Her boss was waiting for her in his office. He was sitting behind his desk. His lips were pressed together. He looked angry.

"Ms. Reins, why are you late?" he asked.

"I'm sorry sir," she stuttered. "I got stuck in traffic. I'm really sorry."

He nodded impatiently. "I understand. It happens. We'll talk about it after work. Now, can you start working?"

"Sure," she agreed. "I'm ready."

She took off her jacket and threw it on the chair. She heard the usual click of the door closing behind her. Her boss sat across from her in the room. She knew what he wanted from her.

"So, how are things going?" he asked. "Are you feeling well today? Are you doing okay?"

"Yes, sir," she answered. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking. How are you, sir? Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay," he said. "But you know what? I want to make you a special offer. Would you like to hear it?"

"Uh-huh," she said.

"Well, we have several promotions going on right now," he began. "If you work hard, I'll promote you to a new position. I'd like to reward you for your outstanding performance. I'm willing to invest in you. I have faith in you. I know you will be a very good employee."

"That sounds great," she replied. "Thank you so much, boss. I'm honored."

"But it will depend on how honest you are in your work," he warned her. "I need you to be completely reliable. I need you to be trustworthy and obedient. If you do so, I will invest in you. I will give you more responsibilities."

"Okay," she said. "I understand. I will do anything you ask me to do, sir. I promise."

"That's a relief," he said. "You are such a good and understanding girl. You make my job easier."

Eliah blushed. She smiled at him nervously. She liked the compliment. She felt encouraged.

"Okay," he continued. "Let's start with your duties. You know what to do, right? You know exactly what to do, don't you?"

"Of course," she responded. "Sir, I would be happy to do whatever you wish. I will always do my best. Nothing is beyond me. I can do any task you ask, sir."

"Good," he said. "Now, it's your turn. You need to show me what you can do."

Eliah did what she was told to do. She closed her eyes and imagined herself somewhere else. She pretended to be someone else. She was no longer Eliah. Instead, she was some other person. She became a different woman, while Elijah was playing with her toys in the closet. She always hid there when she was a child. She found a place where she could play alone and pretend to be someone else.

When she was a little girl, she used to hide in the closet and she played with her dolls. She invented stories about her imaginary friends. She made up funny names for them and tried to act like them. She acted like each doll in a different way. She changed her voice and mannerisms according to which one she was acting.

"Hello, little lady!" she would say to one of her dolls. "I'm so glad you came to visit me today!"

Sometimes she played with two or even three of her toys at once. She pretended that they were all in a club together. They would share their secrets and laugh at jokes. Sometimes she gave them advice and tried to guide their lives. She was the leader of the club.

"..."

"Can I speak to you, Miss Reins?" asked the man.

The woman, who was not Eliah, turned around and saw him standing behind her.

"Who's asking?" she asked. She tried not to sound intimidated.

"Me," said the man. "I'm asking you."

"Oh, it's boss." said the woman, she calmed down. "What can I do for you, sir?"

She knew what he wanted. She did as she was told. She stood up and crossed over to his desk. Her heart pounded rapidly as she approached him. She felt her face grow hot. Her breath quickened. Her entire body trembled with fear. She was scared that her boss would find her disobedient and find her work lacking. That he would hate her for that.

"Don't be afraid," he reassured her. "I won't hurt you."

"Okay," she said. "..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

***

Eliah left the boss' office and headed towards the restroom. After exiting the cabin, she washed her hands and face. She brushed her teeth. Then she looked at the mirror. The woman in the mirror had vacant eyes, that were slowly regaining it's vitality. She stared blankly into space. She couldn't remember what she had done earlier.

She took a deep breath and let the air fill her lungs. She stared at herself in the reflection. She stared at her dark brown hair. She examined her face. She checked her eyebrows and her eyelashes.

"Okay," she whispered to herself as she smiled. "I'm ready. I feel better now. I think I can handle anything that comes my way. I will be fine. I'm beautiful and strong. I can do anything."

She stroked her cheek and smoothed down her long hair. She touched her lips and painted them with lipstick. She adjusted her dress and checked her face one last time. She inspected herself carefully.

"Let's go! I'm going to be late if I don't hurry up. I need to give example to the other girls." she said. She stepped outside the bathroom and walked down the hall with a vigour.

After changing into her work attire, she started her work in earnest. She cleaned the tables and emptied the dirty dishes. Then she wiped down all the surfaces. She mopped the floor. She washed the windows. She scrubbed the grout between the tiles. She sprayed the floors with disinfectant. She waited on customers as needed.

Finally, it was lunchtime. One of her coworkes, Stephanie, came in and said hello to her. She seemed happy. In fact, she was glowing. "Hey, Eliah," she called out. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great!" she shouted back. "I'm fantastic, in fact! I feel like I can conquer the world today. I feel so alive, Stephanie."

"Haha, is that so?" said the waitress. "That's nice. Hey, what's wrong with your neck?"

"Oh, nothing," said Eliah. "Nothing important."

She reached out to touch one of the purple bruises on Eliah's neck.

"It's nothing," said Eliah. "I fell yesterday when I was trying to run away from an attacker."

"Wow, you're lucky you didn't get injured more," said Stephanie. "That must have been scary!"

"Yes, it was," said Eliah. "I'm grateful to be alive though. I'm safe now."

"Thanks. By the way, who attacked you?"

"I don't know, a guy. A stranger. He grabbed me from behind. He was wearing a mask and he hit me in the face when I turned around. I managed to escape."

"Oh wow, that's crazy," said Stephanie. "We have to watch out for these guys. Did you report this incident to anyone?"

"No," said Eliah. "I don't want to tell anybody about it. It wasn't such a big deal anyway. I'm fine."

"Okay, but maybe you should just stay more alert," suggested Stephanie. "Anyway, I'll see you later. Take care, okay?"

"Bye," said Eliah, she watched her coworker walk away and then she went back to her lunch rush. She worked steadily through the afternoon. She was careful not to break anything and she focused on her duties. She did everything perfectly.

"I hope you are still taking care of yourself," her boss said to her. "Your work has improved tremendously since yesterday. Your work ethic is outstanding. You are making me proud. Keep it up!"

"I will," she assured him. "Thank you, boss!"

Eliah waved goodbye and exited the building. As she walked away from the office, she looked at the parking lot. Her friend Anne was already waiting for her. She hurried over to the car.

"Hi, Anne," she greeted her. "Did you have a good day?"

"Yep," said her friend. "It was pretty good. How about you? Did anything happen to you?"

"I'm good too," she said. "My boss complimented me on my recent work. He said he will give me a raise."

"Wow, that's awesome!" exclaimed Anne. "Congratulations! What did he say?"

"He told me I performed well," she explained. "He also mentioned something about promotion opportunities. But I didn't really understand it much. I guess he wants me to take on new responsibilities."

"I see," said Anne. "I'm glad to hear that. That means you're doing well. Congratulations again! And thank you for telling me."

"Thanks," said Eliah. "I'm happy for myself. So, I decided to treat us to some ice cream. Do you want to join me?"

"Sure!" said Anne. "I'd love to."

Eliah climbed into the passenger seat of Anne's car and buckled her seat belt.

"Did you take your medicine?" asked Anne. "You know it's important to take your pills every day."

"Oh, right. Sorry, sorry. I forgot again. I haven't taken them yet."

"What happened?"

"I was so busy working, I lost track of time."

"Well, you need to make sure you take your medication regularly," said Anne. "You know that the doctor told you to do that, right? Didn't he?"

"Yeah, I know," said Eliah as she sighed and opened her purse. She pulled out a bottle of pills and swallowed some with water. The pills tasted bitter. She grimaced as they passed down her throat. "Sorry, I'm so forgetful lately."

"You're not the only one," said Anne, she laughed. "Yesterday I forgot to prepare lunch for my husband. He was very angry with me. He yelled at me and threw away most of the food. Oh, I hate it when he gets mad at me."

"Yikes," said Eliah. We shouldn't talk about that kind of thing. Okay let's go eat some ice-cream. "

They drove off and parked near the ice cream stand. They got out of the car and bought their cones and sat down on a bench nearby. They chatted as they ate their treats.

"So, how was work?" asked Anne. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, yes. It's wonderful. I like working here. My boss is so nice. And I like the people I work with."

"That's good. It sounds like you're having fun."

"Yes," said Eliah. "Everything is fine."

Anne glanced at her friend closely. She noticed a strange expression on her face. She was concerned. She wondered if something was bothering Eliah. She tried to ask her directly without offending her.

"Um, are you okay?" she asked. "Do you have any problems at you work? If you do, please let me know"

"No, no," said Eliah. "I'm fine. Everything is perfect. I feel really good."

"I see," said Anne, she tried not to sound suspicious. She hoped it was all true.

"It's just... I've been feeling a little depressed today," she finally confided. "I think I made my boss angry today. I know I did."

"Why?" asked Anne. "What did you do?"

"Well, It was completely my fault after all. I was late for work today.

"Oh, right. That think from the morning. I'm sorry." said Anne as she remembered. "But I thought your boss liked you. I mean, he complimented you on your work a lot of times already. Why would he be mad at you?"

"It's... it's because..." Eliah struggled with her words. Her eyes darted around everywhere nervously. She was embarrassed to admit it. She felt ashamed. She felt guilty. "I was... I was... disobedient... I was... a bad girl... and I..."

She paused. Her eyes were slowly loosing her vibrancy. She stared at the ground and remained silent. only her mouth was opening and closing, as if she was trying to say something, but couldn't get her words out for some reason. She blinked rapidly. She felt her heart pounding hard and fast inside her chest.

"Oh no," said Anne, quickly sensing that there was something seriously wrong with her friend. "What happened? Tell me, Eliah!"

Anne grabbed Eliah's hands and squeezed them gently. "Tell me!" she insisted. She didn't want to think that might be the case, but she had to ask. "Did... did he touch you in an inappropriate way? Did he force you to do things?"

"No!" said Eliahas she looked at Anne with a blank face. "He didn't do anything to me. He is a good boss."

"Then what?"

"I... I just made a little mistake, but I got better," said Eliah. "I was so obedient today. I did everything he asked me to do. I did everything right. I made him happy."

Even as she spoke, her voice sounded distant, as if she was speaking to someone else. She stared at a point above Anne's head. Her eyes were glazed over.

"Eliah," said Anne. "You're scaring me. Please... Please tell me honestly. Did he hurt you?"

"No, no," said Eliah. "I'm fine. Really. It's nothing important. I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I'm okay."

"You're lying," said Anne. "You're not fine. Tell me, what happened?"

"I... I was late for work. But the boss forgave me."

"And that's why you were depressed?"

"Yes, that's why," said Eliah. "He was so happy with my work, he even complimented me. I told you.."

"Ugh, I'm so sorry, Eliah," said Anne. "I wish I could help you somehow. But I don't know what to do, either. I'm scared that you will be taken advantage of someday. Is that what the boss does? Does he force you to have sex with him?"

"No," said Eliah. "Please stop saying that, Anne. I'm fine. Really. This is nothing to worry about."

"Okay, I will believe you," said Anne. "But, please tell if something is wrong. Or if you need help. You can trust me, okay? I promise."

She squeezed Eliah's hands tighter.

"Okay, thanks," said Eliah. "I appreciate it."

"Okay,"

"Oh, right. I remembered. It's Saturday tomorrow. Are we going to the concert tomorrow? You promised me that we'll go together, remember?"

"The concert? Oh yeah," said Anne. "Right. Let's go. Yes, I'm looking forward to it!"

"Me too," said Eliah. "It will be so much fun."

They talked a bit more and Anne drove Eliah home. They parked in front of her apartment and they parted ways.

As soon as she entered her apartment, Eliah changed her clothes. She washed her face and brushed her teeth.

She made a dinner and read a book until she fell asleep. She slept peacefully. She dreamed of the night sky. There was a full moon and a few stars twinkling brightly in the sky. She flew through the air. She soared high beyond the clouds. She was flying freely through the void. She floated effortlessly among the sparkling constellations. She saw a shooting star. She was free.

Her dream faded away. She slept the rest of the night away.

***