I always found walking through the crowds a pain, especially when they were rushing to catch the moving platforms called 'Munvars'. These were square platforms of various sizes able to move in any direction regardless of external force. All you had to do was plug in the needed coordinates for it to move along; it moved sideways, up, down, inside buildings, even underground to the new metro system called 'Magnorails'.

  MunvAr- although the name of a 'moving platform', was the name of a transportation company. yes, just a transportation company with complete monopoly over most of the transport services. If that was not enough to be a skeptical, it was fully funded by the government. The method the used in the construction and management of the 'moving platforms' were a trade secret, i.e., people had no idea. The only disclosed fact was that it was a new element and this was one of its properties. however when the use outweighs any faults people get adjusted to the blatant propaganda.

  To me however, the sight of these hoverboards and Munvars were distasteful, hence I avoided them.

  Pushing past the crowds, I entered one of the skyscrapers where my office was located. Swiping my card gave me access to the door at the end of the reception room. It was desolate and eerie, the lights flickered and switched on. The keypad on the wall activated as I pressed the number 6 and 4. With a sudden loud noise the winder stairs started moving up like an escalator. These stairs adjusted according to the floors and were termed as 'Autostairs'. Being a technology of the past, people didn't use them much, yet I liked them.

  My office was on the 64th floor, quite a high floor for an office that did nothing important. It was a quiet place, mostly, until the clock hit 10am, and the members gathered; people who lacked discipline, often late and at times absent; the only exception being our assistant manager. As for our manager- who was early or late, absent or dead- he could care less. The most baffling character, who didn't care much about anything at all.

  The Autostairs halted, extended and connected to the platform in front of a door similar to the one I had taken earlier. Somewhere in my mind, I wanted to go home, my presence here never made a difference. I could feel my fingers itching.

  As usual there wasn't a soul in the office. I took one of the empty chairs near the outlet and sat down. As soon as I connected the Rilet to the port, the screen from morning flashed, and without further adieu I started typing.

  08:59

  The things I wanted to do amounted to nothing, I never wanted it to turn this way. I just wanted to do something with this pointless circle of life. So, sometimes, I wonder if the world and its people hated me or |

  Footsteps silently drew closer to me, but my hands wouldn't stop typing.

  or I hated the world |

  It had stopped abruptly behind my chair.

  or I hated the world and its people.... |

  Someone's arms in a blue loose shirt, wrapped around my collar. He rested his chin on top of my head, pulling me closer to the chair. My mind stopped thinking, my fingers stopped itching and so I stopped typing.

  I could feel his warmth and smell his cologne.

  More footsteps followed and people passed my chair with frowns on their faces.

  "Hehehe, yours truly wins! Pay up peasants!", his low, mocking voice rang in my ears, disturbing my peace.

  As soon as he lifted his chin, I tilted my head up to see his charismatic face smirking widely. This situation, no, his presence was quite unpleasant to me, and it was pretty evident on my face. He immediately retracted his arms and followed the others.

  "I don't find this a fair game." Samuel who had entered together with Alpis spoke with disappointment, as he watched the man in blue shirt leave me and approach them. His face expressionless and dead.

  "Agreed, you know Flora freaking never speaks!" Alpis retorted, I could see his exasperation as he took out his wallet.

  "Hey gentlemen, I won fair and square! The bet was to hug the first person in the office, without scaring them or making them scream! So, quit grumbling and hand me the Money! Hehehehe." the man spoke.

  "Shithead!", the other two mumbled, as they handed the money to the snickering man standing in front of them.

  This self-absorbed man, who loved doing whatever, whenever he pleased, was our Manager. Everything about him was borderline uncanny. His demeanor was nothing but sinister, like the sly fox he was. His tall stature and dark skin tones only gave him an alluring aura, and the streaks of pastel lilac highlights contrasted his silk like black hair. I disliked him.

  I must have stared for too long, he changed his target to me, "Whatchu scribbling Flory?".

  "It's FLORA!!!", I stood up, and threw my bag.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  At least, in my head that is how it played out. But my cowardice only allowed me to silently scowl back at him.

  His face broke into a malicious smile, like he was reading my thoughts. "Flory? What's the matter? Feeling awfully unwell somewhere?", he jeered at me.

  He always tried finding ways to make me feel uncomfortable. To me, his pointless harassment made no sense.

  "I-", I opened my mouth.

  "Oh by the way, I wanted to let you people know that we had done a great deal on the new hoverboard designs!", he started clapping.

  He probably did that on purpose.

  "Are you praising us when our whole team isn't even here?" Samuel, the assistant manager asked. He was a fair, plain, straightforward person, with hair that reached his shoulders, mostly kept tied at the back. Nothing stood out in him, except his ocean blue eyes.

  "Hmm hmm.. You have to realize that I give you way too much freedom, daa?", the manager sneered at them. "I am not aware of anyone getting away without getting themselves fired by calling their manager a shithead, scis?".

  Samuel frowned at him, as he was the source of that nickname.

  "Come on, you the one who is weird!", Alpis countered. "Besides we not even talking about that. Why you random as hell?!". Being the youngest in the office with a small stature, Alpis had a funny way of speaking. His hair was very short, at times standing up like spikes; a man who wore his emotions and thoughts on his sleeves, the easiest target.

  The manager placed his hands in his pockets and started pouting like a small child, "Heh?! No way! You are so mean!".

  Samuel and Alpis both frowned. After an awkward silence he resumed, "Y'know, this is a small sector, in the main company, daa?! Our work includes bringing new ideas, improvements, innovations and designs, in other words-", he paused briefly, "-so boring!".

  Another awkward silence.

  "Now my colleagues," he sneered at them, " tell me, what in devil's snare would I gain by taking hell like this seriously? hahaha...".

  He laughed, patting Alpis' shoulders. Alpis, confused, turned his head towards Samuel.

  After he was done laughing, he tightened his grip over Alpis' shoulder, his face grim and expressionless. As soon as his eyes locked with Alpis', he spoke, "Alpis, my lad, I for one, know how you absolutely love talking, how do people say it, ah- dirty- with your ever so changing girlfriends- but y'see keep that chitchat to the minimum in the office, capiche?!". His dead eyes peered into Alpis'.

  it took a few seconds for Alpis to register his words, to which his face flushed bright red with embarrassment. Samuel let out a silent laugh.

  "Pffff hahahaha...", the manager broke into laughter. "I will be in my office then. Let me know if anything not so boring happens!". Before retiring to his glass chamber, he gave me a menacing glance.

  "Argh! How he know that? No how he know what I talk with them?!! He's scary, man!". Alpis was on the verge of tears. Samuel shook his head and patted his shoulders, consoling him, "You know how eccentric he is! Don't let him bother you!". We then walked to our respective tables.

  Our manager's antics absolutely confounded me. His affairs were as random as his conversations, which led nowhere. He would speak of one thing and jump to the other, like he never spoke of the first, poking his nose into other people's business and sharing nothing of his.

  Nobody here liked him.

  ***

  16:46

  I want to write and I don't know the contents of it. But when I feel like everything is useless is when my hand itches to write. Something, anything. I just|

  "Don't have anything worthy in my life", I found myself mumbling. As I felt my worth drain down the gutter, it was time to leave.

  Samuel reported the absence of other members to the manager, to which he nodded. Turning around, "Y'all dismissed!", he announced. This was a daily routine before he dismissed us. I often wondered how the members of this company kept their jobs? But that was not my job to ponder about but the manager's.

  Alpis was the first to scurry out fuming about something I didn't know, Samuel followed which left us as the last to leave. I turned around and walked towards the Autostairs.

  "Ah! Flory!", the manager's voice called out to me. What more was he going to bully me with? I turned around and watched him approach me. "Yes?"

  He stopped abruptly and gawked at me. "Oh wow, sometimes I forget that you are not a mute!", he broke into a sinister smile. I didn't feel like entertaining him so I watched him in silence. He snickered, "Hehehe, well, you are not off the hook though."

  I barely had any idea of what he was talking about, so I kept staring at him blankly. He looked at my confused face and laughed.

  "Don't worry, it must be just your love for writing. You must have jumbled your papers and sent me the wrong ones.", he smirked.

  I don't recall sending him anything except some draft designs that were submitted on the forum, what papers was he talking about? That's when I broke into a cold sweat. Did I by any chance send him the random texts I kept writing?

  "Wha-t you.. Mean?". I tried to calm down but stuttered.

  I didn't know when he had covered that distance, but within a moment he brought his face close to mine, grinning.

  "I love your smell! It's so mesmerizing!", he whispered, sending shivers down my spine.

  He probably felt like he had accomplished his mission, for he backed up a few steps and looked at me, as I stared back in utter confusion.

  "This Perfume! I must see it! Gadgets with perfume would sell like hot cakes among the ladies, don't you think?". He smiled widely and continued, "So, see you at your place at 8pm then! Tuduloos!"

  I watched him walk towards a glass panel connected to a Munvar, while I blankly stood there studying his back. His foot, about to touch the platform, turned 180 degrees and he stood there staring back at my confused disposition.

  "Oh, and with all the strange missing cases going around, be careful huh!". This time he stepped on the Munvar, heading from the office to the other side of the street, down below, without glancing back.

  Nothing he whispered to my soul touched me, the papers, the perfume, the smell. He had no sense of personal space, and I found myself cornered by the feelings I had once buried deep inside.

  What manager behaves so unprofessionally?

  Tick tock..

  8pm... my place...

  Tick tock..

  6:15 pm. The wall clock displayed. It made no noise but the ringing of the absent clock was deafening to me.

  Tick tock tick tock tick tock..

  The memory of his arms wrapped around my collar, the smell of his cologne, the warmth of his body, his randomness, his malicious smile, did not help my discomfort.

  I wished he never existed!