Marked Soul (mxm)

Chapter One - ASH

I felt like a heathen. I don't even think I got all the flour off before they rushed me out the door. That's what I get for being the new guy when a VIP calls in an order to a place that doesn't deliver. No one even noticed I couldn't speak until I got here, and wasn't that encouraging? The front desk had been super nice about it; then again, my uncle worked here so they probably assumed the food was for him. I'd never actually been to this floor before, but I didn't have time to take it all in. The Guard at the Gate - I mean, the secretary - was looking at me impatiently.

She took a deep breath and the smell must have triggered something because her shoulders relaxed and I swear she almost moaned. "Oh wow, I hope that's mine."

She was very pretty - beautiful, even - and those words were so close to the ones I both wanted and dreaded to hear. She wasn't talking about me, or even to me really. She was talking about the warm apple pie heating my hands from the bottom of the bag and making the room smell like the Fourth of July. Not hard to do considering the almost sterile air being filtered in.

"I guess it is a bit overwhelming, isn't it?" the woman asked. She didn't seem to take offense at my staring, and I wondered if she knew I could see the outline of her white bra under her white shirt. "This great big office takes some getting used to. My name's Jocelyn."

I smiled at her, and wondered what to do next. She hadn't held out her hand for me to shake, though she had introduced herself. Did I pass the delivery to her?

"That looks like Redbird's go bags," she said when the silence dragged on.

I nodded quickly, glad she recognized it and relieved to know she would know what to do. I held it out for her to take, praying the sweat hadn't started to show on my underarms and I didn't shed white flour on their dark gray floors.

Jocelyn watched me but didn't take the bags. Wasn't she the one who ordered it? "I think I've spoken enough for you to be comfortable speaking back."

Oh. I couldn't help the slump that took over me. Of course that was what she wanted. At this point I was being extremely rude, but something had gone horribly wrong with my phone. I had been very careful to charge it overnight, just like I did every night, and this morning it had shown a full charge. Halfway through the morning the screen had blinked a bare 5% at me, and as careful as I had been the phone had shut down just before lunch. I had to use paper, which was about as quick as an old dog on a hot day. Wasn't much choice, though. I set the bag with the food down on her desk, being very careful to avoid all the crisp pages with super tiny font, and set the second bag on the floor. Then I signed "writing" to her. Even if they didn't understand ASL, most people understood the gesture.

Jocelyn's eyes widened and she froze for a moment. I wondered if I had accidentally made a rude motion, but then she caught on when I pulled out the pen and paper. "I hurt my throat and can't speak right now," I wrote. It wasn't quite a lie. It wasn't really the truth either. Okay, it was totally a lie. The truth was complicated, her pie was getting cold, and I just wanted to get back to the bakery where sweat and powdered food was normal and I didn't have the distraction of wondering just how far I could trace that white-on-white line without getting caught.

"Oh, you poor, poor dear," Jocelyn responded. "That sounds dreadful. Can you let me know why you're here?"

Sympathetic, yet still to the point and efficient. I understood; she probably had a lot of work to get done and I was in the way.

"Delivery from Redbird's. Sandwiches and pie. It was urgent?" Writing made things so much easier than hoping someone asked the right yes-or-no questions, but it sounded stilted. I was faster on my phone when it worked. It was my lifeline for interacting with people in a normal manner. Most people couldn't understand sign language, and were very comfortable texting others long conversations - even when they were in the same room. Rocks rolled in my belly to be without it. What if my cousins texted me, or I missed an email from the Ball?

"Probably one of the girls downstairs trying to kiss up to the boss thanks to -" she hesitated, glancing at me, and I got the feeling I wasn't supposed to know why the CEO needed kissing up to - "all the work they've pushed to us. Give me a moment just to call and confirm, would you?" She sat down and began dialing on the phone. "I'm so sorry about this," she told me as she held the handset to her ear, "but we like to confirm unexpected deliveries. Whoever sent this should have told us you were coming."

I started to nod, but she wasn't even looking at me anymore. I tried to tune out her conversation by looking over at the office behind the fogged glass. That was where the CEO presumably worked. Tyr Prince was a fine man as far as I knew. My uncle worked for him, and he seemed fair and generous. Though I guess my uncle doesn't actually work with the CEO so that may just be an impression.

Jocelyn's call ended quickly and she was standing up again. "You're good to go through," she said with a smile as she rounded the desk. "Though it's probably best if I go in with you. I'd hate for you to have to write everything for the bosses."

I relaxed and nodded, mouthing thank you to her. It would have been better if she had finished the delivery, but she seemed to be avoiding the delicious smell. She had a good figure, but I wondered if she was on a diet or just didn't want to make the boss mad. Before she stepped around her desk I wrote, "Want me to bring you a piece later?"

She shook her head. "No, that's okay. I really shouldn't. Redbird's is addictive and I work at a desk all day."

I nodded though I didn't quite understand. She looked great, one piece of pie wasn't going to change that. Still, I put the pen and paper away and picked the bags up again to follow her inside the office.

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Author's Notes: 

Hello everyone! I've noticed a significant number of readers stop after the first chapter. If you could provide any feedback or constructive crit (what you like, what you don't like, why you're uninterested, etc) that would be wonderful! This is my first Wattpad story, and my first non-fanfic story, so I'd really like to hear what you have to say.

Thanks so much!
-Lizzie