The Starlight Corporation

Sharpley inhaling as the heavy steel doors clanged shut, she pulled out her phone and quickly dismissed the lock screen to, once again, read the secretary’s short and curt email.

We are pleased to meet you on Monday, April 17, 2023. Once you reach the elevators, proceed to the 20th floor. Emma will greet you there.

Scrolling down to the bottom of the email, she sighed in abject frustration. She did many searches online, but she couldn’t find a single mention of this company or its employees, and despite the modern skyscraper that she was now standing in, there was no word about its recent construction in the news.

Smoothing her black pencil skirt and matching suit top, she attempted to calm her nerves by taking a few deep breaths. Laughing to herself, she thought, why do people always tell you to breathe when your anxiety runs high? I am breathing all of the time. If I wasn’t, I’d be dead! Giggling at the absurdity of her thought, she stepped out of the elevator onto the marble floor. Proceeding to the secretary’s round desk, her tiny and feminine voice reverberated throughout the sterile office.

Forcing a polite greeting to the blonde woman behind the desk, she stated, “Good morning. My name is Emily.” Looking around nervously, she continued, “I’m here to see Emma.”

“No, Miss,” responded the well-manicured blonde woman with some authority. “I’m Emma. You’re here to see Julie,” she stated while flicking her curly blonde hair over her left shoulder. “Come along,” she continued as she proceeded down a long corridor to one of the heavy office doors.

Having no choice, but still a bit confused by this mysterious company, Emily plodded to the office beside of Julie, feeling very underdressed as she passed more secretaries who appeared as if they just exited a runway in Paris. Stealthily trying to straighten her plain black skirt once again, Emily thought, I am in the wrong place!

Knocking loudly on the door, Emma stated, “Julie, here is Emily to see you.”

Without saying a word, Julie motioned for Emily to come into the room, as her accent reverberated from every corner of the austere surroundings. Emily quickly sat down in the well upholstered desk chair as Julie began screaming into her cell phone, her feminine voice rising with every syllable. Not being able to speak any language but English, Emily could merely wonder what the many foreign words meant.

Quickly disconnecting the call, Julie turned to Emily. “My apologies, Madame,” efficiently stated Julie as she handed her a sheet of computer paper, “Here is your starting salary.”

Emily’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stammered, “Wait a second. I was under the impression that this was merely an interview for a data entry job. Is this correct? I mean, this seems like a lot of money,” unable to hide her shock.

Sounding a bit annoyed, Julie studied Emily’s face the way a researcher would study a lab rat, “Listen, Madame. I am a very busy woman, and I haven’t got a lifetime to reassure you.” She continued with authority, “You will be perfect at The Starlight Corporation. Now, do you want the job or not?”

Emily’s stomach lurched with nervousness as she finally squeaked out a very quiet, “Yes, but I have never ….” her voice trailed off as she looked at the paper in disbelief.

“Good,” stated Julie as a smile overtook her stern expression. She commanded, “Be here promptly this upcoming Monday at 9AM,” as she ushered Emily out of her office.

Standing on the other side of the thick office door, Emily waited until her breathing slowed. She would take the job, of course, but this didn’t make any sense, she nervously thought.

April 24, 2023: Monday

Approaching the rain-soaked concrete steps, Emily smiled as the water dampened her black suit jacket. Spending her weekend desperately trying to find information on her new employer was of no use. It was as if the company simply materialized from nowhere in the middle of her little town. Resigning herself to understanding more about the company on her first day, Emily tried to quiet the uneasiness in her mind by listening to the local discussions.

Chattering could be heard about Starlight, as it was locally called, throughout the town. The newly constructed concrete building stood towering over the smaller establishments, dwarfing their presence. A boom to the local economy was sure to follow assured many of the local residents.

Larry, the mechanic who could never seem to keep a job despite his talents, was also put on Starlight’s ever-expanding payroll. The high school football player, Justin, whose dreams of being a professional athlete were squashed after sustaining a knee injury in his senior year, beamed as he discovered that he would also be among the most recent hires.

These haphazard hiring decisions both served to calm Emily’s nerves, but also seemed to make the knots in her core grow tighter. There were so many unanswered questions, pondered Emily. Why would a multi-billion-dollar company materialize amongst the many small shops in her sleepy little town? What could they possibly gain from hiring so many people who had little to no viable skills?

Jolted from her thoughts by a loud, authoritative voice once inside of the large glass entry doors; “Miss, come with me for a moment.”

Emily meekly choked out, “I’m a new employee” while she scrolled through her phone for the short welcome letter. Anxiously showing the security guard her screen, she continued, “I’m supposed to be here.”

Not bothering to glance at the glowing object in Emily’s hand, the guard motioned for her to have a seat. Complying with the demand, she plopped into the hard, plastic blue chair, suddenly feeling a prick to her index finger.

A small-framed woman in a neatly pressed shirt held a receptacle to the tiny wound. Anxiously watching the viscous, red liquid pool into the bottom of the tube, Emily regarded the woman with a wide-eyed expression of surprise.

“Sorry, company rules,” stated the woman in a matter-of-fact manner.