May Peace Grace Us

Chapter 7: Jobs and a familiar face

Aila had six months to fully answer her friends' concerns. She felt particularly at ease now that she had to break to them her current ideas and plans. Although her plan of not informing them was a failure, she supposed the current state of affairs is better than what she had initially planned.

They let her off and sucked her money dry before they allowed her scot-free. She was quite bitter about their disregard of her protest, but she still owes them the whole story and what they have just done is considered leniency. If they decide that she is a traitor to their code of friendship, they can do more than just drain someone's savings.

Now she is off to find a job. Using the experiences of Aila Fortin, she had found a job quite smoothly after a few weeks of sending her resume all over. Because only a few lucky bastards get their jobs in one take, and Aila might be this world's most precious existence, it does not warrant her being excluded from the viciousness of the market. Only in this endeavor did she forget that this world is still a novel for a moment. Many things may be similar to what she experienced in her first incarnation. There are still some things that are bound to the logic of this world.

So, after a few walk-in applications on the first week, she failed to be hired. Not because she isn't fit for the job, rather she suits them quite well and has abundance in familiarity of the field. She was actually offered a contract, but she did not submit the requirements for those jobs as it did not really suit her needs.

But she was not discouraged as those jobs she had just applied for were not the ones she had set her eyes on. She was just there to follow her friends' good intentions and let them know that she was very serious about what she was doing.

Having said that, she went to the ones that truly fit into the list she made. The first one that was on her she had her eyes on was a furniture assembler. She was not qualified and she acknowledged that, but she still went to try it out anyway. This job is very demanding in terms of strength, which is beneficial when the end of the world will come. Not to mention, the skills she will learn in this job are useful in maintaining their home.

She targeted similar ones with similar job descriptions. She found lots of them. Mostly these jobs are in crafts. So she went in there to inquire and apply if there were postings in those within the area.

As expected, she failed those job interviews one way or another. She called it a day and went home with a tired body. She freshened up and decided to go to bed early. But before she went to bed, she sent her resume to various other companies that had caught her attention.

She slept so heavily that night that she dreamed about her life in the apocalypse and how she started to lose trust in most humans except her hyenas. She saw how hard it was. The worst of life and humanity was all magnified in so many ways that she has thought of dying many times. The heaviness in her heart had made her very destitute after losing her parents to survive. Leaving their home for the better survival of her remaining loves and hard choices she wished she didn't have to make.

She relieved them all in that dream.

She woke up covered in sweat. She really does not want to be in those hard times again. This is why she will do her best to prepare for the worst.

She was back again to job hunting. Days went by and finally she was accepted for a job in a mall as a sales lady. Landing a job in this world is hard, almost as if the is still throwing a tantrum on her that she didn't get hired for weird reasons to another. But she knew that finding a job is always hard, with or without the interference. Therefore, Aila felt somehow twisted to think that these proceedings would disappear in the upcoming apocalypse....at least for those who seek no refuge in big bases.

Landing a saleslady job that she was eyeing, Aila felt that her life is quite fulfilling for most part.With her experiences as one in her first life, she was like a fish in the sea. Her manager quite likes her and she gets along well with her colleagues. She really likes her work environment and has fun in her current life.

But life always gives you lemons, no matter how much you don't want them. Some not-so friendly acquaintances have seen her at work.

"Aila!" A voice of a girl distracted Aila as she was arranging the goods on the shelf. "It's really you. I thought I was just imagining you working in this kind of place."

Turning around, Aila saw the signature blond hair that had always opposed her existence. Jemma Blake- a well known influencer in her department.

Born with rich parents, beautiful looks and a decent brain, she was a winner in life. Her only flaw is that she doesn't like people getting ahead of her. She hated those who got in her way and Aila was one of them.

Their bad-blood relationship had started in their first week of school in high school. Separated into different classes, both were chosen to be a representative of their respective sections. They were then nominated to be their year's representative and Aila had the title in the end.

Jemma didn't take it well and had been antagonizing Aila ever since then. At first Aila didn't pay attention to it, but things were exaggerated to the point that her section had to suffer because of this one-sided fight. She had enough of it and fought back against the other's provocations.

This relationship has continued on ‘til college, when they coincidentally chose the same program and the same university. Quite a fanfare when they met during the freshmen orientation.

But now seeing this once-rival again, Aila felt a bit of melancholy. Although they didn't have the best relationship, Aila never wished bad for someone like Jemma in her life. Jemma was one of the many people at the end of the day that did not live well. Last time she saw this girl was in a makeshift refuge area, and the girl lost a lot in that period.

"Jemma," Aila responded with a professional smile. She knew that the girl in front of her would make the fact that she was working in this type of work into something against her. It was her usual tactic and Aila decided not to fight with her at all, instead she just dealt with the others with the almost infinite patience of a kindergarten teacher towards their charge.

Aila kept a professional attitude towards others. Jemma made things a little hard on her by being the picky customer she really is. Ordering various things that were not really her pick and only bought three out of the fifteen sets of clothes and shoes she asked for. Not to mention she was poking fun at her once in a while as she talked about all sorts of things.

"You know what, Miss Justine, you really suit this kind of job," Jemma said as she made her purchases. "Why don't you just stop going to school altogether and just work here the rest of your life."

"Well, I won't be enrolling this year." Aila informed her nonchalantly.

"Really?" Jemma said with a mocking smile on her face. "Oh, I remember you are just a little scholar in our school. You finally run out of choices and earn your keep."

Aila didn't bother to respond to that and went to her work area.

Nothing bad about being a scholar and she became one because she can. Her family was not poor enough to not send her to college or school in particular, but she was just too independent to lean on their support, so she took the scholarship. So everything she has is earned one way or another. Using her brain and ability to save on expenses for the whole period of high school, she took a full tuition scholarship at their school.

Though she has to admit that really improvised students hate her for occupying resources from them. Life is already hard, but she has snatched something that could have changed their whole lives. A chance to go to school is a life-changing thing and Aila recognized this fact more than anyone. Those who knew, had been hating her for being a scholar even though she could perfectly get into school with her parents' support.

But regardless of their opinions, Aila stood by her decisions and lived her life in the way she wanted.

Though thanks to her taking a scholarship, almost every student in her department thinks she's in some sort of poverty because she is the rare scholarship student there. Another reason why Jemma didn't like her. Because why does someone with the least resources as her be more capable than her? At least the proud girl of Blake's cannot accept such an outcome.

Aila enjoyed being a scholar and it was a source of pride for her. But if ever she gets tired of the very strict standards of what her scholarship needs to maintain, her parents are just behind her to take the fall. So she was really not bothered by whatever her schoolmates thought of her, besides, they could only do as much. If they really want to harm her, they should put more effort into their studies and let her do more work to maintain the rankings the school set for her.

Settling the purchases of Jemma with a smile, Aila returned to her area of responsibility. Jemma was visibly pissed with her attitude and left the store at a stride.

Glancing in the direction of her former schoolmate, she made sure that the other had safely left the store's premises. The other's back stood straight as she walked away, and Aila had complicated feelings as she tried not to associate her with the one she had known and seen at the end of the day.

"Aila, save you first before others," Aila murmured as she took the rejected products of Jemma to their proper places. "Besides, based on the girl's personality, she will be a frequent visitor and customer here. If things get too complicated, you can help her the best you currently can."

With that, Aila put a rest to her jumbled feelings regarding the lives outside her loved ones.