8:00 A.M. 5/25/917

Ethan pushed through the doors and was met with a crowded lobby, which he had become familiar with over the years; however, this time was different. Many unfamiliar faces were dispersed throughout the sea of employees before him; they must've been new hires. He began making his way through the lobby when he caught sight of Charlie, heading towards the armory carrying a bundle of supplies in his arms. He had fairly short black hair, dressed in casual clothing, just a simple white button-up, with a small piece of red cloth tied around his wrist. A White gem attached to a thin chain hung around his neck. Ethan called out to him, but it was drowned out by all the commotion. Ethan fought through the crowd and ran up behind Charlie. 

"Hey, what's going on today?" Ethan asked.

“Oh, Ethan! Sorry, I can’t stop and chat for long. I have to get this to Nikolai,” He replied, nodding to the bundle in his arms. “You’re free to go with if you want.” They began walking together down the long halls of the building. The walls were lined with doors, some leading to offices with names etched into silver signs above the doors, and others to storage or communal rooms. There was the occasional flyer for the market downtown or a recent performance at the theater, neither of which Ethan took note of.

“Has anyone spoken to Salem today?” Ethan asked, “Someone should ask them what is going on.”

“I haven’t even seen her. And now that I think about it, I haven’t seen any of the higher-ups today, other than Soren.”

“Why do you thi-” Ethan began as he was interrupted by a chiming sound coming from all around. The entire crowd froze and fell silent as the chimes continued. Charlie looked down at the gem attached to his necklace. It pulsed a light golden hue as it continued chiming. Then, the noise stopped, and Soren’s voice emitted from it.

“Attention! Everyone, gather in the assembly hall for an announcement!” His voice rang out from every gem in the building. Suddenly, everyone began moving again, this time all heading in the same direction.

“You can go on ahead,” said Charlie, “I still need to deliver this. I’ll meet you there soon.” They parted ways as Ethan headed towards the assembly hall. He followed the crowd as he hadn’t bothered to memorize the layout of the building. He had only been this way a couple of times anyway.

Eventually, he reached the hall and entered through the large wooden doors. In his years of working here, Ethan had only been in the assembly hall a few times prior to this; It wasn’t used very often. There was a single stage at the end of the room with stairs up to it on either side. Along the walls, portraits were hung of various people, none of whom Ethan recognized, separated by gold-lined pillars that ran up the wall. Hundreds of employees stood in front of the stage with a few farther back to separate themselves from the crowd. Chatter filled the room as many conversations overlapped. Ethan walked over and leaned against the back wall. Suddenly, Charlie came running through the doors, trying to catch his breath.

“I made it.” Charlie managed to get out in between breaths. He walked over to Ethan and propped himself up against the wall next to him. After a few moments, Soren made his way onto the stage, his short, blonde hair glistening in the warm lighting.

“Attention!” He called, his overpowering voice silencing the entire crowd in an instant. 

“I am aware that there has been some confusion amongst the larger-than-normal crowd we have here today. Some new employees have been hired, as well as a few brought in from further reaches of the country. There is a reason for that of which I have been told not to disclose. Any further questions must be brought up to Salem personally. Your pairings for the day will be posted on the info board shortly. Dismissed!” his voice echoed through the room. After a few moments, the stage was empty once again, and the chatter resumed. Slowly, the crowd dispersed. Ethan let out a sigh.

“Vague as usual,” Ethan complained as he pushed off the wall and headed for the door. Charlie followed behind. Entering back into the hall, they began to head back towards the front of the building. 

“You alright?”

“If there’s a reason for all these new people, shouldn't we know?”

“It can’t be that important, or else we would have been told.”

“But if she wasn’t going to tell us, then why call us all there in the first place?”

“Well-” He paused, “ Yeah, that is kinda unusual.”

Entering the lobby, there was a large crowd surrounding a desk. While it was called the info board, it wasn't actually a board. It used to be, but as the company grew and gained more employees, it was retired. Now it’s a desk with stacks of paperwork covering most of the surface. Ethan and Charlie approached the mass surrounding the desk and began making their way towards the front.

Sitting there was Rosabel, with a slightly annoyed look on her face. She was shuffling through a stack of paperwork. Her dark hair was pulled back to keep it out of her face, but many strands had come loose, giving her a disheveled appearance. She let out a deep sigh.

“So, who am I paired with?” Charlie asked, setting his arms on the counter of the desk. There was no response from her, only a brief glance. “So, uh… Why are you working here today?” Charlie added. Rosabel looked up for a second to look at Charlie.

“The guy who was supposed to be here hasn’t shown up.” She looked back down and reached for a stack of papers. After a brief pause, Charlie began again.

“So who-” Rosabel cut him off.

“PLEASE!” She yelled, afterward, taking a deep breath, ”Be quiet…” She took a second to calm herself down. “Just... wait a moment.” Charlie crossed his arms and turned around to look at Ethan. 

“Okay then,” Charlie said under his breath, his expression shifting to one of annoyance. He stepped away and went to the lounge area near the lobby. Ethan waited near the back of the crowd. After a few minutes, almost everyone had dispersed. Ethan approached the desk again. 

Without even looking up from the desk she asked “Name?”

“Ethan… Ethan Hart.”

“Okay, let’s see… You are assigned with…” She sighed, “Charlie Fowler”