Welcome New
"Um… appreciate that you bought me some clothes, but where are we going?"
"Hmm, just right there."
Right there? We've been walking around for a while now.
I sighed.
After I accepted his offer, he bought me clothes due to my old clothes having blood.
"Hey, why are you still bringing that? You should leave that back there."
I brought my uniform with me. It was holding it in a paper bag.
"It's important to me."
Well, this is only what I have. Let's say it's a memorial.
"Hmm… it's important eh… Say, did I tell you my name?"
"YOU DID NOT." I replied.
"Haha, sorry-sorry. You've been following me as a stranger."
"You are suspicious from the start."
"Haha, then why did you follow me?"
"What you said was bothering me."
"Hmm, about what?"
"Back there, when you said start a new life."
"Hmm, it seems like you had a harsh life based on your tone."
"Yea… it's a long rough life…" I answered with a low tone of voice.
"..."
He became silent after I answered him.
The silence continued until we reached the destination.
"We are already here."
"Here?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"It's so big and tall."
"Well, it's a 5-star hotel."
A 5-star hotel, ha…?
Then I realized something.
"W-w-wait a minute." I backed away from him. "D-dont tell me you're gonna rape m--. What the fuck, gay?!"
"No, no, it's not like that." He's walking slower to me.
"S-stay back! Don't come closer!" And I slowly back away.
"You got the wrong idea!"
"No, just stay there!"
While we're quarrelling, the surrounding people were watching us.
"What's this commotion outside?" A lady came outside from the hotel. "Ah, Kylo! You ditch your work again!"
"Eek, Martha?"
She went towards the brown hair guy.
"I've been looking for you!"
"Shh… Martha, don't shout. The people are looking at us."
"Ok people, you all can go now. The show is over!" She shouted.
Then the people start walking away.
"Now, back to you. Where were you?"
"Um… J-just taking a break…"
"Ha…?! Your break is already long done!"
They seem to quarrel now. But now it's my chance to get away.
I'm trying to sneak away from them, but he noticed it.
"Hey, don't dare to run." His arm wraps around my neck from the back.
"So you're really going to rape. Let me go." I struggle to remove his arm.
"Hey stop that."
"Then let me go."
"I will let you go if you don't run."
"Fine…"
He removed his arm.
"So who's this?" The lady asked.
"New recruit." He replied.
"Huh…?! What's the meaning of this?" I asked.
"I did tell you, right? To start a new life."
"Yea, that's what you told me."
"Then work here."
"Huh?"
"Is he one of us?" The lady asked.
"Yea." The guy replied.
"Huh? One of us? Whaa…?" Just me in a state of confusion.
"Anyway, I'm Kylo Brunt. I work here." He offers me a handshake.
"I'm James Agnew." And I accepted the handshake.
"And the lady over there is Martha Claxton."
"Nice to meet you." She greeted me.
"Same here. Nice to meet you." And I greeted her as well.
Kylo turned around and started walking into the door. "Ok, let's go inside now." He stopped and looked at me for a second. "Oh, by the way. James, I advise you to change your name now." Then went inside.
"Wait. What did you mean by that?"
"Let the boss explain it to you later." Martha said to me, then went inside as well.
"Boss?? Wha…?" I sighed. "I don't know anymore what's going on." And I follow them inside.
"Wow." I was stunned.
I was surprised on what's inside. It was like a royal palace. After going in, there's a red carpet you walk on at the entrance. The lights in the ceiling were chandeliers. The color of the area was gold in it, to be fitting for royalty. There's even an armor statue. As if like this place only nobles come here.
"As expected of a 5-star hotel." I said it bluntly.
"James! Why are you spacing there? Come here." Kylo called me.
I go to him.
"Hey, what do you mean, change my name?" I asked.
"I can't explain it to you. So the boss will explain it to you instead. This person will bring you where the boss is."
"I see."
"Then I should go to work now." Kylo walks away.
"Wait!"
He's walking away while waving.
"Eh, he didn't explain anything."
Now he left me with this guy.
"Now, should we go?"
"Yea…"
"Follow me." He starts walking.
I followed him.
"So… were we going?" I asked.
"To the top."
We went inside the elevator.
"This sure is high, right?"
"..."
"Even an elevator looks fancy, ha…"
"..."
While riding the elevator, we didn't talk much. When I'm talking to him, he only gives me dead silence.
So I decided to keep quiet.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence…
"It's Ace."
"?"
After some long silence, he starts to talk.
"It's my name."
"I'm Ja--"
Wait a minute…
Kylo said that I should change my name.
Hmm…
"Don't worry, I already know. James' right?" He said.
"Yea…"
"Nice to meet you."
"Same."
"..."
"..."
And… back to silence.
…
This became awkward. So I start whistling.
"Stop that."
"Sorry."
It became more awkward.
Why does this elevator take so long? How many floors are there?
I look at the screen.
??
"66?!"
And it's still going up?
He noticed me. "This hotel has 100 floors."
"100!?"
Yea, I know this building is big and tall just by looking outside. But…
"I didn't know how tall this is." I said.
"..."
But he returned to being quiet.
[TING!]
A sound that the elevator makes as the door opens. He went outside.
It seems we've already reached the top floor.
So I followed him.
We walk into a corridor, passing some doors.
It looks like we're heading to the door at the end of the corridor.
While getting closer, a lady came out to the door on our right.
"Oh, Ace. What are you doing here?" The lady said.
"Just bring this person to the boss."
"Hmm, then who might be this?"
"A new recruit."
"Oh. Since I was heading there too, then let me take him there instead."
"I appreciate it. Then I should go back to work." Then he left.
"Should we go now, then?" She asked me.
I nodded. Then we start walking.
While walking, I realized that she's wearing a suit. Different from those working down there.
We reached the door and went inside.
"Boss--"
"Hmm? Seems we got a visitor. Who might be this young fella there."
"He's a new recruit boss." As she went beside the old man and stood.
"Hmm, a new recruit? Did we start recruiting?"
"We don't, boss. I just saw Ace bring him here."
"Hmm… Then why don't we ask the young fella over there."
He called me.
"Umm… The truth Kylo brought me here."
"Why so?"
"He said that going here is to start a new life."
"He said that?" The lady asked.
"Yes." I replied.
"What's your name, young man?" The old man asked.
"..." But I replied with silence.
"Hey, brat, answer when the boss asks you."
The old man raised his hand to shut the lady.
The lady bowed. "Sorry for being rude."
"No, it's alright. I'm at fault." I said.
Then she raised her head.
"Then, young man, why don't you tell your name? Is it a secret?" The old man asked.
"No sir. It's just because Kylo told me to change my name."
"Is that so… Then are you perhaps one of us?"
That again. The lady said, back down there.
"Why do you mean by that, sir?" I asked.
"We mean being a criminal or having a sin or having an ability." The lady replied instead.
"Ability?" I asked.
"Ability. Like superpowers. Having a phenomenal in your body like super strength or a can manifest fire, water, earth, or wind."
After I heard that, I remember about what I did to Hannah, back at school, even about my parents' death.
"Yes, I'm one of you guys." I said it bluntly.
"Hmm… How old are you, young man?" The old man asked.
"I'm 16 sir."
"I see… Then, concerning changing your name, should you change it, or you let me change it instead?"
"Hmm..."
Since I'm bad at naming stuff, so I decide--
I bowed and answered him this. "You should be the one to name me, boss."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Hmm… Then it's Shin Armstrong. What do you think?"
"I'm honored by it."
"!?" The old man flinched, then he smiled. "What a funny young fella."
"Then… I welcome you to the Libertate Hotel!" The old man shouted it.