Chapter 5
To numb myself and completely let go of that relationship, I threw myself wholeheartedly into work.
I eagerly took on new tasks and helped seniors with theirs.
Unexpectedly, I won over many of my senior colleagues. They admired me, giving me a thumbs-up and showering me with praise: “Small but mighty!”
The first time I heard it, I paused, surprised. But I had to admit, I felt a little thrill.
After tasting that sweetness once, I buried myself deeper into my work, hoping to use my abilities to hide my flaw of being a freak.
They praised me for my ambition. Some of the bolder seniors even leaned in and asked, “Audrey, do you have a shifter, dear?”
I just stared blankly, nodding instinctively, then suddenly snapped out of it and shook my head vigorously.
Brenda furrowed her brow and asked, “Do you or don’t you?”
I answered honestly, “I did, but we dissolved our bond.”
Brenda looked a little awkward. Another senior subtly gave her a look, and her “Why?” was swallowed whole.
She grabbed a handful of pistachios for me, trying to comfort me.
I fumbled, and they scattered across the floor.
My eyes fell on a pair of gleaming bear paws. I looked up in confusion, meeting a pair of light brown eyes.
Above those eyes, a pair of fluffy ears twitched unconsciously.
Before I could even process how a shifter had suddenly appeared in the company, I heard one of the seniors quietly whisper, “Boss.”
The bear softly grunted in response.
I quickly pulled the nearest senior colleague and whispered, “Why didn’t I know our boss was a bear?
“Will he fire me for slacking off and eating snacks?”
The thought that this job, where for once no one seemed to hate me for being a freak, might be gone, made my heart ache.
The entire room fell silent. It was the bear boss who broke the silence first. He bent down, picked up the scattered pistachios, and steadily placed them on my desk.
“I won’t fire you.”
Then he extended his bear paw.
“I was in hibernation when you started. Let’s reintroduce ourselves. My name is Arthur.”
After shaking his paw, my cubicle was surrounded by a crowd of curious faces.
One senior, her face full of curiosity, asked, “Audrey, what did the boss’s hand feel like?”