The Rasner Effect by Mark Rosendorf Read Free Book Online Page A

each lens. Her grayish-black hair was short and unkempt, as if she had little or no care for her outward appearance. Her cheeks were slender and uncomplimentary to her very thin lips. Her neck was skeletal, which made the veins on either side stand out.
    The craters in her cheeks made Rick wonder if he had ever met anyone uglier than this woman sitting before him. With his lack of memory, he could not be sure. The rare evil thought in his mind made him want to chuckle, but he managed to contain himself.
    As Miller stood up from her chair, Rick realized she was shorter than he originally expected. The heightened chair she sat in behind her desk gave her an appearance of being much taller. Rick was able to get a quick glance at the document in her hand. He recognized it as the resume he faxed to her a few weeks ago.
    “Sit down,” she said in a deep and loud voice, which had more demand than request.
    Rick’s eyes widened as he did what was asked of him. Upon placing his rear against the seat, he noticed the chair teetered off-balance. One of the legs must’ve been slightly shorter than the other three. He figured now wasn’t the time to bend down and find out what was going on, so he attempted to keep his balance so the lopsidedness wouldn’t be obvious. He realized Miller was observing his behavior with the chair.
    Miller went to examining his resume like it was the first time she had ever read the document. Rick’s throat tightened. At one point, she glanced up, gazing at him through her thick glasses. Her shoulders remained stiff, formal. Her eyes flashed back to the resume.
    What was she thinking? Was there some discrepancy?
    “You’ve worked with this population before.”
    “Yes,” he said, stifling a sigh of relief. “I worked last year in a school for troubled youth in New York.”
    “Why did you leave there?”
    “Budget cuts. I was new and had no seniority, so they had to let me go, but while I was there, I worked with the kids—”
    “You really haven’t worked with the population we deal with here,” she interrupted again. “You have no idea what our children are about, do you?”
    Miller lifted her head up and stared at Rick. He was unsure how to respond, but he picked up on the annoyance written across her face. Her eyes narrowed, the longer he made her wait.
    Trouble was, he had no clue how to answer. “I…I guess I don’t,” Rick said.
    “That’s what I thought!” Miller clapped her hands together, as if she had just achieved some sort of victory. “Dr. Obenchain, however, recommended you. That’s why I agreed to hire you.” Her tone said, and the only reason .
    “I appreciate that.” Rick’s eyebrows rose, thinking about how bizarre his response must have sounded.
    Miller glared at him, her lips tight. Rick sensed anger, which made him sweat. It popped out on his forehead and underarms. In a minute, it would trickle down his temples. Then she would see it. He opened his mouth intending to further the conversation, but he still didn’t know what to say. The seat beneath him rocked suddenly. That’s when Miller laughed. It sounded more like the bark of a hyena, and if he hadn’t been looking at her, he would’ve missed how she regained control of herself and returned to her angry stare.
    “These children are difficult,” she explained, “and should most likely be handled differently from how you did so in your New York school. When the school you were in has children they can’t handle, and their families can’t handle them, we get them. The buck stops here, do you understand what I mean?”
    “Yes,” Rick responded, recognizing the fact he was being ridiculed.
    “If you wish to be successful here, see your patients and do as I tell you at all times. Follow my lead.” Her voice rose. He imagined her poking a thick index finger in his chest and leaning in his face. He could almost smell the vanilla coffee on her breath. “I run a tight ship, but it’s necessary that I