiana gave a small smile as the elevator closed once more. Vivian made her way past the front desk and the guards in the lobby. It was an elegant room with chocolate hues and golden lace littering the furniture and walls. It was the only room in the building that really stood against the silver metals and white walls of the rest of the architecture. It mirrored the inside of Vivian's own home.

Vivian walked out of the building doors and took a deep breath of the outside air. It was refreshing and clean. She missed being outside; she was always stuck inside working on labs and plans for the future. Soon she would be welcomed back into the hands of nature. She loved the full trees and wild creatures that guided her into nature's own domain. Vivian hated the thought that it was almost lost to people's own selfish habits of the past.

She used the stone path to make her way to her mansion. The black silhouette of her house stood silent against the hills and mountains behind it. Bright flowers contrasted against the dark structure and lit the yard in-front of it. Lanterns beamed beside the path before her as she gracefully walked to her front door.

A faint rustling in the distance of the night caught her attention. Vivian stopped and looked around her. Her hand slowly reached for her side, and her fingers gripped the handle of her dagger. She tried to survey the area, but darkness cloaked the woods and hills. All she had were her ears and instincts.