The Vampire (THE VAMPIRE Book 1) by Sandrine Genier Read Free Book Online Page A

shock, but not to misrepresent himself either. It seemed important just then to be accepted for who he was. But on a deeper level, Jason acknowledged this also reflected his ambivalence about the job. He recognized he might just be sabotaging his chances.
    But when he had met the two Geniers in the lobby, neither of them had seemed at all concerned or even surprised at his appearance. Jason was amused he felt almost a little disappointed at that. Sean gathered some information and then left to do the background checks. Matthew began the testing.
    After more than three hours of testing, Jason was asked to write approximately a page or so describing himself and his interests. Jason knew this wasn’t just about what he wrote. They would analyze his handwriting as well as the content. He was already starting to feel weary and a little bored with the process. It had been an intensive, busy morning; they had managed to cram nearly two days’ worth of screening into one day. Was this an attempt to determine his endurance and stamina also?
    But then, he had volunteered to do it.
    He chewed at the end of his pen for a moment and then he began to write.
    “I collect spores, molds and fungus. I enjoy origami, especially creating life size whales; I like to participate in the team sport of skipping along the beach. If I could have one wish it would be for Middle Earth peace and for everyone on the planet to drink root beer every day.”
    He started laughing to himself and looked up to see Matthew’s grimly serious expression. Much too serious.
    “Uhm…can I have another piece of paper? I kind of got off track here.”
    “It’s fine. Whatever you’ve written. Don’t be too concerned—spontaneous is best.”
    Bullshit . Jason looked around the room. There was more paper but Matthew wasn’t going to give it to him, was he? Matthew continued to watch him with that all too dour expression. Jason guessed him to be in his forties; maybe around the same age as James Genier. He lacked James Genier’s appeal and appeared to be humorless. Jason didn’t trust anyone who had no sense of humor.
    Fine. Fine then. So what if I screw this up .
    He continued to write, keeping the rest of the content general, paying attention to his handwriting; nothing extreme. He tried to offset his frivolous remarks and make himself appear as ordinary as possible and a little boring. He did actually mention some of his real interests: his love of reading different genres; art; travel; popular culture and media studies; his love of movies; an interest in French language and culture; going to paranormal conferences and participating in ghost investigations. He provided one page only.
    Finally, he had been able to take another break and get a drink. Not all of the results would be available for a while, possibly a week or more. Over all Jason felt—he knew—he had done well and believed he had successfully met all of the criteria. Which meant there was only one last hurdle to get over: he didn’t really want to take the job.
    He kept going over the reasons in his mind, all the pros and cons. He still could not feel comfortable about the decision. There were just too many unknowns. What would it take for me to seriously want this job…? He reflected on the question.
    Months of unemployment and rejections for jobs, for one thing. Reversal of fortune; disaster ahead; the future looking bleak… yeah, there is all that. No. I shouldn’t think that way, he admonished himself. Something good will come along. It has to .
    He finished a light snack and returned to join Matthew at the hotel. He had already checked out of his room; his luggage was being held at the desk. The Genier firm had reimbursed him for the plane change fee and any additional expenses. All that remained was to conclude the interview, tie up any loose ends, wrap up any last minute questions or concerns. It shouldn’t take long , Jason thought. I’ll have time for some last minute shopping