Glitch Girl

Late in the morning, a woman entered Neil's office. The room was located in a secluded corner of the building, as if hidden from prying eyes. Despite its modest area, the room was furnished with particular care and taste. There was order here, as if each object was placed in its place with mathematical precision. The walls and furniture were white. The panoramic window in the office was located on the opposite wall from the desk and occupied almost its entire width. It began right from the ceiling and ended almost at the floor. From this window, you could see the entire city from above, as if in the palm of your hand. The black leather chair located near the desk stood out in this sea of ​​whiteness, and the floor was also decorated with black tiles. A laptop with an unfinished project lay on the table, as if reminding of the determination and devotion of its owner. The woman who entered the office looked like Neil, but she had long hair, which was gathered into a braid in the Greek style. She was dressed in the same formal suit. "Neil, you've been very distant lately, what's wrong? Are you still very bothered by this situation?" she asked, putting hot coffee on the table. Neil looked upset. He stared at her and started shouting: "Laura, why are you defending this girl?! She's a mistake that shouldn't have existed!" "Neil, please calm down. I understand that you're upset about the incident with this girl, but we can't blame her for everything. I'm not defending her, we just don't know the whole situation... Please, drink some coffee, calm down, everything will be resolved, I promise..." "First of all, we need to find out who's behind this damn cult. I'm a thousand percent sure that it's all because of her! If anyone finds out that our company is behind this girl's creation, that's it, the end! And you know what? We're already under suspicion!" "We can fix this by just joining forces and trying to figure out what happened," Laura sighed, putting her hand on her brother's shoulder. Neil didn't answer, but he listened to her. Her manner of speaking was calming. "Then we should try to join forces with the police," he muttered. "Yeah, you're right, I think it would be easier to figure out the whole situation that way..." Neil took his coffee and continued his work, Laura took some documents and left. It was lunchtime. Neil was still working; as a perfectionist, he couldn't afford to relax. "Neil, I have a great idea for us," Laura said excitedly, entering his office again. "What? Just don't tell me you want to go somewhere with me, no." "But you can afford a few hours of rest. I booked tickets for a really cool movie. Let's go and see it today." "I told you I don't have time for this!" "Please, Neil, I just want to spend a few hours together and relax a little, even if it means you have to work harder tomorrow! I already booked the tickets!" "Sorry, Laura, I don't want to," there was irritation in his voice. Neil was always busy with something, even during breaks, which bothered Laura even more, because he did not even explain, much less show, what exactly he was doing, as if hiding something very important. She had to go alone. At the cinema, Laura had been looking forward to this moment for a long time, because all the films of this franchise were excellent, but at the same time she could not shake the feeling of despair, because she was alone. Next to her sat a man with green hair, at first he did not pay attention to his surroundings, but then he turned his gaze to Laura and smiled. The woman felt awkward and looked away. The young man asked in a friendly manner: "I see you have quite a good taste in choosing movies, but you look sad, is something wrong?" "Nothing, I just wanted to come here with my brother, but he doesn't have time..." "You must be very lonely..." the guy sighed and put his hand to his heart. "Don't worry, I can keep you company, I hope you don't mind?" She looked at the young man in surprise, but then nodded. "Okay." "What's your name?" "Laura." "Nice to meet you, call me Walter," he smiled and extended his palm to her. "Likewise," the woman replied and shook his hand. Walter seemed like a good person to Laura. They watched the movie together and added funny comments, whispering to each other. It also reminded the woman of the times she spent with her brother. Then Laura remembered how her parents got divorced. The siblings had to live with their father, who always demanded perfection in everything. He demanded it most of all from Neil. Thanks to their father, they worked together in a high position, so Neil couldn't help but appreciate it, but deep down he was still unhappy, just like Laura. The woman's face grew dull again from these memories... Leaving the cinema, Walter noticed Laura's expression and tried to figure out what had happened: "What's the matter? You look very thoughtful..." "Nothing, really..." "Let's take our minds off bad thoughts and go somewhere else?" the young man smiled sweetly. Laura smiled back and nodded. Walter led Laura to some dark alley, which made the woman feel a little uneasy: "Where are we going?" "I'm sure you'll like this place, just trust me!" the guy said kindly. He led the woman to some strange building, it was very dark outside and it was almost impossible to see where they were. Walter opened the doors and they went into the hall together, where they were met by quite friendly and polite people. Their faces were hidden behind intricate domino masks. Laura could only see their eyes, which seemed to sparkle with joy. The atmosphere in this place was almost festive: soft music was playing, and the clink of glasses was coming from the corners of the room. It was almost as if they were in the middle of a bizarre masquerade ball, but with an eerie and otherworldly feeling. The woman was almost overcome by a feeling of strangeness and a feeling that she was not quite her own here, but Walter took it all in stride, walking with a confidence that she so lacked. He put on the same mask and gave it to Laura. "Do you mind dancing?" the young man asked. "Walter, you never cease to amaze me!" Laura laughed. They started dancing to the beautiful melody playing in the hall. Laura felt very comfortable in Walter's company, she forgot about her problems and enjoyed the moment. There was an unusual but pleasant smell around. Laura inhaled the aroma, feeling her mind spinning with euphoria, and her body began to sway to the beat of the music. Dancing with Walter, she was transported to another world, where all her worries disappeared and only happiness remained... The aroma was unlike anything Laura had ever felt before. She didn't even notice how quickly time flew by. When the music ended, she wished it would never end. "Walter, it was amazing!" Laura exclaimed. "I'm glad you liked it. I knew you needed a break from your problems." "Yes, thank you!" "You're welcome. I enjoyed spending time with you..." Walter walked Laura to her car and gave her his phone number. "If you ever get bored or need company, call me." "Thanks, Walter. I'll be sure to call you!" Laura got into the car and drove home. She felt much better than before. Walter helped her take her mind off her problems and enjoy life, and she was also attracted to his mysterious nature. She wanted to continue communicating with him in the future.