Chapter 2: Elevator
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Ariana's Sunday nightshift had been well underway for a few hours when she was called into Mrs Holloway's office. Ariana quickly walked down to the little room wondering what she had done.
When she entered the room she noticed Mrs Holloway's face, red and sweaty - she looked exasperated and stressed. Ariana wondered what was going on, contemplating whether she had made a colossal error and if the woman was about to fire her. She wracked her brain but nothing came up.
"Ari," Mrs Holloway sighed, "I need you to do a favour."
Ariana could feel her body deflate in relief. She hadn't done anything wrong after all.
"Of course."
"I need you to go out and get some champagne, magazines and flowers. I've got the list of what exactly what her majesty wants. And when you've gotten the items, I need you to run them to Mary." Mrs Holloway explained.
That was an unusual errand.
By the older woman's sarcastic use of the term 'her majesty', she knew she was referring to Sebastian's mistress, Sabine. Since meeting Sabine, Adriana had only had a handful of run-ins with the woman. Each time she came out of the experience slightly more on edge. It hadn't taken long for Ariana to realise that the model was temperamental and easily agitated.
From the look of Mrs Holloway's face Ariana could tell that something had clearly happened with Sabine. The older woman didn't get along with the model. Sabine in turn seemed to genuinely enjoy upsetting the matron.
"Sure," Ariana nodded, receiving the paper from the woman.
"And hurry," Mrs Holloway continued, "Sabine is in a mood."
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Ariana ran as fast as she could down towards the shops to collect all the items on the list. She felt a stitch stab at her stomach as she ran back into the complex, but ignored it, pushing herself up the stairs and towards the kitchens. She almost cried, received to have found Mary in there, loading up a tray with glasses and chocolates. The last thing Ariana wanted was to spend the evening running all over the Complex looking for the maid.
"Thanks Ari," Mary sighed, taking out the champagne and magazines and chucking them onto the tray, rushing forward, "
She
is off the walls tonight."
"What's going on?"
Ariana knew she probably shouldn't have asked, but her curiosity got the better of her.
"I don't know." Mary replied, "I'm thinking that something happened with her and the boss? I don't know how she gets away with carrying on the way she does. She's been screaming and trashing things all evening."
Ariana nodded, wondering what it was like to be so secure you could behave in such a way. She'd been kicked out of home for a lot less.
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Ariana took the service elevator up back to the 15th floor so she could start dusting the rooms not in use. The elevator made a stop on the way up, and as it opened Ariana was surprised to see that it was Sebastian. The vampire didn't usually take the service elevator. In fact, no one but staff usually used them.
Sebastian hurried in appearing slightly dishevelled, shirt sleeves rolled up, no tie. Ariana was surprised to notice that he also seemed angry, but then she had recalled what Mary had said earlier. Maybe Sabine and him had been fighting.
He ignored her as he stepped in, typing furiously into his phone - which was fine by her, there was no way she wanted him talking to her in such a state. She tried to make herself as small as possible in the corner, trying not to draw attention to herself. The last thing she needed was to give Sebastian or any of the other staff an excuse to have her dismissed.
"You can stop trembling," Sebastian's voice broke through the elevator. He brought up a hand to smooth back his hair which seemed to be haphazard - actually, all of him seemed to be in a state of disarray. Sebastian was usually neat and tidy in his appearance, never a hair out of place. Ariana noticed he hadn't even shaved, dark stubble gracing his jaw. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, putting the phone into his pocket, and just like that Ariana felt the temperature in the elevator sudden get hotter. Or maybe it wasn't the elevator, maybe it was her. It was difficult to think with the man's focus on her.
"Ok," was all she could say. The air hung thick with tension and Ariana had no idea why or what had happened to create it. Although she had a suspicion it had something to do with the screaming mistress on the top floor.
They slowly ascended the floors, the service elevator particularly sluggish today. Ariana wished it would speed up - and she wondered what it was about being with Sebastian that made her feel like the elevators were always too slow. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that whenever she was in close proximity with her boss she felt like he was going to pounce on her.
"Is everything ok?" She heard herself ask, her voice like a ripple in otherwise smooth water.
She didn't know why it had come out, or why she had thought it would be a good idea to talk to the man, considering the state of anger he seemed to be in.