Chapter 1

The alarm blared out of control: a loud electronic rooster piercing his eardrums unceasingly. This was the only sound that could wake him- it could raise one from the dead, Jake described.

Jake's eyes were forever numb from a sleepless night. He was up till three, ironing, going over notes on the company's biography and chewing up top names to seem knowledgeable. It took a miracle to win this internship program. One of his lecturers from night school happened to know a guy, who knew a girl who also knew one of the managers in HR.

Staying a humble, outstanding student, who did not say no to requests had finally paid off. "Auuu," Jake's hand came to his rescue, moving blindly to turn off the alarm. "Five more minutes," His lips muttered on their own. He cranes his head like a cobra but then falls flat back down.

*COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO*

"Ahh!" Jake rolled off the bed out of sheer shock. Luckily he missed the bedside table and suffered a minor bump on the head. "Arhhh, yeah, I forgot the backup alarm," He groaned. At least he was up.

"I'll always be around...la la la la da la," He ended his bath singing a song that made him feel good.

Plain white shirt, grey pants and a grey coat to match. He gambled between the striped and plain grey tie and ended up with the stripes.

A little bit of Vaseline and he could teleport himself to the 1980s. Slick hair, boring glasses, the Superman kind of hidden gem. "Pfft, I hate superheroes," Jake takes the official glance at the mirror to affirm his level of readiness. "Meh, good enough," He took a pose and smirked. "Shoot! It's six-thirty, I'm gonna be late."

He snatched his cute briefcase and run out of the two-bedroom apartment.

Traffic was kind today, the heavens were on his side.

Southall is the metropolis every young blood dreams of starting a life. A place where anything is possible. While this wasn't always true, it did hold water.

As Jake stepped out of the cab, staring at a building that lived in the skies, he began to bubble with hope and vibrant prospects for the future. It was perfect. The silver walls, the glass, the smart-looking people briskly walking in and out with briefcases and folders.

He was before the titan itself. Amery, the mother house of Southfall. The only conglomerate that could make and break this powerful city. It is said to have been born when this place was of but dust and small local shops. Anyone that steps inside the mother house never comes out the same.

Jake had to contain himself from dancing on the sparkling floors. He marches right to the receptionist and says, "Hi, I'm a new intern."

Her desk was clean with one file sleeping under her elbow and the telephone inches away. "Go to the fifth floor, HR will show you your post," A woman several years ahead of Jake, responded. Her eyes were glued to her cell phone the whole time. Jake had expected a nice welcome but that was not happening anytime. Nonetheless, he did as told and took the elevator.

"Hi, I'm here for the internship program," Jake adjusted his tie. He convinces himself that no one in those tiny cubicles was snickering at him.

"What is your name?" At least someone here smiled at him for a change.

"Jake...Jake Name."

The staff lifted her eyes at him, "Your full name?"

"Yes, I'm Jake Name... Name is my family name, and Jake is my..."

"Jake Name, found you. We assumed this was a typo. Congratulations Sir Name, you will be working with Marketing. Take this to the eleventh floor, they will get you settled in."

"Thank you," Jake tipped his head lightly and went on his way.

The eleventh floor was a long way up. Jake's heart swatted with glee as he went into the most popular department in the company. The walls wore diverse shades of grey white and sky blue with gold stripes. There were panels on the far left of the large compartment, with tables holding tiny architectural models depicting the history of the company from the first structure to its current state.

That in itself was inspiriting for those who fear starting small. Unlike HR, there were many rooms for people of position and a lot more cubicles but stylish.

"Hey there, are you the new guy HR sent over?" A younger male with a believable smile approached Jake first. "I'm Larry, and also an intern so chill. I'm not gonna boss you around, but they are?" He pointed at the serious-looking faces whose souls were stolen by company computers.

"They live off coffee and crackers so be prepared for those rounds. The kitchen is over here, this is the printing room...bathroom...the boss' office... conference room. There's a bigger one at the top but those are only for the very important meetings. I sat through one and nearly shit my pants," Yes, Larry was that Kind of guy.

"So what's your name newbie?"

"I'm Jake Name."

"Seriously, you're called Name?" Larry paused to look at him.

"Uh, yeah, it's my father's name."

"Sweet, just don't take it personally when the staff talk about it. It can get intense in here."

After being taken through the important basics by Larry, Jake was given a cubicle to settle. He got cosy; he put up a small picture of his mom on his desk, a sticker note, a journal and a pen.

"Walk with me...this is Ana, another intern, Candice-we call her candy. And that's your supervisor, Drizella. I have work to do, so I'll catch up soon. Let me know whenever you need help."

"Thanks," Jake said as Larry left for the printing room. Once again, it felt amazing being in this place. Jake was pumped up and thrilled to take on this new world when he mutters, "It is going to be a great day!"

Six and a half hours later...

"Fire him."

"What?" Jake cried out meekly in front of the CEO of Amery. His supervisor pulled him behind to address the boss, " Ma'am this is one of the new interns and he knows nothing. Please pardon his clumsiness, it was an..."

"I don't care what he is, get him out of my company. Now!" The tall lady with dead gorgeous eyes ordered.

And just like that, Jake's dreams of a wonderful internship and future at the company were about to get squashed...