Creed of the Leviathan I

50 | E + M

Emmanuelle

My eyes were wide open even before my alarm went off. I rolled over to my side to stop the loud noise coming from my phone which was alerting me that it was seven o'clock. Monday— I was not ready for the new week, but the world does not care about our feelings when it comes to time. It simply goes on.

I sat up and pushed the loose strands of hair out of my face. I sighed as I finally got out of bed and leisurely made my way into the bathroom to get ready. I was quick with my shower to avoid being late since I had already used up about five to ten minutes of my time during the whole, dealing with my internal crisis of accepting that I had to go to work in order to be able to maintain a good life though I did not ask for this life. It became my daily routine at this point.

Yawning, I went through my clothes to put together an outfit. I opted for dark blue trousers and a long, fitted black sleeve shirt. I tied my hair in a ponytail to show off my pearl earrings. After giving myself a quick pat on the back for turning myself from a raggedy doll to a sophisticated office worker in under twenty minutes, I slipped on my heels, grabbed my already packed bag and headed out the door.

I rushed downstairs to see who was available to give me a ride. I would usually, either have one of our drivers drop me off or head to work with Marco.

"Ready to go?"

I turned around to see Marco coming out of the library. I flashed him a smile and nodded. Did I want to drive with him like I always did? Yes. Was I afraid that someone at work would suspect anything even though it was normal for us to drive to work together? Also yes.

We were just about to head out when Anthony and Marissa came walking down the stairs. She was just as quiet as she was during dinner the night before. Anthony was the only one to speak to us. Marissa did not even make eye contact with us. Not long after we went our separate ways as couples.

"What's wrong?"

"Hhm. Nothing." I shook my head.

"Then why are you chewing on your lip like that. Is it because of dinner?"

I was not aware that I had been chewing on my lip or that the sticky texture of my lipgloss now tasted like copper. I was so anxious about this workday, maybe even more than I was on my first day that I had bit so hard into my lip that blood started to leak.

"There's tissue in the glove department. And stop stressing over nothing, you're hurting yourself." Marco put his hand on my thigh.

I patted my lip, soaking up the bit of blood that had sipped out before I added another coat of lipgloss to cover it up. It burned but I survived.

"Hey!" His eyes scanned my face. "Ease up. Whatever you're worried about, you can tell me."

"It's nothing." I fidgeted with my fingers. I did not want to bother him with my worries.

"What are you thinking about, Nuelle?" He asked in a calmer tone.

I took a deep breath. "That Tia was right. This could ruin our family."

"You can't ruin what's already ruined."

"She seems to think otherwise."

"She wasn't here during the last eight years that we've had to deal with shit. We've survived far worse. So, don't worry too much about the others. This is about us."

I could sense that my doubts had bothered, perhaps worried him. It certainly was not a good way to start work. I tried my hardest to act natural as we made our way through the building, but knowing that our relationship was no longer platonic kept me in a constant fear that other employees would find out about this. I was aware that it was bound to happen sooner or later but the timing was not right as yet. I let out the breath I had been holding in once the elevator doors closed and we were alone.