The Woman in the Elevator

The crisp chilly air swept through the city, reminding everyone that the warm seasons have come to the end. Winter drew near, an unwelcome biting cold that tore at Aisylnn’s scarf, whipping lashes of her hair into her face. To no avail, she tried to tuck her dark locks into her jacket, but the cold fingers of fall made it nearly impossible.

Finally, she arrived at the tall, imposing building. In the summer, the glass sparkled in the light, catching rainbows in its smooth architecture. At night, it lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July, reminiscent of the glowing lights in New York City. But in fall, it almost seemed abandoned, stray leaves caught in the windowsills, dirt smeared over the glass.

The doors slide open and a kiss of warm air is welcomed by Aisylnn’s chilled skin. She basked in the gentle heat for a while. If not for her late departure from home, she would love to stay basking for longer, but she needed to get to the interview.

The room was empty, the clean floors, white sofas and gold decorations made the room seem as cold as the outdoors. Aisylnn’s heels clicked on the marble floors as she approached the front desk.

“How may I help you?” a kind brunette looked up at her. Although her smile was warm, Aisylnn could not help the flutter of nervousness flit through her body.

“I’m here for an interview,” she managed.

“Right up to the top floor, straight through the hallway and on your left. You’ll see Mr. Reidman’s office, our manager,” she said kindly, handing her an elevator pass. Aislynn trailed her fingers over the glossy cover and could see faint smudges where others have once held the pass. She thanked the woman, then turned briskly towards the elevator.

As she waited, a sudden breeze of coolness swept through the room. She looked up to see a woman walk into the room. There was something odd about the way she carried herself, she barely moved as she walked, like a statue. 

The woman ignored the receptionist, who barely looked up to acknowledge her entry. It was odd. She remembered how the receptionist had looked up when Aisylnn entered. 

The woman came to stand right next to Aisylnn to wait for the elevator. She brought an air of frostiness and mystery.

“Hello,” Aisylnn said nervously. The woman nodded, but did not say anything. She tapped her foot anxiously, submerged deep into her thoughts, so when the elevator finally rang, she was startled.

“Ah,” Aisylnn said. The glossy brass doors slide open to reveal a darkly lit small room. Aisylnn stepped inside, and to her surprise, the woman joined her. She could almost feel the sweat bead her forehead at the thought of sharing such a small place with a stranger.

“Could you help me pick the top floor?” the woman asked. Her voice was quiet, but radiated loud in the room.

Aislynn blinked, surprised. The woman was standing in front of the buttons, Aislynn on the opposite side. What a terribly entitled person, unable to click their own buttons? But she stammered a yes and clumsily shouldered her way in front of her to click the top button.

“Which floor are you going to?” the woman asked. Aisylnn was caught by surprise. “Top,” she answered. “Like yours.”

The woman didn’t say anything and turned away. Aisylnn slid her a glance. She was tall, her face was beautifully serene, pale blonde, nearly white, hair tumbling her back in perfect curls. She was dressed in a white dress that gave her an almost goddess effect. As Aisylnn admired her perfection, she suddenly noticed a dark imprint in the back of her neck. A bruise? She tried to look closer, when all of a sudden, the lights went out.

She shrieked and fumbled around in the pure darkness. Panic filled her lungs and she grabbed the railing to keep from falling. Before long, a little red light filled the room. She squinted and could make out the words “Emergency Light”.

“The lights went out,” the woman said. As if I didn’t notice! Aislynn thought. She placed both hands on her chest and breathed heavily.

“Are you scared of the dark?” the woman asked. Aislynn could barely make out her face, lit in the weak crimson light. Her eyes were as black as onyx. 

“N-no,” Aisylnn whispered. “I-”

“Don’t worry,” she said, her voice breathy. “It’ll be over soon. You’ll just be in the dark with me for some time. Nothing could go wrong. We get to the top floor, you go to your interview and the day keeps going.”

“O-okay,” Aisylnn managed to pass through her hoarse throat. She had always hated blackouts. She despised the dark, and more importantly, she hated being confined in small spaces. As a child, she had been irrationally paranoid of many things.

“My name is Chrysline Parker,” she continued. She cast a sly smile over at Aislynn. “Would you like me to continue telling you about myself, or are you bored?”

“N-no,” Aisylnn said, her eyes flitting over the room. Her fingers encircled the icy gold bars of the elevator, occasionally tapping a small rhythm. “Please continue.”

“Actually, I despise my name,” Chrysline said. She stood so eerily still. Her white dress stained red in the emergency light. She looked less like a goddess and more like a spirit. A beautiful spirit.

“I plan on changing it to Umbra,” she said. “Such a beautiful name. It means such wonderful things in Latin.”

“You’re Latin?”

“No,” she said. Her voice rang a melody. “I studied Latin a long time ago.” “You decided to quit?” “Oh no,” Chrysline said. A dark shadow drew across her face, an unpleasant expression settling over her smile. “I didn’t have a choice. In fact, I was forced to quit everything in college.”

“Oh.” Aislynn felt a twinge of pity for the immaculate woman. She seemed so sad. But her curiosity got the better of her, so she asked, “Who forced you?”

“His name is Mr. Reidman.” Chrysline said his name like a whisper, something that would disappear once you tried to touch it. “That’s why I’m here. To see him. Just like you.”

“Did he force you to quit in a bad way? Like abuse?” Aisylnn pressed. Chrysline shook her head. “No, not abuse. But he wasn’t an angel. He wasn’t a good person at all. Such a pity that he’s your interviewer, isn’t it?”

There was an uncomfortable silence, one that it seemed Chrysline put in on purpose. It filled Aislynn with iciness and she felt a tingling in her fingers. It seemed like the type of silences that would bring worse if she tried to break it. So she remained silent and continued to watch the woman out of the corner of her eye. It was hard to see her in the scarlet light.

Her eyes caught the bruise on the side of Chrysline’s neck. Just as she found it, Chrysline turned and caught Aisynn’s eyes with hers.

“You’re wondering about the bruise?”

“I-”

And suddenly, the lights came on with a roar, nearly blinding Aislynn. She blinked multiple times and then stumbled when the elevator reared up again. 

The doors slid open to reveal a man in a business suit, waiting for them. His nametag read “Mr. Reidman”.

Chrysline walked out the elevator as elegantly and effortlessly as she had come. She ignored Mr. Reidman and disappeared down the hall.

“Wait!” Aisylnn cried. “Wait!”

“Stop calling out, I’m right here,” Mr. Reidman snapped, appearing slightly annoyed. He adjusted his glasses and nodded. “Come along now, let’s do the interview.”

“Wait, you know her! Chrysline. I think Parker was her last name. She said you knew her! That woman that was just in the elevator!” Aisylnn protested. Mr. Reidman looked shocked, but the expression disappeared within seconds and then his eyes narrowed. 

“You must be mistaken,” he said harshly. “Chrysline Parker was murdered, with no evidence of who did it. And there was no woman in the elevator with you.”