Jamie filed out of the bullpen with the rest of the interns. Each of them seemed almost like cloned copies, with small differences in height, hairstyle, and skin color. Their heels all clicked against the tile in the hall and they made their way to the stairs. They were forbidden to use the elevator unless they were arriving for work, and they needed a badge to activate the buttons. Luckily they were only going up one floor, to R&D. Their motions were practiced, having been sent to the scan room several times before. LSG was quite protective of company secrets and mandated random scans for any company materials. This one was less than random, an obvious last scan before being handed the selection verdict.
This time, however, Alex was waiting in the stairwell. The fluorescent light framed her overhead, arms crossed and hanging over the railing at the landing between the floors. The toe of one boot poked from between the rail slats. She was chewing gum and watching the procession of desperate interns with a smirk. Jaime followed along near the back of the line and had the chance to see one of the other hopefuls say something to Alex. She couldn’t quite make it out amidst the clicking of the heels in the stairwell. However; Alex’s voice cut through the din as Jamie approached.
“Doesn’t matter. I like your spirit though, fresh meat.” Alex began to blow a bubble. The woman she was speaking to turned around, stepping out of line and addressing Alex with a bright red face. Alex gathered the pink gum back into her mouth as the intern spoke to her again.
“You can’t call us that. It’s… wrong. It’s…” The intern trailed off, and Alex’s bubble hanging from her lips popped with a light snap. Jaime couldn’t see Alex’s expression but the intern was disheveled. Her eyes had dark rings around them from overwork and she was clearly on her last leg emotionally. Alex’s voice was detached, almost bored.
“Tell you what. If you’re selected you can be whatever you like. Until then, you’re fresh meat. All of you are.” Alex gestured broadly to the group.
The woman turned an even brighter shade of red and stormed off up the steps in a huff. Alex followed her with her eyes, and Jaime could see the small smile broaden as the interns ascended the stairs. Her tongue slid over her teeth, the chewing gum resting for a moment on her tongue. The inside of her boss’s mouth glistened. Her lips… Jaime rounded the landing and realized she was staring.
“What are you looking at, fresh meat?”
“N- Nothing. Sorry”
Alex stepped forward, her boots thudding along the landing. The other interns had all left into the door above, and it was uncomfortably quiet. Jaime froze, knowing never to leave while Alex had something to say. She felt like she was under a microscope, as Alex’s imposing presence grew closer. All Jaime could hear was the sound of the boots thudding along and her wet chewing.
Alex stopped next to Jaime, just a little too close. Jaime averted her eyes, but Alex began to blow another bubble. She watched the pink orb grow from the corner of her eye, coming close to touching her face. She told herself that this was all part of the test. The person who deserves selection would be able to handle all of this.
The bubble popped, making Jaime jump a little. Alex’s mouth hung slightly open for a moment. Jaime hesitated a glance and saw Alex’s wet tongue slowly gather the gum back into her mouth.
“You like watching me chew, fresh meat?”
“Umm, I. I’m sorry.”
“I can give you a tour if you like.” Alex raised her eyebrows.
“I just need- I need to report to the scanning room” Jaime stammered.
“Maybe later then. Here.” Alex put two fingers into her mouth, balling up the tiny bit of gum. She took it from her lips, sucking some of the spit from it as she did. Then she held her fingers out, expectantly.
“It’s stale now anyway. Take care of it for me.”
Jaime obediently held out her hand, and Alex dropped the wet gum wad onto her palm. A small puddle of saliva came with it, warm against Jaime’s skin.
“I’m also about to eat. I skipped lunch to see the selection, you know?” Alex smiled and licked her lips.
Jaime didn’t know what she meant by that but simply nodded. Her fingers curled around the gum, and her fist withdrew. She felt like she was about to scream. Disgusted with herself and humiliated, she was reduced to a garbage can for this strange twisted woman. Boot Shiner. Foot Masseuse. Coffee Stirrer. Garbage Can. She ached to leave, feeling unsafe being alone with her. The quiet settled in and her nervous breathing was the only sound in the stairwell.
Alex cocked her head, her short hair moving slightly as she shifted her weight. She bent slightly at the hip in order to get a better view of Jaime’s face. Her smile broadened, clearly enjoying having an intern transfixed in her gaze. Jaime knew better than to leave without being dismissed or to ask for further orders. Without even touching her, Alex had frozen her in place, like an insect trapped in amber. She clearly enjoyed the simple power at Jaime’s expense.
“Do you think you deserve to be here?” The question was like shattered glass.
Jaime’s eyes widened and she simply stood there dumbfounded. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.
“We go through so many of you,” Alex stood up straight, patting her stomach. A soft gurgle came from inside her belly. “But it’s always the same. Do you think you’re different?”
Jaime merely nodded, her face fixed into a grimace. Despite her displeasure and discomfort, her pride screamed out to be heard. She wanted to tell her she belonged here, she was willing to do anything. She wanted to say that she deserved to retain her size, that she was fit for society. But she only nodded, shuddering with frustration.
“Well. I think you’re not fit to polish my boots, let alone code.” Alex chuckled and kicked one foot forward to give Jaime a better look. The tip of her boot pointed upwards, balanced on her heel.
Jaime’s downward gaze onto the floor was interrupted by shiny black leather. The shrinkee had done a good job, though Jaime wondered about the consequences if he didn’t.
“You know what I do to the ones who can’t even polish?” Alex’s voice ended in an upward inflection, nauseatingly cutesy.
Alex slowly lowered her sole, and a small squeak came from under her boot as the leather began to twist. Jaime could only watch, head down. Alex flexed her leg, her toned calf muscle firm under the nylon fabric. She made a show of snuffing out an imaginary cigarette. Jaime knew she was only joking, trying to rattle her. Still, she couldn’t shake the image of Alex’s small employee being smeared into paste under the boots he meticulously shined. The leather squeak on the tile almost sounded like a scream. Her boot ground back and forth with chilling menace. Jaime told herself Alex was just joking. She’d never crush someone like that. Like a bug.
Jaime felt like she would be sick, her whole body screaming to be released from the torment. She tried to swallow but her throat was dry. She reminded herself that this was only a test, but it did not help. A drop of fluid fell from her face, was it a tear or sweat? It didn’t matter, because it landed directly on the toe of Alex’s boot.
“Disgusting. Clean it up.” Alex spat.
Jaime immediately knelt, almost glad to be granted permission to move but mortified she had dripped something on her boss’s boot. Her hand reached for her skirt, bunching it up in her fist to clean off the small splatter.
“No. Use your mouth.”
Jaime froze. She had already given so much to this company and this was too far. Everything was just one ethical violation after another but she pressed through them all for a chance at selection. This wasn’t just a sacrifice of her time and energy or even her body. Alex was asking her to relinquish her humanity. There were no cameras here, and anyone could say anything about what happened. If she refused, there’s no telling how much worse things could get. Jaime was so close to selection, so close to earning a better life. This was the last thing.
Jaime didn’t look up, she merely leaned in. Her face passed over her boss’s nylon legs, and she could see the individual threads stretched across Alex’s beautiful skin. She smelled the dank mixture of sweat, leather, and polish. Her quivering lips opened, and she leaned in close. Jaime’s heels popped out of her shoes as her legs bent. Her hair fell around her boss’s laces and she pressed her tongue to the leather. It was acrid, some of the polish still recent. She also detected the slightly salty flavor of her transgression.
“Not bad. I didn’t think you had it in you. Go on, fresh meat,” Alex said flatly, “You have a selection to get to and I have snacks to find.” Alex gently patted her stomach through her blouse as another gurgle emanated from within.
With that, Jaime rose to her feet and walked up the stairs as fast as she could. She was glad to be finally done with this outrageous treatment, regardless of the outcome. She wiped tears from her eyes. Anything was better than this, being constantly under the thumb of these women. Berated and belittled. Taken advantage of because there was nothing they could do. Jaime pressed through the stairwell door without looking back and caught up with the other interns waiting outside the scan room.