(Chapter II: If I'm going Down My Friends Are Going With Me)
"How was I supposed to tell my friends that I would need their help saving the world? It is not like I could just bring it up in a conversation. And then I have to find a place in or near Amsterdam just he can keep an eye on me. I have a feeling this is going to be a long week." These were the thoughts as the week started. Next week was the start of our 'summer' vacation. I guess that I was going to start during my vacation. The instructions he gave me seemed simple at first but then I thought about it for a bit. Not only would I have to pick six of my most trusted friends but a big empty place for them to set up headquarters. I had some friends in mind but asking them was another thing. If I told them the truth they would think that I was going crazy. If I lied to them they may never trust me again. That was a problem that I knew was going to bother me for a while. After hours of thinking I decided that if I told them half of the truth they couldn't get mad at me. A long time later I finally decided which friends I would bring; Paul, Keith, Jessie, Josh, Donnie, and Rafael. I felt that each person had something that would benefit my adventure in one way or another. Paul and Donnie were smart enough to solve puzzles that we would come across. Josh is kind of strong and would lift spirits if we got into a rut. Keith is one of my best friend and Jessie was a good shield and could be thrown in as bait (not really but I couldn't find a really good reason to have him on my team). Rafael and I are really competitive and it would make us continue to get better to beat the other (also a good friend but mostly the other thing). Now the only problem left was the place for The Shadow Guard to set up headquarters. There were some places that could be used but I didn't think that it would be of much use. On Thursday I finally got the courage to ask my friends if they would quit their job to help me with mine. During breakfast I said to three of my friends "During my interview the guy asked me to ask six of my friends if they wanted to work with me that he needs more people working in the Amsterdam area. He also needs a new place to set up their company, only problem is I can't think of a place that is big and empty." Almost instantly one of my friends goes "Tow questions. How much does it pay and why does he want to have a place in Amsterdam? This place is a dump." I said "he didn't tell me. He said that doing those two things were required to get the job. But he did say that the pay was very good, probably more that you make." Keith said "Sold! When do I start?" "He said he wanted six friends by the end of the week. But the only problem now is the place that he needs." Paul, the quieter one of my friends, said "I'm good with that. And so you know the mall is an almost empty place it should be no problem for a company to buy it out. Can't believe that you didn't think of that before." The rest of us was shocked that he had even thought about quitting his favorite job more or less that he talked, though the rest of them agreed that the mall was the best place to recommend. Seeing that all my friends were going to quit all their jobs to work with me without any information made thins easier. "So then it's settled. I'll ask the rest of my friends and recommend the mall to the company" I said to end the conversation before someone else asked any more questions. At lunch, when I saw the rest of my friends, the conversation also went smoothly. I had finished everything that Fayt had asked me to do all that was left was getting everyone to Fayt. Now that I had everything that Fayt had asked for I just had to wait for him to contact me. On Friday afternoon I heard a muffled ringing. I asked my mom if the phone was ringing but she said no. She asked if I was listening to music. When I said no I realized that the ringing was coming from the pendent I had received. As I lifted the pendent up I heard the familiar vice of Fayt. "Hi Jeremy, just called to find out if you had found everything that I asked for." I felt weird talking into a pendent but nonetheless I said "yes, it was hard only picking six of my friends. I found a place that is big and sort of empty. The mall in Amsterdam that is near the river. It shouldn't be a problem if you only ask for the bottom half." He replied "Good. Now all I have to do is talk to the owner of the mall and you officially start the job. I will call later when we are done setting up the mall so you can bring your friends to finish the interview. See you then."