For some reason I didn't mind when people got in my space, I don't know, I craved for any kind of interaction, uncomfortable or not, so long as they seemed to want to interact with me.

"The place we're interning at is looking for one more person to fill a position. Are you interested?" She eagerly asked me.

I think I just desperately nodded whilst keeping my hands to myself. I felt like she was hypnotizing me somehow.

The other kids with her, I don't think they were paying attention as they went to the cashier next, just buying snacks, like they weren't phased by her actions. My eyes darted between them and her.

"How far is this place?"

"Oh, not too far dear! We just walked a few blocks to this place, it's a nice building."

At that point, the whole "stranger danger" info didn't kick in, which was a huge surprise considering some recent memories I'm clicking my tongue to avoid remembering, I just really wanted to find another job. And they were the ones that hopped into my car anyway, the rustling of the snacks in their jacket pockets rustling gently, quietly.

The blonde girl led her two friends with her as she sat in the front seat. I was walking slowly with them, turning my head around, side to side as I wondered where that standing figure of weaved skin went, then squinting my eyes in the distance somewhere, seeing another one of those silhouettes again.

"What are you looking at?" Annabelle asked me, and it shook me out of my daydreaming.

"Nothing." I told her, what else could I say?

'Oh, I'm just looking around, making sure those human-like yet inhumane looking figures aren't gonna follow us.' That thought would've just made things uncomfortable.

The guy with black hair, he was quiet, but he signed something to me, a wave or like an awkward bow of his head as he got in my car, and the other passing by was just quiet, didn't really make eye contact with me, his hair covered his eyes often, so I don't know, but he said thank you. He sounded like me when I would say thank you, like it was practiced beforehand, I could tell.

I'd eventually learn that their names were Annabelle, Joon, and Vernon. Such interesting and pretty names.

Certainly, sounds better than 'Dove' which almost sounds dumb to me in a way. Just one mishearing away from 'dumb'.

I just followed her directions as we drove.

Now, the building is where I think everything went downhill from here. Or uphill? It wasn't all bad, but it was definitely, creepy at the start and is also the reason why I feel like I'm finally going to die by the hands of the things haunting me.

The big fancy red taping on the exterior design of this six-story looking building, literally said 'Macabre House'. But at least they had a parking lot.

When we got out of the car, none of them really slammed the doors, and they also didn't kick the doors closed either, I was glad. I really liked my car, especially the paint job.

It looked so vintage on the outside, that's not an impressive enough way to describe it considering Maine. But just like the High Sea Inn, it was like it was frozen in time, a building from the 1900s, the red brick has been turned brown and the window glass were clearly tinted black, those arch designs over each window. Too dark at the time to see what was on the roof.

It felt comforting in a way.

They led me to the double-doors that were at the flattened corner, those door knockers for handles, made of real cast iron from years ago. I figured this out later too.

There was even a sign, a name for each of the floors, posted beside the fancy double doors, all in different fonts.

B. 'Basement Library'

1. 'The Magic store'

2. 'Apothecary Floor'

3. 'Gym'

4. 'Detective Service'

5. 'Alchemist Lab'

R. 'Rooftop Garden'

There was no title for the sixth floor, at the time I assumed it's because they hadn't come up with a gimmick for that floor yet, so the sign skipped it.

I already loved the old style look of the building, but I had myself prepared for disappointment, assuming that the inside would be all modern with cubicles and all those shades of monochrome.

Red velvet floors, bright yellow wood material lining the corners connecting the wall and floor, preserved in something that made it shine. The walls were painted too. Some sort of art design. I felt good about the place as some of them looked knew, the building commissioned artists and that gave me a good feeling.

And then the walls and floor and ceiling changed as we entered the room of the first floor. From red velvet to another type of cozy cottage core aesthetic. Bundles of garlic hung from the air, along with candles of coffee beans around the corners, and unlike the other floors from the outside, this first floor had the most windows, and they were actually more transparent too.

Annabelle was sort of excitedly dragging me as we walked through the sitting room before entering the magic store, Vernon and Joon just following us calmly. Now that I look back, I realized why they didn't stop her, having only met each other, including her and me, just that day, they were slightly afraid too, and also feeling pretty introverted that day.

The magic store, no not like some store for magician props, well- there were some stuffs for that on one isle, but the rest of the items made it clear what kind of magic the store actually meant.

It was like witchcraft items; bottles and vials and other types of containers of plants in every type of condition, crushed, plucked, stacked, mixed together like trail mix in individual containers, straw dolls or rag dolls sitting neatly on the high shelves, followed by other doll crafting box sets underneath, there seemed to be even makeup or perfume made naturally from flowers and aloe vera.

I could tell from all the smell of honey suckle and lemongrass, there were a lot of homemade items sold in the magic store.

There was this beautiful lady, so gorgeous unlike any beauty I've ever seen, who waved at us as we all walked by. I think I remember hearing her say something quick to Vernon and Annabelle. I forgot what it was. I'd later learn he would deliver things to this floor, dropping it down all the way from the rooftop garden.

There was very neat and antique looking elevator all the way at the back of the room. Looking back, I would've squealed at the 1900s appearance of it, I still mentally do sometimes when I go up and down the building. There was that little plate next to it, the "Up" and "Down" buttons on an old stone-like plate.

The doors looked like artisan carved wood but separated like regular elevator doors, and it was back to standing in red velvet surfaces lined with bright yellow wood, I think it was wood, I never really asked. A little bench in the back for sitting and waiting, a little chandelier to brighten up the little square room, and no mirror. I was so grateful for that.

The buttons had these bold and fancy fonts for the numbers and letters, Annabelle quickly pressed for 4, 5, and then R.

She was smiling a lot but, in a way, it didn't really disturb me?

Bouncing in place on her feet as we all waited for our designated floors before my brain jolted and I remembered to ask her.

"So, which floor am I going to? And what kind of internship did you say was hiring?" I think I phrased it that way, but it definitely didn't come out as confident as the sentence is read.

"The detectives here need someone new! I think you'll fit right in!" Was all she told me.

"Wait." I remember trying it ask her. "Could you tell me a little more at least?"

But then we got to the fourth floor and she kind of stepped off, pulling me with her, everything was kind of a blur and she plopped me down at a desk of what I could only assume belonged to an equally surprised and confused employee there.

Annabelle patted my shoulder and said very quickly to him- "This is the person I found to fill in the intern position! She's one of us, I noticed. Anyway, I have to get to the gym floor now, bye bye!"

And she rushed off, leaving me there to sit awkwardly as she quickly got back into the elevator with the other two boys and the doors closed.

I felt like shrinking in that seat as the man across the desk, who was clearly busy with something on his desktop at the time, stared from the elevator to me with this surprised look in his tired eyes, and I could only stare back before shrinking away.

Mustering up my courage, I managed to say this: "I was told there was an intern position here.... I wanted to apply..." I still cringe at how awkward it came out.

He suddenly understood my reason being dragged there as he recovered and set his pen down, giving me a friendly smile.

"Oh, I see! Well, for starters, I suppose I should first welcome and introduce you to Macabre House."

They needed an intern for little errands throughout the building, along with a sort of secretary for organizing things. It was perfect, something simple I was good at and couldn't mess up, the detectives' floor was more of an in-between to sign up for it.

I remember adjusting my suit jacket. It was nothing fancy like what he was wearing but I guess I just wanted to try to force a little more confidence in myself through what I was wearing. He was sort of wearing a suit jacket too, though he wore it like a casual jacket over his normal clothes.

"Laurance, by the way." He said over his shoulder to me as he led me down the hall to safely be interviewed,

"Dove." I told him.

He told me this building was, in his words, "Sort of a special place, it's not suitable for people who can't handle certain morbid things, gore let's say.", and at first, I understood it as this place taking on gruesome cases while also dealing with a lot of dark stuff.

I mean, of course it would. Wouldn't be called Macabre House for nothing.

The floors were more expansive than I thought, he led me down a hallway that I didn't notice before, I passed by some other people who sort of gave off the same vibe as him.

There was the woman in a white coat, passing us by and talking with a man who looked like an angel of death in disguise. I saw the scar on his face for just a brief moment, so striking yet blunt and dull, going right across his face. I looked away quickly, hoping he didn't notice my glance.

Laurance opened the door to this room, and I followed him inside, I don't know why I was getting interviewed in the interrogation room, but looking back, he must've known that the open space with other people talking made me feel nervous. Or maybe they just had the best results of getting their most honest answers in this room.

A table in the middle, only two chairs sitting across from each other, and mirrors on all for walls, even the door. As soon as we sat down and I looked to where the door was again, I suddenly couldn't find it, I just saw the mirror of that wall.

"Don't be alarmed, you're not trapped, that's just the mechanism of this room." Laurance calmly said, taking out what I now later realized was a voice recorder.

It wasn't the trapped feeling I was alarmed of, I just didn't like mirrors. I knew the door was still there.

"Now then, are you ready to answer the typical questions, or would you like me to first tell you what kind of work goes on in this place?" He asked as he folded his hands in front of him, sitting square in front of me.

I felt meek compared to him, I tried to adjust my posture and sitting position to sit like him, like a mature adult who knew what they were doing. Though I'm sure that would be a laughable thing for an 18-year-old to try and exude.

"I... Tell me what kind of jobs are usually asked of an intern around here, I'm asking just because." I said, trying to sound confident and like I had planned it, but why did I say that last part? I didn't want to reveal that part.

I'll never forget it. In that room, that detective with his brown suit jacket and clothes of someone mature, sitting across from me with his head rested on the back of his folded hands, read me like a book.

He raised an eyebrow, quirking it at me as he said-

"You don't actually want to know that, do you? It's ok, you can be honest. I know that eighteen is usually the time most kids try to move out." I remember him saying.

My face felt hot all of a sudden, my hands gripped the top surface of my pants, but one of the few things I liked about myself was the ability to at least at calm. I just laughed nervously, and agreed with him, starting to spill out what I would normally never tell a random stranger, or even a close friend out of the blue.

"I just want to work as soon as possible." I said a little too honestly, but I didn't notice at first.

"I'm not good at a lot, but if it's an errand girl you need, I wouldn't mind." These were one of the words I practiced NOT to say in a job interview.

"I need a job and it doesn't matter what, and you need an intern, right? So long as it's a paid internship, I can dedicate myself to it." No interviewer would hire someone that said any of this outright! They at least prefer people who beat around the bush with subjects like this.

And yet, he smiled, to my responses or to himself I don't know yet, but then he clicked a button on the voice recorder, and then I sort of realized that he was looking at the mirror behind me for some time.

I suddenly got this chill down my spine as I took a chance and did what I practiced not to, to look over my shoulder while trying to converse with someone. The reflection of myself on the mirror behind him, was blocked by his body and I didn't have the nerve to tilt my head or body to look, the one behind me gave more of a chill.

I saw my reflection, but it wasn't copying me exactly. There was a girl that looked like me, sitting in the same four-legged chair as me, but she somehow looked like someone who couldn't hide the anxiety, the doubt and the sad smile I tried hard to hide.

I whipped my head around to see him smiling just a bit bolder as he lifted his head from atop his hands and nodded his chin up to the mirror behind me.

"Oh good, so you can see and hear it too. You seemed to notice quickly, just didn't comprehend it yet."

I asked him what this room was, less afraid and thoroughly confused, not wanting to say more. He said it was a room for interrogation of course, and before I could ask more, like a magician, he pulled some papers out of nowhere and placed them on the table, pushing them towards me.

"I think you'll fit well here, but the choice to join, after you fully read everything in that contract, is all up to you."