Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.
"You can go now, Mr. Walker. Mr. Bookman's office is on the 12th floor. He's waiting for you there."
Allen stood straight away and thanked the girl at the front desk. He dusted his old black slacks and his white long sleeves that both looked too big for him. He couldn't do anything about it though. He hadn't bought anything for himself (except food) for the last three years and everything he owned up until now were just cheap clothes that came from thrift shops. His black shoes that looked too jaded now were barely encasing his feet. He tried polishing them this morning and their color improved; but Allen knew that he couldn't really conceal the fact that the pair of shoes was just... plain old.
He smiled at every employee he met on his way to the elevator. Not because he knew he had to be courteous, but because it was kind of a reflex. Allen Walker was a happy young man despite the misfortune that befallen his way. He always believed that trials in life were just tests he had to finish and pass. He continued walking, not thinking about what he had lost, and that's how he lived his life all these time.
When the elevator opened, Allen was immediately intimated by the black carpet covering the entire hall. The walls were silky white and so were the ceiling. At the end of the hallway was an elegant-looking vase that was almost as tall as him. There were also a lot of beautiful paintings that were hanging on every corner.
When he entered the building half an hour ago, he couldn't believe how huge the place was. He thought the company that Lavi was talking about was just a small one – a small, simple company occupying a four-storey building or even smaller – but all of the things in this place he saw since he entered the place was screaming everything but simple and small.
He didn't really know that Lavi was that rich.
Allen gulped as he stared at the number of doors in the floor. There were at least six rooms and all of the doors looked exactly the same. They emit some kind of professional aura and it was making Allen so nervous he could hardly breathe.
And now, his stomach was in knots.
He shook his head and inwardly shouted at himself.
He was here to work, that was all. He didn't need to do anything but focus on what he had to do.
He tried looking for Lavi's office just like what the girl in the reception told him but he could not find it. He looked around and figured he should have asked for the room's number before he excitedly went here.
Allen broke out in a cold sweat.
He certainly looked stupid, pacing right and left at an unknown, huge place where he obviously didn't belong.
After a few minutes, two men in suits passed Allen.
They were giving him strange, weird looks.
Allen stiffened when one of them obliviously commented on his attire like he wasn't there.
"Probably an applicant for maintenance department. We've lost quite a few of them last month."
"I hope the new staffs will be more duteous."
"It seems to me they're not quite aware of where they should stand in this company."
Allen was left speechless in the middle of the hallway, frozen.
What was he thinking? The people below seemed nice but what about the other employees? Those two were just an example. What would they say if they find out that he was a high school dropout and that the only reason he was able to work here was because one of their boss was indebted to him?
He didn't belong here.
Before Allen could think, his feet were already dragging his body back to the elevator.
He would just send a letter to Lavi saying sorry and thank you. The red haired would probably thank him for realizing things sooner.
That this was not his world and that he would never belong here.
TBC
