Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

  Rowanne had not noticed her at first. Oh! I must have been blind, she thought absently. Before her sat a goddess of a woman: she was statuesque and strikingly beautiful with long black hair and midnight blue eyes. She appeared to be in her early twenties.

  And right now those mesmerising eyes were trained on Rowanne with concern. ‘Can you hear me?’ she asked in a soft voice.

  ‘Yes,’ replied Rowanne slowly, as she tried to get up, but fell back down as a sharp pain bit into her ankle. Great, I’ve probably injured it. Stupid heels! I knew they’d be the death of me one day.

  The young woman had a smile on her face that seemed to get broader, as if she were about to laugh.

  ‘Let me help you up. Take my arm, just put your weight on it,’ and seeing the dubious look on Rowanne’s face, she continued, ‘trust me, I’m stronger than I look.’

  Rowanne managed to get up with the aid of the woman, who put her arm around her. She seemed to be holding her up effortlessly, supporting most of her weight. Together they hobbled, or that is to say that Rowanne did, to the lift. The woman stopped abruptly.

  ‘I’m sorry, I was going to the top floor, and didn’t even ask where you wanted to go.’

  ‘That’s okay. I’m also heading there. Thank you,’ said Rowanne, as the woman called the lift.

  The woman was slightly taller than Rowanne, more Alexander’s height. An awkward silence lay between them as the lift climbed speedily to the top floor.

  Blessedly the doors opened and they stepped out. ‘If you can just help me to the office there, then I’ll be fine.’

  ‘No problem,’ said the woman, as she helped Rowanne to her desk.

  ‘Rowanne, what happened?’ asked Amanda, who came rushing to her aid, taking the weight of her from the woman, and helping her to sit.

  ‘It’s my fault. I didn’t look where I was going and twisted my ankle, nearly pushing this poor woman down the stairs,’ and looking up at her, Rowanne said with concern, ‘I’m sorry, and I didn’t ask whether you were hurt, forgive me.’

  ‘Nothing to forgive,’ she replied, smiling and waving away the incident. Her cheeks were red as if she didn’t like all the attention focused on her.

  Amanda shook the woman’s hand profusely in gratitude.

  Eileen walked up to them, coming from her office. ‘What’s all the commotion about? Rowanne, I expected you to be here early... Oh! Well,’ and looking down at Rowanne nursing her ankle, she smiled and with a shake of her head at finding Rowanne in yet another predicament continued sweetly, ‘when you have the time, I want you to come to my office and discuss the first assignment.’ That was Eileen for you; a no-nonsense person, thought Rowanne as she watched her walk away.

  ‘My goodness, how rude! Is she always like this?’ asked the woman, astounded by the appalling behaviour of the manager.

  ‘No! No,’ replied Rowanne, coming easily to Eileen’s defence. ‘She doesn’t mean any harm by it. And in fact, she’s one of the nicest people I know.’ The woman looked at her dubiously as if she really didn’t believe it.

  Rowanne was surprised as Alexander hurried into the office, his face red as if he had been racing to get here. She had never really seen him out of breath before, or looking so frazzled. He took a deep breath, and looking in her direction he calmed, once again appearing composed.

  He strode towards them at a leisurely pace, noticed all eyes were trained on him, so gave them his most charming smile.

  ‘Hello, how are we this morning?’ and turning in Rowanne’s direction, he said, ‘I was looking for you everywhere. I thought we were supposed to meet last night, or early this morning at the very least,’ he appeared annoyed.

  Rowanne was baffled, she didn’t know what he was talking about, and turned to Amanda, who just smiled knowingly at her. Oh, for goodness sake! thought Rowanne, warning her with a look. She didn’t want there to be any misunderstanding regarding her friendship with Alexander; they were only colleagues, after all.

  Amanda’s smile broadened.

  Rowanne cleared her voice and said to Alexander, ‘Were we-’

  Rowanne was cut off abruptly by the woman next to her, who stepped forward and walked up to Alexander, her shoulders set. What’s going on here? she wondered.

  ‘Alexander, I am not accustomed to waiting. We set a time, did we not?’ she held up her hand before he could give his explanation. ‘I expect you to be there exactly on the dot, if not earlier, in anticipation of my arrival.’ The woman was clearly angry with Alexander, but her calm voice belied this, thought Rowanne. She was puzzled by the woman who’d spoken so rudely to Alexander. How did she know him?

  Rowanne was about to come to Alexander’s defence when she heard a clear voice in her mind that stopped her in her tracks.

  Rowanne, do not interrupt! Alexander said sharply.

  She felt stung by his words. What a complete and utter idiot! That’s the last time I come to his defence, she thought churlishly.

  The woman looked sharply at her, studying her intently, but for what purpose she could not say. Rowanne just looked at her and smiled, in no way intimidated by the two of them. Maybe I’ve passed that particular threshold; what’s left to fear when you’ve died?

  The woman looked impatiently at Alexander.

  Alexander recovered quickly. ‘Ah yes, forgive me,’ he said, and taking the woman’s hand, he continued, ‘let me introduce you to Evelyn Blaze.’ Turning to Evelyn, he said, ‘This is Amanda Eghan,’ whose fiery blue eyes were carefully focused on the woman before her as she stood close to Rowanne protectively.

  Amanda put on her best smile and her eyes sparkled with feigned mirth as she formally shook hands with Evelyn, again.

  Rowanne didn’t wait for Alexander, instead hopping up, she gingerly hobbled forward. And though her ankle was in agony, she ignored the pain and stood determinedly, shaking Evelyn’s hand.

  ‘Nice to finally know the name of the woman who saved me,’ and smiling warmly, she continued, ‘I’m Rowanne Knight. Thank you, again.’

  ‘WHAT?’ said Alexander, momentarily forgetting whose company he was in, ‘What happened, Ms Knight?’ he appeared disinterested, as if he was asking out of politeness, rather than any real concern.

  Rowanne wondered why he was behaving so formally with her, and acting as if he couldn’t care less, but wisely she stayed quiet and went along with it.

  ‘Are you alright, Ms Knight?’ asked Evelyn coldly.

  Rowanne deliberately turned to Alexander and replied, ‘As you can see, it’s nothing a pack of ice and a painkiller can’t fix.’

  Alexander smiled conspiratorially at her behind Evelyn’s back. Rowanne kept her face carefully neutral as she looked at Evelyn.

  ‘Ms Blaze, what brings you to our offices?’ asked Rowanne.

  Eileen walked towards them. ‘Ah, I see you’ve met our newest member. She’s temporarily here from Mr Blacks firm to collaborate on an assignment he’s working on.’ Turning to Evelyn, Eileen continued, ‘Ms Blaze, if you’d like to come with me then I’ll get you started,’ and without waiting for Evelyn, she went into an office at the back of the room.

  Evelyn silently counted to ten to stay calm: she had at least expected Eileen to have the courtesy of waiting for her. She turned back and smiled at the rest of the group, ‘I should probably get myself acquainted with the work. Rowanne, is there anything else I can do for you before I go?’ she asked sincerely.

  Rowanne didn’t know what to make of Evelyn: she was helpful one moment, rude the next. Maybe it was down to nerves; after all, it can be a bit overwhelming on the first day at a new workplace, and so she decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

  ‘Thank you, but I’m okay. And should you need anything, then please don’t hesitate to ask,’ replied Rowanne.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Evelyn, and turning to Alexander, she said curtly, ‘let’s go,’ and together they went to his office.

  ‘If he’s a new employee, how is it that he has his own office? Wh
ilst you, who’s worked here longer- Erm, how long?’ asked Amanda.

  ‘Three years,’ replied Rowanne, dismayed at where this was going.

  ‘Exactly! Why didn’t Eileen give you your own office in preference to Mr Black?’ she asked sheepishly. Amanda didn’t know what Rowanne’s response would be, she was still getting to know her.

  Rowanne allayed her fear by replying, ‘I know. That’s Eileen for you,’ they both laughed. ‘Amanda,’ said Rowanne slowly, weighing her words carefully, ‘I must say you are quite... strong... I think I’d like to train with you in the gym sometime.’

  Amanda looked coolly at Rowanne, a sly expression on her face, ‘Anytime, Rowanne,’ she replied.

  Ever since Alexander’s revelation, Rowanne had begun to view the world differently, and kept her reservations close to her heart for the present.

  Amanda looked at Rowanne as if seeing her in a new light, but could not put her finger on what it was. Though Rowanne appeared to be more confident, a shadow hung over her; Amanda got the strong impression that she was hiding something.

  Amanda had always been good at reading situations and people, and she liked Rowanne, felt a kinship with her, which did not surprise her in the least.

  Rowanne got up and hobbled over to Eileen’s office, knocking twice before entering.

  ‘Come in, Rowanne,’ said Eileen. She went in, and gratefully accepted the chair that Eileen pulled out for her.

  ‘So, what do you think of it?’ she asked Eileen, who was studiously checking her work.

  After a few moments Eileen looked up from her laptop, ‘Good work. How are the other two assignments coming along?’ Eileen didn’t waste time overly praising people’s work; after all, she had a paper to run.

  ‘I’ve started them... they’re a work in progress at the moment. But there’s something else that I’d like to discuss with you.’

  Eileen paused to look at Rowanne, her tone of voice serious. ‘What is it you wish to discuss? And if it’s about a pay rise, forget it!’ she said, trying to lighten the suddenly heavy mood.

  ‘I need to take an extended leave of absence for... personal reasons. I love working here, and before you ask, I can handle the workload! You know that I work best under pressure.’

  Eileen nodded her head, waiting for her to go on.

  ‘This is not easy for me to ask. I love to keep busy, and I find great fulfilment from working here. This has been the best three years of my life,’ said Rowanne fondly.

  ‘And long may it continue. I had high hopes for you. You’re very ambitious and driven - you remind me of myself, when I first started out in journalism. I can still see you succeeding in this field.’ Eileen steepled her fingers together and looked at Rowanne in quiet contemplation.

  Rowanne sighed, ‘I’m not saying that I’m permanently going. I do actually intend to come back at some point, then we can discuss the overdue pay rise!’ and smiled warmly. ‘A lot has happened, believe it or not, recently in my personal life, and I really need the time to deal with it,’ she finished quietly.

  ‘I can’t pretend that I’m overjoyed at losing one of my top journalists. But I’ve been in this business a long time, and can understand the need for a break. Just don’t take too long a leave of absence, or you’ll find that David has taken your position!’ said Eileen with a straight face. Rowanne was secretly amused but looked at her in disgust.

  ‘That never gets old, the more you threaten us with him. One of these days, he’s going to catch onto what you’ve been doing, and I’d dearly love to be a fly on the wall on that day!’

  ‘Really?’ asked Eileen, as she smiled knowingly at her.

  ‘Getting back to the point, I’ve filled out all of the relevant forms for you,’ said Rowanne, as she took the signed copies out of her satchel and handed them over to Eileen.

  ‘I’ll look over these this evening, and email you if there’s anything further that I require. But I think that this is goodbye for now,’ said Eileen.

  Rowanne got up, though she knew that Eileen was not one to stand on ceremony, the emotional side of life was not really for her, so she simply shook her hand.

  Eileen looked at her sternly, ‘Take care of yourself and keep in touch.’ She gently laid a hand on Rowanne’s shoulder, and coughing to clear her throat, she continued, ‘Rowanne, I’ll see you soon. You’ve kept me long enough, and goodness knows how many meetings I’ve missed.’

  That was Eileen for you, though she’d miss her. Rowanne walked to the door, and gave her a wave before leaving.

  Rowanne started to clear her desk of her possessions. The process was slightly unsettling, and a lump formed in her throat. Oh for goodness sake! It’s only a workplace, so why am I choking up...?

  Amanda came over from reception once the coast was clear, and had a surreptitious glance to confirm that Eileen was safely in her office.

  ‘You know, she’s going to fire you if you keep leaving the reception desk unattended!’ said Rowanne.

  ‘I’ll risk it for you, not to mention that it gets really boring just standing there. This is my escape when it’s not so busy,’ said Amanda deviously. ‘What are you up to, and why are you spring cleaning your desk?’

  Rowanne explained patiently, ‘I’m actually going on a leave of absence,’ and added archly, ‘taking time off to relax and enjoy life!’

  ‘From what I hear from anyone who knows you, that is complete and utter claptrap! Rowanne Knight needing a break from work? Oh come on! What’s the real reason?’

  ‘It’s true. I’m taking the time to figure things out,’ replied Rowanne, as she finished packing the last of her things into the brown boxes that she had brought with her.

  ‘I’ll help you carry them to your car,’ said Amanda.

  ‘It’s nice of you to offer, but I can manage, and I don’t think that Eileen would be too pleased.’

  ‘Give me a second, wait right there!’ said Amanda, and dashed across the office to Eileen.

  Rowanne watched them; there was much waving of arms, and it seemed as if they were talking intensely, and she felt bad that she was the cause of it. Finally, Eileen nodded her head - well that was positive, at least. And she watched poor David traipse over to reception a moment later, presumably to take over from Amanda. She almost laughed at his glum expression, she didn’t know why he put up with it.

  A moment later Amanda came running back to Rowanne. ‘All set. Let’s go, just one more thing,’ and she ran over to David and whispered in his ear, causing him to go red and laugh out loud.

  Rowanne found it bizarre to say the least: David was always so composed and serious, she’d never once seen him laugh like that. Amanda’s able to bring out the best in people, she thought and smiled affectionately.

  ‘What’s that look for?’ asked Amanda, slightly out of breath from running around.

  ‘Nothing. Let’s go. Here, you can take this one,’ and she handed a box to Amanda, keeping the heavy one for herself; much to her chagrin. Amanda just looked at her in exasperation and came around the desk to take the box from her, effectively carrying both boxes much to Rowanne’s mortification.

  ‘Take that ridiculous look off your face and follow me. If you want, you can treat me to a coffee?’ asked Amanda, and proceeded to walk effortlessly, the boxes in no way hampering her.

  Rowanne shook her head and slowly followed after her; remarkably the pain in her ankle did not bother her as much as burdening another person. She took one last look around hoping to catch a glimpse of Alexander before she left. She’d been planning on telling him but didn’t think it was appropriate in front of their new colleague.

  She saw Amanda waiting by the door and this spurred her on - she didn’t want her carrying that much weight for too long. She reached the door just as Amanda proceeded to the lift.

  Rowanne felt hands on her shoulder, and turned around to face their owner.

  ‘I’ve managed to get you alone, at last!’ said Alexander, looking back over his shoulde
r to the office, he appeared nervous.

  ‘Alexander! What do you think you’re doing?’ asked Rowanne, annoyed at him for taking her by surprise.

  ‘I won’t pretend that I’m not offended at you trying to secretly leave without telling any of us. I thought you’d at least tell me!’ he said darkly, his eyes conveying his deep displeasure at being kept in the dark.

  ‘I was actually planning on telling everyone... present company included, but the right moment didn’t come up,’ she finished lamely.

  ‘You and I are going to talk later...’ he promised, before adding, ‘take care of yourself for both our sakes,’ and abruptly he left her standing there. No doubt, he’s rushing back to the side of his new colleague, thought Rowanne churlishly.

  ‘Rowanne, if you’ve finished romancing for the day, then can we get a move on?’ asked Amanda slyly, and laughed at the expression of disgust that instantly bloomed on Rowanne’s face.

  ‘I’m not dignifying that with a response,’ said Rowanne, and walked straight past her into the lift. Amanda followed in behind. Rowanne pressed the button for the ground floor, and they were away as the lift speedily descended.

  They had just walked past their former offices when Amanda stopped and put a restraining hand on Rowanne’s arm. How the boxes didn’t fall when they were so precariously balanced was a feat only Amanda could pull off.

  ‘Rowanne, I always get a weird vibe whenever I’m walking past here. Looking at them ruined like this, it’s a bit unnerving.’

  Having no more wish to stand around the haunted office, Rowanne tugged on Amanda’s arm, and they continued swiftly past them, heading for the stairs. ‘I get the same feeling,’ said Rowanne, relieved at reaching the exit. She held the door open for Amanda to pass through.

  They walked in silence to Rowanne’s car. Amanda helped to load the boxes into the boot, before getting into the front passenger seat.

  Rowanne put on her seat belt and started the car, pulling out of the car park and then proceeded to drive onto the main road along the River Thames.

  ‘You have to admit that we have the best work location. I just love being near the river, walking along it when I have a chance, and watching the world go by,’ said Amanda, breaking the silence. ‘If you’re not in a hurry, then I know a good place where we can grab an early lunch from,’ and looked at Rowanne eagerly.