Felix fanned himself with his manila folder as he stood in the elevator, sweat beading on his forehead. His barely-work-appropriate outfit was beginning to stick to his body, sealing with the moisture forming on his skin. The hot days of May had begun, and the building's AC unit either wasn't prepared, or didn't care enough to help out.

By the time the elevator reached Felix's floor, he was breathing heavily, launching from the heated metal box with joy. Though it wasn't much better outside of the elevator, it was still cooler, and that's all that Felix needed. His arm hurt from fanning himself, but he ignored it, trying desperately to cool himself down.

Rather than walk with purpose or in a business-like fashion, Felix trudged to his desk, not daring to move too much at a time in fear of heating himself up more. His shoes shuffled against the old, gray carpet, dragging along as he took heavy, labored steps.

The moment he reached his cubicle, Felix tossed his stuff to the floor, collapsing in his chair. He diverted every bit of attention and energy he had to fanning himself, his shirt now sticking to his skin completely. He groaned in discomfort, peeling the shirt off his skin with a wet THWIP before letting it reattach.

"I wish this company would invest in a goddamn AC system," Felix muttered.

That's when Felix noticed how quiet it was. Typically there was a quiet murmuring at all points during the day, usually from a couple different conversations being whispered over cubicle walls. But it was deathly silent, not a single word floating through the air.

Felix slowly stood up, resuming his fanning as he glanced over the cubicle walls. He couldn't spot anyone in their small offices, all desks void of any human life, save for the occasional open lunchbox or lit up monitor. Felix slowly crept out of his cubicle, now getting nervous.

Then he heard it. A very faint, barely audible noise. Felix had to strain to hear it, its volume growing and then shrinking without pattern. Moving around the office like a detective scanning for clues, Felix moved towards the noise, which slowly led him to the closed break room door.

Felix considered knocking for a moment before shaking the thought aside, placing his hand firmly on the door knob. He slowly turned it, gently pushing the door open. He peeked his head in, furrowing his eyebrows.

Everyone who was supposed to be at work that day, Jasmine included, was crowded around the break room table, focusing on a small object in front of them. When Felix owned the door, their gazes lifted, several dozen eyes landing on Felix. He froze, his eyes traveling over each of them.

"Well if it isn't the man of the hour!" One of the older gentlemen said, gesturing towards Felix. Felix glanced out the door behind him, as if there was someone else the gentleman was referring to.

"We were just watching these nifty videos of you," An older woman said, smiling. "You're quite the musician!"

"Thanks," Felix's eyes drifted to Jasmine, who sat directly in the center of the crowd. "Why are you all watching those videos?"

"Jasmine told us you were in a bunch of videos, so we asked her to show us," the older gentleman said.

"You're very good," Jerry jumped in.

"We were just watching the one of you playing Rush E," Jasmine commented, turning around the phone for Felix to see. Felix stepped into the room, leaning in to see the screen better.

Sure enough, there Felix was, emerging from the house with a violin in hand. The camera switched to Shane, Marc, and Luther, who all looked confused. Felix continued to play the song, then stopped. He suddenly started up again, more intense than before. Their expressions changed from confused to shocked as they glanced at one another.

Then Luther was ripped away. Marc and Shane looked spooked, but Felix looked determined. He made a dramatic gesture, and suddenly Marc went flying into the water. Shane was now terrified, shaking his head in disbelief at Felix. The song grew louder, crescendoing as it went on. Then there was a final dramatic move, and Shane flew into the water.

"I thought Rush E was supposed to be very hard," Jerry said. "The fact that you played it is stunning."

"Why, because you think he's not a good player?" Jasmine shot. Jerry's eyes widened, and he shook his head fervently.

"No! I meant cause it's really hard, so like if anyone plays it it's awesome, but Felix playing it-"

"Is more amazing because you wouldn't expect him to?"

"No! Well, I mean, kinda, but-"

"What do you all think of the videos?" Felix cut Jerry off, tired of him stumbling over his words and Jasmine baiting him.

"Oh, it was quite wonderful," the older woman said, smiling warmly. "It's always good to see younger kids play classical instruments."

"Yeah, and you clearly know how to handle that thing," the gentleman said. "Why are you working here when you could be a musician?"

Felix's chest expanded with the light feeling of pride. A small, uncontrollable smile broke out on his face, and he gazed at the ground, heat seeping into his face.

"I need a steady income, and I'm not sure I would get one if I was a musician," Felix admitted.

"With talent like yours?" the intern piped up. "You'd have to worry more about what you'd do with all the money."

"Really?" Felix asked hopefully. The intern nodded.

"Most certainly. I don't think you'd ever have a moment of poverty if you quit."

"Who's quitting?"

Felix jumped at the sound of his boss' voice, startled. The man was a ninja, appearing out of nowhere with the intent to deal a fatal blow. This time was no different, as his gaze was focused solely on Felix, as if he already knew the answer to his own question.

Much to Felix's dismay, the intern spoke up. "We were just discussing what would happen if Felix quit."

The corner of his boss' mouth tugged up. "What would happen if Felix quit?"

"Yes sir, cause we saw a video of-"

"What makes you think about quitting, Felix?" His boss took a step forward. He resembled a cat getting ready to strike, taking a step forward to test its prey.

"I wasn't thinking about quitting, sir," Felix said tightly, straightening his posture as his muscles involuntarily tightened.

"You weren't? But our young intern here said you were discussing the prospect."

"They were discussing it, I just-"

"You just contemplated the idea?" he interrupted. "You reveled in the idea of being out of here? Of being free of this building."

Anger and desperation were beginning to build in Felix. "No, that's not what-"

"Who do you think would take you, Felix? Do you think some other company is going to want you, when you can't even manage over here?"

"Sir, I don't plan on-"

"Where do you think you'll go?"

"Nowhere because-"

"That's right, nowhere, because no one else is going to want you, Felix. I'm the only one who's going to keep you as an employee, and you're walking on thin ice for even that. If you can't manage to stay here, you really think you'll make it somewhere else?"

Had Felix been the one to speak next, he was sure he would have lost it. He would have exploded in that moment, unleashing the burning tornado that was swirling inside him. The same one that awoke every time his boss told him how worthless he was. But the intern spoke before Felix could let it out.

"Well, we were discussing how Felix would make a great musician."

Suddenly, his boss' expression changed from mockery and smug anger to interest. Not the kind of interest where he wanted to learn more so he could understand; it was the kind of interest in how he could use the information to his own advantage.

"Oh really?" he asked meekly. "Could I see an example?"

All eyes drifted to Jasmine, who had her phone paused on the most recent video. Her eyes widened as she glanced around, realizing the spotlight that had appeared over her. She locked eyes with Felix, silently checking in with him. He subtly shook his head, pleading with her through his eyes. Jasmine seemed to understand, shutting off her phone and tucking it in her lap.

"Jasmine, do you have a video ready?" Felix's boss was acting uncharacteristically gentle. The hairs on Felix's arms and neck stood up, screaming DANGER.

"Nope," she said casually. Their boss nodded slowly, his gaze traveling around the room. It landed on Jerry, and a small smile grew on his face.

"Jerry," he said sweetly. "Could you find the video for me?"

Jerry's eyes flicked between Felix and his boss. He looked conflicted as Felix silently pleaded with him, shaking his head as much as he could without making it obvious. After a few moments of tense silence, Jerry reached into his pocket, shooting Felix a genuinely apologetic look. But Felix couldn't process it over the sound of his own heartbeat beginning to pump loudly in his ears.

Felix watched with bated breath as Jerry pulled up a video. It was the one of Felix playing under the bridge, his eyes closed as his fingers flew across the strings. His boss carefully took the phone, looking down at the screen. His eyes flicked across the screen as he watched, music faintly playing from the speakers.

Much to Felix's surprise, a genuine smile seemed to form on his boss' lips. He stared down at the phone, watching the performance with a happy expression. When the video ended, he slowly looked up at Felix, a smile still prominent on his face.

"Was that Summer, by Antonio Vivaldi?" He asked. Felix glanced around nervously, nodding slowly.

"Yes, it was," Felix's voice was little more than a squeak. His boss smiled wider, handing the phone back to Jerry.

"You're very brave to post that online," he said, taking a step towards Felix.

"Well, I actually didn't post it, it was Shane."

"As in Shane Becker?"

Felix nodded. His boss hummed thoughtfully, tilting his head.

"Interesting that he chose to post that video."

"Why is that sir?" Felix asked slowly.

"Because I didn't know he was okay with putting garbage out for people to see."

There it was. The bitter, degrading comment Felix had been waiting for. But despite expecting it, it didn't stop the sharp pain that hit Felix when he heard it. For just a moment, he thought his boss might have turned around. Maybe he turned over a new leaf. But Felix knew he never would.

"Interesting indeed," Felix muttered, glancing at the floor.

"He clearly doesn't know anything about violin," his boss continued. "Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have posted that."

"Perhaps he doesn't, sir."

"For starters, that staccato was sloppy at best. I mean honestly, couldn't you have managed to separate your notes even the slightest bit more? I would expect that of any respectful musician."

Felix's head shot up. While he'd expected a negative comment, he hadn't expected one to have knowledge based behind it. Suddenly, Felix found himself thinking over the video in his head. His fingers had been slightly slower than usual, but he didn't think he'd done that badly. But he must've, if someone noticed.

"Secondly," his boss explained. "Your bowing technique is trash. Whoever taught you that should honestly never teach again, I mean, what was that? A toddler could do better. And thirdly, those so called 'vibrato's? Nothing more than you standing there and wishing you could make a vibrating noise."

The room was in dead silence. Wide, shocked eyes moved from Felix to his boss, and vice versa. Like Felix, no one had expected their boss to know so much about the violin. But they were also feeling part of the blow for Felix, sympathizing about the comments he just received.

Felix stood, stunned, unable to move or speak. He simply stared at his boss, eyes wide and mouth agape. His boss clucked his tongue at Felix, shaking his head.

"Next time you think about quitting, maybe do it for something you actually have talent in."

Without another word, his boss left the room, gliding out as swiftly as Dracula would after killing his latest victim. Most of the other office workers followed in his footsteps, refusing to look Felix in the eyes as they passed. Jerry stopped in front of Felix, an apologetic and guilty look on his face.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think-"

"Please keep going," Felix said quietly. Jerry closed his mouth and nodded, filing out without another word. Next to stop was Jasmine.

"He doesn't know what he was talking about," Jasmine assured him. He gave her a sad smile, shaking his head.

"He knew exactly what he was talking about."

"Well that doesn't mean he was right, now does it?" Jasmine gently grabbed Felix's wrist, tugging on him. "C'mon, let's try to get our mind off of this."

Felix nodded, pulling himself out of her grip but following close behind her. The office felt hotter than it did before, sweat forming much quicker against Felix's skin. He fanned himself with his hand, sighing as Jasmine stopped in front of his cubicle.

"Here you are, ma'lady," she said, bowing dramatically as she gestured to his cubicle. He rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Thanks," he walked in, plopping into his seat. Jasmine smirked, then it fell away to a soft, gentle expression.

"Hey, don't take that douche's words too personally, okay? His words mean nothing."

"I know," Felix said, smiling warmly at her. As soon as she was around the corner, his face fell to a much more tired, defeated look.

He may have known not to take his boss' words personally, but that didn't mean that they didn't stick with him for the rest of the week, lingering in the back of his brain, like a nightmare that wouldn't let go.