The Fire Within

Chapter 6 - Burger and Frie(nd)s

Clutching the tray of food, Sarah made her way through the crowd of people. The hall was so packed that it became difficult for her to carry the food while wedging between people. When she finally broke free from a group of young men, she looked for a place to sit.

She was still reeling from the news Cole had just shared, and her mind was still overflowing with unanswered questions.

If Robert had chosen to keep the committee a secret, then it was probably in the best interest of the company and its employees, just like Cole said. I really should stop thinking about it.

Just after she'd reached that conclusion, she suddenly felt like she was being watched by more than one pair of eyes.

She looked around and sure enough, a few people were pointing and looking at her. She heard whispers and she heard her name being called by at least two of them, which left her confused and slightly alarmed. She wanted to draw as little attention as possible towards her. She instantly felt self-conscious for the second time that day.

Are they looking at me because I'm new? But there are hundreds of people who come and go every day. How can they know about me?

No. It had to be something else.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She would worry about that later. She looked around for a table and found an empty one at a corner. Deciding it was the perfect place to hide from all the stares, she walked towards it, placed a plate of hamburger and fries on the table and sat down to eat.

It was when she saw the plate of food that she realized how hungry she was. She had barely eaten that morning, owing to her nervousness for the first day of work. She began gulping down her food, and was halfway through the third bite when she felt a presence beside her.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here? All the other tables are full", said a woman's voice before she looked up. She was pointing at the seat opposite to Sarah and carrying a lunch tray in her hand.

The woman had dirty blonde hair which was perfectly straight against her shoulders, and large bluish grey eyes which twinkled when she smiled. She wore a dress similar to Sarah's and it accentuated her perfect curves. Everything about her appearance screamed perfect.

"Not at all. I would love some company", said Sarah, smiling at her.

The woman set her tray on the table and sat down opposite Sarah. As she looked up, Sarah couldn't help but admire her beauty, which was so blinding and refreshing that Sarah couldn't tell if she was older than her or the same age as her.

"I'm Jessica Anderson by the way", said the woman, prodding her food, which resembled a couple of large green leaves.

"I'm Sarah Brooks. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before. But then I might be wrong - there are too many people in this building. You wouldn't even know who's been working here for years", said Jessica, waving her hand.

Sarah laughed lightly. "Yeah, I just joined. It's actually my first day here. I'm still trying to figure out everything."

"In that case, if you need any help at all, I would love to be of your service."

"Thank you, but I've already had someone to show me around."

"Oh, good." Jessica took a spoonful of the green leaves and stuffed it in her mouth. "What job are you here for?"

"I forgot to mention that. I'm Mr. Harper's new assistant."

"Oh! That's you!", Jessica dropped her fork and pointed her finger at Sarah, looking like a person who just had a brainwave. "Why didn't I realize before? I knew I'd heard your name when you first mentioned it!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry for the outburst, I was just surprised. People here have been talking about you since the day you got the job. You're already pretty famous here, to be honest."

So that explains the pointing and whispering, Sarah thought. But that still doesn't explain why.

"Why exactly am I famous?"

"Because you are the CEO's new assistant. Not every day Robert hires a new person. When he does, people talk about it. But this time, it's not just that. Robert did give you the job right away, didn't he? He's never done that, you know. He is not usually that impressed by anyone."

While Sarah was glad she had managed to impress Robert, she wasn't happy that the news had traveled so quickly among people. She now had to deal with all the whispers, something which she hadn't thought of in the first place. Her plan of staying invisible just went down the drain, and it bothered her. She now had to be more cautious.

"So how did you manage to impress him?", asked Jessica curiously. "I was called in thrice before I got the job."

Oh, you have no idea. I had to prepare for months to get there.

Sarah just shrugged modestly. "I was just being myself", she smiled and threw a fry in her mouth. She then pondered over Jessica's words and realized what she'd uttered.

"So what do you do in here?", Sarah asked her.

Jessica sighed, dabbing her food with the fork over and over again. "The same job as yours. I'm Kevin's assistant."

Sarah raised her eyebrows. Her ears perked up, interested in the piece of news she'd just heard.

"You mean Kevin Harper? Mr. Robert's nephew?"

"Yeah. The one and only."

That was the first good news Sarah had heard ever since she got there. She suddenly felt her heart warming at the thought that she could learn as much as she could about Kevin and the company from Jessica, which was what she wanted to make her job easier. Sure, she might know a thing or two about Kevin, but that was a long time ago and a lot of things had happened since then.

"That's great! When did you first start working?", she asked Jessica.

"I joined the company two years ago. That was when Kevin first became the Head of Production and Marketing unit and started looking for an assistant. I applied for the job and I was lucky enough to get it. But it definitely wasn't easy though."

"Yeah, it never is." Sarah nodded her head. "How has it been so far? Working for Kevin?" She proceeded cautiously.

Jessica sighed again. "It's definitely not that easy. Kevin can be very demanding sometimes. But I know it's all in the company's good. I've never seen a more dedicated and hard working person in my life though. The company has seen a lot of growth since he started working here."

On those words, Sarah was instantly hit with a glimpse of her past. That day she'd been very excited to go to the fair with her family and Kevin. It was one of the best days of her life as a kid. She could never forget how Kevin had refused to give up that day, and had ended up playing a game called 'Smash it' exactly nine times. She remembered his scrunched up face when he had smashed the hammer on the pedal, and the joy on his face when it hit the bell on top, signalling his victory.

Time flies really fast. And people change. But looks like you haven't, Kevin. You still have that fire within you.

Jessica mistook the expression on Sarah's face for disapproval. She quickly added, "It's not like what you're thinking. Kevin is polite and well mannered, just like his uncle. He just doesn't like lazy workers and delayed reports."

Sarah replaced the look on her face to one of understanding. "He seems like a good person", she said, her mind still on Kevin's young face. "I met him today morning. But we didn't get a chance to talk much."

After that, they finished their food in silence. When Sarah checked the time by her watch after they were done, she was surprised to find that they'd spent almost an hour in the cafeteria.

"I think we've been here for a long time. I should get going. I don't want to mess up on my first day", Sarah told her before she got up.

"Goodness yes, I'm running late too. I'll come with you", Jessica followed her, and they headed back to the elevators.

"It's good that we work on the same floor. My office is right across yours. I'm surprised I didn't see you all morning", smiled Jessica, as they stepped on the elevator and pressed the last button on the panel.