Trapped

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen:

First day at work is exciting, part two. 

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she will be the one 

standing by the ocean 

with the sun in her hair, 

and a smile like a love song 

rising from the sea.

― mark anthony

»»—♡—««

  Knowledge is power.

I’ve learned about it ever since I was young. The moment when we had an exam on the subject that I didn’t like so I ended up not studying for it, I failed. Or when we had a graded recitation then I was called and I didn’t know the answer? 

Well, let’s just say that was probably the very reason why I decided to widen my knowledge. Not only because I felt embarrassed when our teacher called me out for it. I mean for heaven’s sake I was only seven years old!

It was totally uncalled for.

Unlike Maxwell, I was never really naturally smart. She has all knowledge retained in her mind like a stock knowledge. In my case, I have to study very hard in order for me to fully understand the lessons. 

Or maybe I was just unmotivated to learn since I was very young and all I ever wanted just to play and have fun. But as I grew older, I realized that the world doesn’t work that way. At a young age I had dreamed big. To become a successful person that I can be proud of. And now, I’m slowly but surely getting there.

So I doubled my efforts in order to gather all the knowledge that I have now. And now, all my relatives and classmates were praising me for always being number 1 in class. 

What a plot twist, right?

All of that knowledge that I had acquired and retained had now brought me to where I am now. Only you hold the key to your future, dream on it then chase it.

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[One year earlier]

It was dead silent when I had entered the room.

Hmm, well not entirely before I had entered but as soon as they saw me; everyone went silent and was gawking at me as if I had killed someone in the room even though I had just arrived.

Soon after, gossips and murmurs were heard.

The gazes from them sent a chilling feeling inside me. I felt like my stomach sank to my feet. Despite the worried emotion, I managed to keep my head up with a smile plastered on my face as I wanted to appear confident on my very first day.

No one’s going to ruin it for me. Not even myself.

I settled for a chair that was vacant then sat as if I didn’t notice them still staring at me. Shrugging it all off, I reached for my phone then pretended I was busy. Just anything that won’t cause me to raise my eyes and return the gazes. Although there was a part of me that wanted to do that since I never did anything wrong. So with much confidence, I slipped my phone inside my bag then met everyone’s eyes. They began to look away the moment my eyes met theirs.

I inwardly snickered. There was a grin that wanted to crept up on my face but I suppressed it by biting the insides of my cheek. Never once I had lowered my eyes as I just scanned inside the room. 

There was a huge LCD screen in front that was showing another advertisement about the company. I was already expecting an orientation today and I was eager to listen to it. 

I noticed that everyone was busy talking to the person beside me. Well, there were some who didn’t bother trying to socialize like me and I smiled since I wasn’t the only one.

Since I am an introvert, I always rely on my capability to stay silent and observe. By doing that for my entire life, I think I know what body languages and facial expressions already means. Despite that, my sister told me that I am a gullible person even though I am observant. Maybe it was because I'm a very compassionate and softhearted person which is why I was perceived as that.

A few more people entered the room then after five minutes, a woman entered the room along with Athena, the android that I met earlier at the ground floor. Both of them look so professional and they were also captivating.

The room was silent once again, all eyes were darted in front. Looking at Athena and the woman beside her and I did the same. 

Athena, despite being an android; could be mistaken as a human with her whole figure. Even her hair seemed real as the blonde locks draped over her chest naturally and were even swaying as she moved along. It still fascinated me that the whole idea of Athena as a virtual assistant that was programmed in softwares and systems was now embodied like a real person. I also noticed that the tablet thaw was attached to her chest can be removed and she was now holding it with her right hand.

The other woman who was shorter than Athena despite the inches of her heels was beaming and glowing as she smiled at all of us. Her brunette wavy hair settled just right above her chest area. Her thin frame also didn’t quite help the fact that I thought she was younger than all of us. She had a baby face and was small, I didn’t want to offend her in some way but I think if I told her that she looked younger, she'd tell me that she got that a lot.

“Welcome to Luciano Corporation, new hires!” The brunette woman beamed with excitement as she clasped her hands together. Her mere actions instantly made my smile grow wider. We all greeted her back.

“I’m Christina Tucker, your mentor for today. And, I bet you all have met Athena at the lobby earlier.” She added as she motioned her arms to Athena.

“Yes,” We all answered in unison.

“It’s good to see you again, new hires.” Athena exclaimed, smiling at all of us as she scanned the room. I didn’t know if it’s just me or I was hallucinating for a bit but I caught Athena landing her eyes at me much longer than the others.

I was confused but I  instantly shrugged the thought away when Cristina spoke.

“Well, since there are a lot of you here and we don’t need to bother that ‘introduce yourself’ portion. We are going straight to the activity that we prepared for you all.” Cristina happily announced to us and most of us were shocked by the sudden information. 

I was never told that this will be happening. Maxwell had never told me anything.