Seraphina's Awakening

Chapter Twenty One: Workplace Drama

Later that day, Sera is finishing extra work when a little email pops up on the corner of her screen that a meeting is scheduled. Not just any meeting, a meeting with her boss, Mrs. Valentine.

She hasn't had an individual meeting with her boss since... well, her interview. Something must be amiss. The rest of the hour went by slower than her college graduation ceremony. It ticked on and on. Sera couldn't focus on work and her phone didn't ring once. By the time the big hand landed on the hour, she was out of her seat and wandering down the hall. She circled around the bend and noticed New-Guy-Gabe was not at his desk, his computer still off, and a pile of work sitting beside it.

She continues to the back corner where Mrs. Valentine's office sits. With a deep breath, she knocks on the door.

"Come in," a deep voice responds.

Another deep breath and her hand falls to the pendant on her neck. It's slightly warm. She glances down. It's doing that pulsing thing again. Hesitantly, she opens the door.

The room is slightly darker than usual. Mrs. Valentine's high backed chair is facing the opposite way as Sera makes her way inside. The overhead light is off, but there's a desk lamp on behind her. The high chair casts a large shadow over the room and throws Sera into darkness.

She seats herself in one of the chairs opposite her boss's huge intimidating mahogany desk. Once seated, Mrs. Valentine immediately spins around. Her face is now shadowed in the wake of the big chair.

"Ms. Cross, it has come to my attention that you have been engaging in... let's call it inappropriate conduct with someone within the office."

"Inappropriate conduct?" she gasps.

"I really expected more from one of our top billers." Just as she finishes her sentence, the door opens behind her and in walks Gabe. "Oh good, Gabe, you made it."

He brings with him a whiff of something. It's strange like garbage or rot.

"Gabe? What does he have—"

Her boss interrupts her, "Gabe, here has informed me that you two have been indecent." She can't seem to say the words aloud. Sera looks back and forth between the two.

"Indecent? Is this a joke?" Sera turns to Gabe. He looks taller from this angle. His tan deeper, his eyes... darker. He has this weird look on his face, almost like he's pleased with creating lies that will ruin Sera's career is a game to him. Then he does something she wasn't expecting... he winks at her.

"Interpersonal relations are no joke here, Ms. Cross." Every time she says her name, it sounds condescending. Sera's fists begin to clench at her sides. Could this really be happening?

"What is this? Is this because I wouldn't go to lunch with you?" Sera has blocked out Mrs. Valentine completely now.

Gabe leans on the desk, gradually drawing closer to her. "No Angel, this is a lot more than that."

Sera's necklace is glowing brighter in the darkened room. It casts an eerie glow across their faces. The closer Gabe gets the stranger she begins to feel. His gorgeous features suddenly begin to change. His green eyes darken until they are a solid black mass. Those alluring facial features grow longer until they substitute evil grotesque ones in its place. He smiles down at Sera like he's finally happy to be out of the character he's been playing.

Disgusted, she turns to Mrs. Valentine, could she be one of them too? The pulsing light at her throat illuminates the dark room enough so that Mrs. Valentine's eyes glimmer against it. They are not as she remembers; they are crimson.