①
Returning back to her work station, she expected to confront her so-called co-workers for daring to fool her into taking this needlessly dangerous excursion. What she wasn’t expecting was seeing a crowd of all the Mothers standing there, waiting expectantly. Why were they gathered together with soulful expressions, acting like they were mourning her loss?
“What’s going on?”
“We’re... so sorry.”
“We just got the news.”
“We had no idea.”
“We wouldn’t have sent you out if we knew.”
②
It was the start of a brand new day. Yesterday had started out not promising, having been tricked in attending a meeting of the minds which she had little to contribute to, and caused somebody to become Turned. Somebody she wasn’t very acquainted with, and it wasn’t even her fault, hardly even second-hand responsibility, so it wasn’t much of a loss. A loss of life that wasn’t her own, that counted as a win in her book.
The exact procedure of what caused people to become Turned was still something of a mystery. It seemed to be completely random, only affecting a small percentage of the population. It wasn’t something she was particularly concerned about. She hardly ever confronted any Turned in her line of work, and even less when on her own, save for that one time. And people hardly paid that much attention to Turned in the first place, putting them out of their mind until they brought attention to themselves, needing their monthly nutritional allotment.
Much in the same way, she was hardly ever noticed, so this sudden change in routine was unusual for her. She expected that after accusing her co-workers, she could put the remainder of yesterday out of her mind. She was expecting a simple return to normalcy.
She really should’ve expected better.
③
“Okay, you’re seriously freaking me out here.”
“What did you put on your evaluation sheet?”
That thing at the end? “I left it blank.”
“That’s not good.”
“When you do that, they take it for default average results.”
“Okay, so it’s a blanket statement, so?”
“So if a member of the team you worked with showed high affinity for someone they had good chemistry with, they can choose to request a transfer of that person.”
The consequences were starting to formulate in the Girl’s head, and she didn’t like where they were headed.
“You’ve just been selected to be assistant to one of the highest respected researchers in the field.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad. Who is it?”
“You’ve already met her.”
Her...? “OH NO, YOU DON’T MEAN - ”
①
“Why did you never show that kind of initiative with us?”
“You never tried to talk to me!” (To the point that I wanted to get away, but she didn’t get a chance to externalize these infernal internal thoughts)
That sinking sensation she’d been experiencing bottomed out and was only buoyed by the words from an unexpected source.
“I never in a million years suspected that something like this would happen. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have sent you there!”
The Girl was surprised to hear this admission of honesty from her Rival. If there was anybody who’d be delighted at the prospect of her circumstances, it would’ve been her.
“Wait, was it you who recommended I go there in the first place??”
“Yes, and I regret it! I never would’ve committed such a vile act if I’d known!”
“Honestly, I would’ve done the same if I was in your situation.”
“Quite frankly, I can’t recall why I had so much animosity towards you. It just seemed like something I should do.”
“You mean you were just against me out of obligation?”
②
“I’m afraid so.”
“Why? Why me?? What could she possibly - ”
“I have no idea.”
“All we know is that she doesn’t choose her assistants lightly.”
“And she burns through assistants very quickly.”
“Every single assistant she’s personally chosen utterly disappeared without a trace shortly after.”
“Poof.”
“You’re not making things very reassuring here!”
“Of the other co-workers there, she graded them 2, 7, and 9 respectively.”
“You were the only one who got the highest rating!”
“What did I do that was so impressive in her eyes?”
“There’s a list,” the Superior Mother presented.
• You volunteered to have your memories observed.
• You communicated with the SeerSighters on a regular basis.
• You took initiative to measure the boundaries of the place.
• You verified that the looping corridors were consistent.
• You posited a theory that turned out to be the right path.
• You have passing familiarity of the three Contradictory Truths.
③
The Girl couldn’t recall exactly why she’d fostered a grudge against her Rival. It must’ve been borne out of a misunderstanding that’d long since been forgotten.
“Well, it’s been a short time gals, but I’ll miss seeing you.”
They looked momentarily confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t been fired.”
“Your workload’s just been added.”
“You’re good at picking up drinks.”
“You’re splitting your duties between here and with her.”
“It’s so unfair the Alien Woman chose you as your assistant. She should’ve chosen me!”
Oh right, now she remembered.
No comments:
Post a Comment