THE MOMENT
"Great...," Amber sighed after glancing at her wrist. "Like I needed more unknowns to deal with today," she grumbled to herself as she climbed out of bed. She did not have time to dwell on what a negative ten might mean. It did surprise her a bit that she did not already know what it meant.
When Amber first noticed the numbers on her wrist, she had an innate understanding of what they meant. Zero meant it would be a carefree day for her; ten meant certain death. Luckily the highest number she ever saw was a seven when she caught pneumonia. Upon seeing a '-10' on her wrist, Amber's mind blanked out on its meaning.
Amber spent her morning routine with her mind on the day ahead and did not spend much time thinking about the number. She felt today was the most important day of her life and needed to stay focused. She was interviewing with the most prestigious company in the world; if she landed the job, the rest of her life would be as carefree as her zero days.
Three hours later, Amber walked into Dana Sharp's office ready to make her dreams come true. The negative ten on her wrist wasn't out of her mind completely. She checked it several times throughout the morning.
Amber learned early on that her ability was more of an active notification than a plan for the day. She'd had days go from zero to five for no reason that was obvious to her. But, the negative ten remained up until the moment Dana's assistant called Amber in and took her attention off it.
"Ms. Hawthorn, thank you for coming in," Dana Sharp stood from her seat and offered Amber a handshake across her desk. The room was a bright, almost ethereal white. The desk appeared to be made out of white glass. Amber sat in a white leather chair and smiled.
"Thank you for this opportunity, Ms. Sharp," Amber said.
"I trust you'll make the best of it," Dana replied. "How soon can you start?"
"The day after you hire me," Amber was quick to respond. The question seemed an odd first question for an interview, but she walked into the meeting determined not to let Dana see her falter. Dana Sharp was easily the most powerful person in the world. Her company, Sharp Development led the field in most major industries. She was a powerful lobbyist that essentially forced world peace by controlling the world's economy. Amber had a lot to live up to, but she was determined to follow in her idol's footsteps.
"Ms. Hawthorn, you are the person I've chosen to fill the position. This isn't an interview as much as a formal welcome." Amber's burning determination to appear strong in front of Ms. Sharp is the only thing that kept her conscious at that moment. She felt her legs wobble and felt glad she was seated.
"As such...," Ms. Sharp pulled a clipboard out from her desk. "...let's address the formalities." She handed Amber the clipboard with a pen.
"I'm required to inform you that signing those papers gives me, and Sharp Development, ownership of your soul." Amber lifted her pen after the first stroke.
"My soul?" she asked. "What.. like just, 'I'm willing to sell my soul to work here' type of commitment?" Dana Sharp shook her head with a smile.
"Oh no, please don't misunderstand. I mean your actual, immortal soul. I own the soul of all my employees," she said. "Not to mention everyone who uses our products. I actually do own your soul already," Ms. Sharp said. "But, this contract supersedes that one; and, it's considerably better for your soul in the long term. The employee version of Heaven is quite an upgrade over the standard version."
Amber's mind raced. She trusted Dana Sharp completely and somehow knew she wasn't lying. Amber whole-heartedly believed in her ability to reach Dana's heights of success. But, this was something else entirely. Dana Sharp not only shaped the world; she upgraded Heaven. It was a gap that Amber now knew she could never cross. But that didn't mean she couldn't learn anything from Dana. And, from what she said, Dana already owned her soul. Amber could only benefit from signing her name; she did. She signed several forms without reading them, then returned the clipboard.
"Now, let's discuss your placement," Dana said. "It's not common knowledge here; but, Sharp Development is actually a Multiversal Corporation. I have at least a minimal presence on tens of thousands of alternate Earths. What type of Earth would you like to live and work on."
Amber was not prepared to learn that Dana Sharp somehow created her own Heaven but she took it in stride. She avoided wasting time on things she couldn't comprehend until she needed to. But, Dana also had access to thousands of alternate Earths. Not only was Dana Sharp the most powerful person on Earth, Amber was starting to feel that Dana was the most powerful person in the universe. In thousands of universes.
"Are you.... ," Amber paused to consider whether she was actually going to ask her question. She glanced around the white room, then looked back at Dana. "... are you GOD?" she asked. For the rest of her life, Amber would fondly remember the day she made Dana Sharp laugh.
"Of course not," Dana replied with a broad, ear to ear smile. "Not the one you're thinking of at any rate. Although, that did give me an idea of where to put you. There is a project I'm working on that you might find interesting."
"I'll take it!" Amber said. She initially wanted to find out more about the other Earths, but she knew she would have time for that later. If Ms. Sharp thought she would be a good fit somewhere, Amber was ready to make herself fit.
"Wonderful. That's all for today, On your way out, Melody will set up a meeting time with you."
"Thank you, Ms. Sharp!" Amber said. She stood from her seat and half-curtsied to Ms. Sharp, who did not stand. As Amber headed toward the door, she glanced at her wrist. The '-10' was gone and replaced by a '0'.
"Well, whatever it was, it wasn't important," Amber said to herself. "Carefree from here on out."