Hearts Under Ice - CS Patra Page 0,6
There was no reason for her parents to. They liked to tease her, but they would never do something this creepy. No one else lived in the house but the three of them, and she doubted any of their friends would visit so early in the morning. Even if they had, it wouldn’t be to toy with her. The dream was just a dream and nothing more, she rationalized. She was trying too hard to find meaning in this fleeting thing.
“Yeah, it’s a just dream. Get over yourself, O. No one is sending you a message.” She murmured, stumbling out of bed. For a second, she forgot why she was up so early, but it hit her as soon as she saw her clothes. These were the same ones she had laid out the night before, and for good reason.
Today was the day. She had to get through the orientation and meet everyone at the lab. Even though she wouldn’t do any actual work, it would still count towards her paycheck, so she had to show up. The only thing she was hoping for was that Dr. Vaughn would be a decent human being. She had heard every rumor about him, and wanted only the good ones to be true. She wanted him to be brilliant, understanding, and willing to accept that his new employee might make mistakes. She didn’t want him to be cold, hot-tempered, or have a holier than thou attitude. She had known many smart people in college that had been like that, and she didn’t need to deal with that in the workplace as well.
Her mother and father were already downstairs and waiting for her when she was ready for work. There was a plate of French toast and Pop Tarts waiting for her at her seat. Olivia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. While she did like Pop Tarts, they seemed too childish to eat on her big day. A part of her was hankering for some bacon and sausage, but she couldn’t have any. The family was trying to eat healthier through various methods. Each month, they would try something new. Last month, they went with the Atkins diet. The month before, they had to eat gluten-free food. This time, her mother thought it would be fun to be vegetarians who still ate eggs, but nothing else. Olivia didn’t mind this diet so much. It just made eating out a little harder. She couldn’t stop at fast food places for quick bites or chow down on hot wings when she had the urge. They were all getting used to the change, but the Pop Tarts seemed to be too much.
“Was this necessary?” she pointed to the plate. “I know I love those chocolate Pop Tarts, but today’s the day! I can’t go walking around with chocolate bits stuck in my teeth!”
“You can always brush your teeth and floss before you leave.” Her mother reminded her. “You don’t have to eat all of them. Just have a little something so you aren’t hungry throughout day. You don’t know when your lunch will be.”
“I doubt they’ll make me starve, Mom.” She sighed. “I’ll have my lunch on time.”
“I know, but I’m nervous! What if they are very strict? This is a lab, after all. You can’t fool around too much.”
“I’m not going to fool around at all! I’m sure everything will be fine. I haven’t even left the house, and you’re already worried!”
“Ah, she’s your mother. Worrying is going to be her specialty.” Her father joked. “In all seriousness, you should remember everything about your workplace. They might expect more than you think.”
Olivia nodded and put the Pop Tarts in her bag. She had done her share of research by now, but it was her parents who really dug into everything about Dr. Vaughn. He was a certified genius, and the one that was supposed to save the world, scientifically speaking. Apparently, he was the on track to find the cure for cancer. He had been doing that work for a long time, and it seemed like there was a breakthrough. But the more interesting thing that he was working had something to do with parallel universes. According to him, they did exist, and it was possible to move through them. If he was correct, then people could skip around and fiddle with time in another world. They could meet people that they hadn’t seen in years, or witness the start and end of a