Oliver still hadn’t been able to find a new roommate. Maybe he should do the right thing, and invite Jyri and Faye to move in with him. He sat at his desk, weighing the pros and cons in his head. An arm obstructed his view from his computer screen. He looked up. Tim.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVDLMWNSS8
Tim grinned. “Just need to borrow your stapler real quick.”
“Why don’t you use your own?” Oliver asked irritably.
“I’m out of staples.”
“I left a pack on your desk last week.”
Tim tilted his head. “Those were real? I thought someone was pulling a prank on me, so I threw them away.” After stapling two papers together, he walked away.
Leaving Oliver to think of more pros to living with Jyri and Faye. So far, there was only one: He’d be able to afford his apartment. Perhaps he should ask for a raise and move into a studio apartment. Too bad he still had another four months on his lease. Not to mention finding a place to live was likely to be more stressful than finding a roommate.
“Hey Oliver.”
Oliver turned around. Craig stood outside his cubicle, holding a donut. “Have you ever wondered why some donuts have a hole, but others don’t?”
Oliver rubbed his nose. “Can’t say I have.”
Craig looked around, as though making sure nobody could overhear their conversation. To be honest, Oliver hoped no one had to.
“What makes a donut a donut?” he asked. “Because, donuts are known for that hole. But cream-filled donuts don’t have a hole, like this one.” He held up his hole-free donut. “But this is still a donut. And then, there’s those long donuts. Why are they long? Why don’t they fit the beauty standards of a regular donut?”
“I don’t know.”
“And then there’s donut holes.” Craig leaned in, voice lowered. “Why do they bother making donut holes? If you don’t make holes in the donut to begin with, then there wouldn’t be donut holes. But you eat the holes anyway."
Oliver nodded along as Craig continued his spiel.
“I think it’s all a conspiracy to make us spend more money at donut shops. Why else would they remove part of the donut, and then resell it? Money. That’s all they want.” Craig shook his head. “Little do they know, I won’t be buying any donut holes. I’m not falling into their trap.”
“To hell with donut holes,” Oliver said in feigned agreement. "I need to-"
“And what about those donuts that look like they’re jelly-filled, but aren’t? Why do those exist?”
“I don’t know.”
“You never know anything. Yuro, do you know anything about donuts?”
“It’s pronounced ‘yur-ee.’” Jyri peered in with a lost expression. Craig left, cursing under his breath.
“What do you need?” Oliver asked.
“How do you save again?”
Oliver closed his eyes. “You go to file, then click save.”
“Oh, yeah.” Jyri walked away, smiling.
Oliver tried to imagine living with Jyri. Jyri coming up to him all the time with questions about how to work the oven. If he even trusted him using the oven. He certainly didn’t trust Faye with it.
“Oh, demons!” Jyri’s voice shouted from his cubicle.
Did Oliver even want to know? He decided he didn’t.
“Oliver… all the information on the spreadsheet disappeared!” Jyri cried. “How do I bring it back?”
“Try hitting control z,” Oliver shouted back.
“Where’s that?”
“The key on the bottom left side of your keyboard, that says ctrl. Hold that down, then press z.”
Silence. Shortly followed by the whir of the printer printing out multiple sheets of paper.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoU6D2Ivs7i
Oliver buried his face in his hands. “I said z, not p!”
“Oops.”
Just then, Marissa walked by. “Surprise meeting in the break room. There’s pizza!”
In the break room, Oliver sat in between Shawn and Brittney. Faye and Jyri were at a small table next to them, and everyone else took up seats at the other tables. Two large pizza boxes had been placed on a large table against the side wall, in between a 2 liter bottle of Coke and a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi.
Marissa stood in the front of the room, waiting for everyone to settle down with their food before speaking. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I lured you in here with pizza.”
“I know,” Craig said, raising his hand. “It’s to see how many people prefer Pepsi to Coke.”
Marissa furrowed her brow. “No. Why? No.”
“I like Coke more,” Tim piped up.
“Pepsi’s better,” Jessica from Sales said.
Shawn raised his hand. “I vote Coke.”
Brittney scoffed at him. “Pepsi.”
“Sprite’s better than both!” Oliver called out.
The room broke out in murmurs over which was the superior soda.
“Quiet, please!” Marissa said. “This is important.” She waited for the voices to die down. “RC Cola is the best.”
Craig booed.
“Anyways, I’m quitting.”
Oliver’s jaw dropped, Brittney’s hand flew to her mouth, and Shawn nearly choked on his pizza slice.
“It’s been a good 12 years working here, but I’m moving to Florida in a few weeks for personal reasons.”
Shawn snorted. “Florida.” He held his plate containing bits of pizza crust towards Oliver, who helped himself. It was a regular occurrence every time they’d eat pizza together. The crust was Oliver’s favorite part, and Shawn’s least favorite part.
“And now, I would like to introduce you all to your new boss.” Marissa walked over to the door way, gesturing towards someone. A tall, handsome-looking man strolled in. He had short blond hair, and wore a suit.
“This, is Jasper.”
Jasper did a little bow. “I look forward to working with you all.” His eyes scanned the room as he rambled on about his past experiences, and his goals for the company. Oliver barely registered a word of it. He looked over at Shawn to find his attention elsewhere. He followed his gaze towards Faye. It took him a moment, but then he saw it.
Faye had a lock of her hair tucked behind her ear.
Now, ears come in all shapes and sizes. One sweep around the room would prove that. But of all the ears he’d seen in his life, none were quite like Faye’s. Except maybe an elf’s.
No, ears could be pointed. Of course ears could be pointed. Even that pointed. Right? Oliver looked back at Shawn, who looked back at him.
“That girl ain’t right,” he whispered.
“People can have pointed ears,” Oliver whispered back.
“I’ve written with pencils rounder than those.”133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTgJI7zqRI
The meeting went on for a few more minutes. As soon as it was over, Shawn led Oliver to his cubicle, located at the far end of the room, isolated from everyone else.
Shawn flopped down in his chair. “I knew something was up with those two.”
“We don’t know for sure,” Oliver said.
“You saw her ear. That wasn’t a normal human ear. She’s not human.”
“What else could she be?” Oliver asked. “Unless you’re suggesting elves exist.”
“I don’t know, but there’s something up with her.”
“What are you guys on about now?” Brittney appeared. Judging by the look on her face, she already had an idea of the subject of their discussion.
“Have you ever seen Faye’s ears?” Shawn asked.
Brittney frowned. “I don’t know. Probably.”
“You’d remember if you did,” Oliver said.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kfHuQgPpi
Brittney gave them a questioning look.
“They’re pointed. Like an elf’s.”
Brittney put her hand over her forehead, running it through her hair. “Jesus. Some people have pointier ears than others. There’s no need to make fun of her.”
“I’m not making fun of her,” Shawn insisted. “I’m just saying, she’s not human.”
“She’s more human than you are,” Brittney spat. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she stomped off towards her office a few feet away.
“What’s her problem?” Shawn asked.
Oliver shrugged. “She has a point. Maybe we should drop it.”
But Shawn didn’t drop it. “Have you seen Jyri’s ears at all?”
“He’s too tall to be an elf. I’m pretty sure he’s human, at least.”
Shawn rubbed his jawline. “Then what’s he doing, hanging around a mythical creature?”
“I just wanna know where they’re from. They won’t tell us anything.”
Frowning, Shawn tapped his chin. “Who was it who recommended them to Marissa again?”
“I think it was Craig.”
Shawn nodded. “Only Craig would.”
“And this is where Shawn lives.” A voice rang next to Oliver. Marissa had appeared with Jasper. Giving him a tour of the building, no doubt. “And apparently, so does Oliver.”
“I was just asking Shawn if he could help me with...” Oliver’s voice trailed as he struggled to think of something. He looked to Shawn, who raised his eyebrows at him.
“Get back to work,” Marissa said, sounding tired. Jasper smiled.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8JOYa0P6I
Oliver muttered an apology and ducked out.
Brittney was right. He should’ve dropped it. And he would’ve, if he hadn’t walked in on a private conversation between Jyri and Faye. He ducked into an abandoned cubicle before they could see him.
“Part of me wishes we could go back to our old home,” Faye whispered.
“I do too, sometimes,” Jyri said. “But I didn’t see a way back. And even if we did find that-”
Faye shushed him, and glanced around. “You need to be more careful about what you say.”
The conversation ended there, but it changed his view on the matter. Brittney could guilt-trip him all she wanted, but he wanted to know where they came from and what they were up to.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhr28xxMoQ
“We need to talk to Craig.” Shawn leaned against Oliver’s desk, while Oliver sat in his chair. “Craig has to know something.”133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1yJk44pp5
“Is he even here today?” Oliver asked. “Usually I’d have seen him by now. He always comes to my cubicle around this time to discuss his latest conspiracy theory.”
“Maybe he’s run out of them. There’s only so many conspiracies one can think of.”
As if on cue, Craig appeared in the doorway of Oliver’s cubicle. “I just thought of something-”
“We need to talk,” Shawn interrupted.
A nervous expression grew on Craig’s face. “Is it about the refrigerator?”
Shawn and Oliver both leaned back, sharing concerned looks. “No,” Oliver said hesitantly. “What’s wrong with the refrigerator?”
“Nothing,” Craig said quickly.
Shawn raised an eyebrow at Oliver. Oliver took a deep breath. “It’s about Faye and Jyri. We heard you recommended them.”
“I sure did.”
“Why?” Shawn asked.
“They needed money, and we needed a new receptionist. Killed two birds with one stone right there.”
“Okay,” Oliver said. “Where did you find them? What happened?”
Craig furrowed his brow as he leaned against the doorway of the cubicle. “They were standing behind that Dunkin’ Donuts, down the street. I had just left the building. They stopped to ask me where they were, which I thought was weird. So I told them. And then they started freaking out about how they didn’t know where they were and were out of money and couldn’t go home so I told them to come here for a job.
“So they’ve never heard of this city?” Shawn asked.
Craig shook his head. “They hadn’t even heard of America. Yet here they were. Funny, isn’t it?”
“And you thought it was a good idea to get them a job here?"
“They didn’t have money. I felt bad for them.”
“Was there anything else weird about them?” Oliver asked.
Craig leaned forward, stroking his chin. “I might be crazy but... they weren’t there at first. But suddenly, they were. Like they appeared out of thin air or something.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But I hadn’t had my coffee yet, so I probably imagined it. They looked terrified, and out of breath, which was also kinda weird. But then again, they’re both preh-tty weird.” He chuckled, and wandered over to his own cubicle.
Shawn rubbed his chin, and looked at Oliver. “Have you found a new roommate yet?”
Oliver had just met up with someone who thought his roommate ad was an ad for sexual favors. He was still trying to figure out what made them come to that conclusion. “No, but I’m sure I will soon enough.”
“You could easily solve that problem now. And then we’ll have more opportunities to find out what they’re up to!” Shawn placed his hands on both of Oliver’s shoulders. “Think about it. You could charge them both rent. You’d be splitting the bill three ways instead of two. Imagine all the money you’d save!”
Oliver had just gotten the bill for his car insurance renewal. Somehow, it had gone up $200. That was only $100 more than what he spent on groceries every week. Maybe he should invite them to live with him. At least they didn’t have a pet scorpion. Or so he hoped.
“You should let them live with you,” Craig called from his cubicle.
“Let who live where?” Faye walked into the room with a blank stare and a frown.
“Nothing,” Oliver said quickly, removing Shawn’s hands from his shoulders.
“Oliver was thinking of having you and Yor-ee move in with him,” Craig said loudly.
Faye’s face brightened. “Really? That’s great! Wait until Jyri hears about this!”
“Hears about what?” Jyri asked, stepping in on the scene.
“We’re moving in with Oliver!” Faye said cheerfully.
Jyri didn’t look cheerful at the news. Was he as opposed to living with Oliver, as Oliver was to living with him?
But Jyri didn’t say no. Instead, he shrugged. “It’s better than sleeping in a locker room. When can we move in?”133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBPbwaDxcl
and then Add to home screen.