Kay should have known the moment Stanley spoke the words, the universe was listening. And it wasn't done messing with her yet.

The first day she had a ready made excuse. This shift from a mostly stationary lifestyle to lifting thirty pound sacks of meal-worms to feed a horde of pixies was still kicking her butt. She hadn't felt this beat since that triathlon she attempted her sophomore year of college. Piled on top of her physical exhaustion was the emotional one- two punch of her encounter with the Jerk. Just thinking about it set her teeth grinding to the point where Jess dropped her chopsticks and told her to knock it off because the sound freaked her out.

So when the next morning rolled around, Kay 'called in sick', a lie she didn't have to work hard to convince Jess, who peered down at her in concern.

"You did seem really quiet last night," said Jess. She pulled on her lip as she mulled it over and Kay couldn't banish the sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. "Maybe I should call out of work too, we can play hooky together."

"No, you shouldn't have to miss work over me. I'll be fine. I'm just gonna sleep and maybe eat soup," said Kay. That was mostly true but Jess kept gnawing on her lip.

"I know, I just thought, well...would it be so terrible to spend the day with me?" She huffed a small laugh that made Kay's chest go tight. "I mean, I know you're here every night, but I feel, I don't know, you've been so quiet lately. All the time."

The urge to blurt out her encounter with the Jerk seized her. Kay bit the inside of her cheek hard to keep from doing just that. Because if she let that one little tidbit slip, the questions would start and Jess knew her too well. She had been quiet for too long. There was a tightness around Jess's eyes that made her feel like complete trash.

"Let's watch a movie tonight," said Kay. "Just you and me. If you don't want to go out we can Redbox it and eat egg drop soup from that little Chinese noodle hut at the end of the road."

The tightness lessened but it remained, a wariness that touched her smile. "It's a date," said Jess. She ruffled Kay's hair and tucked her in, something not even Kay's stepmother did, and headed for the door. "Get some rest. You look like hot garbage."

"Flatterer," said Kay.

She kept the grin on her face until the door closed behind Jess. Kay flopped onto her back, an arm flung up over her head. Jess mostly left questions about work alone, but after literal months of sharing everything about their day to day lives, there was a not so subtle rift growing between them. The worst part was Kay didn't know how the heck to address it, or fix it and it was obvious the silence was worse. Jess looked so brittle during their conversation. Kay hadn't really had a good conversation with Jess since she started the job. Sure they'd talked about the pressures Jess was under at work, but every time the conversation steered her way, Kay shut down, even if their conversation truly had nothing to do with Fantasy Land Inc. Internally she was panicking, afraid she would slip up somehow and make a reference she shouldn't, since truly, she didn't have much of a life outside of work but her sudden silence had to be giving Jess a complex.

Kay sighed in disgust with herself. There had to be a better way to handle the company gag order than shutting out her best friend. Hell, the Jerk managed to date her for years without letting so much as the name drop, nevermind a clue about his actual job. Now she wondered how the hell he had managed that. Why had she never pressed him for more details? Why was she so content with the vague descriptions of his work life, or that he never took her to company functions? Retreading the years of their relationship, she realized the Jerk must have started working at Fantasy Land Inc at least two years ago, when he'd passed his bar exam. Not that he talked much about his work life before then either. If Kay was honest with herself, he didn't talk much period. She tried to recall the last meaningful conversation she had with the Jerk and came up against a blank wall.

Sometime after Kay graduated, they fell into that a day to day pattern of not talking, of scheduled intimacy, where they treasured their alone time more than their time together. They would both get up to the same alarm, maybe mumble a half-hearted good morning to one another as they went through the morning routine of shower, coffee, reading the news, that ended in a quick peck, cheek to cheek like departing acquaintances.

It was more of the same in the evening, where they would come home, eat dinner and watch television together, not even chatting between commercials. On weekends, he would go out with friends or visit family, play golf, go to the bar and Kay would stay home and read, content to be alone.

A hot tear slid along her temple, into her hairline, where it gelled in her thick curls. She didn't remember falling out of love with Matt, but it happened. She knew it did. Because she didn't feel the bone deep ache she should have from a break up. Her life was upended, her routine disrupted and her safety net was gone, but there was a lack of hurt, of love lost, and despite the suddenness of their break up, maybe what happened was the excuse the Jerk was waiting for to end things.

Did that make him the bigger coward or did it make Kay for pushing him to that point. For settling into the routine, because it was safe.

When Matt entered her life, Kay was still reeling from the fallout of She Who Must Not Be Named. A relationship with Matt was effortless. So effortless, neither of them bothered to put any effort into it.

Kay wished she hadn't dismissed Jess's offer to stay home so quickly. She could have used a girlfriend right now.

However, her personal revelations left her more exhausted than she expected, as she sank into a restless doze. She woke up sweaty and disoriented to tinny sounds of T-Swift's 'Shake it Off' blaring from her phone. Kay groaned as she patted around the couch for it. Jess had changed her ringtone again. Awkward as things were turning between them, she was grateful her roomie still stooped to little pranks. It gave Kay hope her muck ups were reversible.

If she wasn't so groggy, she would've remembered to check the caller ID before answering.

"Hello?"

"Kay?"

She jerked so hard at the sound of her stepmother's voice she fell off the couch with an audible thud.

"Kay hun, you still there? Are you okay?"

Kay managed to fumble the phone back to her ear. "Fine, I'm fine."

"Surprised you picked up the phone. I just planned to leave a message since you're supposed to be at work."

"Called out sick," said Kay, feeling a cold sweat bead on her brow. She hadn't trusted herself to hold a full conversation with her family, they knew her too well. Instead she'd chickened out and left a brief voice message that she landed a job and that she was very busy learning the ropes. That had been nearly two weeks ago, but it should have staved off questions a bit longer. Sadly her parents were used to sporadic updates since she'd moved in with Matt, and she'd mostly avoided them during her desperate job search, so why was Lisa calling her now?

A jolt of unease chased the ghost of grogginess from her system as she clambered back onto the couch. "Is Dad okay? Everything alright with the twins?"

"Oh sweetheart they're fine! What do you mean you're sick? Sick with what? Isn't it a little soon to call out on the new job?" The last part was a well meaning jab born from worry but it made Kay's face pinch.

"No, I'm fine, mum, just really worn down. My boss said it was fine to take the day."

"Oh good, it's nothing contagious then?"

"No, nothing so serious. I'll be back to work tomorrow, no problem," Kay lied through her teeth. She had no idea if the clean up team would be done by then but she couldn't very well tell her stepmom the details.

"Then you're free tonight," said Lisa.

"Wait, what?" Kay's heart started to pound. She'd fallen right into the trap.

"Your father and I are passing through your area on the way to drop Liam and Eric off at college. The boys want to see their big sister before the semester sets in," said Lisa. "And frankly, we miss you too, sweetheart."

Holy hell, her baby brothers were going off to college. Guilt pinched her hard between the shoulders as she realized she hadn't been home since their 18th birthday nearly a year ago. Then, Lisa's words registered. "Passing through here? Isn't it a little out of the way?"

"Only a few hours. Worth it to come see you," said Lisa. "We'll treat you to dinner and you can catch us up on all the deets of your new job."

Kay's pulse pounded in her ears. Lying to Jess was hard. It made her feel awful. Lying to her parents? To their faces? She broke down and confessed to stealing the twins's Halloween candy when she was ten because the pressure was too much. The cell slid in her suddenly sweat slicked palm. In the painful grip of panic, she said something she instantly regretted. "I can't I have plans."

She winced at the soft intake of air on the other end of the line.

"Is it something you can reschedule? It's only for a night Kay, and we haven't seen you in months."

Jess would have backed off. She would have been visibly hurt by the dismissal but she wouldn't have pressed. Her stepmother, however, would push if she deemed it necessary and honestly, Kay couldn't blame her since she was lying through her teeth.

"I'm sorry, it's work related," she said. "That's why my boss was so willing to let me take the day off." She banged a fist against her forehead. That excuse sounded absolutely lame to her ears.

Lisa sighed. "Well, we are probably spending the night. The boys don't have to be there until Friday, so how about tomorrow evening, after you get out of work?"

Kay froze, cursing inside her head. She couldn't fob off another excuse though the urge to decline the invitation was strong. She swallowed hard. "Okay."

"Good," said Lisa, with a smug satisfaction in her voice that made Kay's eye twitch. "Want us to swing by and pick you up at work?"

"No! I mean, no, it's fine." Kay's jaw clenched, hoping her stepmom hadn't picked up on her vehement refusal. She didn't want her parents within a mile of Fantasy Land Inc.

"You sure? Jess said something about your Chevy sitting in the lot," said Lisa.

That traitor! All her guilt for shutting Jess out temporarily vanished at the knowledge her roomie was narcing on Kay to her folks.

"It's fine, mum. My insurance lapsed, is all. I take the bus, and I'd want to get home to shower and change anyway," said Kay. Technically she showered at work, since she didn't want to take the bus with pixie snot and other various creatures bodily fluids clinging to her hair, but sometimes, she needed that second shower when she got home too. The statement had enough of a grain of truth in it that her stepmom didn't press for more.

"Okay, I'll let you get some rest. Can't wait to see you tomorrow Kay," said Lisa. There was a note of sincerity that made moisture prick at the back of her eyes.

"Bye Mum, and make sure Dad takes driving breaks," said Kay. The call cut off with Lisa's chuckle. Kay blew out a breath and flopped back on the couch.

How the hell was she going to survive down time with Jess and her family back to back? Guilt at avoiding and distancing herself from Jess was already roiling in her gut, but trying to fob off questions about her life from her own family she hadn't seen in months?

Kay shoved her pillow over her face and let a few muffled screams fly. Once she was gasping for breath, she hugged the pillow to her chest and tried to plan her next course of action.

Okay. She gnawed on her lip. Okay. She could do this. If the Jerk could do this to her for years, then she could manage two nights....

Her thoughts stuttered. You could ask him for advice.

"Nope, that is an absolutely terrible idea," she said out loud to the insidious little voice in her head that had the audacity to suggest further contact with that total assh---

You need that total assholery for the next two nights.

"Ugh," said Kay. No, she couldn't pull a full blown stunt and treat her bestie and family like, well, the Jerk. But, she could possibly get a couple tips.

"This is the worst plan ever," said Kay as she gracelessly rolled off the couch and slid on a mostly clean pair of jeans. She silently debated the merits and pitfalls of her plan as she rode the bus to the warehouse district, hoping she could be in and out with enough time to beat Jess home. It had to be close to noon now, so she had about five hours to get in, talk to the Jerk, and return with her roomie none the wiser. Provided he didn't make her wait for four hours she should have plenty of time, but after he cleared her out of his life in the course of an afternoon she wouldn't put anything past him.

Kay was still kicking herself when she finally reached the front gate guard station, though she was surprised to find the front window shuttered with metal slats.

"Huh, that's weird, they must be between shifts." She leaned against the side of the small building. Maybe Tyson was off helping serve lunch in the cafeteria, though she was surprised there wasn't another guard on duty. It wasn't like the gates were unlocked to let just anyone in off the street.

There was a soft prickle at the back of her neck, as subtle as a breath, that sent a shiver through her. She glanced around, though her back was to solid concrete, before her gaze settled on the gate that closed off the short walkway to the front door.

The gate was ajar.

Kay's eyebrows shot up. Her gaze turned furtive. This had to be some sort of test. Except, how would they even know she was coming? It was possible Tyson bugged her cell, she wouldn't past it Fantasy Land Inc to do so to their employees, but the conversations she had this morning gave no indication she intended to drop by the building. Maybe they tracked her GPS, just like Jess? But why test her at all? Was she just being paranoid. Probably.

She shifted back and forth on her feet, caught in a moment of indecision.

"Dammit," Kay muttered as she pushed the gate further open. She slid inside but took a moment to firmly shut it behind her, both satisfied and puzzled by the click of the locking mechanism. Had someone really been that careless to leave the gate unlocked? It made her wonder exactly how thorough their security was at such a slip up as she scurried to the front door.

The chromatic lobby was empty as usual. Kay didn't know what she'd expected. It wasn't like she'd find it overrun with pixies or surly dragons. Stanley took the time to explain a few of the safeguards Fantasy Land Inc employed in the event their unwilling residents managed to break the Grid. Though it sounded more like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign than company protocol, Kay had a rough understanding of the system of magical levees put in place to contain the denizens. Stanley assured her that first encounter with the 'loose pixie' was a carefully monitored and completely manufactured component of the exam.

She wondered where Stanley was now, or if they'd managed to contain the pillaging gnomes. Kay itched to check in on them, but she had a mission in mind and besides, she wasn't supposed to be here today.

Trying to force a little steel in her spine, she punched the elevator button and patiently waited for the car to arrive at the lobby. It had to be up on one of the upper floors, as it seemed to take forever to descend. Kay nearly lost her nerve twice, and practically flung herself through the sliding doors when they finally opened. She smacked the button for the fifteenth floor and leaned back against the metal rail with a sigh of relief.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," she muttered, "You haven't even made it to his office yet."

She would conquer that hill when she got to it. The pit of her stomach pulled down as the call began to ascend. Kay mentally recited how she planned to get past the Jerk's assistant, aside from punching her in the face, as her gaze watched the slow crawl of numbers.

The light had ticked over to the fourth floor when the elevator heaved beneath her feet.

Kay yelped and grabbed the support bar in an iron grip as the elevator car suddenly bucked like a startled horse. A spike of dread seized her around the throat as she stared at the flickering number four.

No electronics worked below the fifth floor.

The elevator was a simple mechanism, which is why it normally got a pass, but as Kay watched the light flicker and short, she knew she was going down.

The fluorescent light overhead cut out with a snap, plunging the car into darkness. That alone would have made her scream, but Kay lost her chance as the car dropped in complete freefall.

There was no time to panic. No breath to scream. Gravity whipped her toward the ceiling while Kay clung to the support bar for all she was worth.

Three short scattered thoughts stole through the soundless scream bouncing through her skull.

She was about to die.

On her damn day off.

They hadn't paid her yet.

The car stopped falling.

Kay 'oofed' as she slammed back down against the wall and ground of the car with a bruising impact. Her hip throbbed. The light flickered back on above her.

She stared up at it, incredulous, as the door dinged. There was that sensation again, of cool breath down the back of her neck.

"Uh oh," said Kay. The doors slid open to reveal the fifth floor of the grid.