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ZACH
“Iknow everyone is anxious to get home so you can get ready for the holiday party tonight, but I do have a few announcements before we leave for the day.”
Everyone groans as my supervisor moves to the front of the room for her impromptu staff meeting. I don’t mind, though. Maybe she’ll take so long that we’ll miss this holiday party completely. Bad enough they’re forcing us to go to it, but the whole editing department had to work in the office today, so the room is a lot more crowded than usual. What is it about Christmas that makes everyone think we need to socialize?
My supervisor waits until everyone settles down before she continues. Standing in front of us like this, her back perfectly straight and her long graying hair pulled back in a perfect bun makes her look way too much like my 3rd grade teacher for comfort. At least Cindy never told my parents that I should be in therapy because I’m “unnaturally shy.”
“Ok, so first things first, we’ll be closed from Christmas Eve through to the 27th. That gives us all four days to meet any deadlines and complete last minute details on outstanding projects before the holidays. I know everyone wants to enjoy themselves tonight, and I know they have an open bar, but for the love of the gods, please make sure you’re sober enough to function tomorrow. Just be aware, if you call out tomorrow, I will show up at your front door. So please keep that in mind tonight.”
A couple people chuckle, but I know she’s dead serious. Cindy takes the world of publishing way too seriously sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and take pride in my work, but she takes it to the extreme.
“Secondly, I have a message from HR regarding some updated policies. As I’m sure most of you are aware, the powers that be are considering making Omega testing mandatory. While nothing has passed yet, the heads of our company decided to be proactive and implement mandatory testing for all the employees here. Since the tests have been improved upon immensely over the last six months or so and are a lot more accurate, our CEO is insisting that everyone gets tested, even if they already have been.”
There are a lot of groans at this announcement, including from me. A year ago, the Omega gene was considered dead, a thing of the past. No one had shown any signs of having a secondary gender in over 150 years. Imagine everyone’s surprise when, just a state away in New Jersey, it’s discovered that the gene isn’t as dead as we thought, and a 28-year-old male physical therapist was pregnant.
The world exploded after that. The science community began scrambling for genetic testing and research, trying to determine what was going on. Some people thought it was a hoax; hell, some people still think that, while others are excited. No one knew if this was a fluke or if the gene was really back. And if it was back, what did that mean?
It didn’t take long for scientists to develop a test for the gene. It is a simple blood test and should determine whether you have the Omega gene. They also began to develop tests to see if the Alpha gene was back.
When the testing first became accessible to the general population, our company offered it free during our lunch breaks for anyone who was interested. I happened to be working in the office one of those days and decided to take it. I only have one coworker I’m even remotely friendly with, Evander, or Ev for short. We both agreed to go together.
I wasn’t overly surprised when my testing came back positive for carrying the Omega gene. Physically, I’m nothing like the Omegas from the past. I’m 6 feet tall for starters, and while I’m pretty skinny for my height, I’m not as sleight as most of the pictures I’ve seen of the old Omegas. A lot of them could easily be mistaken for a female at first glance. That’s not happening with me, even if I am slender.
But, my great-grandfather was an Omega, one of the last male pregnancies of the time when he had my grandmother. So our family probably had more knowledge of the old structure than most. Based off what my mom always tells me, my personality is a lot like my great-grandfather's. Dad always complained that I needed to grow a backbone and act like a man. Mom blamed my shyness and overall submissive personality on being sickly as a kid and never having many friends, but now I wonder if being an Omega had something to do with it. Though from the little research I’ve done, it doesn’t seem like the old stereotypes are all true.
“Why do we need to get the testing again if we already had it?” Evander asks from the back of the room. Ev looks like he’d be more comfortable in a tattoo parlor than a publishing company, but I know he’s amazing at his job and a huge nerd. He rubs the back of his neck, pushing his green sweater down slightly and exposing some of his neck tattoos.
“The testing is significantly more accurate than it was previously. There were a lot of cases of false positives or negatives. Also, the Alpha testing has been improved. Everyone will be tested again if they want to keep their job. If you absolutely feel like you can not do this, please talk to me privately.”
More grumbling, but no one protests out loud. Cindy smiles. “Ok, great. The tests will start to be implemented after the holidays. That’s all I have for you tonight. Please make sure any deadlines you have for today are complete. If not, you are all free to go, and I’ll see you tonight!”
This is met with some cheering as everyone scrambles to finish up and leave. The party is cocktail hour attire, which seems dumb to me. It’s in the damn building, not a banquet hall. Why do we need to dress up? Typically, attire for the office is business casual. What’s wrong with that? I hate ties; they always remind me of mom dragging me to church when I was a kid.
After clearing up his desk, Ev walks over to mine. He’s shorter than me but broader, and so much more confident than I could ever be. The man smiles at me warmly. “Will you be at the party tonight, Zach? I know you managed to miss the last two years.”
I feel the blush creep up my skin and am immensely grateful for my darker complexion, making it less obvious. “Yeah, I had previous engagements,” I tell him weakly. Watching Hallmark Christmas movies in my pajamas while I eat takeout and drink wine counts as a previous engagement, right?
“Mmmhmm, I’m sure,” Ev says with a smirk.
I choose to ignore the bait. “But yes, I’ll be there this year.” And then, with a quick glance around the room to make sure Cindy isn’t around, I whisper, “I was very matter-of-factly told I would not receive my Christmas bonus unless I make an appearance.”
Ev’s expression darkens as his eyes narrow. Damn, he can be scary when he wants to be. “What? There’s no way that is legal. I can talk to them. Did you tell HR? They can’t possibly do that to you—”
Ev is getting louder and louder, and I’m terrified he’ll make a scene. I quickly jump to my feet and place a finger to my lips. “Please, it’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it, ok?”
I put on my best pleading expression, praying he’ll let it go. With a sigh, Ev nods. “Fine, I’ll drop it. But if they give you a hard time again, tell me, ok?”
I know Ev isn’t playing around, so I nod. “Good. Well, even if you’re being coerced, I’m glad you’ll be there. You’ll get to meet my men.”
My face heats again. Oh yeah, Ev told me a few weeks ago that he’s now dating two men. And one of them is the identical twin of the first Omega! How crazy is that? At the time, he still hadn’t told anyone else at work, but he must have by now. I wonder how the higher-ups took the news, but since they’re both coming, it must’ve been ok.
“That’s great. I can’t wait to meet them,” I force myself to say. It’s not that I have anything against these two men, but meeting people can be so intimidating. Especially someone like Lake. He and his brother were all over the news for weeks, and now I’m supposed to go and have a friendly conversation with him? It sets my nerves on edge.
Ev’s eyebrows raise, and I’m pretty sure he can tell I’m lying, but he doesn’t call me on it. “Well, I’m going to head out. I’ll see you tonight.”
I wave awkwardly, even though he’s standing in front of me. “Bye.”
