"What do you think?" I asked my mom, spinning in a slow circle to show off my outfit. I was wearing a plain black dress with flutter sleeves and a hem that went just past my knees in the front and midway down my calf in the back. It was supposed to be casual, yet the black kept it business-like, and my black sandal heels paired with a black and silver choker dressed it up a bit. My makeup was light and natural, I didn't have a lot of products at home since they were an extra expense I didn't care to waste money on, and I preferred the natural look anyway.

"You look lovely, sweetheart," said Mom with a smile. It was the day after I had sent in my resumé to Ashdown Properties. They must have reviewed it in the morning, because I got an email inquiring whether I could do an interview in the late afternoon. I didn't have a shift at Culvers today, so I had agreed. Mom made me promise to stop by the hospital before I went to the interview. "Maybe you'll even catch a young man's eye while you're out there."

I let out an incredulous laugh. I hadn't seriously dated in a long time. I had a boyfriend in high school, but we honestly weren't even really in love. We just liked the thought of dating. Then I went on a few dates before college, but nothing really stuck. Then I started college and was determined to finish and maybe even start my business before looking for anyone. Of course everything fell apart before I did, so there was really no opportunity to continue looking.

"If I find a date, you'll be the first to know," I promised, even though I had no intention of dating anytime soon. There wasn't time between me trying to pay off bills and taking care of Mom. She didn't need to know that thought. "Or Emma will be. I'll decide when it gets to that point." I picked up my purse. "Are you going to be okay here for the day?"

"I'll be fine. CNN is covering a hurricane in North Carolina, so I'm waiting for that to come on."

"North Carolina?" I immediately thought of my old college friend. "Make sure Naomi isn't on the list of hurt or deceased, okay? Or Hardy."

"What's Hardy's last name?"

"I think it was Goodwell."

"I'll keep my eye out for them."

"Thanks." I kissed the top of her head. Her blonde hair was beginning to get greasy; I hoped the hospital workers got her into a shower soon. "Love you, Mom."

She puckered her lips at me. "Love you too. Good luck at your interview and let me know as soon as you're out."

"I will. See you." I closed the door gently behind me and headed down the hospital halls, more confident of my exit this time. As soon as I began driving to the address the assistant had given me, I felt the confidence melt into nervousness.

My legs were shaking a little by the time I pulled into the car park. I tried to convince them to hold me up when I got out of the car, but I tripped anyway. I hope no one saw that. I glanced around, but the parking lot was void of people, only the cars and lot lights were watching.

I forced my unsteady legs to walk towards the tall building before me. This is it. I have to nail this interview, otherwise I don't know what we're going to do. Just stay calm and act like you always do. Then again, I'm always a worried, nervous mess, so maybe don't act like that. Just... try to appear confident. But if I try to be confident and I'm not, it that falsely portraying myself? What if they hire me for my confidence and then see how nervous I always am? Will the fire me after that? Come on, no one is going to hire you for being confident. Right? The doors opened automatically for me while I was still two steps away, which was a first. Most automatic doors I tried to walk through wouldn't open until I was about to hit my nose and I had to slow down, like they had a problem with people approaching too fast.

I put a smile on my face when the receptionist and I took notice of each other, but I felt it waver immediately. Nerves and smiling didn't go together for me. "Hi," I said softly, approaching the desk. "I'm Alessandria Sharp, I have an interview at 2:00 I think." Why did I say that? I know my interview is at 2:00, I looked over the email a hundred times.

"Okay, let me just check that for you," said the lady, beginning to type on her computer. She found me almost immediately and told me to have a seat. I had read up on dos and don'ts of having an interview and being early was one of them, so I would have to wait until whoever was questioning me was ready.

I sat across from the desk and glanced around the room awkwardly. It was decorated sparsely, but everything was tasteful. She had fangs. She must be a vampire. I don't see a lot of those around. Vampires, elves, and humans mostly kept to themselves. Each species mingled, of course, but for the most part, vampires stuck with vampires, elves with elves, and humans with humans. Our worlds had mingled long ago when we realized we needed each other. Elves were incredible healers and so in tuned with nature, nothing would die out with them on the scene. Vampires were alive even longer than elves, so they were able to see which way the world was heading and could alter the course. Humans were extremely innovative and capable of making all our lives easier, even though we were arguably the weakest species. When our bonds were new, we signed and renewed treaties, but now in modern day we had accepted that we couldn't survive without the others, and simply let it be at that.

If only my family were elves. We would be able to heal ourselves, we wouldn't have to spend money on the hospital. We'd live long, and hopefully happy. There would be more opportunities for me to have that dream job. To go to college. But there would also be more time for Delilah and I to fight. I wish we didn't, but how could we not? She wanted to put Mom in a nursing home. Mom isn't that old! She doesn't require that much care either. Delilah is being a selfish brat. She doesn't care about Mom, she doesn't care about our family. Why should we care about her?

Precisely at 2:00, the receptionist called my name, breaking me out of my daydreams. "Ms. Sharp?" I stood and walked over to the desk. "Mr. Ashdown will see you now. Elaine will take you to him." I hadn't seen the other woman walk in, so I must have been daydreaming when she did so. We smiled briefly at each other.

"This way, please," she said, sharp fangs showing behind her lips. She was a vampire as well.

The name "Ashdown" finally registered. Mr. Ashdown? The owner? Why would the owner be doing the interviews? My heartrate spiked nervously as we walked to the elevator.

"You're one of the few people who showed up for an interview since we posted the ad," said Elaine when the elevator doors closed. "We haven't had as much response as we were hoping for."

"Really?" I said, my stomach lurching as the elevator began upwards. "I would have thought there would have been more applicants than you would have time for."

"As did we. But it appears there are very few people willing to start out at Ashdown Properties. Perhaps it's not the type of business most are hoping to go into." I liked her voice. It was smooth and light, with just a touch cheerfulness, like a soda pop.

I felt like I had to respond to what she had said, even though I had no response. So, I merely murmured, "interesting."

She didn't let us fall into silence like I thought she would. "Are you nervous?"

My tongue was sticking to the roof of my dry mouth. My heart was beating so hard it made my hands and legs shaky. I harbored a brief fantasy about passing out and coming back another day. "A little." A lot.

"I know you can't stop nerves, but really, don't be too scared. Mr. Ashdown is a very laid-back person. You have nothing to fear from him."

"Thanks." But I wasn't sure if it was fear of meeting the owner of the company, or the fear of failure that crippled me more.

The elevator made a noise, sliding to a stop and opened its doors. We were at the top floor. Now I knew two things about the man who would interview me. He was the owner of Ashdown Properties, and he wasn't afraid of heights.

Elaine walked me past another secretary's desk. She waved us by as we approached. "He's ready for her. Go on in."

"Thank you," said Elaine, not stopping her brisk walk. She rapped politely on a set of huge double doors before opening them without waiting for an answer. "Good afternoon, sir. I have your 2:00 interview here, Ms. Alessandria Sharp."

Mr. Ashdown was young. Younger than I had thought, anyway. He looked maybe my age, perhaps a bit older. He was standing by an open window, drawing from the cigarette in his hand. I had been expecting an experienced, gray-haired man with an unrelenting look, but this man had black hair with a pleasant and welcoming expression to his sharply jawed face.

He released a small cloud of smoke out the window. "Well, just show yourself in why don't you, Elaine?" he said with an amused tone to his voice as he tossed his cigarette into a lidded metal trash can that was waiting by the window.

My escort shrugged, casually pointing a thumb over her shoulder. "Milly said I could come in. I thought you were ready."

"Don't blame me!" called the secretary from the other room. "That's what he told me!"

The man laughed, showing off a pair of large canines. Is everyone here a vampire? "It is indeed. I had assumed we all had manners here though." I stood there awkwardly as I watched the playful banter between the three. There was nothing more awkward than watching other people get along while you stood there like a hobbledehoy. When Mr. Ashdown glanced at me, I tried to smile but it come off as weak and nervous. "I'll take it from here, thank you, Elaine." He flashed a charming smile at the other vampire.

"All right," she said playfully. "Be nice to her though, huh?" As she closed the doors, she added, "sir."

"Ah—" he looked like he was going to say something but settled for waving his hand dismissively. He glanced at me. "Please, Ms. Sharp, have a seat." He gestured towards the guest chair pulled up to his desk. "Would you like a glass of water?" he asked while I walked towards the chair.

I had read some tips on interviews online. They said to always accept the water. "Um, yes, please. Thank you." I slipped into the seat as gracefully as I could while he fetched the water from a tap in the corner of the room.

"How old are you, Ms. Sharp?" he inquired.

I couldn't see him since the sink was behind me, but I turned my head a little. "Twenty-seven, sir."

"I see. Any siblings?"

"Four. Two brothers, two sisters."

"Where do you fall in the line-up?"

"I'm the youngest, sir."

"Here you are." He fluidly placed the water in front of me, then sat across the desk in his large chair as I murmured another thank you. "What college did you go to?"

"Georgia State University, but I don't actually have a degree." Did he even read my resumé? I took a nervous sip of my water, then carefully placed it back on the coaster.

"And why is that?" He leaned back in his chair, sitting casually with his legs spread.

"Well, uh, it was a long year. My dad died, so I had to get two jobs to take care of my mom. I didn't have time or money for college, and I had only finished three out of the four years." Was that too long of an answer? Did I say too much? Why is he asking me questions that he could find on my resumé?

His dark red eyes studied me without ever looking away from my eyes. I tried to hold eye contact, but his gaze was intimidating, and I was nervous, so I found myself looking more at the desk than at him. "How did you hear of this job opportunity?"

"My sister found an ad."

"Why did you decide to apply?"

I straightened my back even more than it was, not resting on the small backrest of the chair. "My mom is in the hospital right now and I need a better job to pay the additional bills."

His eyebrows pinched together slightly. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is she going to be all right?"

"I think so." I wasn't really sure what to do with that. We were in the middle of an interview, and he was asking about my mother. Am I supposed to elaborate?

"What can you tell me about yourself, Ms. Sharp?" The topic was changed so suddenly I needed to take a moment to adjust.

"Myself, sir?"

He rested his elbows on the desk, smiling slightly. "Yes, hobbies, interests, personality. I like to know my employees. I try to build a crew that works well together and can enjoy their work environment. I do my best not to hire people who may be toxic or simply don't contribute to the team."

"Oh." I racked my brain for what I could tell him. "I don't really have any hobbies. I work and I take care of my mom. I used to play piano and do 3-D printing, but not much anymore. I wanted to create a website that would boost new companies, but I wanted to finish my college courses on business management before I did that." He was staring me down so intensely I was surprised I didn't melt under his gaze. "I am a bit of a worrier and a daydreamer, but I work hard and get my jobs done no matter what because it's important to me that I do a good job." Am I supposed to say more or is that enough?

"Excellent," he said with a winning smile. "Where have you worked previously?"

"I had a job as a lawn care-taker while I was in college, and I'm currently working at Lowes and Culvers, but I've given them warning that I may be quitting soon."

"Good." He was quiet for a moment, eyes finally shifting away from me. "I'll be frank with you, Ms. Sharp. I would love to hire you. You would be a great addition to the business building program. But I want to make sure you realize that you would be the only human in the corporation."

My brows drew together slightly. "Really? I thought the ad was for every species."

"It is," he said, tapping one finger against the desk. "But I haven't received many inquiries from the humans and none of the ones I did find were a good fit. I have a staff of entirely elves and vampires. I'm sure you'll fit in fine, but I wanted to make you aware of that before you signed on."

"I see." I've never been around vampires and elves a lot. I suppose it will be a learning experience. Maybe I should do some research before I start working though, just to be sure I don't offend any of them accidentally. "I would be all right with that."

A smile found its way to his face again. This time it was almost triumphant. "Wonderful. I think I'm going to have you assisting Viveca in the repair department. You'll be helping her keep track of the handymen in our various complexes—taking calls for repairs, making sure someone gets sent out, paying them, keeping track of the repairs made, things like that. Your pay will be reflective of the work you've done each day, so Viveca will help you keep tabs on that. When would you like to start?"

I thought for a moment. I could quit Lowes and Culvers tomorrow, but I don't want to leave them in a bind. I really want to start this job as soon as possible though. I'm sure they'll be able to find someone by tomorrow if I alert them today. "I can start tomorrow, sir."

"That sounds good. One more thing you should know: we're on a first name basis here unless that makes you uncomfortable. As you saw earlier, I try to keep a good relationship with my employees. Most of them call me Damon. May I call you Alessandria?" His red eyes flicked from looking into one of my brown eyes into the other.

"Of course," I said quickly, not really thinking about it. I wanted to be on the good side of my new boss.

He stood and extended his hand with a smile. I jumped up and shook it. His fingers were cold, his palm only slightly less so. "Welcome to the Ashdown Properties family, Alessandria. I look forward to seeing you again."

"You too, sir." It slipped out before I caught it. "I mean, thank you. What time should I come in?"

"Eight o'clock will be fine. I'll have Viveca meet you in the lobby."

A smile jumped onto my lips as I considered how much more sleep I would be able to get. "That sounds great. Have a wonderful day."

"The same to you." He escorted me to the door, holding it open for me. "Elaine? Alessandria needs a welcome packet and an escort to the exit please and thank you." His red eyes caught mine as I slipped past him. "Goodbye for now."

"Bye," I said, walking over to the female vampire waiting for me.

"How was your interview?" she asked on the elevator ride down.

I smiled. "Good."

"It must have gone well since you got the job. Damon doesn't hire just anyone. He expects people to be capable and able to work well with others. You're actually our first human on staff."

"He said that."

"Does it make you nervous?"

"A little. I gather that everyone here is friendly though, so I'm trying not to worry about it too much." Liar. You're going to stress about it all night.

She took me over to the front desk to give me the welcome packet Damon had mentioned, then escorted me to the door and extended her hand for a friendly shake. "I'm so glad you got the job. I'm very excited to have you—I'm sure everyone else will be as well. Have a wonderful day, Alessandria."

I beamed at her as I shook her hand, warmth from her affability gathering near my heart. "Thank you so much. You too."