Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And all the things that you do

Y E L L O W
-Coldplay

monday | october 7 | 8:52 am

The chiming bell signaling the arrival of a customer echoed in the quaint coffee shop as Victoria pushed the doors open. Her eyes darted across the room curiously, taking in her surroundings. There were patrons lined against the walls with a loved one or by themselves, head deep in their devices and lips wrapped around the mug of a drink. The whirling noise of the coffee machine grating beans played on a loop around the room, but no one seemed spooked at the obnoxious sound. Victoria took a deep breath in, enjoying the smell of the fresh drinks and pastries.

She walked towards the employees only door, careful not to bump into tables or spill any drinks. She was told by Issac to just clock in when she arrived at work, and he'd show her the important things she'd need to know for the job. Vic kept her head down during the short walk towards the door, avoiding eye contact with all those near her. They didn't care anyhow, as everyone continued to mind their own business as the tall girl with hazardous hair stalked across the room. Her knuckles met the light brown wood softly as she stood in front of the door.

Moments later, the door swung open, revealing a smiling teenage boy. His freckled face, square glasses, and blue braces did little to hide the growing muscles underneath his yellow polo shirt. Victoria was surprised to see a young man like him so buff, since he didn't look a day over sixteen. His boyish features reminded her of a friend from high school who ended up moving to Georgia before their junior year.

"Hello! I'm Alec! You must be Victoria. Issac told me so much about you," he enthused, eyes wide and smiling ear to ear. Victoria wondered if his jaw ever hurt from smiling so much. She could see the happy lines on his face.

"Yes, I'm Victoria. Nice to meet you, Alec. I'm new here, if you couldn't tell. Do you work here?"

"Yes ma'am I surely do! Been working here since I was fourteen with my twin brother. You haven't seen him yet, have you? If you did then this would be pretty weird since it'd be like I introduced myself to you twice," He laughed at his own words and slapped his knee humorously as if it was the funniest thing he's ever said.

"No, I haven't met your twin brother," she answered, smiling slightly as he nodded his head. "But, can you help me clock in? I don't know where to go for it. Do you go in the employee's room or the kitchen?"

"You're in the right place. Come on in. I'll show you around until Issac comes," Alex suggested, motioning for Victoria to follow behind him. They entered the room, the same office that Vic had her first interview in. She didn't actually get the chance to look around the place since she wanted to seem professional last time, but now she had some spare time to glance at the decor.

Issac really liked blue, since everything in the room reflected the shade. Baby blue, sky blue, turquoise blue and dark blue were everywhere. Even the doorknob was blue. Vic swore she saw some yellow in here last time, but the color seemed to disappear in the short time she was away. Victoria could feel a headache coming on just by looking at the array of colors.

"Alright, so this is where you clock in. Simply just press this button above your name that is magically already up here. Wow, Issac must really like you to have already made you a slot in this! Anyways, just press the button and there, it should track when you've started your shift. When you're done with your shift, just do the same! I think it's self-explanatory."

"Yeah, I get it completely. Thanks again, Alec," Victoria expressed, not wanting to disappoint the boy by telling him she already knew how clocking in worked.

"Alec, let's go please. These tables aren't going to serve themselves," a voice scoffed, sounding eerily similar to Alec. Vic turned towards the open door to see the carbon copy of the excitable boy. This one was lanky and had a natural scowl painted across his lips. His voice was also a lot deeper than Alec's. Vic had to do a double take after looking at them both.

"Victoria! This is my amazing but hardheaded brother, Alex. Alex, meet our new coworker, Victoria."

"Alex and Alec," Victoria whispered to herself, trying to come to terms with the parent trap situation she was in. Alec was quick to interject, sensing that her mind was moving a hundred miles per hour.

"I know, I know, it's complicating. How original of our parents, right? You don't have to worry about remembering which one is which for now. If you ever get confused just call me Superman and him Batman, alright?"

"Uhh..."

"Dude," the lanky one spoke, clearly annoyed at his brother, "leave the girl alone and let's go."

Alec turned to Victoria and bowed his head remorsefully, "I've been summoned by the almighty brother who was born one minute before me. I must follow his command or else I shall be shunned for life!"

Victoria blinked, so confused at their dynamic but still responded in a light tone, "I'll be alright. Thanks again...Alec."

"You're very welcome ma'am," he chirped and smiled at Vic.

Victoria could see the steam coming out of Alex's ears. "Dude!"

"I'm coming, goodness. You ogre!"

It wasn't long before the office door swung open again, revealing a breathless Issac. He stumbled into the doorway grunting in pain and nearly crashed into the side of his desk. He looked like he just ran a marathon up Everest and then fell down the mountain, with cuts and blood trickling down his leg. Victoria stood from her seated position, quickly walking to the man in case he fell over.

"Are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?" She sputtered nervously. Vic stood paralyzed. There was so much blood where he was. Her eyes zoned in on the red liquid and she blanked for a moment. She couldn't move her gaze from it, even though she knew the severity of the situation. She inhaled deeply when she caught the scent of the blood.

Vic shook her head to try to get herself out of the haze she was in and went into fight or flight mode. Issac was hurt, and this was not the right time for her to be thinking about bad things. She looked at his face and he had his eyes shut tightly. Vic was afraid that he would pass out or had some sort of concussion. He looked disoriented and beyond worse for wear.

Issac groaned and held a finger up towards her as she cautiously approached him, bending over to grab onto his knees to stabilize himself. He clutched onto his stomach tightly and more blood began to travel down his leg. Victoria stopped walking and curled her arms around herself with wide scared eyes. She was afraid for the man and didn't like this drastic turn of events.

"Issac! Answer me! Do you need an ambulance? Where does it hurt the most? Let me help you," she was nearly screaming the words at him. He continued to limp towards her and outstretched his hand as if he was going to grab onto her.

"P-please...help me...I'm...sorry. I can't do this anymore," Issac breathed and touched her with his bloody hand, but the words came out light heartedly. Victoria's eyebrows crinkled in confusion. This was not the time to be happy. He was seriously hurt! Issac began to chortle to himself gleefully, straightening himself upright as if he wasn't in pain before breaking out into a huge fit of laughter. His gleefulness was boisterous and mirthful. The sound bounced off the walls in the room.

Victoria then understood what was happening. Issac tricked her into believing he was hurt. She wanted to scream at him for taking it so far and scaring her like that. Blood and pain wasn't something she played around with.

Her heart was beating out of control. She could hear her pulse through the pounding in her ears as she looked at her own blood stained hands. Her mouth was seeped of it's moisture and her hands became clammy at the sight. She wanted to sit down from the strain she put on her feet but couldn't find the energy to. Her vision was disfigured, as if she were looking through a fish-eye lens. She wanted to get away.

Vic was suddenly reliving a traumatic event and felt the need to curl into a ball. She was having a panic attack.

"I'm sorry! You should've seen your face! You looked like a deer caught in headlights!" The man could barely catch his breath, as he continued to chuckle.

"Ahh, it's so great to have a newbie here. You better get used to that. I like to scare the workers a bit; rattle them up. It makes for a much more fun work environment. I hate jobs that are so dull and eh," he imitated a gagging gesture. Issac didn't seem to notice that Vic was on the verge of breaking down before his eyes. He continued to think she was still in shock from his stunt and approached her with a smile on his face.

"Victoria, it was a joke! I do this to all the new employees. No harm, no foul, right?"

"Issac," she breathed, suddenly wanting to latch onto something to hold her up. "I'm having a panic attack right now. I haven't had one for years. It'll pass but I need you to help me sit down." She could feel the bile slither up her throat and wanted to cry.

"What!" He barked, eyes going wide with disbelief. He seemed shocked and didn't register what was happening until she began to wobble in place. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were going to-"

"Please," she pleaded earnestly, and Issac helped her sit down in his rolling chair behind his desk.

"Do you need something? Water? A warm cloth? Anything?" Issac ranted, clearly distressed at the circumstances himself.

Victoria didn't answer him. She just took deep breaths in and out and tried to relax herself against the seat. It's been two years since she last had a panic attack and knew what to do in case she ever had one again. She needed to clear her mind and accept what was happening. The bile that was in her throat went away and the urge to cry was no longer present.

Her grip on the arm rest began to slowly loosen and she finally got herself back into her original state. After realizing that she just had a panic attack in front of her new boss on the first day, Vic cringed and held her head down for a bit. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed for exposing herself like that.

"I'm sorry, Issac. I didn't mean for that to happen," she tried to laugh it off as something light but he wasn't convinced that she was truly okay.

"You're sorry?! I should be the one groveling at your knees right now! I feel like crap! What even triggered it?"

Victoria shrugged nonchalantly, "The blood triggered it but it's alright. It passed so I should be good for now."

Issac began to pace around the room, speaking with a lot of hand gestures, "You're so calm about this! This must have happened before! The people I know who have panic attacks can barely talk afterwards but you're just as cool as a cucumber! How do you expect me to make you work now after that? Wow, I should really rethink my "welcome to your new job" tactic."

"I don't expect you to not let me work, Issac. I'm fine, seriously. Maybe I'm not completely perfect but I'm good enough to work still. It's not the end of the world. I can do it."

Issac stopped pacing and pointed at Victoria accusingly, "You're one mad woman," He declared, shaking his head incredulously.

"Probably," Vic agreed and stood up from her seat slowly, careful not to do too much to herself right now, "Alrighty, I have to wash my hands first and then you'll show me around the kitchen."

Issac began to laugh again, continuing to shake his head in amazement, "You just left a killer impression on me."

•••••

What could have possibly triggered that panic attack? Find out next time on Will Of Gold!

Q: Have you ever had a panic attack? How did you deal with with? Did I write the scene properly or are there more things I should include about panic attacks?

not edited