Adhira Rose

"My name is Adhira Rose."

Adhira extended her hand to gorgeous woman, who took it in a firm handshake.

"Adhira. A-dee-ra. What a pretty name for a pretty woman!" Elizabet said.

Adhira grimaced slightly. She was five minutes on the job and already losing patience with her co-workers.

"Yes, thank you. Can you show me to my office?"

Elizabet smiled and shook her head no. Instead, she motioned for Adhira to follow her. As the woman walked, her full backside swayed like a luscious pendulum. Despite herself, Adhira found herself staring.

"At LC3, we insist on giving each new worker a thorough tour of the building. Come along!"

Adhira clenched her fist, squeezing the handle of her laptop bag tightly. The only things she wanted to do was get settled and get started. All of this formality bullshit just got in the way of what was important.

Elizabet lead Adhira through a narrow corridor that opened on a vast room filled with exotic plants, an artificial waterfall, and an enormous mural on the far wall. The room momentarily took Adhira's breath away. It was a stunning room completely out of place in a corporate headquarters.

"What is this place?" Adhira asked.

"This is the atrium. Think of it as a place of relaxation and meditation for you as an employee at LC3. Now please wait here. I will be back."

Adhira's eyes narrowed as the woman said this. Was this some kind of trick?

"Where are you going?"

The woman merely answered Adhira's question with a smile and walked off, quickly disappearing from view among the plants. Adhira sighed and walked over to the pool at the base of the waterfall. The water was clear and she could see her reflection clearly.

Adhira was attractive in a cold, sleek way. Her facial features were strong and sharp and her dark eyes glittered in the pale light. She was a slender woman with an athletic body molded by years of sports. Her hair was dark and curly and always a struggle to keep tamed. Overall, Adhira liked the way she looked - for the most part.

As Adhira stared at herself in the water, she suddenly heard a voice echo from across the room. Thinking it was Elizabet, Adhira looked up quickly and saw no one. That was strange.

Again, the voice called. It was definitely a woman, but Adhira could not make out the language. It seemed to be coming from the opposite wall. From the mural.

Adhira gave the mural a closer look. It was as impressive as everything else in the atrium. It consisted of a large circle of vines and leaves and flowers that gradually transitioned decayed brush and thorns before returning to verdant brilliance. Within the circle stood a naked woman, her privates tastefully covered by a series of three lotus flowers.

Upon hearing the strange woman's voice for the third time, Adhira decided to investigate. She walked over to the mural and began to get the uneasy sense that the woman at its center was watching her. The woman's voice was growing louder, but Adhira still could not understand the words.

Finally, Adhira reached the mural. The paint seemed to shimmer in the bright light of atrium. The voice was clearly coming from the mural, but how could that be possible? Was there a speaker system hidden somewhere?

Adhira reached out to touch the mural, and that's when it happened.