Arletta Jessica McDowell POV
I was in a yellow taxi, occasionally looking at the scenery in the window. For some reason, my heart was beating faster, as if to hint that something bad was about to happen. Let's hope that never happened to me.
I heard a familiar voice that coincided with this yellow cab stopping because of the red light. I quickly opened my bag and searched for the object that was the source of the sound I had been hearing. When I got it, I saw a familiar name on the screen.
"What does Dad want? It is like he can't believe I am going to his office," I muttered, exasperated.
I pressed a green phone-shaped icon and put the phone to my right ear. The yellow cab was still stopped, and I could see that quite a few cars had also stopped. The sunlight was streaming into the cab, so I felt too dazzled to look ahead.
Me: "Hello, Dad?"
I hope Dad did not ask for weird things, because I was really annoyed by his over-the-top behavior!
Dad: "Hello. Where are you, Lizzy?"
Me: "I am in a yellow cab, Dad. I will be right there."
If I had not said that, Dad would have thought that I was just pretending. How could a man like him be my biological father, anyway? How annoying!
Dad: "Are you still far away?"
I could only roll my eyes, annoyed by the ridiculous question. Did he know that it takes time to get to his office area and there was a probably that I can get stuck in traffic?
Me: "I do not think it is too far, but there is a red light here, so the yellow cab has to stop. If there is no traffic, it will probably take about twenty minutes to get there."
Dad: "Okay. When you get here, just go straight to the ninth floor."
Oh, please. What Dad said was too much, as if I had never been to his office!
Me: "Sure, Dad. I will."
Dad: "Okay."
I was very relieved, because Dad ended the phone call right away. Well, that was better, because I did not want to make small talk with him. The traffic light, which had been red, now turned green, so all the cars, including the taxi I was in, were running as before.
"Why was I asked to come to Dad's office, anyway? What kind of important business is it that I have to go there? It is a good thing I am not working part-time today." I complained in a low voice.
Yeah. Today was supposed to be a nice rest day, but it turned into hell, because my dad forced me to go to the office for no apparent reason. Huh! I would better try to enjoy this trip, even though I was really sick of it.
I put the phone back into the bag and did not forget to close it properly, so that the items in there would not fall out. My heart was beating fast again, as if to signal me to stay alert and not let my guard down.
"Why am I like this? Oh my God, I hope everything is okay."
***
Twenty minutes later, this yellow cab finally stopped in front of a fairly grand office building. I opened my bag and pulled out a few bills from my wallet according to the meter. After that, I paid the fare to the driver, then got off immediately.
The sun was shining so brightly, which made me uncomfortable, and I rushed into the building without thinking. When I got to the lobby, I only saw a few people there, and it was not very crowded. This was astonishing, but I did not have time to observe my surroundings, as I had to get to the elevator as soon as possible, so that I could go to the ninth floor.
From the main lobby, I immediately turned to the left, and there were many elevators. I saw a few people already standing in front of the elevator doors and soon the doors opened, so they got in. "Damn! I was too late!"
I had to walk faster because I did not want to experience the same thing. I stopped in front of the elevator doors where no one else was and immediately looked at the screen that displayed the number seventeen, so it was still a long way to get to the first floor. Before I could press the button, I saw that a hand had pressed it first.
I was both relieved and curious, so I glanced to the right. As it turned out, there was a man wearing a formal suit. Not only that, he was so tall that I had to lift my face up to see his face clearly. The man had brown-blonde hair and a solid jaw.
Oh, my God! He is so handsome! Hey, Lizzy! You already have a lover, so you should not be looking at other men's good looks. Be faithful to your lover! A little heart reprimanded me, so I gasped, then turned my face towards the elevator door.
It was a good thing that the stranger was not angry with me because I had looked at him. I had to focus on my original goal of meeting Dad and not be distracted by anything else, including the presence of the opposite sex.
Soon, the elevator doors opened, and we entered. Again, the man in the black suit pressed the button first, and I did the same after he was done. The elevator doors automatically closed, then moved upwards. I could feel the silence, but it was a very natural thing to happen.
Suddenly the elevator stopped moving, and even the lights turned off by themselves. Suddenly, the terrible memory of being locked in a cramped, dark room for a long time came back, and the panic attack was unavoidable.
"I am scared! I am scared!"
Spontaneously I squatted down while holding my head, then cried because I could not stand this situation. God, it was only fitting that before I got to this office building; I had a strange premonition that this was what was going to happen to me!
I heard the man's voice muttering in annoyance, "Tsk. Why did the power go out? Doesn't this building have a generator?"
I did not care about anything else and continued to cry, because I hated being in a condition that made my phobia flare up If I got to the office, I had to get angry with Dad, and blame him for what had happened to me in the elevator!
I had not stopped crying yet, as fear still overwhelmed me. When would this torture end? Mom, help me!
"Are you okay, Miss?" The same male voice came back, but I ignored it. The terrible memory kept haunting me, so I could not think clearly.
I felt something touch my shoulder, but wait a minute. It was not a normal touch, but the guy was actually hugging! Who the hell did he think he was? I struggled with all my might, not wanting to be treated like that by a strange man.
"Let me go! Leave me alone!"
***