Lucy Hutton, the narrator, and her officemate, Joshua Templeman, engage in the Mirror Game, where they copy each other’s movements to irritate one other. Lucy and Joshua work at Bexley & Gamin Publishing as executive assistants to co-CEOs Helene Pascal and Richard Bexley, respectively. The publishing companies Bexley and Gamin merged a year ago to save themselves from collapse, but their office cultures were, and remain, different. Gamin cares most about the art and magic of books; Bexley cares most about sales. Lucy notes: “The Bexleys are hard geometrics, the Gamins are soft scribbles” (2). Josh is a Bexley, Lucy a Gamin.

Lucy tells the reader, “[T]he most essential thing anyone needs to know about me, is this: I hate Joshua Templeman” (4). She hates him so much that her computer password is “IHATEJOSHUA4EVA@.” Her previous passwords have been various variations of the same.

Lucy receives a call from Julie Atkins, who once again asks for an extension on the monthly report. Lucy grants it, knowing that means she’ll have to do it herself. She also knows without having to look that Joshua is shaking his head at her lack of assertiveness. They play the “Staring Game” next, in which Lucy assumes the objective is to make the other smile or cry, although she admits she doesn’t actually know the end goal of these games.