Miss Harrison leads Tikva away from the familiar hallways of her floor into an elevator. She presses the button for an unfamiliar floor a few stories above. 
When the elevator finally dings, Miss Harrison steps out to a hallway much like Tikva knew but so unlike it. The windows lead to the same city beyond, but the angle is slightly different. The halls smell of the same cleaner used by the custodial staff. Still, the familiar scents of the collective experience of workers are gone. It’s a subtle thing that people would overlook, save for that strange feeling in the back of the mind that something nearly imperceptible I different.
Miss Harrison’s heels click across the hall in her otherwise silent march down the hallway, soon stopping to look toward the distressed worker behind her.
“Is something the matter, Miss Tikkanen?”
Tikva turns from the window. “N-no, just. I thought I saw something in your reflection, maybe a bird or something, and it almost looked like you had rabbit ears for a second.”
The woman narrows her eyes, shaking her head. “Step into my office,” she says, offering the room across from the window.
Tikva does as she’s told, finding a chair to sit in. Miss Harrison enters behind her, closing the door.
The office is modern and clean—much too clean to be well-used by its occupant. The only note of any personal touches is a small rabbit figure by her computer.
Miss Harrison looks at her monitor, leaning back and lacing her fingers together.
“Your numbers are low,” she says.
“Excuse me?”
“Your productivity. It’s like your head isn’t in your work anymore. Do you even remember why you joined this company, Miss Tikkanen?
Tikva gulps, crossing her ankles. She grips the arms of her chair, looking down.
“I’m sorry, I don’t.”
Miss Harrison quirks an eyebrow and dramatically lifts a finger, pressing the enter key. “Says in your application that you see us as an opportunity to change the world. But the problem is that you haven’t been changing the world, have you?” She swivels her chair, narrowing her eyes.
“You’ve been living in a fantasy world.”
She turns the monitor, and Tikva’s heart sinks.
“It’s an impressive social media presence, Miss Tikkanen, or should I say @TikTik? We were under the impression that you were working late for us. Instead, you’ve been moonlighting as an illustrator?”
Tikva’s face burns a bright red.
“You haven’t reported this income to your forms, and we can’t have someone in accounting committing fraud.”
“I don’t remember doing any of that,” Tikva admits, biting her lip. “This doesn’t seem right.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said. This doesn’t seem right, and I don’t remember, ugh…” she rubs her eyes, pushing her glasses up.
“Miss Tikkanen, you are in big trouble. I hope you realize the gravity of this situation. We can’t allow someone to live a double life working at the company, and I’m afraid I need….” She trails off, her eyes quirking. She turns the monitor to face her.
“Miss… Harrison?”
Miss Harrison frowns. “What in the….”
A bright light strikes the woman, rolling her back in her chair. She covers her face, yelping in shocked distress. “Aw, fuck!”
At the same time, a pink-scaled hand rises from the monitor window, followed by a lizard-like head, taking a deep breath before the figure tumbles onto the floor.
Tikva hops up to her feet, watching with wide blue eyes as the little kobold emerges from the monitor, shaking her head and coughing, scrambling to her feet.
“No way, no way, no way!” Tikva screams, skittering back toward the door, running right into the thing, and desperately clawing for the door.
The scaled figure, a pink kobold, stands up, her bright blue eyes looking around, seeing the teary-eyed woman in the chair. She is about to reach out for her when she turns around to see the woman scrambling at the door.
When their eyes meet, they both freeze.
Tikva is the first to speak. “Ti… Tik Tik…?”
Tik Tik tilts her head, folding her arms over her chest, puffing out her cheeks. “You know Tik Tik? Then you know who wants Tik Tik’s money!”
“I… no, I-I made you.”
Tik Tik furrows her brows.
“The monitor. You just came out of it, look.”
Tik Tik turns around, squatting in front of the screen, scratching her chin. “What manner of place is Tik Tik in…?
Miss Harrison finishes rubbing the blurriness from her eyes, only to see a little dragon in front of her. She scrambles and falls out of her seat, shrieking and clambering to the door, joining Tikva.
“No, make Tik Tik. Tik Tik comes from the tower and chases the tax collector. You know where it is?” She looks at the screaming woman and frowns.
“Miss Harrison? But… you are human?”
“Tik Tik, you shouldn’t be here,” Tikva says, her voice shaking. “You’re fictional, and you don’t exist. I… made you up when I was younger and make money off you on crowdfunding sites.”
Tik Tik taps her nose. “Very interesting. What kind place is this?”
Tikva gulps, coughing, and says. “This is the headquarters of the Blogondia Corporation.”
“Then, Tik Tik needs speak with who on top.” The kobold says this, waving her hand. The door opens, sending the two women sprawling. Tik Tik steps forward, a circle of light under her feet. She uses this to ride out into that unfamiliar hallway in that strange building, this unfamiliar world.