Life's Lessons on Stress

by Nona Mae King

  ~*~

  I blinked. “No.” I leaned forward, my stomach slithering to my heels and then further. “No, no, no. This can’t be right.”

  I typed furiously at the keyboard, searching and checking information and reports and findings, not noticing the tears dripping down my cheeks. A firm grip on my shoulder squeaked out a yelp. My gaze snapped up to Seifer’s face, his expression blank. He regarded me as his hand dropped away; then he motioned to his office with a jerk of his head. I stood on trembling legs and scuttled toward his office, giving a twitch when he closed the door securely after entering.

  “What were you doing, Regal?” he asked as he went around his desk. He faced me, expression guarded. “I brought you on board to protect the Network; not hack it for your own investigations.”

  I paled and lowered my gaze, hands clasped behind my head. “I’m sorry, sir,” I whispered.

  "'Sorry'?" He leaned forward, palms pressed onto his desk top. I twitched. "That don’t cut it in my section, Regal. I find out you’ve been hacking the system again and your ass is mine. Understood?"

  I could only nod, eyes still focused on the Balamb insignia woven into the plush rug under his desk in the center of his office’s dark blue carpeting.

  “Good. Get your ass out of my office.”

  I saluted and escaped, hurrying back to my desk down the aisle away from his office as I looked at my watch and hoped I could survive until the end of the day.