It was raining the first time I saw him. Dark looming clouds seemed to appear from nowhere and rain came down in sheets before I knew it. Trying to see through the rain I saw him. He just stood there, gazing into the distance, with that ever-stoic expression he always has on his face. That expression that I used to hate so much, yet looked up too. That expression that at times made me want to punch him in the face. That expression, which I had come to love almost as much as I loved him.
My alarm was horribly unpleasant in the morning, blaring into my ear with its shrieking calls to wake up and get ready. I would not let that irritate me on this day though. Today was the day that I had been waiting for my entire life. The day that I had spent hours upon hours working tirelessly in college to achieve. The day I started my first day of work at WOFCORP.
Getting up tiredly, I made my way to my closet and pulled out the new suit that I had gotten specifically for the job. It was not necessary to wear a suit everyday; of course, especially for a low ranking employee like I was going to start off as, but since this was my first day, I wanted to put my best foot first.
I wasn't the only one either. Many of my college friends would be entering WOFCORP with me as well today. We had all gone out to dinner when we heard the news of our acceptance. Armin was actually the one who came up with the idea. He usually is the one to think of these things. We've been friends since before college. In grade school I saw him getting bullied by some other kids for having a bob of blond hair and decided to help him out. Well... Decided may not be the correct term. Going head first into a fight without thinking about it is probably the better description of what happened. We've been friends ever since.
Mikasa is another one of my good friends that has been with me far longer than the rest. Actually, she's more like a sister to me. Our parents were good friends and when her's died in a car accident when we were twelve, mine took her in. So I guess legally she is my adopted sister. She's usually the one to stop me from doing anything terribly stupid that will get us all in trouble. That tended to happen a lot actually. She's also a lot more skilled at certain things than I am. Sometimes it bothers me, but I know she would never try to deceive me or anything. I mean, hell, she is my sister!
After getting dressed and cleaned up in the bathroom I made my way down the hall and into the open kitchen and living room of our apartment. I actually live with Armin and Mikasa. We lived together in a smaller one during college and just decided to stay together when we entered the workforce as well. Really, I guess you could say Armin is like a sibling to me as well. I honestly don't know what I would do without Armin and Mikasa in my life.
Armin was already moving about the kitchen and making what looked like was going to be French toast. He is the best cook out of all of us. Though, it must be noted that Mikasa can make some pretty good Asian food being half Japanese and all. I'm probably the worst in all honesty. About the only two things I can make are mashed potatoes and baked potatoes. Sasha loves me for that. She is one of the friends I made while in college. She also eats more than anyone I have ever met. I really have no idea how she keeps in shape. Back in college she would frequently be kicked out of class for sneaking food in. Somehow she was still in the top ten. Most all of us were.
WOFCORP isn't necessarily an extremely hard company to get into though. Regardless of our grades, our acceptance was actually pretty much guaranteed. It just takes a lot of determination to excel in it. Almost anyone, regardless of their rank in school can enter, but it is only the really hard working ones that can get anywhere within the company. The rest are lost in a mess of underling employees doing meager tasks and living through the motions without ever gaining anything. It's almost as if they are dead.
I sat down next to Mikasa, who was already sipping a cup of coffee at the modern, glass table we had in the dining room area of the open floor plan in our apartment. It had been a gift from Armin's parents. Most of the furniture in our apartment was. In reality, it's more of an apology gift since they can never be there for him. They work as archeologist halfway across the world and almost never visit. Even when they can, like when they did for Armin's graduation, it's usually for only a few days before they're called back to the dig. I don't think Armin minds though. He says he's used to it and knows that they try. If only I could say the same about my parents.
I honestly have no idea where my father is. A few months after I graduated from high school my mother died from late diagnosed leukemia. Driven by grief, my father left all of his assets to Mikasa and I right before disappearing. I hated him at first for it, though Mikasa didn't seem to react much. If anything, I think she has become used to it. People leaving her that is. That's probably why she doesn't let people become close to her easily. That's also probably why she is so protective of Armin and me, she doesn't want to be left again.
Armin walked over to the table, which was already set, and put down a large plate of French toast in front of us. "Smells pretty good," I said to him without looking up from the task of taking some and placing them on my own plate. " I hope they taste as good as they smell, I looked up a new recipe just for today," Armin replied before taking off his light green, cooking apron and sitting opposite from me at the table. Mikasa didn't say anything, but took three pieces of the French toast and poured some syrup over them. After taking a bite, she smiled as if satisfied with the taste and simply said, " Not bad, Armin." He gratefully accepted the rare compliment and began eating his own breakfast.
Not much was said during breakfast among any of us, which was rather unusual. I'm pretty sure it was because we were all too anxious about what was ahead of us. When we were finished, I cleared the table while Mikasa washed the dishes. Armin went into the bathroom to finish getting ready and before long we were all ready to get going.
It was honestly my first time ever being on a public bus. Armin and Mikasa both agreed, despite my protesting, that it would be impossible to find parking in the congested city WOFCORP called its home. That being said, let's just say I don't have the greatest balance. Even in the few seconds it took me to walk from the front of the bus to an open seat, I nearly fell over twice. It was from that moment on that I prayed the bus would never be crowded when I had to take it.
I'd never actually been inside WOFCORP before my first day. The entire place, despite being inside the city, was completely surrounded by a nine foot grey, brick wall. The only people ever let inside were employees and those who had business with the corporation. Nobody really thought anything of it since all three of the major publishing houses were like that.
Actually, WOFCORP was the smallest of the three companies because it was the only one willing to take on daring works that created varied responses from the public. Because of this, most people did not want to join the corporation for fear of being part of a team that had worked on a failed publication and being pushed down the ranks within the company. Many more people joined Maria-Rose Press instead. Unlike WOFCORP, Maria-Rose Press tended to take on much safer publications and acceptance into the company was almost guaranteed. Earning power in that publishing house was almost always based on seniority and experience. Sina House is the hardest of the three major publishing houses to get acceptance into. Only the top ten of any class has ever been heard of being accepted, though surprisingly only one from our top class entered into it. It has never been heard that any publication they have undertook has ever flopped. That's probably the reason so many people work tirelessly to get into it.
Everyone was gathered at the front gate when we got there from the bus stop, waiting to be accepted in by the guard. Usually you would just show or swipe your ID card at one of the many gates in the wall, but being new employees, none of us had received those IDs yet. Unusual for the group, everyone was in one big bunch as opposed to smaller pairs and trios. It was probably because everyone was nervous. The same thing had happened when the class ranks were being announced, and again when everyone announced where they would be applying for employment. We always grouped up when we were nervous. It was almost like just being together, we could give each other support and strength.
Only a few moments passed before a guard came with a list of names, calling each of us up and giving everyone their IDs. He also gave everyone a parking pass, earning a glare from me towards Mikasa and Armin. Inside the gates was far more beautiful than I had ever imagined it would be. I had seen to top of the ancient castle that WOFCORP was located in from above the walls, but the grounds were what completed it. They were perfectly tended to and not a single thing was out of place. Bushels of light blue and pink flowers were on either side of the cobblestone walks that broke off from the main entrance's open space. A white marble fountain was placed in the center in front of the castle's entrance, giving off crystal-like reflections from the sun's warm rays. Flowering trees were scattered here and there across the grounds and green grass grew even in the most shaded areas. It was honestly hard to believe that we were still in the midst of one of the busiest cities in the world, as if we had stepped into a fantasy world accessible only through the breaks in the tall grey wall of nothingness.
The castle itself was completely different from what I had expected. My memories from old architecture books that my mother used to show me as a young child had imprinted in my mind the idea of dark and looming castles that cast grave shadows and appeared almost to bring death among their surroundings. This castle… it was… it was beautiful. The stone of the caste was so light a grey that it almost looked white. The sun, much like the fountain at its entrance, reflected off the stone walls, illuminating the building to the point that it almost glowed. It really was as if we had entered a fantasy world.
The orientation began much like any other orientation for a company would be. Everyone was led into the main entrance of the castle were there was a reception desk and waiting area for prospective authors, co-ops, etc. A great stairway lead to the main offices on the second floor and corridors branched off from the open area leading to other parts of the building. The entire place was extremely ornate and potted flowers brightened it with life. Large windows let in great amounts of sunlight that seemed to dazzle off of everything.
Something was different about the orientation though. For one thing, the president of WOFCORP, Erwin Smith, actually came directly to speak to all the new employees, which no one had been expecting. He was also extremely blunt, telling us immediately that either we worked hard and excelled or were lost forever in the rush of the publishing world. The way he said it, so sure that some of us would be lost, was actually, frightening. But then something happened.
President Smith looked as if he were about to say more, but just as he opened his mouth a guard approached him and whispered something in his ear. A grave expression crossed his face and he quickly followed the guard up the grand stairs and into an office. We were told that something had come up suddenly and our positions would be announced tomorrow. For the rest of the day, we were to get used to the WOFCORP building and facilities on our own. With that, we were all dismissed.
Uncertain of where exactly to go, and left with no real direction, the group kind of just roamed the halls of WOFCORP, making sure to stay out of most people's way. Until it was lunchtime, that is, when Sasha quite miraculously found the cafeteria. After eating, it was decided that we would take a look at the grounds surrounding the building since the inside of the castle was pretty much your basic offices and lounges, or at least the parts open to normal employees were.
While everyone else moved to the outer and backgrounds of the castle, I was strangely compelled to take a look at the courtyard located in the center of the castle. An open hallway with pillars surrounded it on all four sides and stone walkways branching off from each corner led to a circular space in its center that had a few benches and statues of reading angels. The place was beautiful, but gave the air that it was rarely used. Walking slowly to the center, I stopped at one of the benches and sat down. I'm not sure how long I just sat there, thinking about all that had happened that led me to here, but before I knew it, light raindrops began to fall.
Soon, the rain was coming down in sheets and I hurriedly stood up to find shelter in one of the open hallways. But as soon I stood up I saw him. A shorter man in stature with dark hair and an undercut. He was standing at the other end of the stone circle, staring off into the distance with a stoic and unfeeling expression. Then he turned his cold eyes to look at me. He raised one of his eyebrows slightly before turning around and leaving the courtyard, leaving me standing there in the rain.