《Walking Into Madness》 Prologue ¡° Your late.¡± The white haired boy said. His voice sounded like a child trying to sound more like an adult. I couldn¡¯t decide if I found it cute or disturbing at the moment. ¡°O-Oh I¡¯m sorry. A lot happened today and its my first day here; talking to you and all. I should have said this sooner but my name is-¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡° I know who you are and I know why your here.¡± He said. The boy¡¯s voice held a weight that made me pause. I could feel a sudden chill in the air as my body started to tense up. I kept a perfect fa?ade of calm as I asked him,¡± You do? Well then, please enlighten me.¡± Mr. White stared at me for a moment with those unique yellow eyes of his and slowly leaned forward over the table. ¡°Your our new toy for us to break.¡± Chapter 1 ¡°Lonnie!¡± I raised my head and turned to see my long time friend, Claire, running up to my side as I sent at the park bench. ¡°Claire¡­¡± Claire came to sit beside me and without a word hugged me tight. ¡°After everything that you told me on the phone, I bet that you were desperate for a hug right about now.¡± She¡¯s not wrong. Not too long ago, I told Claire over the phone about all the issues happening at my house right now. My dad got laid off from his job and has been hiding the fact from me and my other siblings for about a month now. Not too mention the debt collectors have been sending letters and voicemails to the house at least once a day. As the days go by, the messages that they leave get more and more aggressive. This morning we got a letter saying that if we don¡¯t somehow at least start paying the minium payments for the house then it¡¯ll go on foreclosure. Its already hard enough getting enough money for gas and food for house of eleven. Oh yeah! Did I forget to mention that I have nine other siblings? One of them already moved out already, so I¡¯m oldest sibling in the house right now. I help with paying the bills by working at a cute, little cafe as a barista that is right down the street from school. What I make there doesn¡¯t even scratch the surface of all the money we owe to the bank. I could feel tears starting to well up in my eyes.¡± I don¡¯t know what to do anymore. Maybe I should move out and make it easier on them.¡± Claire let go of me.¡± Do you know where you¡¯ll go? Can you even afford it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been saving up some of the money that I have been making while working at the cafe. Pretty sure, I can find something¡­¡± Even as I told her that, I didn¡¯t feel confident that it would work. We live near the city, so even apartments the size of a closest cost and arm and a leg. The money I saved so far would only last about two months at the most. I felt Claire¡¯s hand grab my shoulder. ¡° You know, your always welcome to stay at my place for as long as you want.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I wiped my tear filled eyes and gave her a small smile. ¡° Thanks for the offer, but their is no way I can be a burden to you or your parents.¡± Claire paused for a moment and laughed. The sudden sound made me jump with a start. ¡° Why are you laughing?¡± ¡° Oh sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. Its just that when you said you didn¡¯t want to be a burden to my parents, I got confused for a second there.¡± Huh? Why would she be confused? ¡°I must have forgotten to tell you, but I actually was able to move out and get my own place.¡± Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting that. Claire¡¯s family had money troubles too in the past, but unlike my family they were able to fix the problems and have a healthy, stable financial lifestyle. Granted they currently aren¡¯t the richest family in town, but they weren¡¯t swimming in constant debt either. I had so many questions. ¡°When? How? Why didn¡¯t you tell me this sooner? Where is your place anyway?¡± Claire held up both of her hands in a stopping gesture. ¡°Who, whoa there. One question at a time, please.¡± ¡°Sorry, its just I wasn¡¯t expecting you to move out or at least not yet anyway.¡± Claire giggled. ¡°Yeah, me neither. I was able to get a job that actually pays really well and after saving up a bit, I was able to afford a little place of my own.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Claire grabbed both of my hands as she looked me in the eye. ¡° That¡¯s why I want you to come live with me. Of course, you wouldn¡¯t be a burden to me. Your my best friend and friends help friends when their in trouble, right?¡± I could only nod. She wasn¡¯t wrong and living with her for at least a little while my dad found a new job would help us quite a bit. But, I already knew the guilt would eat me up inside if I wasn¡¯t struggling with them, making sure everyone ate everyday, helping my siblings with their homework, helping around the house and many other things. I sighed deeply at my own thought. ¡°Your not coming with me, are you?¡± I shook my head while giving her a sad smile. Claire let go of my hands with a sigh. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t see that coming. Your too nice for your own good, you know that?¡± I laughed at that. She¡¯s been telling me I¡¯m too nice since we were kids. ¡°Just so you know, that offer is always open if you ever change your mind.¡± ¡°Thanks Claire. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± We sat in silence for a moment or two as we watched the sun start to set. I tried not to think about my current problems as I enjoyed the scenery. Until I heard a loud clap sound from beside me. The sound made me jump again. ¡°Geez, will you stop doing that?¡± Claire gave a slight, quick laugh. ¡°Whoops, sorry. I just came up with the perfect idea.¡± ¡°Really? About what?¡± ¡°About how to help you, duh. You don¡¯t want to live with me and you need a lot of money fast, right?¡± ¡°Yyyeeaahhh.¡± Where is she going with this? ¡°Well, it just so happens that I know a place that can pay you a ton of money and the jobs; I can guarantee are easy as pie.¡± Hope sparked in my eyes. I was already considering getting another job, but if Claire says that this place that she¡¯s talking about pays that well then I¡¯ll give it shot. ¡°That sounds like exactly what I need at the moment. So, what I need at the moment. So, what is this place called and where can I find it?¡± Claire¡¯s eyes lit up with my enthusiasm as she scooted closer to me. ¡° Have you heard of a place called the Silver Cloud Foundation?¡± Chapter 2 ¡° The Silver Cloud Foundation?¡± I¡¯ve heard of a place or company called that when I first started looking for a job. Maybe its a new company or a place I scanned over because I didn¡¯t meet their requirements. ¡°Yeah, long story short, their a new company that has been around the last couple of years and they mainly support or help manage other places. I know that sounds really vague, but if I give you the long version we¡¯ll be here all day.¡± I nodded. I don¡¯t care much about the history or what their main purpose is as a company. The only thing I want to know is how do I get hired, what do I need to do and how much does it pay. At this point, I¡¯m willing to shake my ass at a strip club for some extra cash. Desperate times call for desperate measures. ¡°So, its actually really hard to get hired at this place, but don¡¯t worry. All your girl has to do is put a good word in to my boss and your chances will skyrocket.¡± Every word she spoke made my hope grow, even though, it was a long shot. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I go put in an application or something first? How much do they even pay you, anyway?¡± Claire waved a dismissive hand. ¡°Oh, all that application and paperwork stuff will come later, don¡¯t worry. This company is a little backwards and weird, but trust me you¡¯ll do fine once you get the hang of it.¡± I¡¯ll take her word for it. ¡°So, you still didn¡¯t answer me on how much they will pay me. You said it¡¯ll be more than what I make at the factory, right?¡± ¡°Oh yes, definitely! But, well¡­¡± Why did she stop talking? Is something wrong? ¡°Well, what?¡± Claire looked at me for a moment in deep thought. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t promise that you¡¯ll make the same amount as me, but I will promise that your going to be paid much more than what you make now.¡± Oh, is that all? And here I was thinking that she was about to call her whole plan off. ¡°That¡¯s fine. But, now I¡¯m curious, how much do you make since you started working for them and how long have you been doing this?¡± Claire didn¡¯t say anything at first and grinned widely. I could tell she wanted to fill this moment with suspense, but I couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. I playfully hit her on the shoulder. ¡°Come on, stop holding out and tell me!¡± ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help myself. So, because of company policy I can¡¯t really give you in depth details about my job, but I¡¯ve been doing this for the last couple of months. Girl, my last paycheck was about five thousand dollars and they only pay you once a month.¡± My jaw dropped. Five thousand dollars per paycheck and that¡¯s monthly?! That¡¯s fucking insane; their is no way that this place is legit. I wouldn¡¯t put it past it if this place was actually a front, so they can do their dirty dealings in private. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I gave Claire a once over. She didn¡¯t look scared, angry or have any visible scars, markings or bruises showing that she¡¯s being abused or threatened in any way. Then again, she could be hiding it very well. I shook my head. Come on, this is Claire that we¡¯re talking about here! Sweet, bright Claire that I¡¯ve known since elementary school. I would know if something was wrong with her or if she¡¯s lying. Claire as always been a terrible liar and she doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s lying about this at all. ¡°T-That¡¯s insane! What could you possibly be doing to be getting paid that much? Do you actually get a high position in the company or something? Was the five thousand some kind of bonus?¡± Claire laughed at my questions and shook her head. ¡°Of course not, if I was higher in the chain they would probably look at that five thousand like it was pocket change. Like I said before I can¡¯t go in depth, but to sum up my job in a nut shell, I¡¯m a walking billboard.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What I mean is I go around and advertise that my company is looking for people for hire.¡± I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around what she was telling me. I placed my hands on my head while trying to process her words. ¡°So, let me get this straight, you get paid to go around and talk to people?!¡± Claire nodded. ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s all you have to do? No extra tasks whatsoever? No cleaning, no mopping, no ass kissing, no paperwork; nothing at all?¡± She nodded again. ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°And you get paid five thousand dollars a month just for that?¡± Claire clapped her hands together in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right, you got it!¡± She said this so brightly and confidently that it made me wonder if she already knew how insane this was and didn¡¯t know it or knows it and chooses to ignore it. Nevertheless, I don¡¯t have many options at the moment and their is no guarantee that¡¯ll be hired that this ¡®Silver Cloud¡¯ place anyway. So their is no point worrying about it for now. I sighed in defeat. ¡°Okay, if they give me a chance then I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± Claire squealed in delight and gave me another hug. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lonnie. You¡¯ll get in, I know it.¡± After that we started talking about other things, like school, teachers, our favorite shows, cracking jokes to each other and so on. If anyone passed by and looked at us at that moment, you would have seen two teenage girls being silly in the middle of a park with no problems with the world whatsoever. Its too bad all good things must end. It was starting to get dark and as we parted ways, Claire said that she would contact her boss as soon as possible. If it goes well then they¡¯ll be sending me an email very soon. Still had my doubts that they will contact me, but if Claire was able to get in, why can¡¯t I? I was pretty much a block from my house when I felt my phone go off. I looked to see that Claire had texted me. In the message, it said that the talk with her boss went well and that I should be receiving something from her company soon. As if on cue, I get another notification saying its an email from the notorious, Silver Cloud Foundation. I wonder what it says, I¡¯m kind of nervous. Will I even be qualified to get this job? No! No negative thoughts, I haven¡¯t even read it yet and I¡¯m already thinking that this is mission impossible. I opened the email and it was a welcoming letter thanking me for my interest in working for them. The letter had an application and a questionnaire attached to it. Basically, I¡¯m supposed to fill both out, but the questionnaire was the most important out of the two it seems because it determines what job I¡¯m qualified for and which would best suit me. I didn¡¯t want to waste any time, so I hurried home. Locked my bedroom door and hopped into bed; giving both documents my full attention. The application had the same copy and paste questions that every place that you apply for has; that was a breeze. The questionnaire, on the other hand, was another story entirely. What kind of questions are these? Do I believe in ghosts, werewolves, vampires or any other supernatural beings? Have I ever worked in an hospital or asylum? Have I ever been in a cult or considered being in one? Have I ever been hypnotized and if so for how long? The list of weird questions just keeps going. Why ask people these weird questions? Maybe its a way to keep the crazy people away? Claire did say that these people are a little weird and backwards, so this might be their way off keeping the creeps away. I completed both and sent it back to them. In which , I got an email back saying that they¡¯ll get back with me with the results. I was a bundle of nerves that I felt like I couldn¡¯t go to sleep that night. I kept staring at my phone screen willing it show another email from that company, even though, it doesn¡¯t make any sense for them to contact me this very second. I didn¡¯t realize that I had fallen asleep while still holding my phone until I heard birds chirping and the blinding light of the rising sun started to beam through the curtains. It was a brand new day. Chapter 3 It wasn¡¯t until two days later that I received a message back from them and in the strangest way. It was like any other morning with me; trying to conjure any sort of energy to start my day when I noticed that I received a couple emails on my phone. When I looked at it, it was two emails from the Silver Cloud place. I could feel my earlier tiredness start to fade at what I would read on these emails. Oh my God, what are they going to say? Are they going to reject me? Am I not qualified for any job they have in this called company of theirs? Wait, stop! What am I doing?! I haven¡¯t even read them yet. Get it together, girl! I had a bad habit of thinking of worst case scenario, but could you blame me? When I decided to go find a job to help out the family for the first time ever; I found that finding a job that would accept a teenager with no work experience while going to school was almost mission impossible. I got that cafe job at a stroke of pure luck because the owner was desperate for help because the last person who worked there graduated and moved away. I almost cried tears of joy when I told my parents that I found a job at last. Calming my nerves, I opened the first one that said in summary that I was accepted and that they have decided based on the answers in the questionnaire that I would be perfect for the position of a physical behavioral assistant. Also, that they need me to be available to work as soon as possible, so a representative of the company should be contacting me shortly. What the hell is a physical behavioral assistant? It sounds like a title a therapist would get or something. Oh no, please don¡¯t tell me that they¡¯re going to put me in charge of patients or something. I have enough on my own personal plate to be listening to people unload their own troubles and worries onto me. Then again, if that is the case and all I must do is listen to people complain about the world and their own personal issues then Claire was right. This will be as easy as pie! I opened the other email and noticed that it was sent to me three hours ago. When I read the message, I paused. Then, read it again. And again. My brain was short circuiting and going a mile a minute at what this second message said. Its an email from this so called ¡®representative¡¯ and says that because my new place of employment is too far for a daily commute; they have decided that it was in both interests of the company and myself to arrange new living quarters closer to work. Also, the company will be making all these arrangements and I don¡¯t need to worry about a thing. At the very bottom it says that the representative will come to pick me up for orientation by nine thirty in the morning. That¡¯s in forty minutes! My mind started to spiral, and I felt dizzy. I leaned onto the table for support as I tried to process what I just read. New living quarters? Arrangements? Pick up? What the hell is going on here?! They can¡¯t just move me to a new place because I wanted to work for them. Who¡¯s going to help around the house if I¡¯m in some faraway place? Who¡¯s going to babysit them when they need to be babysat while my parents are at work? When this person comes over, I¡¯m going to have to make it crystal clear that I can¡¯t move over wherever their trying to move me and that I will find my own way to commute from and to work. I¡¯m hoping that this person is as understanding as my mind is making them out to be. Meanwhile, I get dressed and ready for the day while mentally coming up for a speech for this mysterious person. ¡°Lonnie, is something the matter?¡± I looked over to see my dad looking at me with concern. My dad was always seemed to know what we were feeling, no matter the time or place. Nobody knew how he was doing it; it was a gift he¡¯s always had. Now that gift is projecting a neon anxiety sign over me head. ¡°N-No..not really. Actually, there is, but don¡¯t worry, dad, I got it all under control.¡± He crossed his arms with a raised brow. A silent ¡®come on now, spill it¡¯ gesture. I raised my hands in defense while trying to make a brave face. ¡°Seriously, dad. Don¡¯t worry about a thing, everything is going to be fine.¡± His face changed to worry as he lowered his arms. ¡°Worry about what? Are you some kind of trouble? If you are, you can tell your old man and I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± I wanted to explain everything to him, but the moment that I opened my mouth to speak; I heard a couple knocks on the door. My dad and I looked over in the general direction of the door. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I knew my dad was wondering who it could be first thing in the morning. We rarely get visitors and when we do the whole house knows about it. But, I had a good hunch who was waiting beyond the front door. I looked at my phone. It was nine thirty on the dot. I heard my mom call out as I heard her footsteps got closer and closer to the front door. ¡°I¡¯ll get it!¡± ¡°No!¡± I yelled out as I pushed past my dad and cut off my mom before she could make it to the door. The short sprint put me out of breath as I plastered my back towards the door. ¡°Lonnie? What¡¯s gotten into first thing in the morning?¡± I had to think fast or this was going to get complicated really fast. ¡°Well, um¡­what I mean is..um..you can go back to bed. Its probably just somebody trying to sell us something or something like that.¡± She tried to push past me, so she could grab the handle. ¡°I would like to see that for myself. Thank you very much.¡± She said, haughtily. I held my ground and used my body to block her hand. Quick as lightning, I opened the door a crack and slid most of body through it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got this so go back to bed or you can start making breakfast if you want. I¡¯ll tell you what the salesman wants later if your that interested.¡± Closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°A salesman, am I? Shit! I totally forgot that he was standing there the entire time. He¡¯s probably thinking that I¡¯m some kind of weirdo and is reconsidering hiring me. I turned to face this mysterious man and I have to say that this man was easy on the eyes. Handsome, tall, well put together with his blue suit and white glove combo and is practically oozes authority and confidence. I¡¯m willing to bet that the ladies faint on a daily basis when he walks by in the halls. ¡°Are you done ogling me, Ms. Stone?¡± I could feel my face heat up with embarrassment as I realized that this man as just called me out on my obviously checking him out. I¡¯m not making a first good impression at all. ¡°Sir, I am so sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to stare!¡± Oh please, let the Earth swallow me whole! ¡°Its quite alright, Ms. Heart. Nothing for you to get embarrassed about. Are you ready to leave?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± For a moment, my mind was drawing a complete blank at why this man was here in the first place and why I didn¡¯t want my parents to meet him. Then, everything came flooding back into my mind. ¡°Yeah, about that¡­¡± For some reason, as I started to speak I couldn¡¯t get the words out of my mouth. It was like that entire mental speech I prepared in advance has completely left me and now I¡¯m at a loss on how I should break the news to him. ¡°Do you no longer desire to work for us, Ms. Heart? If that is the case, then you should have informed me before I made the trip here.¡± His face was looked slightly annoyed as if I was wasting his time and he should have gotten someone else to do this. It kind of irked me a little bit, but I held my tongue at his attitude. ¡°No, no. I still want to work for you guys, but I can find my own way there and back. Their is no need for you or anyone else to go out and make any sort of arrangements for me, sir.¡± I tried to sound as polite and professional as a nervous teenager could be in this kind of situation. I¡¯m hoping with all of my heart that he doesn¡¯t take it the wrong way and say that I¡¯m fired because I really need this job. ¡°I see. There is nothing you or me can do on that front unless your about to back out of the job. This position requires you to be available at a moment¡¯s notice twenty-four seven and we can¡¯t have that particular person a hundred miles away now, can we?¡± ¡°I understand that, but-¡± The stranger cut me off from what I was going to say by raising his hand in a stopping motion. He raised his hand to his glasses and pushed them closer to his face. ¡°Ms. Stone, do you remember what you said in your application?¡± Oh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to like where this is going. ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°When we asked how many hours your willing to work, can you work weekends and are you able to commute or move to any location at any moment¡¯s notice. Do you remember what your exact response was?¡± I looked away from his face and stared at my feet as I could feel the sweat rolling down skin. I definitely don¡¯t remember what I said exactly because their were so many questions and I went to sleep almost right after sending it back to them, but I could pretty much guess what I said. When I gained enough courage to face him again, the look he was giving me made me squeal. His face was overcast with a dark shadow, but not dark enough that I couldn¡¯t make out his hardened gray eyes. ¡° You said to all three questions,¡¯ wherever you need me, no matter the time or place. I¡¯ll be there.¡± Fuck. ¡° Now that sounds like a model employee anyone would pay an arm and a leg for, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± I didn¡¯t say anything because I felt like anything I said at this point would be useless and would make me look more like a fool than I already feel at this point. I didn¡¯t lie, but I heard that¡¯s what your supposed to put on any application to make yourself stand out more in the crowd. How was I supposed to know that these people were going to take everything I said on the application literally? He lifted his arm to take a look at his wristwatch then looked at me with a calculated expression. ¡°Ms. Stone, I don¡¯t have all day to bargain with you, so I¡¯ll make you a deal since I¡¯m on a tight schedule.¡± I perked up at the thought that this man was going to cut me some kind of slack after all. ¡° You have a total of ten minutes to do whatever it is you need to do before we head off. If you are not in my car, in ten minutes or less then I¡¯ll let my superiors know to terminate you as a potential applicant and black list you from having any future contact with us. Is that understood?¡± My face paled as he explained his so called ¡®deal¡¯. No, it was more like he was giving me an ultimatum. I could feel all my hope and energy drain out of me as my shoulders sagged in defeat. Before, I could give any kind of response that I agreed to his terms; he simply turned around and walked back to his car. I was at a loss at what to do and the clock was ticking. I had only minutes to explain the situation to my family and say goodbye to them before going to some unknown place and do who knows what. I could hear Claire in the back of mind; trying to cheer me up and telling me that things will get better. That¡¯s right, I have to remember that if she can adjust and love her job than so can I. I just have to think more positive thoughts about this is all. Now here comes my real big challenge. I have to tell my parents. They are not about to take this well at all. Dad is very overprotective of all of us especially mom and his daughters. Mom is kind of the same, but she sees all of her children as babies and not people growing up to be adults. I remember she had the hardest time when William moved out to California to live on campus at some big university. She acted like she was never going to see him again that day. I hope its not as bad for me as it was for William. I turn towards the door and calm my nerves as best as I could at the moment. But, I find that for the second time today my fickle confidence leaving me again when I open the door to find two angry parents glaring at me. Their eyes projecting all the questions that they want answered. ¡°Are you going to start explaining what that was all about, young lady?¡± Chapter 4 My parents were waiting with barely contained patience for some kind of explanation to what happened while I was talking to Mr. Stick up his ass. The door slowly closed behind me sealing my fate and that¡¯s when I remembered that the clock was ticking, and I need to hurry this along. So, like a band aid I decided to rip it off and give them the whole story with some minor details. Like I thought their minds were blown away after I was done. ¡°What the hell kind of sketchy shit is this?! There is no way that you¡¯re going with that man!¡± ¡°Their paying how much a month for working with them?! This could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Getting going, he¡¯s not going to wait outside forever.¡± My parents yelled two different reactions about this situation. Dad was a total no; surprisingly mom was a total yes and dad wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°What do you mean ¡®get going¡¯? You want our oldest daughter to get into a car with a total stranger and go to who knows where? Don¡¯t you see how dangerous this is? This could be some kind of scam or sex trafficking scheme for all we know!¡± ¡°Dear, I know what you¡¯re thinking but if is an legit job offer then this could solve all of our problems in one fell swoop. Think of what¡¯s best for this family.¡± Dad seemed to be greatly offended by what mom said and got even angrier. ¡°I am thinking what is best for this family! Why would you even think-¡± I had to cut my parents off before this arguing got any further. If I¡¯m right, I probably have less than three minutes before this job literally drives away and is never seen again. I said a brief goodbye to both of parents and slid out the door before either could think to follow. This isn¡¯t how I want this to end, but I have a little choice right now to do it any other way. As I was turning to leave, I caught a few of my younger siblings taking peeks around the corner obviously eavesdropping on the conversation. The moment I made it outside I speed walked all the way to the luxurious looking car; I could hear my dad struggling against my mom as she held him back from getting to me. I went inside the car and without a word the car started and moved away from the house. I didn¡¯t even want to look at my family that was probably looking through the windows and doors wondering what was going on or my angry dad fighting my mom. I knew that once the smoke cleared another round of arguing was going to happen and maybe an angry phone call from my parents later on. I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I get there, I guess. ¡°You almost missed your deadline by thirty seconds.¡± I glared at him for all I was worth. It was his fault this was happening in the first place and here he is complaining. I opened my mouth with a snarky comeback but closed it when I saw that he was opening a suitcase obviously looking for something. The man pulled out two heavy stacks of paper and handed one to me. I took it without a word and waited. He adjusted his glasses and said,¡± Now onto business, my full name is Adam Strong, but you could either call me Mr. Strong or Strong which ever you prefer.¡± ¡°No problem, Adam.¡± I decided to call him by his first name instead for the small price of what he did at my house. Adam gave me a stern look like what a parent gives a child when they¡¯ve done something wrong and should already know what it is. I decided to play dumb; my own way of saying that I wasn¡¯t going to budge on this. He simply sighed and continued. ¡°Well then, what you have in your hands is a copy of your contract. Read it over carefully and if you have any questions or want to discuss any changes; do so now before signing.¡± Adam looks at the window and watches the local scenery change while waiting for either sign or ask a question. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I was about to sign this heavy ass contract. I mean, why would I back out now? I get a ton of money for this plus I had to fight my parents to even get in the car with a complete stranger, so why wouldn¡¯t I sign it? I paused for a moment as the pen touched the paper. On the other hand, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to give it a quick scan at least, right? I start to flip slowly through pages and the only the things that I seemed to understand was how my job was vaguely going to be performed and the amount I would get a the end of each month till the end of the term. It even says I get a twenty-five-thousand-dollar bonus if I choose to extend the contract by the end of the term which is three months. The amount I get for each month comes to ten grand which is ridiculous! Am I going to be helping celebrities or important figures or something? This amount is double of what Claire gets for her job! She did say the pay varies depending on the job, so I shouldn¡¯t act too surprised. But this is still a lot for one person. I decided to sign on the dotted line after confirming that. The rest of it was legal technical dribble that I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of. I glanced over at Adam who was still looking out of the window. There was no way in hell I was going to ask for his help. He looked over at me in that moment and I quickly averted my gaze to avoid getting caught. ¡°Are you done, Ms. Heart? Any questions or change suggestions?¡± I handed the thick contract back to him and said,¡± None that I can see.¡± Adam paused and lifted an eyebrow while looking at my contract. His face seemed to project a ¡®are you sure?¡¯, but the moment left so quickly, and his face changed back to his usual expression as he took the contract out of my hands. After he¡¯s done putting both of them away, he looks at his watch again. ¡°After the contract is finalized and processed, I¡¯ll send you a copy. We¡¯re really tight on time right now, but we should be off the plane right on schedule.¡± Wait, what?! ¡°Hold on, what about a plane?¡± Adam crossed his legs and put both hands on his knee. ¡°The plane we have to get on to get to our final destination. You didn¡¯t think that I drove all the way here, did you?¡± Say what?! My mind was reeling and screaming the entire ride there. By the end of the plane ride, we still had to go through another thirty-minute drive into the middle of nowhere. At least, that¡¯s how it looked to me. There was only grass fields and patches of forest here. Eventually, the car stopped at a gate with iron bars and a brick wall stretching as far as I can see. Even past the bars looks like more roads and grassland, how big was this place anyway? ¡°Once we¡¯ve reached your cabin, you are to change into your work uniform immediately, so I can take you to the facility. Do you understand, Ms. Stone?¡± I nodded. During the ride here, Adam explained my job to me in more detail. My job is to socialize and entertain a certain group of prisoners at this facility. The group I¡¯m assigned to is very unique; all of the prisoners are it seems, but from the way Adam talks about them they sound like they¡¯re on the top of the list. Guess I¡¯ll find out for myself soon enough. We reached a cute little log cabin and before I can leave out of the car Adam informs me that I have five minutes to change into my uniform. I simply roll my eyes at him and get inside. The cabin is as cute and cozy as it is in the inside and that soft bed is looking mighty fine right about now. After a four-hour plane ride and a thirty-minute drive even the floor looked good enough to pass out on. But his instructions were clear, and I would hate for this man to barge in here and kick me awake. I head towards the wardrobe where my uniform most likely was and paused at the sight of it. This must be some kind of joke? Inside the wardrobe was a short dress that looked like it could barely cover my knees with a white ruffled edge; it also had a cute matching white, ruffled apron attached to it. The outfit also included a thigh high black and white striped socks and low-heeled boots that have too many belt straps in my opinion that almost reach my knees. Was this a prank of some kind that they do to the newbies? My mind conjured Adam¡¯s stern face in my mind and shook my head. If there¡¯s one person who can¡¯t take a joke, its him. Fine! I¡¯ll wear it and I¡¯ll once in for all if someone is messing around or not. I put on the ridiculous outfit and get inside the car and wait for Adam¡¯s reaction. He simply gives me a once over and gives the driver the signal to drive. My eyes widened at the fact that this was really my work outfit. What exactly do these people expect me to do? A couple minutes later, we come across a huge building which I¡¯m guessing is the prison Adam spoke of earlier. It didn¡¯t have the usual barbed wire and fencing that is standard issue for every prison I¡¯ve seen at least. Instead, this one had four tall towers surrounding it plus a very tall radio antennae coming out of the middle. Well, that¡¯s something you don¡¯t see every day? Once the car stopped, we made our way up the stairs towards the entrance, but Adam stopped to look at me before opening the door. ¡°Let me remind once more that the moment you enter this building, you are to refer yourself as Alice and nothing else, do you understand?¡± Oh yeah, this another thing that I was told is that I can¡¯t call myself by name when I¡¯m at work for some strange reason. Its already strange enough with the clothes and all, but I guess work is work, right? I waved a dismissive hand his way. ¡°Yeah, yeah I get it already. Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± Adam huffed and opened the door to what I would soon learn was the strangest prison imaginable. ¡°Welcome to the world of the Silver Cloud Foundation, Ms. Stone. I look forward to working with you.¡± Chapter 5 I didn¡¯t know what I was expecting once we entered the prison, but so far, it¡¯s just as I imagined it would be if I had to ever had to enter one in the past. A short distance away was a desk with two guards; one at the front desk and the other sitting at the metal detector area. Both guards looked up when they heard the door open and for a moment, I thought they were going to comment or make a face about my outfit. Instead, they looked away as if everything was normal. Do people come in these strange outfits often? I thought that we were about to approach the guard at the desk, but right as neared it Adam suddenly turned left and walked towards the solid-colored wall. I was about to ask what he was up to until the supposed wall opened to reveal an elevator. ¡°What the hell?!¡± Adam simply stepped inside the elevator as if nothing was wrong. ¡°Come along now. If you don¡¯t hurry up, you¡¯ll be late, and he doesn¡¯t like it when people are late.¡± Once I entered the elevator and doors closed, I asked the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± ¡°Your first patient, Alice. A person who you¡¯ll be meeting soon, please try to make a good first impression.¡± I pouted at him for dodging the question. He¡¯s making it seem like I¡¯m not good with people. At the cafe I used to work at people loved talking to me as I ringed up their orders especially when it was slow. The owner even teased me saying that I was one of the reasons why they had so many regulars now. I¡¯ll show you, you fucking jerk. The elevator doors opened to reveal a wide hallway with several doors on each side. There were similar suit wearing people walking up and down the hall; some were even going in and out some of the doors several times. I wasn¡¯t sure why I didn¡¯t think that there wouldn¡¯t be so much activity in here, but there was and it kind of blew me away. As we made to what I can assume our room, I bumped into someone¡¯s shoulder. I turned to apologize that the person in all white kept walking like nothing happened. He didn¡¯t even bother turning around; just kept follow that one person in the business suit like he was his shadow. A paused wondering if I should say something or not. ¡°Alice, why are you just standing there? We need to get a move on.¡± I didn¡¯t like his tone, but he¡¯s right. No point crying over spilled milk, if I see that guy again, I¡¯ll try talking to him. It didn¡¯t take us long to get to our door after that. ¡°Here we are.¡± Adam took out a card and swiped it on the small machine attached to the wall next to the door then typed a code into it. The door entered and the first thing I notice is some chairs in front of a two-way mirror. As I get a closer look inside, I see a small white-haired boy sitting on the opposite side of a metal table. He was the cutest thing, I¡¯ve ever seen! He had matching white, floppy bunny ears attached to his head. He wore a long sleeved, button up jacket with black pants and a thin black ribbon around his neck. Underneath the jacket it looked like he was wearing a white button up shirt and a striped pattern under bust corset. He looks like a little gentleman. So cute! He must be cosplaying! The cute white-haired boy was glaring at his yellow pocket watch that he was holding in one hand while impatiently tapping his fingers on the table with the other. It looked like he was waiting for someone, maybe his parents? Do they work here? ¡°Hey, Adam, why are we here? I thought I was going to be one of these so called prisoners today.¡± No response. I turned towards him and saw that he was looking attentively at the boy. ¡°That is the prisoner, Alice.¡± I started to laugh nervously at the joke. There¡¯s no way that kid is an inmate at this place. ¡°And here I thought you had no sense of humor. Now seriously where¡¯s the real prisoner?¡± I didn¡¯t expect him to laugh with me, but he could have at least smirked or something. As my laughter downed quickly, it really dawned on me that Adam wasn¡¯t kidding and this cute, little kid was really a supposed inmate to this place. But he¡¯s so young what could he have possibly done to be sent to such a place? He can¡¯t be any older than ten or eleven years old! Once I that thought entered my mind, I turned back to look at the seemingly innocent boy again, but this time looked at him through a different light. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled, Alice. While being an employee here, you¡¯ll learn that most things aren¡¯t as they appear.¡± As if on cue the boy looked away from his watch and towards us with his bright yellow eyes that looked as if they were trying to pierce my very soul. The way he looked straight forward made it seem like he could actually see us. But that¡¯s crazy, right? This is a two-way mirror. There¡¯s no way he could see us, right?! Stop it, Lonnie! All your doing is scaring yourself right now! Trying to maintain a facade of calm with the boy¡¯s yellow stare directed our way I asked,¡± May I know what this boy is in prison for?¡± ¡°That¡¯s classified.¡± He didn¡¯t even hesitate in his answer. ¡°Classified?! Why is knowing something that basic classified information? If he¡¯s one of the people that I¡¯m going to be looking after then-¡± Adam cut me off before I could really get into my defensive rant. ¡°Information concerning the inmates here especially the ones in the Wonderland ward are at need to know basis. Your current position doesn¡¯t put you in that category in which you should still be able to perform your duties effectively even without that kind of information. Your job is to socialize with them and keep them as calm as possible, is that clear, Alice?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Hell no, it¡¯s not clear at all! I wanted to say that, but Adam had that ¡®no nonsense¡¯ look firmly across his face. So, I settled with saying as much through my eyes. Our silent face off lasted for about a minute, before I gave up and quietly agreed with him. Without another moment to spare, he opened the door that was separating me from the mysterious little boy inside. The moment I stepped through the threshold I paused as I could feel the very air inside the room change. It felt electrified. The boy was looked over at me with a bored expression. I took that as my cue to take a seat at the table and give off a friendly and calm impression. ¡°Hello. What¡¯s your name?¡± The boy didn¡¯t respond. I opened my mouth to say something else, but he beat me to it. ¡°Your late.¡± His voice sounded like a child trying to sound more like an adult. I couldn¡¯t decide if I found it cute or disturbing at the moment. ¡°O-Oh I¡¯m sorry. A lot happened today and it¡¯s my first day here; talking to you and all. I should have said this sooner, but my name is-¡± ¡°I know who you are and I know why your here.¡± He said. The boy¡¯s voice held a weight that made me pause. I could feel a sudden chill in the air as my body started to tense up. I kept a perfect facade of calm as I asked him,¡± You do? Well then, please enlighten me.¡± The boy stared at me for a moment with those unique yellow eyes of his and slowly leaned forward over the table. ¡°You¡¯re our new toy for us to break.¡± What in the hell does that mean?! I want to ask more from Adam, but he¡¯s made it clear that he won¡¯t. Will this kid tell me though? ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± I mentally flinched at the fact that I stuttered. The look in his eyes changed to a very curious and annoyed look. I¡¯m not sure to make of his sudden change. He tilted his head slightly to the side. ¡°They didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°Tell me what? Were they supposed to?¡± I tried to keep my tone as calm as possible to avoid any more stuttering. I had a feeling that if he knew that I was secretly shitting my pants then things are going to get worse. I want him to elaborate on what he said earlier, but he seems to like beating around the bush. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s doing it to try to scare me off or not, but I really need this job and I need to show that I won¡¯t back down. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, that¡¯s fine. It just that-¡± ¡°Mr. White.¡± I almost didn¡¯t hear him and had to catch myself to process that he said something to me. ¡°What?¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°My name. Around here they call me, Mr. White.¡± At last, something to work with! ¡°Looks like their being really cautious this time. In any case, you pass¡­for now.¡± Mr. White giggled at the last part. Huh? ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t understand. What do you mean,¡¯ I passed?¡± I¡¯m so confused. What is going on here? What¡¯s with this kid? He¡¯s not making any kind of sense and he¡¯s not answering any of my questions either. His eyes started to glint with mischief as he gave me a sly smile. ¡°Don¡¯t understand? Isn¡¯t that the best part? It keeps things interesting.¡± My head was starting to hurt by just talking to him. I was about to ask more questions until he lifted his pocket watch and opened it to look at the time. ¡°Well, will you look at that, we¡¯re out of time. But we¡¯ll see each other again...eventually.¡± At that moment, Adam¡¯s voice came over the intercom telling me that this session was actually over and that I should head out. But how could it be over so quickly? We never agreed on a set time and Mr. White has been dictating the entire conversation. I feel like I¡¯m the inmate and he¡¯s the actual worker. I didn¡¯t realize how long I was fuming in my chair until I heard Mr. White¡¯s voice. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you leaving? This conversation is over and have places to be, so hurry up and leave!¡± My anger started to boil over, but there was a little voice in the back of my mind screaming that I was in danger and that I should leave as soon as possible. Then, Mr. White looked at his again and his eyes grew a bit wider. The look in his eyes was filled with so much hatred that my anger faded slowly to fear and that little voice screaming that I was in danger was now blaring at full blast. ¡°Are you deaf? Get out already! If I¡¯m late for this then you¡¯re going to be very sorry later. Leave!¡± Mr. White¡¯s sudden violent change in behavior was enough to kick my brain in high gear and I ran out of the door. That short sprint had me out of breath as I slumped against the wall. I could hear Adam¡¯s voice through the haze of my swirling thoughts. ¡°Probably should have warned you that Mr. White is very affixed on time and hates it when someone interferes to his ¡®schedule¡¯. Oh really, I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that. I sat up a bit straighter against the wall. ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you to tell me certain things that I need to know about them before going in blind, you bastard!¡± I didn¡¯t care if he fired me or made me do overtime for calling him a bastard. That¡¯s stuff I needed to know and because he didn¡¯t think it was fit to tell me that whole session went straight south real quick. ¡°Noted.¡± Adam regarded me coolly before heading to the exit door. ¡°Where are we going now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re heading out, so they can escort Mr. White to his cell.¡± He opened the door to reveal four guards waiting patiently outside. The moment we left the room the guards went inside the room we came out of. Once back inside the car, I couldn¡¯t help but replay that conversation with that weird ass kid repeatedly. I never felt so intimidated with a child in my entire life. Which begs the question, what did he do to get sent here in the first place? The more I think about the more I want to know and the more I don¡¯t at the same time. This is becoming even more frustrating because no one around here feels like answering any of my questions. ¡°I know I already asked this, but where are we going?¡± ¡°That meeting was the only thing scheduled for today. I¡¯m taking you back to your cabin, so you can use the rest of the time today to get settled and rest.¡± The rest of ride was quiet even though my mind was spilling questions out both of my ears. The car stopped and I made my way to get until Adam stopped me. ¡°Tomorrow onwards, you¡¯ll be supervised by one of my peers. Someone will come to pick you up every day at nine o¡¯clock sharp. Also, there is a phonebook next to the phone in the cabin which includes my number as well in case there are any problems, or you need anything.¡± Without any word of any kind of goodbye, he looked out the window; silently dismissing me. This guy really needs to learn some manners! It wouldn¡¯t have hurt him to say goodbye at the very least. I bet he¡¯s not that popular with the ladies. I left the car and didn¡¯t bother to give him a goodbye or word of acknowledgement as I did so. Not like he would have cared. As I got inside, I didn¡¯t even bother to pay attention to the car as it drove off. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ¡°This one has a bit of a temper, doesn¡¯t she?¡± The voice said with a snicker. ¡°Is that all you got after watching her all day?¡± I hate dealing with this ¡®woman¡¯ if you could even call her that. But when comes to things like this she¡¯s better than any well-trained spy. Her voice sounded closer. ¡°Ah come on, Adam, don¡¯t be like that. You know I can see way more than any of you can.¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± I felt a firm sensation over my chest as if something or someone was caressing it. ¡°Aw, why can¡¯t I call you that? She does all the time.¡± I grabbed where I assumed her wrist would be and, in that moment, she dropped her invisible act and appeared beside me. ¡°She¡¯s an exception. I already tolerant it enough from her, but I¡¯m not going to hear it from you, too.¡± I squeezed her wrist a bit harder to get my point across. Her smile only turned into that grin that made my skin crawl. ¡°Ooohh, your so mean to me today. I love it!¡± She tried snuggling up closer to me, but I pushed her off. I knew better than to give into her advances. I¡¯d seen what happens to the poor bastards that give into temptation when she¡¯s around. Their fates were not pretty. This one likes playing with her food. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. The movement making her cleavage a lot more noticeable which I made sure not to even take a glance at. ¡°Getting back on topic, is her attitude the only thing that you even bothered to take notice of?¡± She giggled. ¡°Of course not, but I won¡¯t know for sure until I talk to her or see her in action myself. I can tell that she¡¯s both frustrated and curious at the same time about this whole situation. Maybe you can swing that little tidbit in your favor?¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± That little fact could work. She¡¯s clearly an open book and was even willing to challenge for information even though it could have gotten her fired or penalized. But she might be a little to open to read. ¡°Alice almost failed with, Mr. White, only because of lack of certain information. We need her to be able to work with him and others for as possible to keep the peace around here.¡± ¡°My, my you didn¡¯t act like this before. It almost sounds like you care. is she your type?¡± She teased. I gave her an ice cold glare. ¡°Of course not you fool. I personally don¡¯t care how this will go for her, but I¡¯m pretty sure that your aware that if Alice doesn¡¯t succeed in keeping the peace around here then¡­¡± I paused as I didn¡¯t want to even consider the consequences. ¡°It¡¯ll be my ass in the hot seat.¡±