We stood in a hallway. There was a green and silver rug on the ground, running the length of the thin hallway. Two people stood on either side of the hallway. There were a few metres of empty space, then another two people. This pattern repeated down the entire hallway. Every person also wore a metal mask. But instead of wearing suits or lab coats, they wore dark suits of armour. Every single one carried at least one weapon. From where I stood, I could see swords, axes, daggers, throwing knives, bows and arrows, and spears. My breath caught in my throat as I looked down the rows of… guards? Or soldiers? No, they wouldn't be. That’s what the demons were for. So they must be guards. But what were they guarding? Letie removed a card from her pocket and showed it to the closest guard. Once he nodded, she tucked the card back into her pocket. As she did, I caught a glimpse of the card. I expected a business card, or ID card, not this. It was a sparkling, holographic card, with millions of tribaums woven into each other in one mess of lines. The guard started to chant something, words I couldn’t understand. Whether he spoke in another language, or his words were muffled, I did not know. All I knew was that the other guards started chanting as well. Letie started to walk forward, head held high. I walked a pace behind her, my gaze darting from guard to guard as we walked past them.
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We reached the end of the hallway, where a wooden door blocked our path. A guard handed a large key to Letie. The key was golden, and a red tassel hung off the end. She held the key above her head, and the chanting stopped. As Letie inserted the key into the lock, the guards all spoke in unison, “Long live the Elite.” The door swung open.
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This room was unlike the rest of the rooms I’d been in. The harsh metal had been traded for warm, dark wood. The floors were spotted with Persian rugs. The walls were lined with bookshelves, filled with large, leather-bound books. The walls were made of wooden panels, with intricate carvings on them. They reminded me of the desk from the room when Logan had been turned into a demon. The ceiling had exposed wooden beams, giving the room an elegant, rustic feel. There was only one piece of furniture in the room. A wooden, oval table, covered in a white, lace tablecloth. There were 13 chairs around the table, and 9 of them were filled. A door opened to my right. Eliet and Telie entered and sat in two of the remaining chairs. Eliet was no longer wearing a suit, and Telie was no longer wearing a lab coat. They both now wore robes, like the ones the demons wore. As the fabric shifted, every colour shone in it.
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Looking at the people sitting at the table, they all wore the same magical robes. Leite clicked her fingers. “I knew I was forgetting something.” She walked back out the door, and re-entered a second later, wearing the same robes as everyone else. I looked down at my clothes. They were wrinkled and dirty. I had no idea how long I’d been on floor 50, but it was long enough. The people sitting at the table hadn’t acknowledged me or Letie, and Letie took that opportunity to usher me out a different door, into what looked like a broom closet. She shut the door, and I strained my neck to see out of the increasingly small crack. Finally, she pulled a string attached to a light bulb, and the small room was bathed in a warm light. “What was that?” I asked. “Get changed, then find a seat,” Letie told me, ignoring my question. She handed me a bundle of fabric and left the closet.
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I sighed and unfolded the clothes Letie had given me. It was a set of robes like the ones everyone else was wearing, except mine didn’t change colours. They were plain black. There was also a dark tunic and loose pants, which I put on under the robes. The sleeves of the robes hung down just to my wrists, and the bottom stopped just below my ankles. I was still wearing my black boots. It could have been worse. The last thing I noticed was a metal brooch, fastened over my heart. It was a golden Tribaum, with small words written underneath it. I couldn’t read what the words said, but I didn’t care. They couldn’t be that important. I stepped out of the broom closet. Every seat at the table was filled, except for one. All the heads in the room turned to me as I made my way to the chair. I pulled it out from the table, a loud screech echoing through the room. “Sorry,” I mumbled as I sat down. There were no responses.
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After another moment of awkward silence, Letie stood up. She was sitting opposite me. “Thank you, everyone, for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here. Meeting Elias is an amazing opportunity, especially because of everything he has done, and will do for us. Elias, I would like to introduce you to the 12 most important people in Salef. Your leaders. It would be my pleasure to introduce you to the Elite.” A smattering of applause came as Letie sat down. People started to talk, and I was left bewildered. I tapped Letie’s elbow. “What am I doing here? What is going on?” Letie finished up a conversation with the person next to her. The only way I could tell people apart at this point was their hair.
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“Well, Everyone wanted to meet you.”
“Yeah, I get that. But nobody is talking to me. I’m just going to go. I can find my way out.” This was a complete lie on my part. I don’t know if Letie could tell I was bluffing or not, but she shrugged. “You can try,” is all she said. Then she turned back to her conversation. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see someone standing behind me. “Hello, Elias. My name is Eelti. I have been waiting so long to see you. It is an honour to finally meet you.” I smiled as I shook Eelti’s hand. His face was covered by a mask, but his hair was clearly visible. Vibrant blonde, sticking up in various places.
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“And you as well,” I said. Fake it till you make it, I guess. “I’m quite curious about something. I’ve asked before, but still haven't gotten an answer. Could you maybe help me?” I asked. Eelti thought for a moment. “That depends. What is your question?”
“Why am I here? I need to know. I have a life, family, friends.” Eelti walked away, whispered something in someone’s ear, and then stepped back over to me. “I don’t have permission to tell you that. I suppose you will find out eventually. It might be best to think of this place as your new home.” Eelti started to walk away again, but I spoke up again. “I can’t just disappear without saying goodbye.” He turned around, the eyes of his metal masks unblinking. They seemed like they could see right through me, like I was a piece of paper being read. “Elias has said something most interesting to me. He said that he can’t stay here if he doesn’t say goodbye to his friends and family. Shall we allow him to speak with them?”
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“Yes, yes, Eelti. Get on with it. If he wishes to say goodbye, he will. Bring them up,” Letie said. “What does that mean?” I all but shouted. Nobody gave me a response. Eelti pulled a remote out from under the table. He pushed a button, and a portion of the wall slid away, like the metal panels in the hallways. Then, a clear, elevator-like contraption rose into the opening of the wall. Inside were three people, their backs to me. But I recognized them immediately. Maggie, Sammy, and Mariah. I ran over to the elevator as the three turned around. I placed my hand on the plexiglass. “Guys. It’s me,” I said, my voice cracking. As Mariah’s eyes locked onto mine, my heart shattered. Do you want to know why? She screamed.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgq71Opz4Q
