Supernova

“We kept your room just like you like it,” my mom said when we got home.

“Liar,” I said. “I did not sleep on the bottom floor.” She looked uncomfortable and I kissed her cheek. “I was teasing, Ma. Thank you.”

I limped in and smiled. It was decorated in purple, my favorite color. The bed was a queen sized and had an amazingly soft mattress. I had a small closet; I didn’t really have a lot of hang up clothes. All I had that hung up were work clothes. Everything else would go in my dresser. My desk was inherited from my grandfather who had been an accountant himself. A new laptop was perched on it and I smiled. The lamp I made my parents when I was 11 was on a nightstand by my bed. I blinked a few times.

“Wait a minute,” I said, opening my dresser. “No fair!” I whined. “You unpacked for me!”

My mom hugged me. “We wanted it to be easier for you.”

I sighed. “Thanks,” I said. “I should get some sleep, though.”

She nodded. “Tomorrow we’ll wrap your ankle again.”

“Sounds like a blast,” I said sarcastically and she smiled before closing my door.

I changed into my pajamas and tossed my clothes into the hamper. I got into bed and sighed, glaring up at the ceiling and cursing the right side of my body. I was exhausted, though, and quickly fell asleep.

Ethan struggled with the wheel, his eyes wide, but the rain from earlier that day had made the roads too slick. The semi-driver couldn’t stop, either, and Ethan tried to put his body over mine as the truck hit my side of the car dead on.

My eyes shot open when my alarm went off. I groaned and rubbed my eyes.

After showering, I changed into a black skirt and a white button up shirt. It was spring in Oklahoma so I brought a jacket just in case. My ankle was feeling better and I was able to walk without limping, thanks to my mother making me sit for the whole weekend.

I went into the bathroom and sighed, running my finger along the thin white scar on my right cheek. I shook my head and got my makeup out. I framed my blue eyes with eyeliner and modest eye shadow. My red hair I put up in a ponytail. After making sure my sleeves hid the scar on my arm and my skirt hid the scar on my thigh, I turned the bathroom light off.

“Well, I’m off,” I said.

“Let me drive you,” my mom said once again.

She and my father were both retired and currently making a late breakfast.

I smiled. “Thanks but I’ll be fine. It’s not that far.”

She sighed but nodded. I grabbed my purse and walked out into the humid morning, draping my jacket on my right arm. The bus stop was just a block down and I sat on the metal seats. Other early commuters soon joined me, their eyes foggy with sleep, and mumbled good mornings. I could only nod.

My parents had been acting strange over the weekend. Whenever I mentioned McKinley, Inc., my father’s face would get dark and my mom would drop whatever she was holding. They refused to tell me what was wrong, though. I did some research but they weren’t a shady business; in fact, they were getting rave reviews. I looked up the names of my fellow board members but I just got last names. My mom had been right, though: each last name was preceded by a ‘Mr.’

When the bus pulled up, I scanned the bus pass and sat down near the front. The less walking, the best. Even though it took a lot to get me limping, I didn’t want to risk looking like an idiot on my first day.

The ride there was relatively short mostly because there weren’t many stops and it was too early for rush hour. My scheduled time wasn’t until eight but I wanted to be familiar with the area and the building. Besides, I heard there was a Starbucks nearby and an iced white mocha sounded amazing right about now.

Sure enough, the Starbucks was literally right across the street. I went there first and ordered the coffee and croissant. While I was waiting, I felt like someone was watching me so I looked around. There was a young man also waiting for his coffee. He looked familiar. When he realized he had been caught, he looked away quickly then snatched up a carrier full of coffee. He hurried out. I shrugged and ate my croissant in the Starbucks, looking at McKinley, Inc. from the window.

It was five stories tall. The outside was glass and stone. There was a fountain outside of it and a large sign with the name in golden letters.

“Harrington!” the barista called and I picked my coffee up.

I straightened my skirt, made sure I didn’t have any crumbs on me, and left. I drank through my straw as I walked. I hesitated outside of the doors but walked through with a deep breath.

The lobby was large with a tiled floor. Directly in front of me was a large sign. It was a directory but I already knew the board rooms were on the top floor. A secretary was downing a cup of coffee when she saw me. She waved enthusiastically and I hesitated. I had another half hour, though, so I walked over.

“You must be Nova Harrington!” she said. “I’m Jenny.”

I shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. How’d you know I’m Nova?”

She laughed. “You’ve been all the rage for the last two weeks,” she said as if it were obvious. “The first female board member and one of the board members says he-”

“Hey, Jenny, can you tell me why the copier keeps spazzing?” an older man grumbled.

She giggled. “I’ll see you around, Nova.”

“Bye,” I said and went to the elevator.

I walked in and bit my lower lip. I wasn’t fond of small spaces but the stairs weren’t an option with a five story building. I pressed five and sucked down my coffee to give me something to think about that wasn’t the four walls around me.

When the doors finally opened, I let out a sigh of relief. A trash can was to my right so I threw away my empty cup there.

This lobby was much smaller and carpeted. There was another secretary but she didn’t look nearly as chipper as Jenny. When she saw me, she beckoned me over.

“Nova Harrington,” she said before I could speak. “Welcome to McKinley, Inc. I have some paperwork you need to fill out before you head back there.”

I frowned, taking the clipboard. “They didn’t say anything about paperwork on the phone….”

She just shrugged. I sat down and looked through it. It wasn’t asking much. Apparently, their idea of ‘paperwork’ was one piece of paper asking for my personal information again. I filled it out quickly and passed it back to her. She waved me on and I straightened my hair.

“Board Room One,” she said as I walked through the door.

I found it and took a deep breath before knocking. It opened to an older man. He smiled at me and I returned it, walking in. Two more men were standing up but a second stayed sitting with his back facing me.

“My name is Elias Johnson,” the older man said, shaking my hand. He had white hair and blue eyes that looked friendly. “I’ll let my fellows introduce themselves.”

“James Kemp,” one of the standing men said. His hair was brown, as were his eyes. He didn’t look friendly, though. “It’s… nice to meet you.”

“Michael Allen” the other one said. His hair was blond and his eyes were green. He also looked less than pleased to see me. “Welcome to McKinley, Inc.”

Elias cleared his throat when the fourth man didn’t move. All I could tell was he had messy black hair. He stood up and turned around. It was the man from the coffee shop. Again, he looked familiar and I held my hand out.

He didn’t meet my eyes.

“Ethan Preston.”