“Julia.”
Gah!Why does he keep saying my name like that? I turn my attention back to him.
“I really need the help. We’re desperate.” He tucks his hands under his arms again. I noticed he likes to make himself smaller. Maybe that’s the life of a tall person—always trying to diminish themselves—while all I want is to be seen. “Full disclosure: there may be times when you’re asked to work a little longer than the normal nine-to-five.”
Well, that isn’t a problem for me. It’s not like I have a social life. Was that why I was recommended? Not just the timing, but the fact that I have no family, no known relationship or friends? Was I such a loner that my reputation preceded me?
I’m silent too long in contemplating my embarrassing existence because he adds, “And I need somebody who can handle the pressure of a contract this big.”
“I’m not intimidated by that,” I say.
He smiles with surprise. Your reservations are …?”
“I had plans to take some time off.” Obviously, I can’t explain that I’m worried about going off like a bomb and hurting innocent people. So I leave it at that.
“I know. You’d be doing us a huge a favor.”
I feel myself weakening. With every minute spent in his presence, I long for more.
“Okay. My last attempt and then I promise, no more pressure,” he says.
I eye him wearily.
“You want to see the Lite-Brite?”
My eyes widen. “Are you serious?”
“It’s only a smaller prototype for testing, but yeah.”
I glance around though I don’t know why. “Am I allowed to?”
He hesitates a moment. “Define ‘allowed.’”
I freeze.
“No, I’m kidding. It’s fine since you’re with me.”
I still hesitate.
“It’s a laser,” he singsongs.
“Ooh, a laser,” I say, lifting a pinky to the side of my mouth in my best Dr. Evil impression. Immediately I regret it when Nathaniel stills. My nerdy impression is at least two decades off-trend.
But not a second later, in a similarly exaggerated voice he says, “For onemilliondollars.”
I suck in my lips to keep from smiling too big. He shakes his head, looking at me in that fuzzy way again as we walk out the building. “Oh, yeah. You’re going to fit right in.”
My heart skips. Look at little ol’ me finding a place to finally fit in.
It’s not fair.
As we walk outside, he explains the badging system. “Only Kate, Jared, and I have red badges.”
“Are those like red shirts? Are you the first to die?”
He barks out a laugh and I can’t help but feel a swell of pride.
“Red indicates the highest clearance. And red badges can only bring approved guests that have gone through security. I know you’ve worked on the base for a while, so you get the importance and strictness of security. You see a yellow badge walking alone around here, you tell someone right away. It might make you feel like a tattletale, but trust me, there’s no reason for a yellow badge to be in this building at all. Red and orange. And only those with red in the test range.”
