If I were entirely human, I don’t think I’d be able to see the man, who I immediately recognize as Gideon, in detail. But, being what I am, I can see everything about him. I almost say hello, but something about the situation unnerves me, so I stay silent and just watch him from the corner of my eye. Gideon is standing in the doorway, in shadow. He has a blank expression on his face. He doesn’t necessarily look creepy, but he doesn’t really look normal either. His face looks hard and closed, unlike the last time I saw him; there’s a single frown line between his eyebrows; his jaw looks clenched; his small, round eyes barely blink as they look at me. I keep going with my work, pretending I haven’t seen him. I slip four of the velvet pads over the hooks of hangers, all the while listening for movement, and preparing for him to make his presence known to me.

Maybe five minutes pass like this. Each time I finish a hanger, I turn my body slightly to put it in the box and, as I do, I catch a glimpse of Gideon, just in the corner of my eye and just momentarily, before I turn back to the next hanger. I consider standing up and walking over to the fridge, opening the door and maybe acting like there’s some food in there that is mine. But, Heather told me explicitly to not touch it, and I worry about doing something wrong. Perhaps Gideon is just there to keep an eye on not me but the fridge, the coffee, and the silver platter of cereal bars and biscuits while they are in my presence. Perhaps I am the threat and those three things are particularly important and need to be protected from me and the other interns. Or, perhaps, this is another test, and Gideon is preparing to fill out a checklist with my name at the top, and put a tick next to “resisted the Three Temptations.” The tasks I’ve been made to do as part of this internship have been so mundane or absurd that I wouldn’t be surprised. Gideon stays incredibly still, so still that I start to wonder if I’m mistaking a shadow for his continued presence.