Vanish (18+)

01. All For A Silly Prank

I did the sign of The cross before knocking on his office door.

"Come in," I heard his voice snarl from the other side of the door.

Oh, shit!

I slowly pulled open the door and perceived the aura that settled in the room.

Mr. Cartier glared at me from his chair with a pen and document in either of his hands as I walked in. He must have been going through the file before I came in.

I scanned his office, looking anywhere but his eyes.

All unused documents were immaculately tucked in the large file cabinet that occupied a segment of the left wall of his office.

Just at each side of his seat were glass walls. Though the one by his right was covered with pretty black blinds, it refused to look cosy. Rather, it gave his office some sort of dark atmosphere— like the typical villain character in most movies.

I coughed and stared at the floor as I walked, halting my steps just in front of his table. I held my hands together behind me, resting them on my bum.

"Look at me when you're in here. I don't employ easily-intimidated people," he said in a calm, yet firm tone.

I quickly shifted my gaze to him, trying so hard not to look away from his brown-pigmented irides.

I rubbed my palm against my arm as we engaged in a staring contest. I was sure I was losing as I almost dared to look away once.

The atmosphere became more intense and awkward than usual as he blinked very slowly and sometimes, didn't even blink at all.

If that were to be I, my eyeballs would have dried out, shrivelled.

He slightly furrowed his eyebrows and his forehead creased in response.

Oh Lord, is today the day I die? You should have hinted me, I'd have gone wild one last time before this shit.

"Did you come in here just to check me out? What are you here for?" He spat, intensifying his stare at me.

Eh? I frowned.

"You called for me, sir," I still managed to answer politely even as I held such a horrid gaze.

"Would I be that foolish to call for you, just to ask you why you're here?"

What was going on? Did I jinx it? Because it was really starting to seem like I was going to die.

I itched my neck, "I-I'm sorry sir."

"You should be," he snapped.

I felt my buried anger surface as I traced the origin of my problem, remembering how Hazel rushed into my office to inform me that he was calling for me.

What the hell, Hazel!

Didn't she know when to draw the line with her stupid pranks?

Oh Lord, why me?

"Mr. Cartier, I'm so sorry. It's really not my fault. Someone had told me you that called for me and I—"

"But you obliged to what such person told you like an idiot!" He cut me off and snapped at me, again.

He could really be a famous cameraman with all that snapping.

He used his thumb to uncover and snap his pen close with its cover continuously, "Are you one?"

I bowed my head, "I am not."

I had wanted this day to be so peaceful. I guess that wasn't going to happen anymore.