Nicholas Vials: The Case Of Michael Vials

Emberline had to pinch her hand really hard; it was the only way to stop it from shaking so badly. She didn't want to seem like she was lying, though she wasn't even being honest about her date of birth.

"You got your diploma last year?" The man asked Emberline.

"Hm, yes, I graduated from Wade Institute of Medical Sciences. If you could just flip the page, it has all the details regarding my educational qualification," Emberline recited her prepared speech. A lie that went unnoticed.

"Quite concise you are," the interviewer appreciated, frolicking through her resume ferociously. Emberline worried he would tear the pages apart.

"It says here you are barely 20 years of age—" he continued but before he could question the legitimacy of her documents, she presented her case.

"I was a child prodigy!" She almost jumped out of her chair, a tad bit unsure if she had accidentally been too aggressive. She was contemplating if it was obvious she was younger.

"A child prodigy! We've never had those before," the man said with a gentle smile.

He flipped the document one final time before he set it back on the table. The thick atmosphere almost made her choke on her breath. She felt as though she was being interrogated for a crime that was yet to happen.

"Well—" the man stiffened his back, looking more grounded and intimidating than he already was. "The thing is, we called for an interview as soon as Elena suggested your name, and though she is new, she is good at what she does—" the man paused his sentence to clear his throat. It was obvious what he did, cover a lie. "We expect to see more of her enthusiasm in this institution, if you get the gist of what I mean," the man cleared his throat once more.

"Do you have a cough?" Emberline asked the man, worried.

"Sorry?" He was taken aback by her response. He furrowed his brows, which made Emberline somewhat nervous.

"You're clearing your throat a lot, I think you have a cough. I did have a tablet right here—" Emberline said as she searched her bag for valuables, her hand reaching to far ends before she was interrupted.

"Oh no—No! It's alright, I don't have a cold, it was just to—" the man began, flustered. As he saw the innocent look of disturbed worry on Emberline's face he stopped.

"Never mind," he said as he shuffled with the chair he was seated in. Emberline broke into a sweat. She played too much into the nursing role. Elena had said that the interview lasted only five minutes; she didn't know why it was taking so long. The intensity and increasing pressure only heightened her anxiety.

The document that sat on the man's table had nothing true to it, and if she was caught in this miscellaneous act of forgery, she knew well the consequences.

"Is there a specific expectation on your part regarding the pay?" The man spoke after the elongated moment of silence.

"Pardon?" Emberline was too worried to pay a moment of heed.

"Well you see— we have a strict policy regarding hours and orders, we take patient care seriously," he said as simply as he could, enough for Emberline to understand the situation from behind a thick wall where only muffled noise echoed.

"Yes—Yes, I understand," she said with a moment to waste.

"Great! Then should you have any expectations regarding the pay, please do share it with me so I can write it down," he said enthusiastically, but Emberline smiled back sheepishly and with practiced poise, she said, "I have none. I'd be glad to serve under the experienced and well-decorated team of doctors and nurses here at Doane Institute. In fact, my final essay during my diploma was a case study from the Doane Institute."

The man simply stared at Emberline, dumbfounded. Unexpected or uncalled for, Emberline couldn't guess what he really thought during that time. Pen in his hand, he turned upright once more, a half-smirk on his face. "It's a pleasure to see someone with such a passion for their study; we'd be really happy to welcome you to our team," he said, completing his smile.

A little more dumbfounded, Emberline really wondered if there was somewhat of sarcasm behind that smile. "Does that mean I get the job?" She asked.

He nodded in response, bobbing his glasses up and down on the pinnacle of his nose. He was young, but he truly was blind.

"Well— When is my joining?" She asked the man, relieved at the ease and the ending of the crushing interview.

"I'll forward you the details; if you could just write down your address for me on this piece of paper—I'll post the signed document to your house," he said, his arm outstretched to a piece of paper, plucking a pen from his collection and putting it before her.

She picked up the pen, finally revealing her hand which she had pinched red and blue, gently hovering over the paper.

What if they were trying to set her up?

"I actually live in another city; I came specially for this interview," She excused.

"Oh that's alright, we can post it through the National Posting Agency; it'll get there in about a day or two," he said.

Emberline wanted to scream at him. She scribbled on the paper in a writing she deemed the most civil.

Linde, Parklane city centre, street #23 house #278

She felt her heart drown; for some odd reason, Emberline was uncomfortable writing down her own father's house number.

"Great! We'll be in touch as soon as I get it signed by the presiding seniors," he spoke softly as he stood up from his seat, which cascaded away from the table. He extended his hand outwardly, locking in with her eyes as she retaliated. She shook the hands of the man, who failed to see through her ruse.

Corporations were truly in shambles.