{Start of a Brand New Life}
As she walked down the darkened hallway toward Mr. Ka's office, El thought about all she had done during the three months she worked at the Retsnom factory. She had been in many conflicts with her coworkers. She could not help it. Some of these humans who mainly worked first and part of the second shift hated her. Because she never got involved in their plans to defraud Mr. Ka out of money or participated in the theft of the expensive robotic parts that they manufactured. She liked working at the factory because it was the only place she could work, and Broderick Harvey did not own it. The disgusting, wealthy businessman thought his money could and should get him everything he wanted. So, for some unknown reason, he decided to pick on the happy loner Elizabet Rue Norry.
El, as her family and friends called her, did well in high school and attended college. She excelled there until he saw her walking to an ice cream parlor one day. The man assumed his presence was needed and wanted because he began walking with her. Broderick tried to convince her that she needed protection from the creatures in the city. She had lived in the town for a while and never had problems with these different supernatural species. Her conflicts always began with humans, mainly Broderick Harvey, and his demands for compliance with his will.
Her dislike for him enraged him, and he focused all his time and money on her. El had involved the police and discovered that that was not a smart move. His harassment only seemed to spread to others who knew him and accepted his money, and they continued his pursuit of her.
El had moved three times in two months and did not want to run again because she would lose her job at Retsnom. This building, this place, was the only thing that Broderick could not control.
The mummified Pharaoh Ka owned the land that entombed him and employed humans and the supernatural. There was a three-year waiting list to get hired. El was lucky to gain employment the day she filled out the application.
"What did I not do that he knew about?" El searched her brain for all the incidents involving her coworkers but came up empty. Then, she looked up at the two Anubis men standing outside Mr. Ka's door. She walked up to the ten-foot-tall beings and began whispering to them.
"Am I going to get fired?"
The older of the two brothers, named Gill, chuckled. "El, you arrive 15 minutes early for work every day."
The deep, raspy voice of the creature rattled El's teeth. She waited for him to continue with his answer, but he chuckled. El looked away from him and stared at the one she called Jack. The creature shrugged his shoulders.
El shoved her long ponytail off her left shoulder and then smoothed her hands over the brushed-back hairs in the front and sides of her head. Usually, she kept her hair secured in a bun so that it would not get caught on any machine, but she knew that the morning when Mr. Ka's secretary called her for this meeting, she could lose her job.
"I thought you two were my friends. Why don't you know what is going to happen to me."
"El, we punish things we don't deal with human placement. The witches and wizards do that,"
They could feel her stress levels rising as she stood outside Pharaoh Ka's mahogany French doors. She was the only human that they talked to in the entire factory. The others feared them because of what they could and did on occasion. El was the only one to ask them how they became Anubis. She was fascinated with their story, and their friendship began.
She never talked about her life, and they never asked after she told them that she had nothing exciting. Her scent would change whenever anyone asked about her past. Jack and Gill knew that something was not comfortable with her life.
"You should go inside, El," Jack opened the door for her.
El took a deep breath and then let it out before walking into the dimly lit office. Her eyes shifted to the tall, dangerous-looking man standing before the window watching her. She had never seen this man before in her three months working here. Earlier, she was afraid, but now, she was petrified.
The silver-haired, golden brown-skinned Pharaoh sat at his desk, glaring at the screen on the before of him. "I should have you skewered for introducing me to this candy crush game." Ka's annoyed voice filled the office.
All of El's fear left her body, and a big, beautiful smile on her caramel-colored face replaced it until she looked at the mysterious man by the window watching her. Her fear returned.
Ka looked over at the man by the window and then at El standing before his massive desk with her head bowed.
"Oh, that's Jaeger, the immortal. He usually works the third shift. He is my security force. Jaeger, El Norry, El, Jaeger Ramsey."
El raised their head and looked over at the man. "Hello,"
Her voice sounded small to his ears. "Hello, El Norry,"
His voice even sounded frightening. El lowered her head again. Ka set the iPad away from him and turned his attention to El. A chair moved toward her. El smiled. She thought that his power over inanimate objects was terrific.
Ka smiled. "Please sit, El,"
She sat down.
El slowly raised her head and looked at the silver-haired, mummified Egyptian man. He wore a dark blue suit today. Many humans thought he would have to walk around wrapped in bandages, but he only did that if he left the burial soil. Ka could go anywhere in New York without wearing his burial fabric. He looked human until he started moving things with his mind and affecting nature.
"How are you, El?"
"I love working here."
Ka raised an eyebrow and looked at Jaeger intently as he watched the human. Then, Ka returned his attention to El.
"That is not what I asked you. I remember the first week you started working here. You were so happy on the first day. You were eager to meet new people and then met these humans. And you saw how petty and angry they were. Now you are not so happy."
El just stared at Pharoah. Ka as he stared at her.
"Don't these humans know we can hear what they say even when they whisper? Some of us can even read minds. So we know they want to steal from me, but you don't engage with their thievery."
El looked over at Jaeger as he watched her. "I love working here."
Ka snorted at her answer. "They don't love you. They want to hurt you."
Surprise filled her face as she looked from Ka to Jaeger. "Why, I would never do anything to them."
"You are incorruptible, and they detest that. I want to protect you and pay you much more than I am now. How would you feel if you worked the third shift?"
The monster shift, as the humans commonly referred to it, was a suicidal shift. El gasped. "What, but that is usually for beings like you. I don't thi...."
"You do remember that test that you took for employment purposes."
"Yes,"
Ka smiled. "Well, you scored the highest that we have ever seen. You are completely compatible with those beings working third shift."
El tried to look annoyed. But she was sure they could see the excitement and fear running through her body and all over her face. "I don't know anyone on the third shift, and I usually sleep at night. So my personal life is going to suffer."
Ka frowned. "Gill said that you don't have a boyfriend or friends. He's never smelled another on you."
"They can smell if people have been around you." Her incredulous look made Ka feel sorry for her. She was more concerned about Gill's abilities and not that they knew she had no friends or life, yet she could still smile and laugh.
"I know this is sudden, but we must keep the law officials happy and at least one human on that shift. I want my favorite and best worker with my kind."
The smile she gave him made Ka smile. "What if they don't like me?"
Ka chuckled. "Jaeger will make sure that they do."
El focused her gaze on the quiet man watching her. He said nothing as she stared at him.
"If you switch to the third shift, the pay raise will be significant. You should be able to buy a car in two weeks."
The things that she could do with a car were infinite. She could go to the grocery store after work instead of using public transportation and enduring the threatening looks of the other patrons. She could use the car to escape Broderick Harvey if he found her again. Although she loved working here, she wanted a peaceful life, and Broderick made her life hell.
"Okay,"
Ka smiled and looked at Jaeger. The immortal nodded in agreement. "Good. Can you start tonight?"
He knew the answer was yes, but he wanted her to say she could. He wanted her to feel like she controlled her lonely life while working for him. She was his favorite employee, no matter the shift.
El smiled at him. "Yes, Mr. Ka, I can do that. I can start tonight."
