From the Cosmos. [gxg]

i. accidental walk-ins.

Marisol spat her toothpaste into the sink. The minty slosh from her mouth fell into the porcelain basin and disappeared with a swoosh of water. She flicked the faucet handle, silencing the mini waterfall. She bared her teeth in the mirror and checked for any remnants of the oatmeal she ate that morning. She was fishing out an oat that was lodged between two of her teeth when she heard pounding on the bathroom door.

A muffled voice yelled from the other side, "You're gonna be late, dummy!"

Marisol pulled the oat out of her mouth and rinsed it down the sink. She opened the bathroom door, nearly hitting her roommate smack dab in the face.

"I'm not going to be late," Marisol said, "I'm leaving now."

Her roommate, Nevada, looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "You have less than 20 minutes to walk there. I hope you like sprinting," they said.

Marisol stuffed her phone in her pocket and grabbed her backpack from where it was resting on the couch, slinging one of the straps over her shoulder. "I hate sprinting," she said, making her way to the front door. She picked up her skateboard which leaned next to the doorway. "Good thing I don't have to."

Nevada shrugged. "Have a good day at work."

Marisol looked back at them. "Bring out the recycling while I'm gone. I'm tired of seeing your energy drinks pile up."

"Wow, I almost forgot how grumpy you are in the mornings," they laughed.

Marisol rolled her eyes and walked out the door. She rushed down the dirty concrete stairwell of her apartment building until she made it out into the morning sun and onto the streets of New York City. The streets in front of her apartment weren't too busy compared to the rest of the city and she was grateful.

She dropped her skateboard onto the sidewalk in front of her. The wheels landed with a clack on the dingy concrete. She put her left foot on the skateboard and with her right, kicked off the ground.

Marisol soared through the streets of New York. All of the time she had spent on her skateboard as a kid came in handy as she wove between the weekday morning foot traffic. She usually walked, but she woke up late today, so skateboarding would have to do. Her board rumbled under her feet as it forced itself over the bumpy cement pathway. A blonde haired woman almost screamed as Marisol whizzed by.

Her surroundings transitioned from older brick residential buildings to new, glassy skyscrapers. Office buildings. Marisol pushed off her skateboard once again. She was almost to her destination. If everything worked out well, she'd be there a couple minutes early.

She coasted for the final stretch of the ride. She was moving at a walker's pace by the time she got to the front of the office building. She picked up her skateboard from the sidewalk, tucked it under her arm, and walked inside.

Marisol worked at Queenly Worldwide, a New-York based international media company. Queenly's headquarters was an impressive 40 stories of sleek glass in midtown Manhattan. The building itself didn't stand out much next to the office buildings around it, but the company's reputation made it memorable. Queenly's reach extended into many corners of the media world. They owned several T.V. channels and print lines. Marisol worked for their magazine, which was named after the company.

Marisol was hired as an intern first, and then quickly hired to be a photographer's assistant after making an impression. Now, she was 19 and working at one of the biggest media companies in the world. Though she was young and inexperienced, she worked hard. The small plastic card in her hand was proof of that.

Marisol scanned her card at the front desk, clocking in, and made her way to the elevator. She pressed the cool metal button and stepped into the box. Pressing on the button of her floor had become muscle memory after a couple of months. Within 30 seconds, Marisol was on the 36th floor of the building.