Serenah spent all school day stressing over the internship later that afternoon. She could only hope that Romeo's father would put her, Amanah, and Alastar in the same department. She didn't think she could stomach another punishment from her father for failing to accomplish at least that much. Romeo kept trying to distract her with his touches and cuddles. Any other time it would have worked. But not today. Today she was too wound up to appreciate his thoughtfulness.
Her mark gently pulsed with his worry for her. She allowed herself a small smile at his concern. Sometimes it felt like he was the only one who truly gave a damn about her.
She managed to corral her thoughts on the drive to the law firm. She and Al went inside. To her amazement, Amanah got there on time. They were ushered to a conference room and introduced to Jackson, the head of the screening department. He was a short, African-American man with a calm aura. Serenah instantly relaxed in his presence. This man would never hurt her. She sensed a firmness in him that spoke of someone used to getting things done.
She shook her head and focused on Mr. Lancaster's words.
"Al, Sera, and Amy. You will be working in his department today. Jackson will assign you to your mentors once you get there. I trust there will be no problems today?" Mr. Lancaster looked in Amanah's direction.
Serenah prayed her sister would behave. She seriously didn't want to lose this internship.
Amanah grinned and sweetly replied, "No problems. Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Lancaster."
"You are all dismissed. I'll see you later at the debriefing meeting."
Mr. Lancaster left and Serenah let out a relieved breath. Amanah was behaving. Romeo stood and so did everyone else.
Jackson moved to the door. "Follow me please." He opened the door and took the lead.
Romeo held Serenah's hand as they went to the screening department. She smiled at him. The warmth of his hand comforted her. Perhaps today would be a peaceful one.
They followed Jackson to the screening department and were warmly greeted by his crew of six.
"Hey, Boss, these the newcomers?" asked a petite blonde from her seat in the far left corner.
"Yes, Jade. Let me introduce them to you." Jackson pointed at each of them in turn as he called out their names. "This is Al, Amy, and Sera. Amy and Sera are fraternal twins."
Out of the corner of her eye, Serenah saw Amanah frown at Jackson's introduction. She didn't want people to know they were family. Serenah felt a stab of hurt and then anger. When would she stop caring about her family's attitude toward her?
"Now that everyone has been introduced. I'm going to pair you up with a mentor. Al, you're with Matt." Jackson pointed to a tall, lean spiky black-haired guy near the window.
"Yo," Matt said and waved Alaster over.
"Amy, you will be working with Jade."
"What about my sister? Isn't she going to work with me?" Amanah asked, her expression worried.
Serenah tensed. Amanah was playing games. She wanted to test her luck and see if she could get the humans to do her bidding. She had failed with Mr. Lancaster and thought she would succeed with his staff. Serenah didn't think it was such a good idea but she said nothing, squeezing Romeo's hand tightly in her distress.
Jackson calmly studied Amanah. "No, just because you're family doesn't mean you have to work together. And, technically, you are together in the same department. Just with different mentors. I like to divvy up the work that way more gets done."
Amanah opened her mouth to object but Jade interrupted by grabbing her hand. "C'mon, girl, times a'wastin!"
Serenah stared in shock at Jade's actions. She hadn't seen her sister being manhandled before by someone shorter than her. It was kind of funny. She didn't laugh at Amanah's disgruntled look. That would spell disaster at home.
"Sera and Romeo, you are with me," Jackson stated and gestured for them to follow him.
Nervousness filled Serenah. Was Jackson going to take them to a different room? She had to at least be in the same vicinity as her twin or suffer her father's wrath at home.
"It's okay, Sera," Romeo whispered in her ear as he caressed her fingers. "We're only going there." He pointed to the office that faced the room.
She let out a shaky breath and fought to calm her nerves. She would be able to see her sister but not have to deal with her. Some of her tension eased at the thought. She nodded and followed Romeo into Jackson's office.
"Please have a seat."
She sat, her gaze on Jackson. Both he and Romeo sat after Jackson closed the door.
"Sera, I've heard a lot about you from my boss and from Romeo. They tell me you are a hard worker and diligent in completing all assigned tasks on time."
Serenah blushed at Jackson's praise. Often her efforts were mocked or ignored. It felt good to be acknowledged.
"Thank you," she said quietly. She played with her fingers, her anxiety once again rising. People didn't say nice things to her without expecting something.
"I was also told that at the request of your parent that you and your sister be assigned to the same department. I believe each intern should be given jobs best suited to them. I'm going to have you and Romeo use the conference room next to us to do some special tasks that will allow your abilities to shine."
Her mind was in a tizzy. She had not expected this gift. Her chest felt tight with so many emotions. She managed to nod that she understood. Jackson's smile was a balm to her frayed nerves.
"Okay, let me explain what you need to do and then you two can get to work."
He grinned and Serenah did, too. She was excited to be in this department with this kind, yet astute, human.
Ten minutes later, Jackson released them and they headed to the conference room.
"Where are you going?"
Serenah froze at her sister's waspish tone. She trembled, fear rising. She turned and gasped, backing up a step. Amanah's glare filled Serenah's veins with ice. This was bad. Her sister was working her way toward a fit.
"I was going to the conference room to do my assignment," she mumbled.
"What!" screeched Amanah. "If you're going in there, so am I!"
Despair rose in Serenah's heart. She hoped to spend the remaining two hours of her shift free of her sibling. It didn't look like she was going to get her wish.
"You're not invited," Romeo snapped. "Your job is out here and ours is in there."
Amanah took a threatening step toward Serenah. Serenah couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her lips as her sister's fury washed over her. She was so in trouble. Father was going to beat her again. She could feel it.
"What is going on here?"
The tension was broken by Jackson's entrance.
Amanah pointed a finger at Serenah. "My sister was going somewhere other than this room."
"So?" Jackson tilted his head and pointedly stared Amanah down.
Amanah looked away with a huff. "We're supposed to stay together," she whined.
"Sorry, that's not how I run my department. If you have a problem with it, you can quit the internship."
Amanah crossed her arms. "This isn't over," she hissed and stomped back to her seat.
Romeo gently guided Serenah into the conference room. She didn't realize she was trembling until he wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her tightly and she listened to the steady thump of his heart and tried to calm down.
"It's okay," he whispered as he placed his chin on top of her head.
No, it wasn't okay. Her sister would make sure of that. She startled when Romeo's hand caressed her cheek and she felt wetness. She blinked. She was crying.
"Go ahead, let it out," he told her, stroking her hair while she cried.
"I'm so in trouble when I go home," she whimpered, anxiety overwhelming her. She still hadn't recovered from the beating a few days ago.
"My dad will call your dad and explain the arrangement that will be in place from today onward. If he doesn't like it, we will make sure that everyone knows what he demanded. I'm sure your father is careful of any smears against his image. He should back off when he hears what my father has to say."
Serenah wasn't positive anyone could make her father back down. Amanah would make sure that their father found some way to punish her. It wouldn't matter that it wasn't her fault nor that she had done as ordered. She couldn't control other people's decisions. Not that her father cared. He would blame her regardless of the truth.
"Come on, let's work. That should take your mind off things," Romeo offered.
Serenah nodded and sat. After a quick explanation from Romeo, she settled in to do her work, her worries momentarily forgotten.