I follow Poe's instructions and find myself in the streets of the foreign city, the buildings are even larger from ground level. I walk down a small alley and stop at an information board. I key in 'Hotel Complex', and it directs me to the a few blocks down. The walk should take an hour or so on foot, so I readjust my rucksack in preparation for the trek ahead. That is when my head slowly looks down and I huff, biting the inside of my lip. I open the small potch on the side and unzip the pocket to reveal another tracker. I twist it around in my fingers, letting it fall into the palm of my hands. "Sorry, Poe," I mumble before I drop it into the dumpster droid at the end of the alleyway.

I emerge from the between the buildings and into the evening rush. It is cold here, considerably colder than the hot weather at the base. Tall towers rise high into the sky, sometimes high enough that they block the two blue suns that light this solar system. The air is chilly, but it isn't the atmosphere that makes me shiver; my heart seems to pump ice through my veins.
The emptiness I feel inside intensifies as I become just another face in the crowd, anonymous in this large city. This is what I deserve, loneliness and no one caring if they knock into me or if I bump into them.

I push open the heavy hotel door, my bag becomes slightly crushed as I use it to support the thick glass while I awkwardly squeeze in.
I approach the desk at the side of the room; the man behind it has a name tag that reads, Fletcher.
I begin to enquire if they have any vacancies, when he interrupts. Not looking up to me he responds, "Okay, I'll see to it," his tone is rushed, I open my mouth about to ask for more detail when he continues, "If you're scared, wait and I'll do it when I go on break," he adds. I am flabbergasted until he moves his long dark hair to reveal an in ear piece with a miniscule microphone, communicating with someone on the other line. I lean back slightly and wait for him to finish his conversation.
"What can I do for you?" He asks quickly, looking through some folders and it takes me a moment to realise he is now addressing me.

I explain how I know about their deal and ask if they require any staff because I am in need of employment.
"Sure, the staff quarters are underground. We have a vacancy in the kitchen, or doing housecleaning," without hesitation I ask for the room cleaning availability, my clumsiness will surely cause some issues is a dangerous situation like a kitchen. He continues to explain what I need to do, and gives me a room and a passcode.
"Each week a staff member is rotated and is required to deliver the evening meals, around the lower quarters. It's my week, so I will take you on a tour tonight. Go get settled in and I'll come and get you in a few hours." I am so surprised by his kindness, but he seems to be very agitated. I rush out multiple 'thank yous' before walking over to the elevator and selecting the lower ground option.

I walk down the maze of corridors, searching for my designated room. The floors are concreted, each room has vents above the door with fans rotating inside and it makes the entire compound freezing. I am about to unzip my bag to retrieve my jacket until I see room G4 and enter the code 343, the door unlocks and I walk in. There is a thermostat to adjust the heating and cooling on the wall by the door, however, it has already been adjusted to be warmer than outside in the hallway. Regardless of that I feel cold. I unzip my bag to retrieve my jacket and see the single purple wildflower on top, almost forgetting I put it in. I can no longer support my weight and sink onto the edge of the small bed, a lot smaller than the beds at the base. My head rests on one of my palms as my other hand turns the flower around. After a while of staring at it I go into the bathroom and fill a small glass with water, using it as a vase I put it on the vanity.

After a few hours the second sun has almost set and there is a knock on the door, I stand up from my place on the floor where I was completely some exercises, and open it. Fletcher smiles briefly, a large trolley with trays of food in front of him.
"Sorry, I never caught your name,"

"My name is Finn. Should I fill out some forms or something?" I ask. I feel as if I am breaking some type of law by staying here, he nods.

"We'll do all the boring administration later. First, I'll show you around, fill you in about the rules and regulations and you can make a decision," I smile and nod in response.

"That sounds great," I know I will take the job regardless, but I am glad that I have the option to turn it down.

"Come on, we must hurry," He speaks fast but he walkers faster, I occasionally have to skip forward to catch him as he hurries down the halls. As we pass out the evening meals, and he introduces me to some of the staff, informing me about a little bit of their character before we continue along to the next room. Some of them don't speak my language, but Fletcher seems well equipped to communicate with everyone. Yet he always seems to rush out his words, and it makes me exhausted. I stay quiet, smiling slightly. Some of the creatures I am introduced to I have never seen before. We take the trolley back to the kitchens and Fletcher gives me a brief tour before taking me to the front desk. He ducks behind it and retrieves a large hard cover book and some thin handwritten files, very old fashioned, I think to myself.

Fletcher and I arrive back into my room and I decline my meal; still lacking an appetite. We sit down at the desk; he takes out the volume, turning to one of the first pages. I have a feeling he has all the relevant details memorised, but don't question when he flicks to a quarter of the way through, his eyes skimming over the words.
"One must have the hotel uniform. It is compulsory and must be presentable to wear when you are on any of the hotel's upper floors. One will go to the tailor and be fitted with a temporary uniform – while waiting for one to be custom-made – before any work can be undertaken." He piles the information up me, his words overlap in my mind and I have to make myself concentrate to understand what it is he is saying. He flicks a few pages over, and continues reading, without looking at me. "All housekeeping staff must be in their quarters by 7:45pm, unless they can provide a valid excuse, unnecessary wandering is frowned upon." He skims quickly across to the other page, "Staff will be provided with their meals, breakfast at 8 am – early shifts allow for earlier meal times, lunch is when a break time has allocated, and dinner is at 8 in the evening. Meals should be consumed in ones quarters or in the cafeteria, visitors should not witness staff eating." I nod even though he does not acknowledge me. "One has a single week to decline this position, but must notify staff and supply us with reasonable excuse. Theft or other illegal undertakings will not be tolerated, and notification of this results in immediate termination of employment. Our staff members are caring and understanding, however, clumsiness is not acceptable." I nod along as he continues to list out all the rules health and safety regulations.

He finally looks back up at me "I'll see you tomorrow when I deliver you meals," He says I smile wondering what the food will be like here. m sure I'll see you around, but I'll come back in a weeks' time for you to sign the necessary papers if you agree," I smile.

"Okay great, thank you,"

"You're very mysterious," He says quickly as he stands up from the desk, I do the same and follow him to the door. He opens it and I feel myself let out a muffled sigh, being in his flustered presence is very tiring. "I look forward to get to know you," He lets himself out of the room; and my shoulders slump at his comment. I don't want to get to know anyone; I'd prefer to keep my anonymity, until I can find out who I want to be.