Grinning from ear to ear, Master Cole opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the CEO's, "Get out" Immediately Mr. Penson's and Master Cole's expressions mellowed, being replaced by ones similar to my baffled one. When none of us made any move, as we waited for some sort of repetition or specificity on the CEO's part, he turned around looking livid and as he shouted, "GET OUT!" as he stared right at me. I was immediately hit by an enormous wave of authority and I knew that was my cue. I stumbled backwards and immediately turned towards the door but in my disoriented state I ended up going round and round in two and a half circles before floundering to my escape route. I reached the door and yanked it open before abruptly turning towards the three of them and doing yet another tumultuous bow and then I rushed out, not looking any of them in the eye, unintentionally slamming the wooden door in my haste. Outside the office I stood for a good five seconds staring at the nothingness in the long empty corridor with wide puzzled eyes before promptly taking off towards my room downstairs. I reached the elevator- hell no! I immediately jumped away from it and took the stairs, running slash falling down them, two at a time, and finally reaching the 18th floor looking disheveled and disoriented. Ignoring all the wide eyed on-lookers I speed walked down the confusing twisting corridors and sent a prayer of thanks as the door to my room came into view. I launched myself at the glass door, falling into my room before closing the door behind me only to have my ear drums impaled by a high pitched screech which I in turn rewarded with one of my own. Mr. Talon stood before me clutching my rotating chair to his chest with a horrified expression plastered on his pale wide-eyed face and I would bet anything that I looked much the same clutching the CEO's jacket with one hand and the door handle with the other. After a few rounds of heavy breathing and wide-eyed stare downs both of us released exhausted breaths before he slumped onto the chair and I against the door. "Oh! OOOHH!" he panted heavily for a few seconds before shooting out of the chair and coming to where I was slumped against the door, gulping down air hungrily. "Ms. WINTERS!" I looked up at his appalled expression as his eyes roamed my state of turmoil, taking in my wet and messy state and lingering a while on the jacket draped around my frame, before they squeezed shut as he clutched his face in his hands shaking it wildly as though he had a killer headache. "Do I want to know?" he asked sounding distraught and I face palmed before shaking my head and walking to the rotating chair by my desk. Mr. Talon hurriedly caught up with me and pulled it out for me and I mumbled a thank you before collapsing into it. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?" he asked bending at his knees to be at level with my face. "About a hundred and thirty seven", I mumbled tiredly and he looked away screaming within his mouth before turning back to me with a red face and awaiting an explanation. I sighed before narrating the whole daunting experience to him. I left out the finer details like the conversations about 'the mystery girl' and my feelings throughout it all and stuck to only a gist of what had happened. And even then by the time I was done, he had had a dozen heart attacks and I had died a couple of times. Now we both sat slumped, he on my desk and I on the rotating chair, with our respective heads in our hands listening to the silence become deafening as seconds passed like centuries. Having vented all my panic and distress, I felt strangely numb, unable to feel anything else. Finally the painful quietness was interrupted by his heavy nasal sigh as he stood up and walked gloomily to the glass door and out of it before I could say anything to him. I smiled bitterly, what would I say to him? I had just become a huge disappointment and he would probably pay the price for it along with me. Guilt broke through my numb state of mind followed by an overwhelming sense of fear and pain. What have I done?! Why had I acted like such an imbecile? I had let down not only Mr. Talon but also Mr. Penson and most of all, myself. And what could I possibly do now to set right this mess I had unintentionally created? Nothing! A familiar cold voice rang in my ears, you can do nothing! Oh no! You are nothing but a useless street urchin. Oh please no! Not this again! My hands immediately covered my ears and my eyes squeezed shut. I drew the jacket closer to myself trying to drown myself within its warmth. The earthy scent of freshly fallen rain that radiated from it calmed my senses for a brief minute only to have that cruel voice return with a fierce vengeance. You're never going to be good at anything! You'll always be the hopeless, good-for-nothing piece of shit that even her parents couldn't stand to be around! Please stop it! My body shook as the haunting memories from many years ago came flooding back into my mind. My hands trembled, my head ached and my eyes stung as I tried to force back those agonizing memories. Karina! I forced myself to think about my sister. All the things she said to me, all the times she had been there for me but the voice in my head was louder, harsher, clearer. You know that's true, don't you Suzzanah? Don't! Please stop! Even your parents hated you! Karina! Please make it stop! My lungs burned and my heart ached and I trembled in my chair.