The Valiant Trilogy

The elevator rises higher until the bright red numbers stop on eighteen. I take a deep breath and, in my head, recite my thirty-second pitch describing why I'd be a great Valiant Industries employee if given the chance.You got this, Mackenzie."Interview of a lifetime" does not do enough to foreshadow the next hour of my life. A job in the marketing department at one of the world's largest firms would change my entire future.The doors slide open and Greg, the assistant who greeted me in the building lobby, leads us down a long hallway to a glass room. There isn't a solid wall in it, making the room appear as if it's a greenhouse built in the middle of the sizable building. From my vantage point in the hallway I can see across the room and out the next set of windows, which overlook downtown Lansing. Inside sits a giant table, big enough to fit thirty people. It takes up most of the space. The rest is eaten up by oversized leather chairs with equal amounts of space between each

"You're hired. Just like that?" my roommate and best friend for the last six years asks as she sits on our cheap microfiber couch, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. She's not the only one shocked."Yes!" I throw my hands in the air because this is at least the third time we've gone over it. I don't believe it any more than she does.Ashley leans back against the couch in our shared apartment, wrapping a piece of her brunette hair around her index finger. "Wow.""Wow, indeed." I pick back up the pacing she interrupted with her question.Her light blue eyes, the exact opposite of my green ones, stare out into our back patio past the large sliding glass doors. "That must have been hot. A man getting all bossy and giving you a job.""Ashley!" Has she missed everything I've said for the last thirty minutes?She shakes her head, clearing out whatever daydream she's imagining. "I wish I could've been there. I bet that pissed you off." She chuckles to herself, almost as if I'm n

The town car pulls out of my apartment parking lot and cuts through traffic onto one of the busiest roads in our town. Ashley and I chose this place not only because the rent was cheap but because it was a quick jaunt to both of our schools. Each of us had one road and one turn to take. It made getting to work today super easy. Not like I could get lost."Why did Mr. Valiant send you to pick me up this morning?" I ask the driver after we've gone five minutes without speaking and he doesn't turn on any music.His eyes make contact in the rearview mirror. "He doesn't like his assistants to be late. Mr. Valiant is very particular about schedules."Obviously. I settle back in the seat, staring out the window as the houses filter by on either side of the road. I've never understood why rich people build giant houses feet from busy roads, but I guess when real estate is tight, you do what you must.Like send your brand-new assistant a car service. I can't decide if it's a thoughtful

I open every single drawer in the desk, searching for somewhere he may have left directions on what he wants for lunch, but I already know they don't hold my answers. Two minutes go by as I search for the solution to my needs. A magic lunch fairy. Something. After coming back empty-handed, I gather the courage to enter his office and take my tiny stack of Post-it notes and pen to his door.I knock and the door opens. Valiant sits behind his desk with his suit coat open to show the white shirt he wears underneath. He lounges in his chair behind a large oak desk, its top empty except for a computer monitor."Mr. Valiant, is there anything in particular you want for lunch?" I ask, ready to write down anything he tells me. The man could ask for a calamari sandwich with ketchup on the side and I'd figure out a way to deliver.He looks up and his face is full of anger and annoyance. His lips pinch together in a straight line and his eyebrows furrow. "You haven't ordered already?""No

Holy shit.Ashley screams, sitting on top of the other woman, with her legs wrapped around her middle. Her head pulls to the side as the woman beneath her rips out chunks of her hair."Ashley!" I yell, running full force at her even in my heels.Her head cocks up, and she pauses for a second as if she's realized where she is when she spots me. I latch on to her shoulder as she backs off the woman and stands next to me."What are you doing? Come on, Ash." I pull her into the townhouse as the naked person in our yard continues to scream obscenities at both of us. I close the door, but it doesn't block out the sound.More than one neighbor convened on the sidewalk watching the show, so it's only a matter of time before the police come, but at least Ashley and I are safe. I leave my briefcase and small purse in the entryway and follow Ashley to the kitchen."I can't believe him," she says, slamming her fist on the cheap countertop of the kitchen island.The front door opens a