Chapter five

Ivy’s POV 

Even after Matthias left the room, I didn’t leave my spot for about two minutes, still replaying the scene in my head over and over again. The way he stopped on his tracks and the way his eyes hovered over my body for five long minutes. He might not approve of it, but I know that scene made him feel something deep. 

I moved to the closet in the room— I had already arranged my clothes there the day before— and I picked a simple denim skirt and shorts for the day. I walked out of the room after getting dressed and found my way to the lab immediately. 

The lab went quiet the moment I walked in. It wasn’t really obvious and dramatic, just a subtle shift. The conversations going on didn’t stop but they dipped, like someone lowered the volume on the room the moment I walked through the door. 

Sofia glanced up from her station with a neutral and sharp expression and Caleb gave me a quick and amusing smile like whatever was about to happen in the lab this morning was about to be entertaining. The rest of the crew didn’t even bother to stare stylishly, they just looked at me like I was some sort of ghost. 

I shifted my gaze and looked ahead. He was standing right there without even sparing me a glance and that made my throat tightened. I shifted away from the doorway I was leaning on and walked into the lab slowly. “Good morning”, I greeted but no one responded. 

“Nice”, I muttered as I moved closer into the room holding my sweaty palms together. “Looks like it’s going to be hard in here”, I thought because what mattered to me at that moment wasn't what they said, it was what they didn’t bother to hide. 

“Ivy”, Matthias finally called my name maybe because my presence in the room cannot be dismissed now. “Matthias”, I replied as I turned towards him slowly with a smile on my face. His face flickered to me— quick, assessing and calculating— and it flickered back just as quickly as it came. 

“Storage room three”, he said, already looking at the tablet in his hand. “The sample inventory is behind. What you have to do is organize and cross check everything manually”, he said, stressing the manually intentionally and keeping his tone professional. “What?” I almost screamed but I composed myself. “Is that where you think I belong?” I asked. 

He shifted his gaze from his tablet and stared at me for the longest minute since I entered this lab. “This is where you start”, he said silently but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear and about two people shifted just to show that they were listening and are aware of whatever is going on. 

“Fine”, I muttered. “Let’s see how I do”, I added as I turned back even before he could respond. The walk to the storage room was faster than I imagined and as I entered the room, I was greeted with the smell of dust and metal. A proof that they haven’t used the room in a while. 

I stared at the dusty shelves, tables and chairs filled with labelled containers, stacks of labelled files, and sealed samples. I pulled out a rag from my bag and dusted a chair and table with it before dropping my bag. He must have thought I would screw this up and that is why he sent me here to do manual logging in this dusty and dirty room. 

A sharp and controlled laughter escaped my throat as I stared at the stacked files and the memories of my eighteen year old self standing in front of him with everything I felt was right flooded my head. 

“You’ll understand someday”. 

That word hit hard like he had just said it to me a few minutes ago but then, what can humans do?

I exhaled slowly as I took my seat on the chair I had dusted earlier and I picked the first sample. At first, I just handled everything the way I felt was right. I didn’t care about the numbers or the codes on the file. I just wanted to be done and get out of here . 

But just a few minutes in, I slowed down because something caught my attention. Some of the labels on the containers were different from the records that they have in the logbook. I picked up another container and checked again. It was the same issue or maybe a problem. 

“Seriously?”, I frowned as I stared at the records in front of me. The room became more quiet now as I got more focused and made corrections to any mistake I found in the log books while making sure I left hints that I just corrected them. 

“Watch me prove to you that I am capable of being here”. 

“Why are all the files scattered all over the place? The voice came behind me and I didn’t stop or turn to look at her because I heard her footsteps when she entered the room. “The person that organized this must have assumed that it is accurate even when it is not”. I said as I raised up the container in my hand and the log book I was working on before she came in. 

Her eyebrows raised slightly as she moved closer and picked up one of the sheets staring like she was trying to dispute what I just said. After staring for about two long minutes, she dropped the sheets and nodded her head slightly. 

“Have you done this before?” she asked. 

“No. I have never worked in a lab all my life”. I shrugged slightly. “That’s nice…. Well done”, she said as if she was exhausting the whole of her strength to say the last part. Her lips twitched slightly as she turned and walked out of the room. I watched her go for a second and then I focused back to work. 

I have spent almost the whole reviewing and correcting the errors from the logs in this storage room and I must say, I am exhausted. “Hmmmm”, I moaned as I stretched on the chair tiredly. The door to the room opened almost immediately and Matthias walked in. 

He didn’t say a word to me and I didn’t say anything either. Instead, he walked to the table and reached out to one of the labelled containers and the sheets beside it. He checked it and then he picked another till he checked all the work I have corrected since I got here. Silence stretched between us as he checked it and I couldn’t stop the smile that was forming on my face because I was so sure I have done well and I can’t wait to get my well done from him. 

But who was I kidding because what he said next made me squeeze my face. “Fix the rest”, that was all he said as he dropped the container and moved away from the table. “Is that all you have to say?”, I asked, standing behind him. “I know you didn’t expect me to do it right”. I added and he stopped briefly. 

“I expected you to do what will make your history better”, he replied and my chest tightened. “I have a lot of work ahead of me Ivy and I won’t let you be a distraction”, he added. 

“Really?”, I chuckled. “But Violet is obviously allowed to be a distraction”, I fired back before I could stop myself. 

“You’re not worth my attention. You are nothing but a kid that needs to sit her ass down and suck her thumb”, he replied and walked out of the room as fast as he came. 

I am alone in the room now but what Matthias just said was clinging onto me. “A kid”, I scoffed angrily as I tried all I could to hold back the tears that were forming in my eyes. “He is not worth my tears”, I said silently as I sat down on the chair. 

As I sat down on the chair, staring at the scattered sheets and containers on the table and the floor, only one thought came to mind. 

Matthias didn’t look at me like I was a problem, he looked at me like I was something that was never included in his plan.