Pat rewind ten seconds back, not trusting his own ears.
"He is… P. Pace."
His ears did not deceive him. His mind was not fabricating lies. Swallow really did say his name.
"Mr. Pace's quests and articles had been awe-inspiring. His passion for history was unmatched…"
It was a chilly morning- the type in which you love sleeping in, snuggling in your warm bed and even if the pressure from your overflowing bladder would kick you awake, the early morning breeze would coax you right back into shutting your eyelids. It was a shame Pat was awake on such a day and sweating profusely.
"So Mr. Pace if you are listening to me, I would love to invite you to my podcast. You can reach me through my email. It would be an honour to be able to sit with you and chat one day!"
Pat internally flinched like someone had poked his underarms with sea urchins. His insides revolted. He felt… dizzy. How did Captain Swallow come to know about him? It was impossible! P. Pace was not supposed to exist!
Pat opened his eyes to look at the penny stuck to the sharp tweezer, mocking him. Reminding him that the same past he tried so hard to forget might come back to haunt him.
He hated it. He hated how harmless and shiny the penny appeared. A happy face engraved on one side and a sad face on the other. Some people might even mistake it as one of those coin chocolates that children liked to slobber on, but he knew how they changed his life, imprisoned him- how those pennies had doomed him.
With sweaty hands, Pat looked at the release date of the podcast. It was a day old. He detached his earphone from his phone and shut his phone off. He was going to pretend like he didn't hear that. No way were they talking about him. Must be somebody else. His ears were playing tricks on him. He must be suffering from lack of sleep. With that thought, Pat rushed back up to sleep again or at least try to fall back asleep.
Just like that for the first time ever, he left the secret room without completing counting those pennies.
( ･ั﹏･ั)( ･ั﹏･ั)( ･ั﹏･ั)
Addy's entire body protested as she dragged herself out of the comforts of her bed. "My butt hurts." She murmured while rubbing her eyes.
"Maybe you shouldn't go then?" Celine suggested.
"And risk having him march here to give me an earful. I'll pass."
Her roommate fidgeted with her nails, hesitating. "Why- why do you think he called for you?"
"I don't know." Addy groggily stated, her head still full of sleep as she sifted through her drawers to look for a jumper to put on over her flimsy cotton vest- it was a cold morning. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Should I come with you?" Celine asked taking a step towards her.
"I can manage." Addy mumbled as she finally found a baby blue jumper and pulled it down her head.
"Are you sure? You look tired." She pressed in concern.
Addy smiled with droopy eyes. "Positive."
With that she left their room not aware of the storm that was awaiting her.
( ･ั﹏･ั)( ･ั﹏･ั)( ･ั﹏･ั)
"Come in." His gruff voice ordered after a solid minute.
Taking a deep breath, Addy walked in to be greeted by the sight of her employer or 'boss' as he liked to be called. Boss was a middle-aged tall man with the kindest face and shortest temper.
Addy stood silently knowing she was going to get her head chewed as she rubbed her crossed elbows, trying her best not to yawn like a hippopotamus.
The boss folded the sandwich he was eating into the crumpled aluminium foil next to him. Addy noticed the tiny piece of crumb that was stuck a centimetre over his upper lips. It ticked her.
"I would have asked you to take a seat but I had spilled water on them, so I would appreciate if you keep standing." Addy's eyes moved towards the chairs in front of him, both of them appeared very dry. Was it an attempt from him at making a joke?
"So I discovered something interesting today…" He said as he leaned back onto his leather chair. His eyes flashed at her as he rotated the monitor in front of him towards her.