21.02.2017.
The day of my first job offer has finally arrived. I'm scared but also very very excited! I mean, a few of us young adults get the opportunity nowadays to get a summer job that gives an unforgettable experience (no offense, but spending the entire summer smelling like fried chicken and hot sauce is not really what I'll consider an unforgettable experience).
I was somewhat offered the job at the local employment centre last Monday. I perused through the multiple flyers stacked into the different shelves hoping to find something interesting. "'A wonderful experience awaits you at the Grilled Meat Parlour! Come help spread the taste of happiness' Ugh, what a load of…chicken?" I laughed at my own miserable joke because why not. As I continued to be disappointed by the mundane offers, I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I pushed my custom-made Yoshi headphones down around my neck and glanced at my left. From that small angle, I saw a waving caramel hand, rings on the five fingers. I frowned, not being able to connect the hand to someone I knew before so I decided to do a complete 180. That wasn't really a good idea because this person had no sense of personal space and my nose collided with brown leather and my nostrils were invaded by the notes of a strong cologne.
"Excuse me, but would you be interested in living an exciting adventure?" the person (now man, I'm sure) asked. I scoffed. "That sounds like something illegal don't you think?" I answered, looking at him for the first time. I'm not going to lie and say that his outer appeal didn't faze me one bit. Of course it did! I mean, how often do you run into smoking hot guys in a day? It took all my willpower (I believe it's already close to zero so…yeah) not to gasp at pure marvel in front of him. "You idiot! Stop drooling like some fish and straighten up!" my conscience yelled at me.
"Oh, I'm not with any cartel I assure you! I thought that putting it that way would seem interesting…" 'Eighth-marvel-of-the-world' answered sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
"It's okay." I said, giving him a small smile. "Gotham Quincy." he took my offered hand in his for a shake. "Tadj." Should I feel weirded out that he didn't give me a last name? Of course I should but my conscience, for once, went with me: "Nah, no worries" we both thought.
"Come next Monday at this address" his unnatural yellow eyes (probably contacts) glanced at me shortly before his hands dived into a satchel. After a moment or two, I felt something fall in my hand: a business card. "Time is not an issue, I'm always at work." He gave me a 'Kakashi eye-smile' then started walking, his jade waves swaying with each step he took towards the door before disappearing into the busy crowd.
To say that I was puzzled was an understatement. He was hot but that didn't exclude the possibility of him being a serial killer. Who was he and what was this exciting adventure he talked about? Speaking of which, I looked at the business card: 24, Rewer Lane. It was close to the countryside (thank you Maps). It was a 2 hours' ride on my good old scooter, another reason to convince me not to go but my conscience told me otherwise: "Do you want to flip burgers all summer? Or maybe something interesting that you want to do? For once, take this risk. If he is dangerous, you can use your feet and flee!" she scolded me. I bit my lip and tapped the card in my palm as indecision filled my entire being. "Well, what could possibly go wrong…?" I asked myself "Nothing you scaredy cat!" my annoying conscience cried but she was partially right. Damn it. My resolve set, I left the centre thinking of Tadj and the fateful meeting.
Back to now, It was 2 p.m. and I was in front of the large mirror in the middle of my room admiring myself : my dyed hair was up in a messy bun held together by chopsticks and I wore my cute Mario polo (yep, there is the "It's-a me Mario !" on it) with my black shorts and boots. Was I trying to be extra-pretty for some reason? "Of course, because of Tadj. Do you think I'm stupid?" Conscience asks. I sighed. I did want to look extra-pretty but I was also stalling.
I did some research, trying to find something about Tadj. I didn't find a speck of information on the web which I find really weird (I mean, everyone has something on the web right?). It clearly hasn't helped my research that he didn't give a last name. Was he on the run? Did he escape prison? Or, was he a spy? All these questions were buzzing in my head making me reconsider going to 24, Rewer Lane. I made a face at the mirror before grabbing my backpack and putting my laptop inside with some pepper spray just in case before heading downstairs. "Finally ready?" someone said.
"Jody, aren't you supposed to be at Thomas'?" I asked my best friend/roommate. "Change of plans. Since you're going out for that job thingy, I told him he could come over. And stay the night..." she added in a whisper. I smirked. "Don't have too much fun." I gave her a knowing look before grabbing my keys and heading out the door. I heard a mumbled "yeah yeah" before closing the door to our studio. My dark blue scooter was hidden near some bushes so local vandals won't be tempted to steal it. As I put the keys in the ignition, I took my seat before riding off on the paved road in direction of the countryside.
What was supposed to be a 2 hours' ride turned out to be a fricking .ride. Are you kidding me?! Too bad Google Maps can't predict accidents caused by dumb truck drivers! The entire road was blocked and I had to make an annoyingly long detour which caused me to fall into traffic just so I could finally reach Tadj's office...?
It definitely was a house, lovely one at that: A medium sized brown cottage home with lush grass for a garden. It smelled of fresh wheat and lovely flowers. "Time is not an issue, I'm always at work." He did say. Well if he works from home that would explain it. I stayed unmoving on my scooter for a couple of minutes, admiring the house. A sense of nervousness formed in my stomach as well as a rush of excitement overcame me. After an inner pep-talk with Conscience, I finally decided to get off the scooter.
As my hand went to knock on the door, the latter opened by itself. I stood there, my hand suspended in a knocking motion for a couple of seconds like some retard. "Good evening Gotham, I was sure that you wouldn't want to miss the opportunity of living an extraordinary adventure! Please, do come in!" Tadj's enthusiastic voice broke me out of my stupor and I gazed at him. His jade hair was braided in a long ponytail but rebel strands framed his face. He was smiling, opening the door a little wider so I could pass. I smiled softly in response before entering. I was greeted by a long corridor, doors on each side with one at the far end. I assumed the latter door would be our destination and I was right.
As we started walking, I felt unease rearing its ugly head. So to relieve my discomfort, I asked the question that was on my mind since we met. "What is the deal with this exciting adventure?"
"I'll tell you all in due time. But first, we'll need to have a little chat." His arm went around my shoulders, gave me a reassuring squeeze and he gave me the 'Kakashi eye-smile' yet again. That was starting to creep me out. We reached the end of the corridor and stopped in front of the door, which was labelled "Gamebrary" (That is...weird). When he opened the door, my eyes were as wide as saucers.
This place was HUGE. Shelves filled with books, stacks of paper, disks and other knick-knacks were all over the place. Multiple lamps protruded from the ceiling providing a good amount of light since, weirdly, there were no windows. Looks like some library pooped in here, I thought. "Welcome to the Gamebrary. This is where I stack all my findings during my numerous travels." Tadj said, his voice and demeanour akin to a teacher lecturing his class.
"And what do you find on your travels?" I asked. My fingers glided over some books close to me and I picked one: "The Life of Video Game Characters: does it stop after shutdown?" The heck? I frowned. I was unaware of Tadj's studying gaze as I opened the book and skimmed through the pages.
"A lot of things..." he vaguely answered still looking at me. He was leaning against a desk not too far from the door of the Gamebrary (it still sounds weird) and he was still staring at me. I arched an eyebrow. "What is it?" I asked, a little self-conscious.
"Nothing only that I'm sure now that you're the perfect candidate for the job. You're a fan of video games right?" He asks.
"I thought that was kinda obvious with-"
"With the Yoshi headphones? Yeah." He chuckled and I smiled. "Come, let's seat." Tadj tapped the desk.
"Can I ask some questions?" Tadj nodded whilst looking for something on his desk. "Who are you actually? I mean I couldn't find anything online about you since I wasn't given a last name nor do I know what my job is about…" Tadj ceased looking for whatever he was looking for and levelled his gaze at me. "Are those contacts...?" I added for good measure. He scoffed.
"My name is Tadj. Where I come from, we don't have last names. Your job would be to assist me during my adventures in different games native to Earth. To answer your second question, these are not contacts." Tadj finished by gesturing to his eyes. I gaped for a couple of seconds. What was all this psychedelic induced gibberish? "He is the Eighth Marvel of the World and a lunatic. That's...original." Conscience finally chimed in. He gave me that unnerving 'eye smile' again. As if ANYTHING he just said made sense. "I think I'll take my leave now..." I was about to get out of the chair when his voice stopped me.
"You didn't give me the chance to elaborate since the questions you asked were generic and you're leaving? Besides, it won't be wise for you to hit the road now that the sun has gone into hiding. Also, fear of the unknown is just plain cowardice. You did not look like an easily spooked person… guess I was wrong..." He reasoned, his hands crossed over his chest and a smirk present on his face as he leaned back in his chair. "Shit. He is good..." Conscience grumbled. I glanced at him and I was quite surprised. Despite his cool and collected demeanour, his eyes said otherwise: uncertainty, hope. "You can't refuse him when he is like this! Insensitive girl!" Conscience chimed in again. Can't she shut up? Damn it. "So...?" he starts. "Explain." I finish for him, taking back my seat.
Tadj takes a breath, his hands joined in front of him. "I know what I said right now didn't make sense but the explanation is even weirder so please, bear with me." I nodded. He looked from left to right as if someone might be spying on him before dropping another bombshell. "I'm not from Earth. I'm from Gamelia, another planet in another dimension. I'm also a Gamelord." Tadj finishes solemnly. Well he did say that the explanation would be weirder and I'm pretty sure that was only the tip of the iceberg. I'm also sure that I was akin to some drug addict with my eyes staring into space and my mouth opening and closing like a fish. So, I asked the first question that came to mind.
"What the fuck is a Gamelord?"