This place was starting to get too crowded for my liking.
Four more new members had been brought in this afternoon. I keep running into them in the hallways or hanging out in one of the break rooms. It throws me off every time I see them.
When it was just me and the original five members, it was rare to bump into them unless they were specifically looking for me. They kept to themselves and I was okay with that. I was used to being a loner and the quiet suited me.
It was much harder to get those moments of solitude now. Jesper had attached himself to me, following me around when I was doing my job, forcing me to train with him, and pushing his way into my dorm for so called 'bonding time.'
Angel Boy also wasn't helping. He thought I would think I was being neglected because he was giving so much attention to the new recruits. I've told him numerous times that wasn't the case, but he would insist on making time for our friendship. Oftentimes that meant exhausting shopping trips that would drag on for hours.
Thankfully, the others weren't bothering me. I didn't get along with the rest of the original members and I also never made an effort to get to know the newbies, so there was no reason for us to interact.
I was content with my current life, but I knew this peace wouldn't last. For one, the tournament was fast approaching and I could tell the guild was getting antsy over it. For whatever reason, the tournament held more importance than just being the ticket to becoming a ranked guild. However, I wasn't privy to the bigger goal.
Secondly, the guild was gearing up to enter another dungeon as a way of testing the newbies' skills. I was surprised at first to learn that some of them would have the chance to participate in the tournament, since I was recruited having been told upfront they wouldn't need me for that. Though, it made sense. A lot of the recruits were A or B rank and some had even unique skills.
Anyways, none of that would really affect me. I would be sitting out both events. I was more worried about what came after. It was never mentioned what would happen to me when the tournament was over and they didn't need me anymore. Would I be thrown out? Would they expect me to pay back my debt?
I had saved up a bit of money, somehow managing to thwart Angel Boy's attempts to convert me into another shopaholic. However, it was not enough to live on in the case of me getting thrown out on the streets. Housing was expensive, something I couldn't seem to escape from no matter which world I lived in.
Sighing, I scrubbed my face under the tap in my bathroom. I'd been stressed lately, not knowing what to expect from the future. It was showing on my face, manifesting in the form of sallow cheeks, lifeless eyes, and a grey tint to my skin. I looked ill.
I guess that's what happens when you aren't sleeping properly. The time I would usually spend asleep had shortened recently. I found myself lying in bed while my mind spun with thoughts how I would survive in this world. I'd try to distract myself with TV until I had no choice but to fall asleep, my brain finally shutting down. It didn't always work.
I found myself sympathizing with Ash lately. Goodness knows he's been dealing with insomnia way longer than I have.
I patted my face dry with a hand towel and made my way out to the living room. Today was a big day for me, I was finally going to figure out the maze.
All the new recruits who had been here for less time than me had already figured their way around. It was just me that couldn't seem to make sense of the place. I didn't think I was directionally challenged, but I was starting to question it.
Making sure I had my phone in my pocket, I stuck my head out into the hallway and did a quick scan. All clear. I shut the door as quietly as possible and snuck away, trying to minimize the sound of my feet.
I was avoiding Jesper. Angel Boy too, really. I just needed some time to myself, a luxury I wouldn't get if they caught me trying to sneak out.
Once I was far enough away from the dorms, I relaxed. Alright, where should I head first? How about… left.
I swung left and started down the corridor, trying every door I came across. I had done some exploring at an earlier point in time, but I never actually took a moment to look around as I was too hungry to care about anything else.
Now I had plenty of opportunity to peruse the many supply closets I found. I tried to make mental notes of locations when I came across things I thought I could use in the future. Like, one closet was filled exclusively with boxes of canned tuna. Another had musty, old sheets.
Did I truly think I might actually need these at some point? No. But on the off chance that I ever needed some canned tuna, I knew where to get some.
Nothing I had seen could compare to what I found next, though. At some point in my wandering, I had discovered an elevator tucked away in a corner. I'd been using the stairs this whole time, why did nobody tell me there was an elevator?
I clicked the button and waited for the doors to open, deciding I was done with the second floor and ready to move on to the ground level. Surprisingly, there were only two floors in use, despite how big the building was. I had asked Angel Boy one day about it (he was my go to when I was curious about something) and he only told me that the other three floors were empty. He didn't elaborate on why.
Knowing that, it came as a huge shock when the elevator started taking me up instead of down. It let me out on the roof and I stepped outside into the chill wind. It had been raining off and on all day and water had collected in the dips of the worn patches of concrete.
Immediately I was taken by the sight of a medium sized, glass greenhouse. Walking closer, I tried to catch a glimpse of the inside, but couldn't see much through the fogged up glass. My next action was to look for a door.
The door had a lock on it, but it wasn't enough to keep me out. Grabbing a very handy loose brick, I bashed the lock right on the combination dial until I heard it click. I had learned the trick from a friend back in my high school days, but this was my first time using it. Luckily, the lock was cheap enough that it worked.
The wood had swelled from all the moisture and it stuck in the door frame when I attempted pushing it. Leaning my weight into it, I forced the wooden door open enough to shimmy my way inside. I was technically breaking and entering, but I was feeling bold today for some reason.
The warmth of the greenhouse was incredibly pleasant after how cold it was outside. At least, it was for about a minute. I was sweating soon enough and I moved further inside, wanting to satisfy my curiosity so I could leave and get back to air conditioning.
Taking up the entire space were rows and rows of the same plant, a little sprig of green stem with a few dark red-violet leaves sprouting from it. I wasn't much of an expert in plants, but it certainly didn't look like any species I've ever seen before. Almost absentmindedly, I dusted a single finger along one of the leaves before pulling back with a hiss.
I brought my throbbing index finger up to my eyes, looking at how red and inflamed it had become. When I touched the plant, it had felt extremely hot, like it was burning my finger. Weird. I blew on it gently to soothe the pain and glared at the offender.
I had made up my mind to leave, more than done with the place, when I heard voices coming. My eyes widened in panic and I searched for a place to hide, spotting the only suitable place behind a stack of bags of soil. I dove for cover right as the door opened, revealing Willow and Gage.
"Why was the lock on the ground?" Willow asked, bending down to pick up the lock from the ground. Shoot! What are they doing here?