Nicholas Truman's Story

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Sylvester Cromwell, or the Benefactor as he’s called, looked at the grandfather clock that stood near the entrance to his office. It was already 9 o’clock and he wondered whether his new recruits were already up and ready for their new day. He made sure not to exert himself too much for the empowering can take a toll on him when he needs to give it to several people at once. There on his modern black office desk were the files of each of his new recruits that he made sure to read to get to know them. He had read everything from their past to their allergies and phobias to make sure he would be able to understand how to accommodate everyone. He sent a huge list to the chefs so that they would know who to serve what. Of all the rude things to do, Sylvester certainly did not want to ignore the allergies of his staff.

After waiting for five minutes, the Benefactor decided it would be time to meet the new recruits. He first called Nicholas on his cell phone saying, “Hello Nick, it’s time to gather the new recruits to my office. Meet with the females, answer any questions they might have, and bring them up to my office.”

“Sure thing, sir!” Nick replied.

The Benefactor then added, “Oh, and please apologize for my sake about the lack of an elevator. Unfortunately this was how the building was structured and I wouldn’t want to trouble the already exhausted construction workers and architects who are trying to build other important buildings.”

“Yes sir, I will make sure to mention that.”

Nicholas hung up on the line and the Benefactor had to move on next to Scarlet. He was about to start the call when his daughter Kaylee bursted into the room.

“Good morning Daddy!” Kaylee greeted her father with a huge grin on her face.

“Hey, good morning sweetie!” the Benefactor greeted back. He immediately stood up and ran towards the young twelve year old who was holding her arms up in preparation from a giant incoming bear hug from her father. Sylvester swooped into Kaylee’s arms and grabbed her to be hoisted high in the air. When she was younger he would fly her around like a little airplane but with age they both told each other that just being lifted would be enough for them to handle. After suspending Kaylee in the air for a while, the Benefactor brought her close to him to land a couple of kisses on her cheeks before putting her down again.

“I heard there’s going to be some new people here, Daddy!” Kaylee said gleefully. “I wanna go meet them! Can I? Pleeaaassseee???” Kaylee asked using a puppy dog face.

“Well not now honey,” Sylvester said. ”Daddy has to talk about something very important right now to them. After they’re done up here maybe you’ll see them around, okay?”
“Yay!” Kaylee cheered.

Kaylee’s baby sitter Rosemary came in and told the Benefactor that it was time for Kaylee to take her bath and that she will meet with him for Breakfast soon. Sylvester nodded and Kaylee waved her father goodbye before leaving. Sylvester saw that the phone had reset itself so he dialed Scarlet’s number and gave her a call saying, “Hello Scarlet, it’s time for the new recruits to arrive. Please lead the men upstairs and tell them I apologize for the lack of an elevator.”
With that, Sylvester eagerly waited for the new Special Staff.

Scarlet woke up early, as always, she was not used to staying longer than needed to, besides she found peace in jogging around the Corporation in the mornings. Today was different though, they had brought in the new recruits, she would have to do as always and she had to make sure that they would all meet up with Sylvester, or benefactor as he is often called. Speaking of, Scar would never really call him The Benefactor... it sounded strange in her lips so she refrained herself from saying it.

Even more of a reason to wake up early, Scarlet hurried and got ready, she eyed the small clock at the side table and noticed it was barely 6'o clock in the morning. She did as every other morning and when she was finally ready she remembered she would now spend her nights on her other assigned room, 'number #200' she remembered without struggle. She had her own room in the Corporation, of course, but whenever they had new recruits they had to make sure they were doing well so both her and Nicholas stayed nearby. She then remembered how every now and then, she and Nick would exchange dorms just for the fun of it, and now it was her turn to take on the girls.

Knowing that it was still to early for... anything really, Scarlet headed to the kitchen where she saw the staff preparing everything for breakfast. All the dishes were accommodated accordingly and especially for every single recruit, to make them feel at home as Sylvester mentioned before. Scarlet mocked the gesture, if it were up to her she wouldn't go after such a hassle even if her life depended on it. She starred at everyone expressionless seeing through that they were doing their job accordingly. Some of the staff looked nervously seeing the redheaded beauty enter the kitchen, one of the youngest dropped a bowl spilling the Italian salad that she had just prepared as Scarlet starred directly at her. The girl bowed down and apologized but Scarlet did nothing, she shook her head in annoyance and headed outside the kitchen, an older woman did the scolding for her as she exited.

Scarlet pulled her cell phone out knowing that she would soon get a call from Sylvester. As soon as she headed outside, her phone rang, she eyed the name on the screen, 'The Elusive Man", a private inside joke of hers. She answered the phone and heard Sylvester's voice calm and collected as always,“Hello Scarlet, it’s time for the new recruits to arrive. Please lead the men upstairs and tell them I apologize for the lack of an elevator.”. Scarlet didn't say anything as she did so often, she simply hanged up the phone as soon as he had finished his part, she didn't need to be reminded of what to do when she had done the job countless times.

She headed towards the stairs now, moving slowly almost making no noise whatsoever, not intentionally though, without having to try hard Scarlet was as stealthily as a cat. She wondered if other recruits had already woken up and if they had already read the letter that was assigned to each, inevitably a small smile formed upon her lips as she walked up the stairs. Finally upon reaching the second floor she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed waiting for anything to happen. Waiting for Nick to join her and to explain the situation of what had happened to the clueless new batch of recruits. Of course, she considered the possibility that some of them would remember their prior meeting before the letter and before they passed out so she simply waited to see if some of them would try to leave hastily.

She waited some time laying still which made her angry, she was not one to lay still for far too long and she grew impatient far too easily. It was then when she noticed someone coming out of one of the rooms, a girl. Scarlet didn't even flinch seeing the girl, she then heard her speak, "Hello?" the girl asked. Scarlet was still at the end of the hallway motionless and laying still, she disliked being the one who did the talking and she hoped that Nick would be the one to do so as he was always so fond of. So instead of answering the girl she remained quiet and observing. It took a while for her to finally speak, "took you long enough..." she finally said sharply.

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As always, Nick groaned annoyed by his alarm going off with his ringtone of a mash up of Relient K’s hits. He first looked at the time on his cell phone showing a bright 9 o’clock and nearly pressed the ignore button, but then his eyes peered down at the Caller ID and saw that it was the Benefactor. Knowing he better not mess with his boss, Nick cleared his throat and answered the call. It seemed the Benefactor had figured it was time for the new recruits to get ready and he wanted him to meet with the females.

“Sure thing, sir!” Nick replied. He was always ready to meet the ladies. It was his favorite part of his job. The Benefactor knew that he was better suited for sweet talking them and so his assignment was set in stone. The Benefactor added that he had to apologize for the lack of an elevator and Nick had carelessly agreed before hanging up.

”Crud…Now I’m going to be mentioning that dang lack of an elevator business. I better find some way to smooth talk over that,” Nick thought.

Nick looked at himself dressed in some Nike blue short pants and a white tee shirt. ”Hmm I don’t think the ladies will like this…” Nick thought. He looked into his chestnut brown cabinet to see what kind of clothes he’s going to wear today. Taking out a white dress shirt, a black suit and its matching pants, Nick decided he was going to go formal today and be the gentleman. After changing his clothes and combing his hair just right for the role, he realized he forgot one more thing and took out his pair of shades from his night stand and put them inside his pocket.

He was about to shout and say, ”Hellooo ladiesss!!!” when he saw the boys coming out of their doors and realized, “Oh yeah… I’m in the guys section right now.” At first Nick was annoyed by the fact that he had to travel in a “U” shape to get to the girls but then he figured, “Oh well I might as well meet the guys as well.”

“Hello?” A guy in dark blue jeans and dark blue button shirt asked loudly as Nick opened the door. Nick went towards the guy and said, “Hey there man, I’m Nicholas Truman but you can call me Nick. I’m sorry, I really want to make introductions but you gotta get to Scar and I gotta get to the girls so we can meet the Benefactor. I’m heading that way and you can follow me or not but I gotta jet. See you soon!” Nick tried to walk but his feet were firmly planted on the floor. He then realized he forgot to say, "Oh yeah and um I'm sorry we don't have an elevator." Finding his feet can move continued his walk and saw two guy pass him without paying any attention, focusing on the staircase at the end of the hall near his room. He was about to call after him when he heard the sound of footsteps growing fainter and moving downwards in a fast motion. “I better tell Scar before the run off…” Nick thought.

Walking even further into the hallway, Nick saw another man leaning against the wall in front of his room who seems to be waiting for some kind of direction from someone. Nick wondered how Scarlet never got to the guys seeing as she’s usually the “early to rise” type of girl. He decided to end the guy’s misery and help him for awhile saying, “Hey there, I’m Nicholas Truman, but you can call me Nick! It seems you’re confused and not sure what to do. I have to go get the girls but you can follow me and I’ll lead you to Scarlet. She’s the one you’re supposed to be meeting. Oh and sorry about there being no elevator!” Nick regrettably left without checking to see if any of the guys were even following him. He had to make sure that he got to the girls for he didn’t want to make the Benefactor wait.

When Nick finally reached the girl’s section he was greeted by Scarlet who told him, “took you long enough.”

“Hey sorry Scar, I had to help a couple of your guys. They looked so confused. Hopefully they followed me…”Nick trailed off. He was about to greet the girls when he caught a glimpse of a short black haired girl running in the opposite direction down the stairs.

”Crud, I hope she doesn’t think of running away!”Nick thought. He knew he had to follow her to make sure but there was the matter of the other girls who were probably just as confused as she was. Regrettably he told them, “Hey ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be with the ladies in a moment to escort them to the Benefactor and the men will go with our lovely Scarlet. However, it seems that I need to make sure the little fox doesn’t run scot free. I’ll see you all in a bit and sorry but there is no elevator!” Before he moved, on he remembered putting something else in his pocket ahead of time that was meant for one of the girls. He took out the medication and gave it to Grey saying, “By the way, the Benefactor mentioned that there was a girl that would be needing some medication. I told him I would be honored to give this to you.”

Without waiting for any response, Nick ran down the staircase behind Scarlet and the others to follow the girl. When he got downstairs he saw the girl on the ground, knees to her chest and crying. He was about to approach her when another guy blowing his smoke shouted some nonsense about sucking it up. Nick can’t stand it when guys are rude, so he called him out saying, “Hey back off man! Let her cry if she wants to! She’s just confused and probably scared out of her mind. You don’t know what she’s been through. And we don't have an elevator so just be patient!”

Nick then knelt down in front of her and took out his handkerchief handing it over to her. “Hey there, don’t worry we’re not going to hurt you,“Nick said with a reassuring smile. “I’m Nick, what’s your name? Sorry we don't have an elevator...” Nick then laughed silently and nervously thinking "Great...I should've been more careful with agreeing to tell the others about the elevator."

“Hey ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be with the ladies in a moment to escort them to the Benefactor and the men will go with our lovely Scarlet. However, it seems that I need to make sure the little fox doesn’t run scot free. I’ll see you all in a bit and sorry but there is no elevator!” Grey gave her full attention to the new man that arrived in very hoping for answers. As listened she felt a lump in her stomach from not completely getting the response from him she wanted, but at least she would get the chance to meet the Benefactor “By the way, the Benefactor mentioned that there was a girl that would be needing some medication. I told him I would be honored to give this to you.” Grey stayed at him blankly for a few seconds, but reminded herself so act cheerfully and took the bottle. "Thank you, I don't think I-" before she finished he was off down the hall chasing after some girl, "caught your name." The finishing of her statement had been pointless, but she did it anyways. Thank God for my medicine though. Going off into her own little world she unscrewed the bottle and poured two pills into her hand. Staring at the little blue orbs she gave a relaxed sigh and popped them into her mouth with a swallow falling behind it. With a slow reaction she realized the Benefactor knew more information about her then expected, he had to know about her aliment to be able to give her her correct medicine. Has then man been stalking me? The thought was unsettling, a man knowing her mental problems meant he knew her weaknesses and probably more information as well. No one knew about her problems besides her psychologist, so what had the man done? Stolen files on her or gotten the information from the only person that Grey out the most amount of trust in? The bigger question though was could she trust the Benefactor if she chose to work for him? The letter he had left in her pocket was strange, but he said he was trying to help her and the other people here, If he was bad he wouldn't have given me my medicine, but if he were normal he wouldn't have known I'd needed it... Without knowing the man Grey could not officially yet say she didn't like and of trust him, all she knew about him was from a letter and her medicine through another man, At least my kidnapper cares. She joked with herself. If I'm guessing correctly the man with the medicine and Scarlet are working for the Benefactor... Scarlet doesn't seem like a very big people person to want to help anyone though...

"Hello everyone, I'm Rosalina." Being pulled away from her thoughts Grey looked at the source of the voice apparently named Rosalina. "I'm Grey." Telling the girl as she got closer. Giving her a quick look over Grey assumed she was a high maintenance dumb blonde, that might have been a rude generalization, but with Grey studying psychology she could get a sense of a person from how they dressed, held themselves, talked, and a few other minor details. "Are you apart of the new staff or on going?" Caring less she started toying with her hair and zoned off as the girl spoke to her. "New, and you are too, right?" Grey automatically nodded yes to whatever had been said. She was off in space by herself like her usual self. Being alone and away from others was much more comfortable for her, talking to strangers was never a pleasant thing for her, but she knew she had to at times. Grey had always found it annoying to talk to people at work that she had known for years, these strangers were strange and the only one she seemed to take little interest that she met so far was the man with the medicine. "Me too, this place is amazing. I mean the heated floors, walk in closets, kitchens-" "Where was all of this?" Grey had become intrigued with what she had heard, another curiosity that her attention was actually brought back to the blonde Barbie. "In the rooms, well my room I know for a fact, but I was assuming everyone's had it's own touch." Giving a phony laugh she didn't want to seem ignorant to the fact she knew nothing about her living area, she didn't even check out any of the other rooms, she just went to the door that had been right in front of her hoping it was an exit or lead her to someone, and in terms it had been both. "Yeah, it is pretty cool." "You said your name was Gay, right?" The question made her want to roll her eyes, she had only told the girl her name a very seconds ago And if that were my name don't you think I would have went by something else? Her wanted response was to smart off to the girl, be in result she giggled. "No, sweetie, Grey. Grey, with a R." Rosalina's hand quickly flew up to her mouth showing she was sorry for her mistake. "I am so sorry, Grey!" An apologetic tone was in her voice as her giggle corresponded with Grey's fake one.

With a swift hand she raked all her hair to the left side around her neck and continued the twirling around the finger. Again the girl began to ramble on about something, clothes maybe? All Grey had her mind on was meeting the Benefactor. She had to see the man that was calling the shoots so all her questions could meet their answers, she wanted answers more than needed. She didn't have to leave, if she had a job here for the man it would be fine, but she didn't like how she had come to be here or how he knew things. What if he knows about George? "Are you listening?" Snapping back to attention to a girl with a raised eyebrow she gave a rapid nod, "Of course I was, silly!" "Good!" What a brat.

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When just entering the room she looked around at the unfamiliar faces, but out of one she thought it was recognizable. “Hey ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be with the ladies in a moment to escort them to the Benefactor and the men will go with our lovely Scarlet. However, it seems that I need to make sure the little fox doesn’t run scot free. I’ll see you all in a bit and sorry but there is no elevator!” Listening with open ears she knew exactly who it was, It's Nick from the alley! The man who had offered her help had kidnapped her and was soon taking her along with others to meet the Benefactor, her soon to be new boss. She was happy that she'd get to meet him, but soon the thought if embarrassment flooded her. Her face didn't glow red and she didn't show it, but she did feel it. One of the people she was going to be working with had seen her at a vulnerable drunken state, she had only been half dressed on the meeting which couldn't have been a good first impression. His impression was of course good, he had been lending a helping hand to someone in need, even though it had involved kidnapping, it was still a helping hand. The night was still a haze, but she was starting to recall things. Like how she had slipped and fell to the floor when a man had helped her up and lead her to the bathroom to get cleaned up, but after that everything faded to black until it reemerged when she had been in the alley. She could barely stand or walk when a man came out if the shadows, and now she knew it was Nick.

Seeing a brown headed girl that Nick had spoken to she walked over to her and introduced herself. "I'm Grey." What a boring color. The name was odd to Rosalina's ears, for most people she knew weren't named after colors, especially one as plain as grey. Looking the girl over from head to toe she decided she was attractive, but the least put together from the others she had seen. So far this had been the first person she'd talk to, meaning maybe this could be the first person she starts to get closer to, but with closeness Rosalina has her limits. Having a true friend would be fun for her, but with her having major trust issues that would be unlikely. She had started having problems with giving people the benefit of the doubt after Noah left, her heart had been shattered and she could never get it to go back together properly. Over the years she had wanted someone to get close to though, someone that she knew would always be there, but everyone she had met would come and go and she had been no different. She never hung out with the sand people to long from fear of getting to attached, she just couldn't allow that.

"Are you apart of the new staff or on going?" Being asked that question let her know without asking herself had received a letter like her most likely and had been brought here for some sort of help "New, and you are too, right?" Grey had nodded her head to Rosalina, "In a way I was afraid that I'd be the only one that didn't know anybody." As she spoke Grey kept nodding her head and staring off into space. Rosalina didn't like the feeling of being ignored, but it wasn't like she could just tell at the girl, that'd be crazy. "Me too, this place is amazing. I mean the heated floors, walk in closets, kitchens-" "Where was all of this?" Suddenly she had gotten all of Grey's attention once more, which she liked since she hated lack of attention. She wondered why she was being asked this question Why wouldn't she know what was in her own room? Rosalina wanted to question her, but decided against it and just replied. "In the rooms, well my room I know for a fact, but I was assuming everyone's had it's own touch." Getting a smile from Grey she smiled back, Well, that was kind of strange. She didn't know what to make of Grey, she couldn't say she was strange nor bad and neither was she quite yet good. She had appeared to be ignoring Rosalina at one point, but the good thing was she was trying to hold a conversation with her. "Yeah, it is pretty cool." "You said your name was Gay, right?" Rosalina knew that wasn't her name, but she was just making sure to try to keep the attention on her, At least that name is more interesting. Grey's reaction of a small laugh, putting Rosalina at ease from a thousand different ways that could have went. "No, sweetie, Grey. Grey, with a R." Rosalina's hand quickly flew up to her mouth showing she was sorry for her mistake. "I am so sorry, Grey!" When responding she tried her best to hold back her laugh, but she found it to difficult and let it slip out to join Grey's.

Watching Grey move all her hair to one side she was afraid she was losing her attention ounces again.
"I work as a fashion designers assistant," she began thinking about how much she wanted to design clothes one day. Ever since she had been little she wanted to, she wanted to make the people of the world dress the best they could. Fashion had called to her when she was younger, she had always had a good taste in clothes and would never let anyone pick her outfits for her; they could have always picked something wrong. "I hope to be a designer when I'm older though. I've always been good at picking the right fabrics and matching them with things." Looking closely at Grey it looked more like she was being stared through then looked at. "Are you listening?" Rosalina arched an eyebrow at Grey's mind wondering away again, not only was it rude but it was also annoying. "Of course I was, silly!" "Good!" Rosalina knew otherwise, but she didn't feel like arguing with the person that had been listening to her this whole time.

Scarlet didn't say anything when Gray spoke, instead she kept leaning against the wall with her legs and arms crossed. "It's lovely to meet you, I'm Grey." she said with a smile that was meant to be warming, Scarlet on the other hand kept starring at her sharply, expressionless except from her eyes that said, 'I'm not buying the act... so drop it'. She then asked her about Nick looking for some sort of explanation, almost at towards the end she said something about not being different or special and she had made the mistake to lie . Scarlet shook her head almost showing her disapproval at the remark, almost feeling offended by it. After all Scar took pride in her job and the corporation, "Does it look to you like just anybody that damn pleases can work here?" she asked feeling highly irritated not only at her comment but at her lie, Scarlet was extremely skilled at spotting a liar and this time was no exception. "Don't bullshit a bullshitter" she thought with a smirk.

"Also, I really need to get home, there's something I really need... to do." she said to which Scar simply replied immediately with a bored tone sounding as if she had already said it countless times before, she had said it to other recruits often times so maybe that's why she sounded apathetic, "everything that you need..." she paused for a moment noticing that others had just gotten out of the room, "is in the room you woke up" she finally said eyeing the others, "But I am sure that most of you noticed that by now" she said knowing how Sylvester liked making feel everyone as comfortable as possible and giving them their own perfect little apartment, Scarlet shook her head in disagreement in Sylvester's arduous attempts to please them.

Scarlet stopped herself from giving any explanations waiting for more recruits to join, after all she hated repeating herself and she thought it useless if they were still missing some people, besides, she was to take on the guys and most of the people she could see so far were women and a few guys. Harper introduced herself followed by a shy wave and asking if they had gotten a letter too, which Scarlet completely ignored, soon after, a girl named Hailey joined too to which Makoto responded with a friendly introduction. Scarlet eyed the whole place again, searching for more recruits to join and to finally lead them to Sylvester, and she noticed Zeus waiting outside his room leaning against his door, waiting for her instructions. One by one, Scar was counting to see exactly how many of them were missing and so far everything seemed to be going well, they had more than half girls with Fiona's arrival but they were still lacking many of the guys and she had just noticed one of them leaving the scene walking away in the opposite direction, 'well that's just... perfect' she thought in annoyance.

It wasn't until she heard a male voice ask a bit confused, "Hello?" that Scarlet had finally had enough. "All right... that's it." she paused a bit irritated, "I am not giving any explanations until everyone is here." she said looking at everyone. Scar finally saw nick joining her, she gave him a look saying, 'you're late, again...' but she didn't say anything as he moved to her side, “Hey sorry Scar, I had to help a couple of your guys. They looked so confused. Hopefully they followed me…” he said. Scarlet didn't say anything as he explained the group that guys needed to follow her while the girls were on him, he obviously explained obediently about warning them of the out-of-service-elevator and soon after followed after the girl that had also exited the scene post haste, Scarlet hoped he would also bring the other guy that had left as soon as he walked out his door.

After Nick left quickly running after the girl, she was left alone with the group once again. Annoyed at the whole dramatics, the chatter and growing more and more impatient at everyone that wasn't there she finally unfolded her arms and moved towards the rooms. One by one on the missing guys she knocked on their rooms, loud enough to give anyone a headache, it wasn't until she got the the room #276 that she noticed an open door. She entered the room quickly and as soon as she realized that there was nobody in the room she rolled her eyes, 'there always has to be that one guy doesn't it...' she started wondering. She pulled out her phone texting the idiot that had decided to play smart on her.


Scarlet walked out of the door closing it shut quickly making yet another loud noise. She looked around to the ones that were still talking with each other. She wouldn't have said anything if it were up to her but she thought that more would try to leave so at the end she finally decided to speak up, "something came up... stay here, Nick will be back soon and so will I" she said accentuating the stay, almost making it a command for everyone to follow. "You will soon meet Sylvester... " she paused for a moment knowing it would sound awkward on her lips, "I mean... The Benefactor. You may want to get to know each other seeing that you'll be living together from now on" and with further delay she headed down the stairs. She felt her phone vibrate on her black denim jeans,



It didn't take long for Scar to reach the door. She posed against the open door arch with her arms crossed as she had done in the morning. She was already on a bad mood so instead of looking relaxed as she had on the morning she looked a bit tense. It didn't take as long before she saw him walking towards her, "Hello mystery lady. Please tell me you're the one who's been texting me" he said as soon as he was close enough. Scarlet rolled her eyes in annoyance at his remark, "careful there, don't flatter yourself hotshot" she said moving past the door encouraging him to follow her.

As they walked their way on the direction where the others were waiting, "So how'd you get my number?" he asked but Scarlet kept walking ahead. "It probably helps that I put it on my contacts under 'My Number'. huh?" a small mischievous smile drew on her lips as she continued walking. "Well looking back on it now, it's pretty helpful, right? So why'd you text me?" he continued. Scarlet stopped walking remembering how troublesome he had been and she turned to face him now, "Because you were the only one dumb enough to leave." she said sharply before she gave him her back again and started walking at a faster pace now. It was a lie of course, some of them had indeed walked away, but that didn't mean that she would have to tell him that.

Scar finally reached the stairs but she didn't turn around to see if he was still following but she hoped that he was, after all she didn't want any more hassle than needed. She finally headed upstairs where she had told everyone to stay put, when she finally reached the place she eyed some of them that seemed to be already talking to each other, she turned around to see if Nick was already back from his little trip but he was nowhere to be seen. Before she did anything else, she turned around to see Daniel again, "I hope you don't give me any more trouble..." she finally said before she leaned against the wall again observing everyone a bit impatiently again, counting how many there were and hoping that they had more than the last time she had counted.

A man suddenly opened a door near him and Alton turned his head. He obviously knew what was happening, very confident and forward. He didn’t miss beat as he approached Alton and said, “Hey there man, I’m Nicholas Truman but you can call me Nick. I’m sorry, I really want to make introductions but you gotta get to Scar and I gotta get to the girls so we can meet the Benefactor. I’m heading that way and you can follow me or not but I gotta jet. See you soon!” There was an awkward pause between them as, despite Nick saying he had places to be, he didn’t move leaving Alton to stare at him, waiting for something else to happen.

“Um-” The man started, but was cut off as Nick started speaking again. The man seemed finished for real this time as he began to quickly walk towards the direction the women were in. Alton found he didn’t need a response to the last statement and he began to follow Nick, it wasn’t long before they reached the small group that was forming. Two girls were talking to each other, a peppy blond, and a unsettling brunette. They seemed tolerable… enough. Alton, however, was much more interested in the red head Nick had a brief exchange with. The dark haired boy realized he missed his chance to ask Nick about what they had drugged him with, and she may have had the answers.

"I am not giving any explanations until everyone is here." He suppressed a groan of disapproval. The lack of pain he was feeling was starting to make him panicky, and he moved his right down to start scratching at his forearm. Usually the feeling of itching left him feeling satisfied, at least for a short while, but instead all he could feel was the pressure of his fingers. He tried scratching harder, attempting to feel anything, but he pulled away his fingers to a sticky mess. He had scratched his arm open, again, but it hadn’t even been worth it this time because he didn’t get to feel it.

He bent his elbow back to look at it, he had done a decent number on his arm, but the lack of feeling anything other than the pressure was concerning. He looked towards the direction where Scarlet had disappeared, he wondered if she would be irritated. Judging by her less then friendly first impression he guessed she would, not that he even cared. Right now he’d be happy with a few Hello Kitty Band-Aids if nothing else.

He looked at his scratch wound, then his red fingers and sighed. “Well it’s not that serious.” He muttered before looking around, some of these people might have been put off by him appearance, so he shoved down his rolled sleeve and wiped his fingers on the back of his jeans. It left him to go find something to lean against. No need to go anemic in front of a bunch of strangers and pass out.

He wandered towards an empty space that none of the small groups that had formed were currently occupying, and he tapped the wall with his finger before leaning against it. He glanced over the growing group of people. They seemed like a diverse bunch, and he eyed several profiles that would be interesting to sketch, he found himself wishing he had a sketch book on him now. But, he didn’t dwell on it as he closed his eyes and dipped his head back to rest against the wall. Surely he would get his explanation soon enough.

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Jasper wasn't sorry, for remorse was an emotion that he refused to channel. He watched with uninterested eyes as an older man assisted 'Selena'. Bet it felt nice for someone to come to your aid, he wouldn't know.

“Hey back off man! Let her cry if she wants to! She’s just confused and probably scared out of her mind. You don’t know what she’s been through. And we don't have an elevator so just be patient!”

Jasper rolled his eyes as he took one more puff of his cigarette. He was tempted to say, I was simply giving her a proper welcome, in the most condescending and sarcastic tone he could muster, but he as he opened his mouth to say the words, music interrupted him. He turned his attention to the source, spotting a man in the backseat of the vehicle singing obnoxiously. The stranger was looking dead at Jasper, singing and mocking a guitar solo. Jasper's brows furrowed as he stared at the stranger as if he were a martian. He said absolutely nothing, eyes trained on the weird man before the car zoomed off.

"I've got to get out of this hell,"he said monotonously as he threw his smoke on the ground and stomped it out. Jasper walked into the building, pushing pass the man and the cry baby. "No elevator, huh? Noted," was all he bothered to say. He trekked up the stairs to where it all started. Lo and behold, the crowd of people had grown since he left. Joy! He stuffed his hands into his pockets and kept his face expressionless. He attempted to with the shadows, saying nothing and not bothering to introduce himself. His mind played out how that would go: Hi, I'm Jasper Ryder. I hate long walks on the beach, pink is a horrid color...that's right, I'm talking to you, Blondie, and I have a large dislike for the human race i.e. all of you. Die in holes. He chuckled inwardly, musing on how swimmingly that would go.

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Maki could feel the tension in the air. Apparently, Ms. Scarlet was upset that not all the men were present and Maki automatically felt the urge to assist her, however she looked like she'd bite his head off if he even looked her way. Everyone seemed to be on edge, but that was to be expected, however, he just wished that perhaps one of them would be nice enough to actually hold a conversation. He just stayed quite, not wanting to step on any toes with his good mood. From the corner of his eye, he spotted movement, seeing a man enter the hallway through the staircase. He looked very anti-social, but Maki was pretty sure he could put a smile on the guy's face.

Mack placed a kind smile onto his face as he approached the stranger. "You seem a bit down," Makoto said, offering that usual friendly grin that he practically trademarked. "I'm Mack, he stretched out his hand for a handshake.

Jasper simply glared at Mack's out stretched hand before allowing his azure gaze to narrow at Mack's face. "And I don't like you. Fuck off."

Maki lowered his eyes in disappointment. So much for cheering him up...

As Rosalina continued her chatter the voice of Scarlet once again starting to speak, Now you want to join our conversation. "Does it look to you like just anybody that damn pleases can work here?" The attitude in her voice seemed to most likely come irritation. "So far yes." Scarlet wasn't the nicest person Grey had met so far, but at least she was honest. She didn't seem to put up a fake persona like Grey knew the others probably were. "I mean, what am I suppose to think? I know no one here but myself, and I don't do much." With one of her few honest statements so far she tried to remain calm at the sharp way she was being spoken to. Glancing over at Rosalina she seemed to agree the behavior was odd.

"everything that you need..." Her tone radiated boredom as well as her bodily language. With the pause she looked away from Grey causing her to look over her shoulder. More people to the party. When watching the people leave the room and made her wonder how many people had been in this large area. From them all looking like they all contained some confusion she decided they were probably brought her too "is in the room you woke up." It sounded like Scarlet had said this many times before and had no feeling to want to say it again. Grey had been in her room, but she hasn't explored like everyone else, that had been the least of her worries when she wake up. "Thank you." Was her quiet replied from her questions not being answer in the detail she had been hoping for, but the reply explained enough she guessed. "But I'm sure most of you have noticed that by now." Gazing back at the others she noticed how fresh most of them looked while she still looked like a wreck in her mind. She was wearing a purple tank top and black skinny jeans from work that she had had that night. She didn't look completely and utterly a mess, but she could have looked better. She could have taken a bath and done her hair before going to meet the Benefactor. Grey didn't care how she looked overall, but she still wanted her new employer to think she was a good new addition if she decided to stay. Hopefully I don't stick out as the one who hasn't bathed. Maybe I'll have time to go before meeting him, I hope so.

"All right... that's it." Delivering her attention back to the annoyed Scarlet Grey smirked And I thought people annoyed me. People normally very annoying to Grey, they talked when no one cared, the were self-centered, and so many different negative things. A majority of people were fake though like Grey was herself. She acted like a completely different person when she was around others, she didn't do it to be sinister or anything, she just didn't want to appear different. The new character she had created was modeled after her old self after she had died mental, so in a way she wasn't Grey anymore, but someone else. "I am not giving any explanations until everyone is here." And with that Scarlet left the man that had been talking. As she left she gave her a small wave that wasn't acknowledged.

"That was odd." Rosalina began to speak after the departure, so in return she got some of Grey's attention. "Yes, I would say so myself." Flipping her hair back over her shoulders she began walking back to her room backwards, "I'm going back to my room until they return, when they come back would you come get me?" Rosalina returned a helpful smile.

Turning around she walked into her room shutting the door behind her. "Now it's my turn to explore..." There were three other doors besides the one she entered: one to the left wall and one on each side of the bed. Picking the closet one to her, the left one. The door was metal but warm to the touch Odd. With the twist of the handle and gentle pull back hidden behind the door was a master kitchen. The side she had entered had cabinets and the sink, in the very middle of the room was a glass square case that reached the ceiling with silver dusted plants within it and a floral design on the outside. To the right of the room was the kitchen table that was illuminated with blue glowing lights. Walking over to another metal door she assumed was the fridge she opened it to find food, drinks, Alcohol! She was oblivious to what was in the bottle, but she couldn't careless. Pulling whatever it was out she popped the lid off and stuck it into her mouth. This is the best alcohol I've ever had! She couldn't help but keep a consistent flow of drinking. It was sweet, but the right amount of bitter as it flowed across her tastebuds. If anything she would stay around just to keep getting whatever this was. Dancing around some she realized she had drank the whole thing. Oh well. Placing the empty bottle on to the table she excused herself from the room and went to the door that had been to the left of the bed on the wall.

The bathroom. The bathroom had a very futuristic touch to it like the kitchen had, but she simply could not complain. Everything in the bathroom was so open and flowed together so well. Eyeballing the shower she got undressed, turned it on warm, and then got in.

Her shower had been quick, but needed. Grabbing a towel that had been hanging on a rod she wrapped it around her as she left the room. So the last must be the closet. Going to the only door she had left she was disappointed to see that it wasn't a walk in, but an empty closet with just one outfit and a body mirror on the back wall. At least I won't get overran with stress trying to pick an outfit to meet the Benefactor. Trying to think on the bright side she dropped the towel and put on the clothes waiting for her. First she put on a black plain push up bra and matching black panties followed by the slick tight fitting black dress. Looking in the mirror she noticed how much it showed off her curves Not to bad. Picking up the dark grey jacket she examined it and felt the softness the put both of her arms through the sleeves, buttoning the single silver button she through black flats onto the floor then slipped her feet in. "Wow." She said looking at herself, she hasn't seen herself look so pretty in years, "The Benefactor sure knows how to pick out clothes."

Returning to the bathroom she began to blow dry her hair that naturally fell into big curls. When done with that she looked at herself, took in a deep breath, then walked back out into the hallway over to Rosalina who was lingering kind of close to a boy (Alton) With the both of them seeming pretty silent she plastic a smile on her face and walked over. "I'm Grey." She told the boy holding her hand out.

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Harper was about to turn around and make her way to the stairs to go call The Madam when the guy from the ally came running down the hall. “Hey sorry Scar, I had to help a couple of your guys. They looked so confused. Hopefully they followed me…” She slowly arched a brow, glancing behind him to see if anyone had. "I'm Hailey," came a soft voice from behind her. She turned to see a petite, softspoken girl. "I'm Makoto, but you can all call me Mack or Maki. It's nice to meet you." The Asian boy that was placed in a room not far from her own. “Hello?” A confused looking guy from the other side of the hall. He would be dubbed 'the slow one', in Harper's book, for the complete look of utter confusion on his face.

As she was glancing him over, she noticed something red on his arm. She was going to shift for a better look when another voice caught her attention. “I'm Fiona.” Like Harper, the girl seemed to be sizing everyone else up, unable to resist being judgmental of the rag-tag bunch. "Hello everyone, I'm Rosalina." Dubbed, 'the princess', just because she looked like a Barbie. "I'm Grey." This was the girl that was freaking out when Harper originally came out of her room. Harper's eyes softened on the girl. She knew what it was like to wake up in an unfamiliar place, without something you really need or wanted.

“Hey ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be with the ladies in a moment to escort them to the Benefactor and the men will go with our lovely Scarlet. However, it seems that I need to make sure the little fox doesn’t run scot free. I’ll see you all in a bit and sorry but there is no elevator! By the way, the Benefactor mentioned that there was a girl that would be needing some medication. I told him I would be honored to give this to you.” Nick, the many from the alley, handed Grey her medication- what she had been desperately in need of, and then took off after the dark headed girl who had taken off for the stairs moments before. It seemed as though all eyes had fallen back onto Scarlet, the ill tempered and agitated red head.
"I am not giving any explanations until everyone is here," the woman said stiffly, and then briskly made her way towards the stairs as well.

Harper's mind drifted back to the previous apology. No elevator-- did that mean they were not on the ground floor? Were they in some sort of hotel, or mansion or... Her mind trailed off, distracted by another sudden outburst. "Hailey! What are you doing here?" "Do you know what's going on?" "Aradia! I'm so glad you’re here--" Harper's mind clicked off- completely uninterested in what either of the girls had to say to each other, or anyone else. With a small eye roll, Harper started to walk back towards her room, a small ways away from everyone else but still on the hall. She pulled out her cell pone as it was vibrating angrily in her bag. "Yes? Yes, Madam. I know that. I know I said I would-- but something came up! It's not my fault! What? I don't know where I am and they won't tell me! Madam, please! No!" Tears swelled in her eyes, but not tears of sorrow- tears of rage. Her free fist clenched into a ball angrily as she listened to her employer slander and threaten her. After a pregnant pause from her, and a moment of cussing and yelling on the other end of her line, Harper hung up.

Nick needed to hurry up and get back, because The Madam was pissed and she couldn't lose her job. It was all she had in the world- her place to live, how she got food and money, her connections.. it was everything. The sad thing was, though, even if she did leave the building- she had no idea where she was. For all she knew, she was in a different state-- or worse, a different country! With a frustrated sigh she wiped the tears from her face and stood up straight again. She would stay and hear out The "Benefactor"- whoever that was, and then make her decision from there. Even still, worry clawed at her stomach. She was risking everything and it spelled doom for her life in Michigan if she didn't figure things out soon. Of course she didn't want to go back to that life- but what if what this crazy rich dude was asking for was something far worse? Like her first born child, or slavery? The note had seemed innocent and wonderful enough but... she couldn't be sure. She couldn't trust a note. Harper licked her lips and pulled her hair nervously to the side, looking down the hall at the small group of people. Could this really be a fairy tale come true for all of them?

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Nick chuckled as the girl introduced herself as Novia, assuming correctly that he knew. ”Guilty as charged!” Nick thought smiling. After taking the offered handkerchief and removing her hood from her head, Novia asked a plethora of questions one after another, refusing to go back until she was answered.

”Woah woah woah!!! Slow down miss! One at a time!” Nick joked laughing a bit until he decided to answer all of them.

“Well let’s see here, I’ll try my best to answer but the Benefactor would know a bit more than I would,”Nick assured her. Admittedly, he had taken a peak at the Benefactor’s records at times to get to know the new staff each time, though it seemed the Benefactor never caught on. However, Nick could only take peaks every now and then, so the Benefactor still knew more information about the things Novia asked than he did.

“About this place, you are standing in the grounds of the famous Gift of Innocence Corporation! It was established by the Benefactor’s father though it wasn’t called the Gift of Innocence Corporation until close to thirteen years ago. If you mean the area you’re in, this is 962 Valor Drive in Willowstone, Connecticut, a town surrounded by woods that is still developing but growing!”

Nick stopped for a bit to clear his throat thinking to himself, [i]“Eww… I sound like one of those enthusiastic tour guides. I better get more serious..”

He continued with more of Novia’s questions saying, “I do know about you because the Benefactor does try to brief Scarlet and I so that we may be able to accommodate you as much as possible. Not only are we your recruiters but also your guides and guardians. Hmmm, as for how much I know about you let’s see..” Nick took a pause to think back to what the Benefactor’s said about Novia as well as the extra peeks at her file he took notes on.

“Novia…age nineteen, female of course, half Cuban and half Irish and having some sapiosexual tendencies given your attraction to the intellectual. Hmmm you’re a very naughty girl you know, stealing, gangs, and other illegal things, though I’m sure you don’t want to hear much about that again. I’d rather focus on your good side. I hear you’re quite the intelligent one and a good performer. I like the smart girls. They have much more to say than “Oohs” and “Aahs.”
Before answering the next question, Nick gasped at the thought of a sexual assault on any of the girls, especially by him! He would never do something that stupid…never commit to something like that…

“Of course not! I can assure you that no one, especially me, has sexually assaulted you during the time you were unconscious!” Nick said a bit defensive. “Oh no problem, it was a pleasure to knock you out. If you hadn’t there would’ve been much struggle and too much wasted time. Speaking of which I must hurry these questions. We don’t want to worry the Benefactor or keep him waiting. But to keep it brief, I found out your address through the Benefactor who had instructed me to come and get you there. Your car well, that I don’t know. You’re already contracted to stay here according to the Benefactor but it’s a good place so don’t worry about it. The catch…”

Nick had to think fast about the catch though he wasn’t sure what to tell Novia. “I guess the catch is that you’re here to help people and you may or may not want to?” Nick said shrugging his shoulders. He had worked here for quite some time and have seen heartwarming and melancholy events unfold but didn’t really get a chance to think about what catch there may be except for his condition which was more personal to him.

“Anyway, I think I have answered all of your questions. Will you accompany me with the others? I met most of the girls before I ran after you. They seem like a friendly bunch as they have already started conversing and introducing each other. The guys I think are alright too…except for that really rude guy earlier but you know, probably went through something rough as the others. What do you say? Same situation, people who have screwed or been screwed up by life just like you, and a way to turn it all around without the police or anyone else questioning it? I think that’s a pretty good deal to me. Besides, I’d love to see more of you around, Novia.”

Nick ended with a warm smile trying to comfort the lost girl as much as he could. He then stood up and offered his hand to her for helping her up.

---

The Benefactor after waiting about thirty minutes wondered how long it would take Nick and Scar to come and get the new recruits. He was getting a bit impatient but he tried to remain control of his emotions. All of his recruits were probably confused, scared, worried, and who knows what else. He figured he could give them time to bond a bit about their new situation. Besides, he needed some breakfast.

After Kaylee got herself washed and ready, Rosemary brought her down to have some breakfast with the Benefactor. The dining hall had a fall theme going on with the long chestnut brown table covered in a golden table cloth with fake colorful leaves sprinkled on top of it. The flowers in the vase centered were reds and oranges and the brown twigs that separated bunches of flowers were accentuated with darker patterns to make it seem like they were real twigs. The chairs were a darker brown than the twigs and had duller golden cushions for the back and for the seat. All around the room were fall decorations from colorful leaves to nicely arranged baskets of harvest. These were reminders for both the Benefactor and Kaylee that her private school teacher would attend very soon to teach Kaylee for fifth grade. He was proud that she was growing fast but it also worried him that she would soon become a teenager.

Kaylee sat next to the Benefactor eating away at her favorite cereal, Fruit Loops, and gulping down a glass of milk after several spoonful’s of colorful sugary loops. The Benefactor sat down as the servants came in and brought his plate of food: dark brown pancakes with syrup, sausage links, and a glass of almond milk. While eating the Benefactor talked to Kaylee asking her about how she thinks school will be.

“It’ll be fine daddy don’t worry. Though I want to meet other kids my age. Why can’t I go to a regular school?”
“Well Kaylee, you’re my daughter, and I just want to make sure you receive the best education possible in the safest manner.”

“But what’s so dangerous about the other schools daddy?”
“Well there are people fighting, unfair teachers, children who will pretend to be your friends, it’s just not safe out there for you.”

“Oh, okay daddy,” Kaylee said putting her head down while eating her last spoonful of Fruit Loops. The Benefactor looked concerned at Kaylee feeling sorry that she has to stay inside the company. He wanted her to meet other children but that wasn’t an option with the way things are.

“How about this. After your birthday if it’s possible we can try to put you in a regular school. But you have to promise that you’ll be able to catch up fast with the material that your homeschool teacher gives you.”
Kaylee then lifted up her face and her eyes shone with excitement. “Really daddy? You mean it??”
The Benefactor nodded and Kaylee jumped out of her chair and hugged her father tightly saying, “Thank you thank you thank you!!!”

“You’re welcome Kaylee. After all you’ll be a teenager by then and then an adult. You’ll have to learn how to handle yourself from then on.”

“I promise I will do my best for you daddy!” Kaylee cheerfully smiled before skipping to her room. Rosemary followed after her while Kaylee complained that she could go by herself and didn’t need any assistance.

After finishing his breakfast the Benefactor went back to his office again. Noting that it was already about time they should come, he gave Nick a call again.

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Nick had followed Novia up the stairs to go with the others. He was about to strike a conversation with some more ladies when his phone rang again.

“Nick, I believe you should be heading up soon. Have the others not awakened yet?”

Nick looked at the crowd quickly then answered, “There is one guy that still needs to be here but I think he should be heading to the group shortly. Scar can take care of that. All the girls are here now.”

“Alright good, once he comes I want you and Scar to both bring the new recruits over. They have a lot of business to attend to.”

“No problem sir.”

Nick ended the call just as the other man got over to the group.

“Good, okay folks it’s time to go meet your new boss! Scar you can lead the boys first, I’ll stay behind the girls to make sure they’re protected.”

Nick winked at the girls, smiled at Scarlet, then retreated to the back of the girls waiting for Scar to go lead the boys. He didn’t mind if Scarlet made a face at his request. He simply enjoyed teasing her as always. Besides he was going to protect the girls and maybe even get to flirt with some of them using his charm.

"Rosa-" As she was on her knees she rolled over to sit on the ground then pulled her knees to her chest as she sobbed. "Um." Looking up at Noah she frowned of disappointment. He was such an idiot, a waste of her time, but she loved him. "Look Rosalina," as he spoke he knelt down on one knee next to her, "I know it is going to be hard but, hear me out. However I made you feel, try your best to forget about it." She could feel her heart drop deep into her stomach with those words, she knew he was trying to show he cared, but he was failing greatly. "It's not that easy," she snapped at him, How could he be so stupid? "You know I loved you more than anything! I would have done anything for you, but you repaid me by leaving without reason-" she felt like screaming louder, but instead calmed her voice at him, "I still love you, and I probably always will. No matter how hard it is I have to learn to live with that." Running her fingers through her hair like she always did when nervous she rested against his knee and shut her eyes. She wished he never had left, she wanted to be with him still and still suffered from him leaving. "You have to live with hurting me though," she told him as her head was rested on his knee, "I loved you more than anyone could ever love you and you left." Her voice seemed so lifeless.

On his knew she broke out into another outburst of sons from pain, Why do I have to do this now? Trying to calm herself down she started taking in deep long breaths repetitively. Doing it over and over again she could feel her personality change, something she had taught herself to do over time. It was like her way of cooping with all the pain; if she could become someone else she wouldn't have to deal with her real problems. Rosalina considered this her self defense against life, something she'd be lost without. She stopped her crying and just rested for a few seconds before pulling back and looking at Noah with tears in her eyes and a weak smile. "I-" she wasn't sure how to respond what had happened and to her luck Nick began talking.

"Good, okay folks it's time to go meet your new boss! Scar you can lead the boys first, I'll stay behind the girls to make sure they're protected." When he finished talking her attention went back to Noah. Whipping her eyes she gave him a huge grin. "You're the only person I know here making us automatic best friends," she began, "this time you just can't get up and leave me either, Noah." Kissing his cheek she then pulled back to look at him. "How do I look though," she asked, "I can't make a bad first impression. You know how I am with impressions! Are my eyes red or puffy? Do I look pretty?" Rosalina's appearance was important to her and if she was going to meet the Benefactor she wanted to look the best she could, she had to look good! Looking him over she smiled, "By the way you look perfect, very presentable!"

Scarlet moved her head to the side at the sight of all the people talking to each other. Sylvester had given them a report on every single one of them, as he always did with new recruits, so she wasn't surprised to see some of the interactions that were happening just a few feet away. She eyed everyone that seemed to be doing their own thing, it was then when she saw a much smaller and shorter figure roaming the the room trying to stay unnoticed, 'Kaylee...' Scar said in a low voice, her blonde hair could be seen behind Rosalina and Noah who seemed to be too deep into their conversation that they didn't notice when the twelve year old was eavesdropping on their conversation. kaylee then moved to Jasper, whom she saw being rude to someone else, she elbowed the young tall man purposely, "sorry about that" she tried saying in a sweet and endearing tone that yelled sarcasm all over, one that she had picked from Scar most likely. The young girl then stuck her tongue out to the young man and moved next to Zeus who the young girl thought seemed to be nice enough.

Scarlet couldn't help but to grin at the little girl's actions but her smile quickly vanished as soon as the soon to be teenager turned to look at her. Scarlet immediately changed her mood and looked at Kaylee scornfully as she always did when the young girl was trying to get in trouble. Kaylee, knowing she did not want to make Scar even madder, dropped her shoulders and started walking towards the red haired beauty who seemed far from happy with her arrival. She looked like a child about to be scolded by her mother, she had her eyes on the floor as she walked slowly towards her. Finally she was at hands reach from Scar, "I'm sorry" the young girl said. Scarlet moved her hand towards the little girl's head ruffling her long blonde hair, "Kaylee... you know that your Dad doesn't like it when you are playing around with the new recruits".

It was then when they were interrupted by an older woman, Rosemary. She rushed her way in though the stairs and was having an agitated respiration as she had probably ran to search for Kaylee as she did so often being her Nanny. Finally, she spotted the young girl who was next to Scarlet, "Miss Crom...well" she said trying to catch her breath, breathless almost. "Rosy..." said the young girl in return and now hiding behind Scar not wanting to continue with her piano lessons. Rosemary waited for a few minuted trying to regain composure, Scarlet did not say anything and waited until she spoke again, "Ms. Romanov" to which Scarlet replied immediately, "Just Scarlet, Rosemary" she said annoyed though not being disrespectful. Rosemary was about to speak again when Scarlet cut her off, "that will not be necessary, I was about to tell her to return to her lessons" she said dismissing Rosemary for the moment. "But..." Kaylee started, "No buts, I know you want to come but you know you can't. I'll come and fetch you up as soon as I can ok?". Kaylee without second thoughts knowing she would keep her word simply replied, "Okay..." and Scarlet smiled at the young girl before she headed back.

As soon as Kaylee was out of her sight, Scarlet counted the number of people in the room again. Finally she counted the number she needed for the guys with the new addition of the last guy she needed, who looked just as baffled and confused as most of them, and she found Nick finally coming back with the last girl. She was about to make a remark on his, again, delayed arrival but she saw him answering the phone, Sylvester at the end of the line most likely. Finally, after hanging up he spoke again, “Good, okay folks it’s time to go meet your new boss! Scar you can lead the boys first, I’ll stay behind the girls to make sure they’re protected.” With that he winked at the girls followed by a smile directed at her but Scarlet couldn't help but to role her eyes, "Like you had to tell me twice..."

Finally Scarlet moved in front only turning back once, "You wanted some answers and answers is what you'll get. she paused for a moment to look at everyone and then turned to Nick, "You heard mister Claus here" she said calling him by the nickname she had given him as soon as she heard his name was Nicholas, "the guys come with me first." And with that she moved in front of everyone being careful to see that all of them followed. "The elevator doesn't work" she said before anyone was clever enough to ask why they couldn't simply go on the elevator, what Nick had already explained a couple of times; besides it was something that some of them, like the new guy were unaware of. They had to go up the stairs up to the sixth floor, Scarlet did not say anything as they moved their way up. She knew that Sylvester would be waiting and was starting to get impatient as he had called for Nick for an update, besides she wanted to get the empowering done as soon as possible as it would make her job easier.

Scarlet could care less if anyone complained at the stairway, once they were in the sixth floor she turned around to see if all of them were behind and to see if Nick was following behind though she thought that he would probably stayed longer behind flirting all the way up. Scarlet moved slowly towards Sylvester's office, she barged in the room where the door was already opened, she didn't see the point in knocking had the door been closed, either way she made her way in his office. "Here they are" she said signaling everyone, "you really know how to pick em" she said before she did as always, she leaned against the wall letting Sylvester do all the talking.

---

"Thank you, for helping me back there...It was really nice of you."

Daniel smiled, pocketing his hand as he leaned against the wall. “What can I say?” He shrugged facetiously, "I'm a philanthropist. It runs in my family.” He made himself comfortable against the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets to refrain from gesticulating much. Daniel hated that he felt the need to move his hands whenever he talked, but it was hereditary. If he constricted his hands, his head would move, and that was just aggravating. “If we're going to be friends then I'll have to apologize in advance for my stereotypical remarks and/or name-calling. I don't mean to offend you, it's not my intention, it's just my sense of humor.” That sounded rehearsed. Daniel mused, Damn. I have to explain myself way too often. “I'm not going to guess what you're personal line of decency is, I cross my own from time to time, it's how I know I still have one.” He paused, giving the socially awkward young man time to adjust before going on another spiel, “I'm allergic to cinnamon. Deathly allergic. Just sniffing the stuff will get me to start wheezing and hacking. Uhh...what else? Oh! Sometimes I like to play piano at three in the morning in the event that I can't sleep. I tend to stay in constant motion. I get bored relatively easy. And I'm not accustomed to staying by myself for too long so I'll probably on you like white on rice for the better part of our friendship. And...uhh-....” Daniel took a moment to pause, looking up to rack his brain for anything else, letting out a long monotone drone until he snapped his attention back to Maki, “Would that bother you? Future best friends really should know the worst about each other.” Daniel beamed at his own reference, finding it a plus if the timid young man understood it.

"Uh...okay?" Maki scratched the back of his head, standing awkwardly in front of him. "I'm afraid of blood...I don't use profanity...I'm a virgin...and I'm kind of bad at math?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa-....” Daniel laughed, "Whoa. What do you mean you're kind of bad at math? You're Asian.”

Maki frowned as he shrugged his shoulders, weakly. "Not all stereotypes are true, apparently. I mean, if I judged you by your appearance, I'd determine that you're Jewish because of your nose and hair, but I could be wrong. I probably am.”

Daniel chuckled, "Jokes on you, Maki. As it happens I am of Jewish descent." He shrugged, "I just don't practice organize religion. But you-...." He wagged a finger, "You're the one not living up to your expectations, my friend. I mean being a virgin? That's fine. I figure with all the studying they do, Asians don't get laid much anyway. Profanity? I'm fine with you not using any as long as you don't fault me for using it a lot. But not being good at math? Being afraid of blood? That's like two of your job opportunities down the drain!" Daniel clasped his hand on his friend's shoulder, comforting him. "That's alright, buddy. Tell you what: I'll tutor you. I'm a bit of a mathematician myself. I can make you better at it, if you want."

"Uh, sure, I guess." Maki sighed, defeated. The one time he tries to make a point, it gets smacked down. "I'll teach you Japanese...you know, if you want me to."


Daniel looked at Maki, mouth agape and arms spread, shocked that he could think Daniel would possibly pass that up. "Hell yeah I would! Are you kidding?" He laughed. He paused, catching a glimpse of golden hair as a small girl past by him to converse with the fiery red head to his right. "Huh. A kid. Weird," He thought aloud, shaking his head before turning back to Maki with a smile, "Do you have a cellphone? I'm totally giving you my number so you can text me."

"Yeah," he said, reaching into his jeans to pull out his iPhone. Unlocking it, he handed it over to Daniel as his eyes followed the little girl. "Just type your number in." Daniel took the phone from Maki, vaguely aware of his new friend's attention as he filled out almost every slot of information on the contact list. He even took a picture of himself, holding the phone out as he grinned into the front facing camera, snapping a pic to attach to the contact. That was another guilty pleasure of his he should've added to the list of 'worst things'. He enjoyed talking selfies far too much for it to be healthy. Satisfied with his work, he returned the locked phone to Maki, interrupted by the voice of his mystery lady.

"You wanted some answers and answers is what you'll get." She said before gesturing towards the pretty boy that intermingled with the girls. Daniel cast a glance at him briefly before turning his attention back on the red head. Clearly they knew each other. That guy must work here or something. "You heard mister Claus here, the guys come with me first."

Daniel perked up, turning back to Maki as he pocketed his phone. "What d'ya say? Want to be my orientation buddy?"

"Sure," Maki smiled, his mood perking up. Daniel beamed, his own mood heightening considerable with the knowledge that he'd made someone's day better. "Sounds good."

As his mystery lady relayed the condition of the elevator, Daniel walked beside Maki to follow behind her. He was quiet during their ascent, taking comfort from his new friend's presence. He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't accustomed to being alone. He hated it. It frightened him more than death itself. So Maki being there, willingly accepting his company, meant more to him than his new friend probably knew. The fiery redhead lead the group of boys into the office and Daniel stood close to Maki's side, maybe more for the younger man's benefit than his own, but for his own nonetheless. He could sense the little guy's curiosity masked by a tinge of anxiety, and it brought a smirk to his lips. He was braver than most. Being led to some random guy's office after being kidnapped was one thing, being more curious than nervous was another. Daniel stole a glance at the redhead as she leaned against the wall before he cast his attention to the man behind the mystery, his skin prickling with anticipation.

Grey had been leaning against a wall watching the rest of the group silently. She was in no mood to speak to anyone really, she had tried to at least which was good she guessed. It was peaceful not having to try to keep a conversation going, it was to complex to say the right words, to keep the flow going, keep the interest of the other person, and so on and forth. In all reality she tried her best to stay reserved anyways, so it didn't bother her that no one was speaking to her in the slightest. She noticed all the little clicks that had formed though, Not very many people to create so much noise though. It was louder than she wanted the room to be, but was she suppose to do, yell at everyone and order them to remain silent? What a sight that would be. Little oh me trying to order people around. Smirking at herself she sighed, This is boring. She felt the urge to go back into the room she had been given and lock the door casting everyone out so she didn't have to be bothered with their presences. It's not like she hated people, they just normally annoyed her greatly for whatever reasons and with her only talking to two people so far she wasn't to fond of anyone. The first girl, Scarlet, seemed to be a bitch in her opinion or stuck up from what she had seen so far, she didn't like her cockiness or rude exterior. Rosalina on the other hand seemed nice though, she was like a bubbly Barbie Doll. In fact, where is she?

Before Rosalina had left her side she seemed frantic and shaken up from some guy that had entered the room not to long ago. As her eyes searched the hall it didn't take long to find her with the young looking man. His hair was dark, messy, and he didn't look very sharp, That's her ex? Based off his appearance he didn't really look good enough for the little rich girl in Grey's opinion. I guess love is blind. Rolling her eyes she lost interest in the ex couple until she saw Rosalina burst into tears and fall to the ground. Should I help? Grey debated if she would leave the solitude of the wall to help the crying girl or not. Honestly she didn't want to. Grey had no emotional connection to anyone here, so why should she care? It would help with you facade, people usually care for others in need... There was one pro, one pro out of an infinity number, but now she needed her con, You don't care about her... Now the balance scale was equal figuratively, but in sense she knew the helping others was out weighing anything else she could think of. I really don't want to do this. Pulling on her hair from annoyance she leaned off the wall using the hand that had once been on her head. Looking at the ground she noticed a few strains of her hair now decorated it, I should stop pulling so hard... The pulling was a bad habit of hers, she did it so often her scalp would bleed and she wouldn't even notice from the lack of pain it causes. But that's besides the point right now. She was about to walk over when one voice over took the room.

“Good, okay folks it’s time to go meet your new boss! Scar you can lead the boys first, I’ll stay behind the girls to make sure they’re protected.” What fun. With a slight frown she glanced back over to Rosalina who was now smiling, How fake. The girl was now laughing and snuggling up to the person that Grey thought made her cry, Why are girls so strange? She no longer knew what to do, "Rosalina, as she spoke she faced her, but walked towards Nick, "when you get done... meet me in line." Shutting her a smile she received a head nod. That's over now. Seeing the group that formed in front of Nick it appeared to be that her and Barbie weren't apart of it. With Nick being in the back of the line she gently skipped over to her then hooked her right arm to his left and turned her skip to his pace of walking but kept a little pep to her step. Looking over to him she beamed. "You may know my name, but I never got to introduce myself," she held her free hand in front of him, "nice to meet you I'm Grey, and thank you for kidnapping me." Faking a giggle at the end of her joke it had some truth in it. She was some pleased that she no longer had to stay in her depressing old home with all the bad memories of her past. It was time to start a little more fresh, and this new job would be perfect. She wasn't a big toucher, but in the long run she hoped getting closer to the ones that brought her here would be good. When she ran her coffee shop the runs she had once befriend got more benefits, like coming in late without pay cut, free coffee, and a few more things. She was just trying to strategies, and also she needed to seem more friendly, if she could she'd be acting like Scarlet due to this whole situation, but how friendly was that?

Nicholas was enjoying his view from the rear eyeing the pretty girls that he sees yet cautious to Scarlet’s eyes. He was a bit startled by Grey skipping over to him and hooking her right arm to his left, yet he smiled at her as she introduced herself as Grey holding her free hand in front of him. “ …and thank you for kidnapping me” she said while giggling at the end. Nick had a hunch that the girl was not being quite truthful with her laughter as her smile was bigger and her laugh sounded a bit forced, yet he decided to go along with it, thinking to himself, ”Okay, here we go girl number two! I’m on a roll today!” He shook Grey’s hand gently saying in a smooth voice, “Ah how rude of me I don’t believe I had introduced myself very well back there so sorry. I had some business to take care of but no matter. I am Nicholas Truman, though call me Nick or Nicky if you wish.” He smiled at her and looked into her eyes as they walked up saying, “Oh you’re very welcome. I’ve always been the expert at catching the best fish in the sea. Though I apologize for having you walk four flights of stairs. Like I said before there is no elevator.” Nick continued to flaunt and flirt with Grey and look at the other women until they reached the Benefactor’s office.

---

The Benefactor leaned back on his desk as the new recruits slowly gathered inside his office. First the men appeared and then the women. As the Benefactor studied them closely without staring, he couldn’t help but notice how disheveled, confused, and even angry they looked. One of them had even called out "So, you're the asshole that kidnapped me...who the hell do you think you are?" The Benefactor wasn’t fazed by the anger that snapped out of the young boy. In fact he had to admit he was very straightforward which would be useful to him.

”Poor things,” he thought. ”They must’ve gone through some pretty rough times only to be brought to another adventure of their lives. No matter. It is now that they will begin their possible transformation.”

The Benefactor then stood up proud and as tall as he could clearing his throat and then greeting his new recruits with a “Welcome.” “My name is Sylvester Cromwell but I am usually addressed as The Benefactor. Although some of you may know that from reading the letter. Before we begin, I should let you know that should you desire to return to your rooms, the room number is placed in the back of the letter. If you by chance did not read your letter in your room or did not bring it with you and don’t remember your room, I will give it to you before we give you a tour of the places you will be working in the town.” Sylvester could see that some people seemed to look up or raise their eyebrows as though he had guessed correctly that some people haven’t touched or known about the letter. No matter, there is always an incident such as this one.

The Benefactor motioned to the two recruiters who had accompanied them to move aside as they always have done. He then motioned for the new recruits to come closer and he put his hands towards them palms facing forward. He wore white gloves that matched his formal business attire of a black suit, pants, and shoes. The room seemed to stir a bit and a wind picked up that shook some objects such as a lamp by the corner and some books in Sylvester’s shelf but not so hard that it would knock things to the floor. A faint glow came from underneath Sylvester and the recruits. It was obscure because of the many recruits, but there was a light sea green spell circle with intricate and ancient symbols. The same glow surrounded the people who may or may not have been a bit frightened but the Benefactor reassured, “Don’t worry and don’t be afraid. He is right now observing you and trying to gather information of your pasts, of your fears, of your strengths, and of sorrows. He is the one that will bestow your powers which you will utilize in your work. These powers are your Gifts of Innocence. You must now open your hearts, minds, and souls, and accept the Gift of Innocence as parts of you now.”

The glow emanating from the spell circle grew warm and surrounded the individuals as the Benefactor closed his eyes and concentrated. He could feel his strength diminishing bit by bit until the spell was complete. He doubled back and tripped but Nicholas ran to catch him in time.

“Thank you Nicholas. I’ll be fine don’t worry. Just be sure to fill in what I need you to fill in.”

“Sure sir. Hey wait, what do you need me to fill in?”

“You’ve already agreed Nicholas. You’ll see.”

---

The Benefactor then proceeded to walk towards each individual to inform them of their powers and their tasks. He first walked to Rosalina and said, “Rosalina, you’ve lost money and your life has gone in all sorts of directions, but now you can help others who were put in the same situation. You are the Loaner who has the power to produce blank checks to loan money to whoever needs it. The wielder of the blank check is able to create blank checks that can be at any dollar amount. They can be given to anyone poor or rich or somewhere in between as long as they meet the terms. It will be agreed upon by customers that there will be a set date for payment and a 1% interest is to be expected. The customer chooses the exact date and time for the payment but it cannot be altered no matter the situation. You will be working very closely with an old friend of yours.”

The Benefactor walked over to Noah and said, ”Noah, you’ve abused drugs and even conjured your own, sometimes bringing others with you to your downfall. Now you will be a potions maker which is like a drug dealer only your potions are made through your gift of magic medicine. You will brew potions that will solve problems that the customer will have. Materials and the guide book will be provided by the Benefactor. However, the medicines are still drugs, which mean they have to be taken at certain dosages and in a limited amount of time. Make sure you take some funds with Rosalina.”

After talking to Noah, the Benefactor moved on to Hailey, Aradia, and Grey. “All three of you will be counselors though you differ depending on your power and experiences. Hailey and Aradia you’ve been best friends but the friendship hasn’t been exactly comforting and supportive has it? Hailey you will be the Empowerment Counselor, taking those who feel as though they are weak and help them take charge into their lives. You were given power to “take charge” because you have been used by another and have felt helpless. You will tell people to recite a mantra to help them take charge into their lives. “I am powerful. My actions do have meaning. I will take charge and control my destiny.”This mantra when recited helps the user to feel empowerment. The user can take charge in his or her life to the point where he/she is intimidating enough to make other people do as told. The mantra only lasts for twenty-four hours, but it can be said over and over again.

Aradia, you will be the Satisfaction Counselor, taking those who feel as though they are not satisfied with their life and are jealous of others. You will help them turn their jealousy around and replace it with feelings of wanting to know and understand the object of their jealousy more. You were given this power because you have felt jealous and have taken out your jealousy on another person. There is a mantra for this that you will teach. “I am satisfied. There is enough for me. I will turn jealousy into devotion and become a true friend instead.” This mantra when recited helps the user become more devoted to becoming a true friend rather than a jealous poisonous friend. Like the take charge mantra, it only lasts for twenty-four hours, but it can be said over and over again.

Grey, you will be the Death/Suicide Counselor who will try to help and understand victims of depression due to death and suicides. In order to understand your patients you were given the gift of empathy which allows you to feel the pain of your patients emotionally, physically, and mentally. You have experienced the feeling of guilt due to obliviousness. Your empathy is not limited to her patients however. You can also feel the pain of others around you when listening intently, usually asking others “Tell me, I’ll listen and try to understand” in order to activate empathy.

You three will be working very closely as counselors so I hope you get along nicely. The Benefactor said giving a warm smile to the ladies.”

He moved on to Zeus and informed him about his role. “Zeus, you will be working with the counselors as well with your role being the Psychologist. You will help people recover from traumatic experiences by permanently erase the painful memories of your patients. You have been sexually assaulted by other women and are always haunted by it, so now you can help others ease their pain by erasing their memory. However, in exchange you must peer into the memories of his patients and erase a happy and equivalent memory. He may use this power outside of work, but the people must be willing to have at least the bad memory erased for it to work.

He turned to Fiona and Alton to tell them about their roles. “You both will be Animal Rescuers and Trainers as you both have witnessed and or experienced pain. Fiona, you will be a friend to the animals, able to befriend animals easily and having them listen to your commands, as though they understand you completely. Friend of the Animals is given to someone who has been tortured by the various cruel deeds done on animals. You will show them a better life through taking care of them and training them in the special Animal Training facilities provided by the Benefactor.

Alton, you will help Fiona rescue animals from their various dangerous situations. To aid you, you will have the ability to not feel any pain, for you have been abused too many times without reason. It should be noted that the effect of feeling no pain lasts both in and out of the job. Make sure however that you rest periodically."

The Benefactor decided that since he just told the animal Rescuers their roles, he should designate the rescuer of people. “Forgive me, is it Jang or Jang Hyun? I have never been the best with Asian names. Anyway, you will also be a rescuer but of people with the gift of resurrection. You have lost many people in your life that you have loved through cruel fate, so now you can help others get that second chance of living. Just note that the people you resurrect will have their lives changed in ways that you need to discover on your own.”

Next he went on to another Asian to get the awkward names over with. “Another one ahh…Ma—ko—to? Anyways, you have been running away from a past of killings, being in the Mafia, and other wrong doings and want to get another chance under a new identity. You will allow people that chance as well. Under the guise of a prison guard, you will have the ability of a reset button, the chance to improve their current lives by allowing them to go back and fix the point in their lives that they think ruined them. Look in your hands and you will see that you have a literal Reset Button that has knobs that change the date and time displayed on it. A person can change it to whatever time and date they want to go back to. After they are done fixing their problem they are transported back in the new present There are however limitations as you will figure out."

He turned to Harper and said, “You’ve been in a lot of raping and prostitution business haven’t you? You feel worthless thinking that being a whore is your only worth and you’ve even panicked about that job of yours haven’t you? Don’t answer the call. You have another home now. You can help others by being the Empowerer. You are similar to Hailey in that you will help others get up from their sulking, agony, and lack of confidence. You will guide those who were lost, thrown away, and shunned by society to a new direction in life. Your Gift of Innocence, "Listen Well," enables you to allow the person she is talking to listen and obey her advice and commands. There are however, limitations to this power as the person must be able to actually hear it. Unlike the others you will search out those in the town rather than have your clients directed to you. We must always remember there are those who do not wish to actively change their fates, as you should know from experience.”

He turned to Jasper, the man who had spoken up to the Benefactor, and said, “I am someone who knows that you were blamed of murder incorrectly due to misunderstanding. You accuse me of kidnapping but it is merely a misunderstanding as I am helping you as you were at your lowest point. So you want to find the truth of things and you shall as a detective with the gift of Psychometry. It allows you to touch an object or person to see the recent past or future. However, note that you will not be given any indication whether it had happened in the past or will happen in the future.”

The Benefactor made sure to be more open and comforting when approaching Novia knowing that she will be more distrusting than the others. “Novia do not fear. Although I know that you are not legal here, let it be assured that your secret is safe with us and that I am not here to deport you. In fact come see me some time and I have connection that might help you get citizenship if you so desire. But in regards to your job, I know you are a bright person, yet you have been held back by poverty. Therefore you will be the Negotiator, negotiating with various salesmen for needed goods. If any of the workers or I need something we will turn to you for your negotiation skills will be so amazing it will be as though they cannot refuse. You will persuade them with “Do we have an accord?” and the item is yours! I trust that you are smart enough to know the correct amount to negotiate for and will give her a budget to abide by.

Sylvester made sure to hurry since he can tell that people were getting impatient and from the corner of his eye he could tell Jasper was itching to get out of here. “Finally Daniel, the man who was supposed to have been a father. I’m so sorry about the miscarriage and your wife. Trust me, I know how it feels to lose your significant other.” The Benefactor looked off in space about after he said that, thinking about…Clarissa… He shook his head to get back to reality knowing he had to continue and said, “Er Sorry. Anyway, you will be a Fertility Specialist, being able to let others have children the way they want them to be and at any time they wish for the baby to develop. The clients will also be able to pick specific traits for their unborn child. It should be noted that you can only induce pregnancy on willing women. And I would advise you please, do not make any of my staff pregnant. It would be very troublesome to have many little children even though Kaylee would love to have siblings.”

The Benefactor then walked to the front of the room pausing a bit to catch his breath from all of the talking and then finally opening his mouth to speak. “Nick I believe it is time for you to fill them in on what I cannot fill in, your power and Scarlet would you like to do so or as always leave it to mystery? Of course Nick you cannot refuse,” the Benefactor ended with a smile.
Nick sighed but he knew he had no choice so he stood in front of the crowd and said, “As you all know, I am a recruiter but I have the power of persuasion. I…used to not be able to commit to anything. I have so many jobs it’s hard to count, I have had many girlfriends that I haven’t had the courage to commit to, and I…” Nick paused but the Benefactor urged him to go on. “I left my fiancé at the altar. I couldn’t do it. I…I ran because I was too afraid to commit to something I wasn’t sure of. However, the Benefactor found me and gave me this power. Now I’m able to make commitments with ease. If I agree to something someone asks me to I will actually be able to do it! Though it goes the same with others. Just be careful, if I ask you to do something and you agree, you can’t run away and you have to go through with it.” As Nick finished he sighed having said this story to many new recruits to rile them up.

The Benefactor then stood in front of Nick and asked, “Any more questions?”

“Ah how rude of me I don’t believe I had introduced myself very well back there so sorry. I had some business to take care of but no matter. I am Nicholas Truman, though call me Nick or Nicky if you wish.” When he smiled she did the same in return not to be rude, “Oh you’re very welcome. I’ve always been the expert at catching the best fish in the sea. Though I apologize for having you walk four flights of stairs. Like I said before there is no elevator.” She ran her hand through her hair, "It's perfectly fine! I enjoy walking anyways, and it's so lovely to meet you Nicky, what a sexy nickname you have." It was strange to her that a building so large didn't have a elevator, but a little walking would never kill her, she had to do it almost everyday at the library making it nothing new, but the strangest thing was that she was fake flirting back with the man.

Still holding on to Nick they arrived in a huge room where the boys already were, Time to meet the Benefactor. Once in she noticed how the were kind of in the back due to the fact the girls had arrived later, so with Nick still to her arm she pulled him forward with her so they'd be in the front. a “Welcome. My name is Sylvester Cromwell but I am usually addressed as The Benefactor. Although some of you may know that from reading the letter. Before we begin, I should let you know that should you desire to return to your rooms, the room number is placed in the back of the letter. If you by chance did not read your letter in your room or did not bring it with you and don’t remember your room, I will give it to you before we give you a tour of the places you will be working in the town.” Looking the man over she expected someone older, greying, and almost died. She didn't have a reason why that image was the one she had chosen, but it was. So we'll be working in town... I wonder what town we're even in? Not knowing where she was was kind of a bonus. At first she had been scared of the unknown, but now it was relaxing knowing that all the old people she had once known that reminded her of sorrow could possibly never find her again. It was very pleasant to her.

The Benefactor made a small gesture, What's that Q for? Shortly after the thought she felt Nick pull away from her. Smiling as she slowly pulled back her arm and put it to her side she let her attention drift back to the man in the front. When Scarlet and Nick had removed themselves from the new recruits she watched as the Benefactor put his white gloved hands out before him. When he had done so it seemed as if a breeze had taken over making her hair dance stop of it. Soon a glowing white light began to take flame under her and the rest of the people around her. It was a strange sight, but in it's strangeness beautiful causing her to actually smile. It didn't take long for her to realize her joy and soon switch the happy to off. Grey was her own worst enemy, she felt like she didn't deserve to be happy so she tried her best to never be. “Don’t worry and don’t be afraid. He is right now observing you and trying to gather information of your pasts, of your fears, of your strengths, and of sorrows. He is the one that will bestow your powers which you will utilize in your work. These powers are your Gifts of Innocence. You must now open your hearts, minds, and souls, and accept the Gift of Innocence as parts of you now.” Releasing a breath she opened her true emotions, she tingled a little from inside, Who's He? And why do I feel so strange? The sensation left as soon as it begun, He's magically... She didn't know what to make of this, but she felt like the thought of strange science had to be the key behind this whole gift still. When all the warmth was gone her attention rose back to the Benefactor who stumbled, but was soon caught. “Thank you Nicholas. I’ll be fine don’t worry. Just be sure to fill in what I need you to fill in.” She wasn't sure what she had observed, but it clearly had drained her new boss some.

She then watched as he went around to a few telling them their gift and why, Please don't mention my past... Is all she could think when listened to his voice. “All three of you will be counselors though you differ depending on your power and experiences..." When he came to her she drifted away as she he began speaking about the gifts of the others. Me a counselor? I try to block most people out. She was prone to block out others when others become to... annoying to her. It was strange for her to be a counselor, what would she counsel on? Grey, you will be the Death/Suicide Counselor who will try to help and understand victims of depression due to death and suicides. In order to understand your patients you were given the gift of empathy which allows you to feel the pain of your patients emotionally, physically, and mentally. You have experienced the feeling of guilt due to obliviousness. Your empathy is not limited to her patients however. You can also feel the pain of others around you when listening intently, usually asking others “Tell me, I’ll listen and try to understand” in order to activate empathy." She almost felt like crying at the sound, the obviousness had been the reason her husband died, she didn't want to help depressed people when she was depressed herself. She's feel what others felt, the sadness of patients she'd have in the future. "I'll help all the people I can!" Telling the Benefactor happily before he passed even though she dreaded the whole thought. "You three will be working very closely as counselors so I hope you get along nicely.” Receiving his warm smile she turned to the two others she'd be working with, What fun.

It took time for the Benefactor to finish, but when he did it happened to be Nick's turn, Now what does this flirt have to say? On her way up here Nick had flirted, which was an odd feeling since she hadn't been flirted with in years. Nick had let out a sigh as he moved in the middle of the now gifted. “As you all know, I am a recruiter but I have the power of persuasion. I…used to not be able to commit to anything. I have so many jobs it’s hard to count, I have had many girlfriends that I haven’t had the courage to commit to, and I…” When he paused it was clear he didn't want to talk about it, and in a way she felt bad for him because she'd hate talking about hers. “I left my fiancé at the altar. I couldn’t do it. I…I ran because I was too afraid to commit to something I wasn’t sure of. However, the Benefactor found me and gave me this power. Now I’m able to make commitments with ease. If I agree to something someone asks me to I will actually be able to do it! Though it goes the same with others. Just be careful, if I ask you to do something and you agree, you can’t run away and you have to go through with it.” His story angered her some, Why would he have proposed if he was just going to leave? She didn't like the sound of it, if her husband had done that to her... she would have been the way she was now so it didn't really matter to much. “Any more questions?” He took stand in front of Nick. She didn't raise her hand because this wasn't a kindergarten classes, "Why was I chosen?" She was oblivious, but there had to be people that were way more oblivious than she, there had to be.