Wicked

I could never understand why I was the way I was. Though I knew I got most of my issues from my father, I also knew my mother was just as crazy.

I had so much anger, guilt, and pain. All these emotions kept building and being cramped back down as if it was never there, to begin with, but even with me doing so, I could always feel them lingering, ready to be shown again.

Threatening, to be let out.

My parents were the ones to tell me that bottling up my feelings wasn't good to do. Yet, they did it themselves, and I had to watch them do it for years.

And now I'm in their boat. Fantastic, right?

False! It eats you alive. It crushes your soul. Burns your motivation. Catapults your life down into the depths of hell.

I just wished I knew how to control it so it never got the best of me.

My reflection in the bathroom mirror glared back at me as if to say, ‘You're in over your head.’ I gulped at the girl staring back at me.

She wore a lovely red suit with light golden jewelry hanging off her neckline and small ears.

One day, I'll tear her apart and bury her so no one else can feel what she puts out into the world.

Darkness.

I finished washing my hands and dried them. Then, I made my way out of the neat restroom and back to my desk,, where I sat and started to look through the pile of files stacked on one another.

“I'll never get out of here.” I rubbed my temples, flipped open the first Manila folder, and began reading.

The case was about a young man, Khalid Domort,, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time being convicted of murdering an eighty-nine-year-old male.

Half the witnesses who were on the scene at the time of the incident changed their story more than once, which led me to believe it was a possible set-up, but I couldn't be too sure without reading the rest of the paperwork.

However, from what I've read so far, that's the direction it was leading towards. When I reached the last page of the file, I was fairly certain Judge Howard had the wrong man in court.

It was evident.

I moved on to the next file until I had them organized into two separate piles and ready for my superior, Judge Leslie, to review.

She would agree that half the cases we were provided were false convictions. Two of them didn't make sense and didn't have any witnesses, but other than that, I got most of them figured out.

After I finished my work, I gathered the files and dripped them off on Lily's desktop. My heels clicked against the freshly polished marble floors, and I made my way back to my desk to get my purse.

The only people left in the large office area were me and a coworker of mine. I believe her name was Sofia.

She was new to the office, starting maybe a month ago, but she was a hard worker. I waved at her, trying to get her attention. She should have been long gone by now, but she was tucked in at her desk in the corner.

“H, ey, Sofia, right?” I asked her, and she jumped almost out of the chair. “Oh, sorry. I wasn't trying to scare you.”

I apologized and took a seat on the edge of her desk; the tall blonde pushed her glasses back in her face, and her pretty hazel grey eyes looked up at me.

“Y-Yes, and you're fine.. I wasn’t paying attention.” Her voice was quiet. I put my hand out, took hers in mine, and shook her hand firmly.

“Nice to meet you.” I smiled. “I’m Luna.”

“I-I know who you are.” She placed the paper in her hand on the flat surface before her.

“But it's nice to meet you!” She hurriedly said.

Her eyes drifted away from mine, which had that effect on many people, but she wasn’t an enemy or on trial.

Was it because of the way I looked? Did I have my bitch face on? If so, I wasn’t trying to be intimidating.

“You look pale. Did you eat at all?”

“I had coffee, but today, I didn’t get a chance to leave my desk.” She shrugged her thin shoulders and looked at her desk. I sensed she was tired, so I left her alone.

“Oh, okay. Well, don’t overwork yourself, kid.” I patted her on her shoulder. “Maybe tomorrow we can go out for lunch? It's my treat.”

She nodded and smiled at me, “That would be so nice.” Then she went back to overlooking the rest of her paperwork.

I pushed my body off her desk and walked over to mine to grab my items. “Have a good night, Sofia.”

She lifted her head and waved at me, “You too!” She responded.

I made my way out of the office and down the hallway toward the elevator. A few minutes later, pushing the button, the metal box dinged open, and my boss, Ace Imala, stepped out.

He owned the law firm I worked at and half primary York, but his main focus was being one of the most terrifying businessmen to walk the earth, or Wall Street, for that matter.

My throat and my mouth went dry. Why was he here? Judge Leslie was long gone.

I also wondered what business he had at this time of day. I looked down at the watch on my wrist, and it read half past six.

Maybe he had some urgency and needed to speak with Judge Leslie immediately.

I stepped aside to let him through. Our eyes met, and I moved briefly as he walked past me toward the area I had just vacated.

“Judge Leslies was long gone,” I said as I stepped into the elevator and turned to meet his piercing grey eyes.

“I’m aware.” His voice was laced with some emotion I couldn’t quite grasp.

Then I remembered the shy Sofia alone, and the thought of how she might be crushed by Mr. Imala’s alpha male exterior popped into my head.

Shit…I can’t just leave her with a man…alone.

But then, could they be dating? It didn’t seem like that was so. Confusion began to swell in me, and curiosity sprouted.

“May I help with anything?” I stepped back out of the elevator and began walking back to the office. My purse swayed from side to side as my hips tapped lightly against the fabric of my suit.

Before he could answer, I returned to my desk and dropped my bag on the cleared surface.

My back was still turned to him. “So, Mr. Imala, what can I do for you?” Facing Imala, I flashed him the best grin I could muster.

“I didn’t need your assistance.” He walked past me and over to Sofia, who had been packing up to leave for the day.

Now I feel stupid. He must be her boyfriend.

It made me feel better leaving her, knowing he was with her and not some random stranger… Sofia seemed so fragile I didn’t dare leave her alone, but now, knowing what I know, I felt somewhat better.

I mentally slapped myself and quickly apologized for invading his business. I grabbed my bag and left before I rode the elevator with the couple.

I’m ready for today to be over…