VEINS

V6: All The Reasons Not To

V-6-Matthew

I need to leave. What the hell was I even thinking? I've walked directly into the dark side of this lustrous building. No wonder that guy paid me, he didn't want to be here.

I'm not curious anymore. I don't need to know what's the job.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" A female's voice struck me.

Damn it. 

Okay, okay, okay. Don't be suspicious. Don't be suspicious. Don’t be suspicious. Don’t be suspicious!

She'll call security on me if I just stand here.

I swallow hard, turning around. 

This is unbelievable. Heaven is missing an angel. My eyes widen as I take in the sight of the beautiful woman across the room from me. From her brown locks of shiny hair, bright and large almond eyes, and visible curves sprouting out from her blouse, she was breathtakingly gorgeous. There was youth and yet maturity in every aspect of her.

"I um, I uh, I well, I um?" I trip on words. I can't talk to people like her so far out of my league of even speaking to.

Oh god, I hate myself. My tongue remains twisted, as I stare dumbfounded.

"You're here for the job, right?" She questions, her large amber brown doe eyes sparkling. 

"Well, I actually wasn’t, or I-actually-uh-I really am uh---." Her soft gentle voice cuts into mine.

"She's been expecting you." She steps up from the receptionist style desk she’s sitting at, her sophisticated black heels clack as she walks over to me.

"I'll escort you.” Her silky sheen hair bounces on her shoulders. “Walk with me and answer a few questions. “ She gestures to me, her long painted nails waving around. 

This was a bad idea. Such a terribly bad, bad, bad, idea. 

All I can do is nod in response and follow the beat of her stride of her long smooth bronzed legs. For a moment, I can’t stop my wandering eyes from landing on the sway of her perfectly sculpted butt and slender back. The white blouse and tight pencil skirt she’s wearing only highlights the beauty of her figure. She’s insanely gorgeous.

“So beautiful…” The quiet words slip out of my mouth. Instantly, I smack my hands over my mouth hoping she heard not a single syllable. 

For a few moments, I watch her profile in horror and anticipation, but she doesn’t turn around or say anything like ‘ew’ to me. 

I scratch the back of my head, exhaling in relief. Thank goodness she didn’t hear me. I’m already having a premature heart attack just looking at her, I don’t need to have a stroke now. 

Man, I don’t get what's up with this place having all these stunningly attractive people! I actually kind of hate it. I mean, seriously? How can I focus properly when I can see the outline of a stunning knockout brunette’s bra through the back of her shirt. Not only that, she’s in heels. Of course my knees are going to get weak if all of that sensory overload is happening!

“Ugh!” I quietly groan under my breath. “Shut up!.”

I need to shut my head up. I sound like a guy who hasn’t been laid in over a year. Oh, wait. Scratch that---I am a guy who hasn’t been laid in months. 

“God Matthew…” I slap my cheeks. “You sound so pathetically desperate,” I whisper under my breath, reluctantly pulling my greedy gaze off her. 

I have to focus instead of letting my hormones get my head in a fuzz. 

With a sigh, I follow closely behind her.

We're sucked into the interior of the building. The hallways stretch out in front of us like an endless maze, no escapes really anywhere.

“Great.” I grumble. “This place just has to scream intimidating,” I mumble under my breath. 

“Ahaha.” A sweet feminie laugh is like music to my ears. The beautiful girl leading me, looks back at me smiling with the cutest smile I’ve seen in a long time. 

“I know, I know,” she says laughing. “This place isn’t the most friendliest compared to the rest of the building.” 

“You heard me?” I cringe, my shoulders rising to my neck. 

“ ‘Ugh! Shut up!’.” She mimics my voice with impossible accuracy that for a movement, I thought I was still speaking. “I heard pretty much everything you were grumbling back there,” she says, growing a playful grin. 

I think my heart just skipped a beat. “Oh.” My face feels like a burning furnace. 

“You’re pretty funny.” She snickers and bats her thick lush eyelashes.

“Well?” I jitter as I follow her with wobbly steps. “I’m glad somebody is amused because I’m freaking out here.” 

“That’s rather blunt.” She peers at me, and for a moment I can’t breathe when those eyes land on me. “That’s good.” She smiles. “I’m Cassinia Bloom. I'm the receptionist for this lovely office."

"Cassinia?” I repeat her name. “Your name is unique.” 

“Unique?” She glances back at me. “In what way?”

“I mean like, uh, in a good way.” I add quickly before she takes it the wrong way. 

“In a good way?” Her soft tone rises in skeptical pitch.

“I mean that’s really pretty,” I say the words before I consider how much of a juvenile boy that makes me sound. 

“Pretty?” I can hear the confusion in her voice. 

Great. I’m really pulling all the hitters with this conversation. 

“U-uh.” I’m ready to punch myself for being so awkward. “I know that's weird to say to someone you just met, but I wasn’t trying to---.” 

“It's okay.” She gives me this breathtaking blinding smile, while her eyes fill with apparent joy. “You make me happy when you say that.” 

Blood is hammering in cheeks. Why is this woman so beautiful? 

“Your name its?” 

“Oh, it’s M-Ma—-" Before I can stutter out another word she speaks first.

"Milo?" She looks down at some papers in her hand. "Milo Templeton, right?"

“Sure.” I weakly nod. “Okay then. Let's just go with that.”

I have no idea what else to say to that. Nor do I know what will happen if I don’t just agree. 

"Milo, you have quite a resume here." She flips through the stack of pages she’s holding. "Let’s see here, it says you graduated from Harevaed Special University, majored in business management, marketing skills, and multimedia communications. Not only that, but you are proficient in assimilation and species modernization. And you’ve trained under—oh!" She pauses.

"You trained with Vladian?" She glances back at me.

Every single word she utters leaves me baffled. She's not speaking a foreign language, right?

"Mmm-mhm." I only force out a stifled whimper.

"Vladian and I go way back, he's a great teacher."

"M-mhm."

"The only thing though?” Her eyes draw back to her set of papers. "We're missing your identification number. It seems you forgot to include it with your documents.” 

"M-mhm?" I blink a few times. 

"So, do you happen to have your species identification or V-series? Either one should work."

What. The. Hell. Is. She. Talking. About.

"Mmm...mhm?" Everytime she glances at me, I return her a blank stare. 

"Could you please go ahead and tell your identifications right now so I can get that put down here on your records for you?" She takes out a pen from her skirt pocket. 

This was a bad idea. Such a really bad idea. 

"Mmm." I force a thin smile. “S-species identification or V series?” She means ID right? She has to mean my ID. Please, please, please tell me world that she means my ID. 

Her eyes linger on mine. She patiently taps her pen awaiting my response. 

"Uh?" I clear my throat. “O-one moment." I reach for my wallet inside my pant’s pocket.

"Of course. Take all the time you need." She smiles once more. 

Oh frick, heaven, she's so pretty. She has such soft round eyes and I've never seen such smooth perfect skin go on for miles. Where in the world was she sent from? Her smile is so vibrant.

"Mr. Templeton?" 

Every moment I look at her, it just feels like the sun is beaming down on me. Oh god, I feel like absolute garbage in front of her.

"Mr. Templeton?" 

I wonder what she likes to do. Certainly not talk to a loser like me.

"Mr. Templeton?" 

She probably spends her days off with her boyfriend who's probably just as good looking as her. Psh.. boyfriend. What a lucky mugger he would be to have someone like her. Meanwhile, I’m the unlucky bastard who can’t look at her without my head going in a spiral of thoughts and emotions. 

"Mr. Templeton?" 

I freeze. For a split second, the panic doesn't settle. It’s just body numbing shock as I register that Casinia is standing inches from my face, waving her hand in front of me.

“Hello?” she says. “Are you still on earth, Mr. Templeton?” 

"Y-Yes?!!" I jumped back from her. “I’m here!” And...why did my voice sound like a dying crow? Oh, I want to kill myself. I gulp, taking another step back from her, my nose invaded by the scent of her floral perfume.  

"Is everything alright?" She smiles cordially but now her scanning of me is much more intense.

I want to leave so bad.

"Mm...?" I struggle to reply.

"Mm...?" Naturally, she smiles another civil smile. "What does that mean?"

It means I'm too nervous to do anything. I'm too nervous to breathe. I'm too nervous to think. I'm too nervous just looking at you.

"I-well...my ID? You need it right?" I shuffle through my wallet. My fingers brush across the plastic material. I peek at my ID from my wallet.

Here she is. I look down at the partially visible ID. Matthew Scranton, you're terrible in this picture.

Wait.

Matthew Scranton?

Milo Templeton, right?

No. No. I can't show her this.

"Did you find it, Mr. Templeton?"

I'm Milo Templeton right now. I can't just blow my cover...or wait, should I? I'm not even supposed to be here. Wait, wait, no. I can't get caught. I swiped an eye at Casinia. Sure, maybe she looks a kind and gentle angel, but that doesn’t mean she won’t hesitate to call security on a weird looking guy like me. Plus, with my luck? Who knows the series of unfortunate events that could and would happen.  The security wouldn’t take it too lightly if they found me up here. Plus, I can't claim I was just passing by when I'm this far into the building. I would essentially be screwing myself if I got caught like this. 

I'm...Milo Templeton right now.

I swallow.

This was such a bad idea. I'm not a good liar...but I'm going to make at least an attempt.

“I-I'm sorry. I-I think I left it at home,” I say with a feeble voice. 

She stares at me, an unclear look in her eyes brewing. "Oh...well, another day. We're here anyway." A black door looms behind her, and suddenly the air feels thicker. Much more hot and stuffy. Casinia's glossy plump lips aren't forming an adorable smile, but instead are now pressed together in a firm grimace.

"Are you ready?"

This was such a bad idea.

TO BE CONTINUED IN VEINS!