She had to chuckle. Rather she had to roar with with laughter. But she would keep it in. Couldn’t let herself be out of character. But it was funny. Funny that so many pitied her. They wanted to pity her. It was a normal, human instinct. She came to learn that it helped humans feel better about the world. Love didn’t make the world go round. Pity did.

She would walk down the work hallways with her loud, brash high heels.  Many thought she wore such high heels to make herself taller so that she could readily compete in a man’s world. She had done a great job competing. She was at the top of her game. Everyday she made it seem like an arduous struggle to be at the top of her game. It helped people feel more comfortable with her.  And, indeed, trust was what she was after.

She went into the lunchroom to commiserate with her fellow teammates. That is what sympathetic bosses do after all. She had read all the scripts and was ready to act every single one of them out.

She laughed, frowned when needed and tapped her fingers in obvious consternation. She was the perfect boss.

“Diana, do you want any of this leftover chicken?”

“I am full thank you But if I get peckish I do have a snack at my desk. thank you”.

She got up for indeed she was peckish.  She headed back to her office and picked up the scorpion’s tail that had been thrown on her desk in a fit.

Soon enough she would be pitying them all  as she hunts them down and eats them.  Then, of course, she would be fully human.  Her pity for those listless souls would be her salvation.