Chapter 4 A new start

I wake up as early as 5:00 a.m. to prepare for the screening process. It's surprisingly a very cold morning. I could barely sleep last night, partly because I was excited. I graduated from college last year with Business Administration as my major, but I haven't had the chance to work with my degree. An opportunity like this gives me goosebumps. Vaughn Industries is a pretty big company, and we've been struggling financially since Dad passed. We're barely getting by on my income and Mum's. Samantha had to transfer to a different school because we couldn't afford her tuition fees.

The past few weeks have been rough, but we've been managing.

The other reason I couldn't sleep was that I kept having nightmares about the night Dad died. The image of him lying in his blood on the road still haunts me.

My message tone rings. I wonder who is texting me this early. It's a message from Sandra, wishing me good luck.

"That night owl," I say to myself, chuckling.

Today, I'm going to do my best. I can't let myself or my family down. I spend some time in the shower, trying to picture how the whole screening process will go. I didn't study for it, so I hope there won't be a written exam-and if there is, I pray it's an easy one.

"You've got this, April. You can do this," I repeat to myself five times while staring at my reflection, trying to calm my nerves. As excited as I am, there's still this feeling that something might go wrong, so I've got to build up my confidence.

I clean up and dress just in time to meet Samantha in the kitchen, flipping pancakes. She's up early because she's on cooking duty today.

"Hey Sammy, that pancake looks good," I say, pulling out a chair and sitting at the dining table.

"Well, thanks. I think it looks like a normal pancake though. You look like you didn't sleep all night," Samantha comments.

"Is it that obvious? I thought I did a pretty good job with my makeup," I respond, pouting.

"Great job indeed," Samantha says, laughing. We both burst into laughter. I needed that. The house has been a bit gloomy with everyone keeping to themselves. I

Mum heads straight to her room after work and rarely eats dinner. Every time I walk past her room at night, I hear her crying, and it breaks me. The past few weeks have been hard on us all.

"Are you nervous?" I ask Samantha. Today is her first day in a new school, and I suspect she must be feeling nervous.

"Not really. It's the least of my problems right now. What about you?" she responds, throwing the question back at me.

"I am very nervous, but I'll be fine. I just really want this to work out," I say.

"And it will, Sis. Trust me, it will. I can't wait for you to come screaming, telling me you've been accepted for the job," Samantha says, reassuring me. I smile-Lord knows I needed that.

Mum joins us later and we eat breakfast as a family before I leave for Vaughn Industries. Mum hands me a sweater and a scarf because of the cold, and I gratefully accept.

I arrive at Vaughn Industries in thirty minutes. I stand for at least a minute, marveling at how huge the building is-a sleek, 60-story corporate office tower, designed with sharp, angular lines and reflective windows that mirror the bustling city below.

As I walk toward the gate, I see a tattered-looking woman seated on the ground nearby. Various people-mostly applicants-walk past her. I can tell they're applicants by their tags, which distinguish them from actual employees. Some even say horrible things to her. I rush to her side and hand her my sweater and scarf.

"You shouldn't be out here in the cold, ma'am, but you can have my sweater and scarf to warm you up. And here's some money to buy yourself hot coffee-it's freezing outside," I say.

"Thank you, April. I won't forget this kind of offer," the strange woman responds.

"You're welcome."

I rush toward the gate so I don't miss out on the screening, but realization hits me-how did the woman know my name was April? Our names aren't written on our tags. I push the thought out of my mind and focus on the task ahead.

We are led to another building on the company premises where the screening takes place. My worst nightmare comes to life: we start with a written assessment, then a personality evaluation, and finally interviews with all the department heads, the Lead HR, and Timothy Vaughn himself. I'm nervous at the start, but by the time of the interview, most of the nervousness has died down. Strangely, Timothy Vaughn looks familiar, though I can't place where I've seen him before.

The screening ends by 4:00 p.m., and I am exhausted. I head straight to my shift at the Tipsy Tavern, tired but fired up. We're told to check our emails a week later for the results.

A week passes, and I'm panicking. I want to find out if I passed, but I'm too scared to open my email.

"What's wrong, April? You seem unsettled," Sandra asks. She can be very observant when she wants to be. I explain the situation to her, and she snatches my phone. I reach for it, but she turns away.

"So it says here that you have been selected for the role of Executive Assistant at Vaughn Industries, and you are to start officially tomorrow," Sandra says with a smirk.

I jump at her, pulling her into a hug, tears welling in my eyes. I did it.