Reliable

I awoke to a dark ceiling illuminated only by the faint glow of the rising sun. Typically, my alarm clock is what gets me out of bed but today was different in that I got up minutes before it went off. Having some extra time in the morning was a nice feeling, I used that time to gather my thoughts.

What did I even do yesterday? I sat with the others but, was that anything to comment on? Rather, was my presence there appreciated or did I ruin what they had going? Should I be with them again today? 

I took a deep breath weighing my options until my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my clock ringing. My breath became a sigh as I sat up in my bed, and got ready for work in my typical routine.

On my way into the lab I was greeted by a happy Otto, I was surprised to see him seeing how we've never crossed paths before. My worries of if I would be allowed to remain with the others was resolved when we made our way to the workstation together. 

Since I always arrive to work early, it means that none of the others are here yet. The silence felt comfortable, even still, I was awaiting to hear the footsteps of our colleagues. 

"So, how's it been spending time with us? We all love having you around. If you're free after work, would you care to join us at the usual place down the street?"

It took me a moment to respond to Otto's question, I wasn't yet used to being spoken to while on the clock. So I turned my chair to face him directly. 

"Being around you guys has made working here much more enjoyable, thank you. I'm glad to hear that you all appreciate my presence. I'll be there" 

I rubbed the back of my neck as I gave a forced smile, I wondered if agreeing now meant I’d regret it later, or if refusing would’ve been the real mistake. I then spun back to face my workbench. It was sort of awkward to be asked such things, it reminded me of grade school when my teachers would ask out of concern for my lonely habits. 

"Glad to hear it!"

He sure seemed to be in a good mood. My mind began racing trying to find something to say, not wanting a repeat of yesterday where I remained silent the whole time. Before I could speak the sound of heels clicking against the tile followed by heavier steps made their way closer to us.

It was Rena and Garrett. Those two were always together, I wonder if they dated in the past or something. Whatever the nature of their relationship may be, it's always a pleasant sight seeing them getting along. 

Grateful for the spinnable office chair on wheels, I managed to give them both a small wave. Rena replied with a curt smile while Garrett rushed over to me and put his arm around my shoulder. 

"Hey, you're good at creating memory readers right?" 

He spoke as if he wanted something from me, he wouldn't have been the first. However, I couldn't sense any malice coming from him, it was odd but somehow relieving? 

I managed to squeak out an affirmation which was followed by Garrett taking a step back from me and with a grin he began to announce his intentions.

"So, here's what I've been thinking. You know how like, I'm destined to be the big boss of this place one day?"

"CEO" corrected Rena,

"It's the same thing!" Garrett turned to face her with a playful anger which quelled as her turned his attention back to me

"Well, to get that high up, I'm gonna need a guy like you who can be the brains behind my genius."

I was very confused by what he meant, I looked past him at the others to see Otto doing his best to give a supportive look while Rena pinched her nose in utter disbelief.

"What do you say about helping me out with creating some new gizmos that this company can use to create huge profits? I can handle the planning, after all, I am qualified to work here so I know the basics of these things but you, you act as if you were the one who made them."

My fingers curled against the edge of the desk before I realized I’d moved. It was true that I'm the man who brought these devices to our world but that was a truth I wasn't proud of. Besides, if that's why he needed me then it wouldn't matter. I'm not even in charge of this place, far from it. 

"Are you trying to bring up your idea of connecting CCTV cameras to the memory readers just so you can have a 3D hologram of the women's locker room?"

My eyes widened at Amelia's claim, I rolled away from Garrett, somewhat scared of him. 

"Wha- no! This is an entirely new plan! You hear?" Garrett's face turned red, logic says, that's exactly what he was going to try and have me do.

"I'm not too sure how my making such a device would help you reach CEO. I'm sure that'd end you up in jail, notably the placing of the cameras alone is an offense. But if you would like me to help you better understand the inner workings of a reader, I'd be happy to teach you."

I could see that everyone was pleasantly surprised at what I said, even Garrett seemed to relax from his embarrassment.

"Dude, you don't always gotta be so formal, you know? Loosen up a little" 

I wasn't sure how to respond to Garrett but before an awkward silence was even made, Otto spoke up with a question of his own.

"Yesterday, it seemed like you made a reader while in a trance. Just how were you able to do that? Oh and also, is your hand doing better?"

I looked down at my palm and saw the faint residuals of the cut that happened yesterday. It made me happy to hear that he cared, not only him, but I could see a genuine concern in everyone. 

"My hand is healing nicely, thanks for asking."

I paused before getting to his first question, I wasn't sure how to answer. I didn't want them to know that I'm technically their boss or have them piece anything unpleasant together about my involvement with this place.

"Um, I guess I just got good at making these machines after years of doing it? They were made manually before we got the machines set up that mass produce them."

As she took a seat, Amelia remarks wide-eyed "That's right, you've been working here much longer than us. You must be some wise ancient sage. You may even be older than my adorable cat, and he's like, super old in cat years."

I laughed off her comment about age, telling them that I'm in my early twenties. This was met with shock as I learned that they're all a few years above me.

They started to talk about the origins of memory readers, and where they were when they first learned of them. It was sort was fun watching them converse about something I made. For a moment, I felt like I could learn to hate those infernal creations.

I responded to their questions in a much more timely manner than I would've thought possible. I was having fun being with them, sharing just about anything. I even learned how they manage to work and talk at the same time, it's because we're all close together. We can talk even without looking at one another, despite this, we know exactly the facial expressions each other are making.

There were times though were I didn't want to answer so simply, those being questions about my past with memory readers. I began to notice how even then, there was never a moment of silence. Someone always had a way to keep things rolling.

Our conversation started getting sidetracked from memory readers which was a relief. I had asked for some stories about Puck, since I too am fond of cats, although not nearly as much as Amelia is. I learned more about Garrett and Rena, and even Otto got caught in the crossfire, spilling some of his own story. 

It was around lunchtime when we got to the point where Garrett brought back up his plans on taking over the company. I looked expectedly at Rena knowing that she was going to have a rough time keeping Garrett's delusions contained. But instead of being disappointed in his antics, she was looking at me with sharp eyes.

It was a bit odd so I turned my attention to Otto who then asked Garrett about his plans for hiring new employees if he became SCEO (Super Cool Engineering Order-er). Garrett turned to me to ask about what it was that got to me work here. Everyone leaned in curious.

I froze, they told me earlier today their reasons for applying. Garrett wanted to take over a newer company so that it'll last longer, Rena had to keep an eye on him, Otto was passionate about working with magic, and Amelia got sidetracked keeping her answer a mystery.

"Do you always have a hard time remembering things about yourself? Could it be your reason was to use memory readers to replace your own faulty recollection?" Although coming from most others that would've sounded terribly mean but from Rena, it was to be expected.

I try to say something but I kept tripping over my words, it was then that Amelia took up the conversation for a while. It felt rehearsed, like she’d noticed this pattern before. That thought made my chest tighten.

Unless I was mistaken, it seemed that she was stalling for me. After a brief moment she turned to face me, in response, I just looked away,

Reading the situation perfectly, Otto stand and reminds everyone that we only have a limited time for lunch. Garrett excitedly stands as well, Rena gives an apology if she overstepped. I told her everything was good, and made a slight joke about since it was so long ago it's hard to recall.

They all seemed happy with that answer, and they went off to the cafeteria. I stayed behind, needing a moment to collect myself. By the time they all left, a soft smile crept its way to my face. In the end, it seems like my absence is going unnoticed. I now remember why that's for the best.

If I'm too afraid to confront myself, then it would be best to just hide away. No one can be hurt by me if I don't exist. I spent the rest of the day trying my best to not be a bother to anyone. To be reliable and unnoticed. As the day ended, I was glad to see everyone still as happy as ever.

They didn’t seem to notice my absence near the end, but earlier, they happened to notice everything else.