"And so, we leave today the secure walls of an institution that has, for the most part, only required a firm grasp of theory and we leap into the great unknown of ...corporate strategic planning."

Penny groaned and slapped the sheet of paper on the desk.

"I'm the worst," she mumbled and fell back in her chair. "This speech is the worst."

She had twenty minutes left before she could pack her things and go. She'd asked the head of department if she could leave early. The middle-aged woman had frowned, displeased.

"What's this about?"

"My graduation, actually."

She was graduating business school and although she'd never told anyone at the office, she was valedictorian. That probably meant little to anyone not currently attending Gotham University, but it had been her mother's dream that her daughter follow in her footsteps, so Penny really didn't want to botch up her valedictorian speech.

Too late.

She scribbled some lines with her pen until they were almost illegible. The ceremony was at five. That left her with two hours to get ready. Well, one hour and a half. She'd have a long way to go to reach her apartment building which was across town.

"Well, hello there, Mrs. Robinson. Heard you were graduating."

Penny looked up in mild confusion. Ryan was standing at the entrance to her cubicle, annoying smirk plastered on his face.

"Anne Bancroft was the mother, not the graduate," she replied, rolling her eyes. Ryan had a penchant for misquoting movies. And everything else, in general.

"I knew that," Ryan said, grinning widely. "Still holds up."

Penny knew where this was headed. He'd make some dumb save by arguing that they were both hot.

Before he had the chance, she got up and straightened the folds of her dress in a gesture that clearly indicated she was about to leave.

"I gotta go. I'll be late otherwise."

Might as well skip those twenty minutes, after all.

"Wow, you look fancy."

"Yeah, I er, bought a dress for the occasion."

She felt embarrassed to admit she liked to dress up for these events. She was wearing a green number, very smart and elegant, but decent and professional. A mixture between a summer dress and an office outfit.

"We have to celebrate tomorrow, or tonight, if you want. Brent's got this place in the suburbs, it's got a nice backyard…"

"That's really cool, Ryan, but the investors are coming in tomorrow, remember?"

Ryan slapped his forehead comically.

"Right, right. Slipped my mind. But who cares? This is a special occasion."

Penny shook her head. "No, it's not. The only thing to get excited about is that I'll stop being a temp around here."

Ryan walked her to the elevators, while she fumbled with the clasp on her messenger bag.

"So, you know, call me if you change your mind about the hang out. Actually, call me even if you don't. I want details."

He winked at her suggestively. Penny smiled diplomatically.

"Will do."

She liked Ryan. He was okay. Kind of a joker, though. She didn't know if that was an age thing. He was older than her, but he acted like a kid.

He liked to flirt with her sometimes, but nothing too serious. She hadn't really connected with anyone at the office. They saw her as that college kid who'd been hired because she liked to do the work no one else did. They didn't respect her for it.

But now, maybe things would change. Maybe she could legitimately interview for a real position. She'd been working with the firm for two years. That had to count for something.

The elevator went down at snail-pace. She shook her legs to try to get rid of the nervousness.

The speech would be fine, she told herself. No one listened to those things, anyway.

When the doors opened, she practically stormed out, hair coming out of her braid. She untangled it as she went through the double doors and waved goodbye at the doorman.

Penny shook her hair free and looked in both directions for a cab.

Yes, it would cost her a lot more than a bus ride, but this was her graduation. She had to prepare and she had to be on time.

The Bloomherst Buildings Complex used to be, if not the most prestigious, at least the best looking living area in the neighborhood. Now, it seemed rundown and old-fashioned thanks to the new modern buildings surrounding it. Only half-senile elderly people or nutjobs lived there now. And someone who couldn't afford rent, like her.

The cab driver gave the place one glance and she could already tell he wanted to get out of there. It wasn't that it looked unsafe or unsanitary. Crime and violence on the block were sparse. This wasn't a really bad neighborhood. Not unless you were looking for trouble.

No, Bloomherst made you want to leave because it looked fucking depressing. As if it could suck all the happiness out of you once you went inside.

It wasn't entirely untrue. Whenever she had to return to her little apartment, she always felt like she was going back underwater, after a day on the shore. But it was home, for now. And you grow fond of home, no matter where that might be.

Okay, you've got an hour to rewrite that stupid speech, maybe take a shower and iron press your dress again …oh, and eat some leftover Chinese before you leave if it's still any good, she told herself as she stepped inside the building.

It was always dark and damp around afternoon. Dust moats floated everywhere, making her wheeze. The place looked deserted. It was the hour when most of the elderly people living there took naps.

She stopped in front of the elevator. The carved wooden frames used to shine elegantly and give off an impression of wealth. Not anymore. It was like the entire place was the abandoned Titanic ship. It had been glorious, once, but those days were over.

Someone was coming down. The doors opened.

If there was one speck of happiness in the entire building, though, it had to be ...

"Mrs. Levenstein," Penny greeted cheerfully. "How are you today?"

"Oh, Penelope, darling, is that you?" the elderly woman asked, setting her glasses on the tip of her nose. "You look different today."

Penny beamed. She liked old Mrs. Levenstein. She would always call her up when she happened to bake a new batch of cookies for her nephews. They rarely visited, but she liked to be prepared, just in case they did. Penny felt sorry for her and jealous of her family. She could have used a grandmother like that. People who had them didn't know how to appreciate them.

"Are you going on a date with a young man?" Mrs. Levenstein asked, winking.

Penny laughed. "I wish. It's my graduation day actually."

Mrs. Levenstein's eyes lit up.

"Oh, sweetheart! That's wonderful! I'm going to make you something really special tonight, as celebration."

Penny smiled. She preferred this to Brent's backyard.

"Thank you, but you shouldn't trouble yourself –"

"Trouble myself?! Darling, you speak nonsense as usual," she replied in her nasal voice Penny found so endearing.

The door to the building swung open and a sliver of light was cast on the old granite floor.

"I'll be only too happy. You know, Eli has to retake the third grade. My nephews don't seem destined for academic achievement. So, at least I have you to be proud of. You're still top of your class, aren't you?"

Penny blushed slightly.

"Something like that."

"Naturally. I wouldn't expect anything less with all the work you put in. Too much work, I'd warrant. And all work and no play," Mrs. Levenstein said, mischievously. "You know what they say about that, don't you?"

Someone stopped behind them. A young man, by the looks of it. He was waiting to get into the elevator.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, I know, Mrs. Levenstein."

The man raised his head slightly. Penny noticed him from her peripheral vision. He seemed to be in his early thirties. It was strange to see someone younger than fifty in the building, besides her.

"That's right. And you'd better start playing soon, or you'll end up like me," Mrs. Levenstein joked, shaking her shoulders in laughter.

"Well, I'd better leave you to it. Wouldn't want you to be late! And remember, tonight –"

But she stopped short and cursed under her breath.

"Oh, drat. I forgot. My son is taking me out for dinner tonight. It's his birthday, you see. Oh, that's a shame, I really wanted to spend some time with you-"

Penny shook her head.

"Please, don't worry on my account. It's more important to spend time with your family."

She couldn't help the small bitterness that found its way in her voice. Everyone else had a family.

"Oh, you practically are family, dear. Listen, I'll call you tomorrow and we'll have a grand time together, all right?"

Penny gladly agreed and Mrs. Levenstein swooped in for a hug. Meanwhile, the man standing behind them had already stepped into the elevator.

"Tell him happy birthday from me!" Penny said at the last minute.

Mrs. Levenstein waved and mouthed "Of course!" as she left the building.

The doors to the elevator were about to close, but the man put a hand between them and parted them easily.

Penny heaved a sigh.

"Thank you. Sorry about that," she said, although it wasn't clear what she was apologizing for.

She stepped inside and stood next to him while the doors were closed shut with a small chink.

He cleared his throat, fingers hovering over the buttons.

"Oh, right, sorry, I'm on the seventh."

The man nodded. He pressed the seventh and then the eighth button.

"Oh, convenient," she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

The elevator started its slow ascend.

Now that Mrs. Levenstein wasn't taking up her attention, she could finally look at the stranger properly.

He looked very…un-Bloomhersty.

He wore black jeans, a black T-Shirt and a very shabby-looking beige shirt over that. His hair was odd too. Dirty blond and slightly curled, but entirely disheveled, like he'd slept in a barn.

The weirdest thing, though, had to be his face.

Penny didn't get a good look at it since she was standing by his side, but from his profile she noticed that, what could have been a moderately handsome face was marred by an ugly scar. She couldn't see much of it, but it seemed to cover most of his mouth and cheeks.

His small, black eyes suddenly turned on her. Their expression was stark.

She quickly looked down, embarrassed.

He'd caught her looking. He must've been offended she was staring at his scar. She was mortified, to say the least.

She wondered, though, when he'd moved in. She didn't know about any new tenets and Mrs. Levenstein would usually tell her everything.

Unless he was visiting someone. That seemed unlikely, considering it was Bloomherst.

Maybe he was someone's son or nephew.

As she was staring at the floor tiles, she noticed the heavy bag he was carrying. It was stained in several places with paint; blue, red, green, violent…

Was he a painter?

She didn't have time to wonder any further though, because the elevator was now on the sixth floor.

Just one more.

The noise came from above. Metal rustling against metal. Then, a scrap of hooks, then silence. The elevator started slowing down. She groaned inwardly. It sometimes did that. She'd have to walk up the stairs to the seventh floor, again.

Penny was about to turn to the stranger and tell him he'd better get off with her on the seventh floor, when suddenly, she was hauled into his arms by a tiny earthquake.

Except, it wasn't an earthquake.

The elevator had dropped somewhere between the sixth and the fifth floor and had literally floored them in the process.

The lights went off completely and a small, blue neon light blinked shyly above their heads.

In the first moments, Penny had no idea what had happened. She felt as if someone had hit her on the head and she was just coming to.

But the warm body underneath her felt real.

She realized she had collapsed on him. Her cheeks burned with renewed shame.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry…"

This was the third time she was apologizing. It was beginning to sound like a habit.

She felt his large hands on her waist and the scratchy fabric of his shirt on her neck.

Penny scrambled out of his awkward embrace with more or less dignity, while trying to find the strength to get back on her feet.

Her green dress was probably ruined. Or at very least, unwearable to her graduation.

The young man didn't seem to mind that she had accidentally accosted him. He got up without much trouble. His movements were graceful and feline-like.

She looked up at him. She was still on her knees. His scar was both more and less visible. In the soft blue light its shadow looked like a crater carved into his skin.

He suddenly extended his hand towards her.

Penny didn't hesitate. She took it and he helped her up easily. He had a strong grip from what she could tell.

"Thanks. I lost my balance."

"We all do, sometimes," he spoke, for the first time. His voice was smooth, but hoarse, like he had a toothpick stuck in his throat. He sounded much older than he looked.

"Not your fault anyway. Damn elevator," he added, pointing at the shut doors.

"Yeah, it tends to do that. Old thing. I'm sure it will start up again, though. Blackouts here don't last more than ten minutes or so."

"Let's hope it's just a blackout, then," he said, looking up at the neon light.

He pressed the emergency button twice, for good measure.

Penny brushed her skimmed knees and tried to make sense of the state of her dress. It was salvageable.

She took out her cell phone.

"Oh, crap. No reception. That doesn't usually happen."

The man didn't take out his cell phone, if he had one. He leant against the mirror-wall, hands in his pocket, head bent forward.

"Guess we'll have to wait it out."

He seemed completely calm, as if he knew the building better than she did.

Penny kept fiddling with her phone. "I'm gonna try and send a text."

Five minutes passed in silence while she crunched the buttons on her phone and he walked around the elevator, staring at the walls or at himself in the mirrors.

"I sent four texts. Hope someone gets them. Calls don't seem to work. Have you tried yours?"

"Don't have it on me, unfortunately," he replied. He didn't sound upset about it. Merely peeved, as if it was a small inconvenience.

Penny pressed the emergency button.

"I already did that," he informed her.

"Doesn't hurt to try again."

The man shrugged his shoulders. He was staring at his reflection.

Penny chanced a look in his direction. She understood why he was staring. The soft blue light made him look like a strange ethereal being. She approached the mirror. Her usually vibrant red hair looked almost black now.

"Well, that's a new look," she commented.

The man cast her a sidelong glance.

"I prefer the red."

She turned to him, slightly put off. This stranger barely knew her and he was making comments about her appearance. As if they were on a first-name basis.

Penny shook her head. You're being weird. He just made a joke. You started it, anyways.

"How much longer do you think it will be?" he rasped, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Um, not much longer, I think. It's never gone this long before."

She wondered if one of the kids had played with the elevator board and now they were stuck. No, kids rarely came here. But it was a possibility.

"I'll try calling again."

"Didn't you say it doesn't work?"

"Well, I have to keep trying," she replied, bristling. She was beginning to feel the tension one feels when one is confined to a small place. Her temper usually got the better of her in such situations.

It was better than panic, though.

The man gave her a cursory look as she paced the small room, phone glued to her ear.

"Definitely prefer the red," he muttered to himself. His tongue darted out, licking his scar.