An Alien's Love

Chapter 1

The boss

Christy

     She placed the last digital slate on the glass shelf, waved her hand and watched it disappear into the wall with a soft click.

Finally. Her draft was submitted. One more thing on her to-do list completed.

Wiping sweaty fingers on her silver skirt, Christy turned to the elevator door and waited nervously beside her friend, Janice, who was twiddling her weird-shaped thumbs faster than the speed of light.

"Nervous?"

The Selluxan looked down at the human, "No. More anxious than anything."

"Yeah... I am nervous." Christy nodded. She was pretty sure Janice was nervous too. To be honest Christy was ready to do something absolutely crazy that rhymes with fun. She was itching to take a hike, and not for health purposes. No, it took everything not to turn tail and flee in the face of an upcoming confrontation that just the thought of it had her stomach in knots. But she had to remind herself she was doing this for herself.

     Trying hard not to mimic Janice and fidget, Christy kept her eyes trained on the wall of glass that was Mr. Humack's personal elevator. The cool air in the office chilled her skin and raised the hair on her arms and neck.

A digital clock molded to look like the smiling face of a chasire cat– which so happened to be a native of Jude and the species belonging to a cat that had attacked her a cycle ago- hung on the wall beside the elevator doors ticking by, unaware of the turmoil churning in the young woman's body.

The thing gave her the jeebies. The large yellow eyes always seemed to be watching her with cold hatred, as if it was just waiting to finish the job his companion had started a week ago and claw at her throat until she bled to death. Which was plainly absurd given this was just a clock, it wasn't even real and couldn't possibly...

She eyed the piece of painted metal distrustfully and with a good dose of unease. Then glanced away. Yes, she had a cat phobia but right now she was just being crazy, the wait for her boss was making her weird.

Thank the goddess Janice was the only one around to witness her flight towards an imminent emotional breakdown. She didn't want to give the office more reason to think humans were pathetic.

Nauseous, Christy fought the anxiety that crawled like fire ants up her back, the acid that burned her stomach, constricting it and urging her to give up its contents. She fought it all down with steely resolve.

She didn't even have time to prepare her argument– figure out how to plead her case. He was going to gobble her up like a starving man with a steak. Her boss was difficult to persuade and now she didn't even have a strategy.

Calm down, Christy. The worst he could do was say no. It was not like he could fire you for asking...

Calm down. The way she was sweating and heaving you'd think she was about to go on a murder trial that the jury had ruled her to be sentenced to death. Frack. For all Christy cared it might as well be, her entire physical health could very well hinge on this soon-to-be-held conversation. More like a confrontation; one she was going in without strong enough points to tip his thinking in her favour. She needed an armor, that was what she needed at the moment, to fight with until he was forced to accept her rights.