Micheal Grey POV:
Both Flin and I got up from the ground and walked backed to the door. I looked at the simple, gold-plated watch on my wrist. The two hands showed the time of twelve thirty-six. It was time for my appointment.
Every three days, the psychiatrist, Ben Grenger, comes over to quote on quote, "alive me with the stress that has holed up inside me." I don't really take his sessions seriously. It's just fun to see with wither every time I fake some progress and then revert back to my old habits. That's why I keep him.
I drag myself down one of the sixteen-hundred staircases. The Grey corp building had exactly sixteen hundred and one floors. The 'one floor is the rood that I include. Every forty floors is a different division or branch of the corporation. For example, the first forty floors are meant for the transportation of goods; mostly the drugs we manufacture. The next set of forty is the tech department; they take care of all security breaches or general maintenance. After the tech, there lay the most valuable department: Research and Development. R&D. This is my holy grail. This is where my wealth, my power, and my respect come from. They are always coming up with new types of drugs and ideas that usually fail. But hey! Once in a while, a diamond in the rough is dug up. Like the idea, we have now.
*Clack* *Clack* *Clack*
I hit the last few steps in a defiant matter as I bounced down. I had decided to the floor right below my office: the auditorium. Other than the R&D department, this was my most prized possession. The one place I rebuilt from my memory although it was ten times bigger as I'm sure I have stated before.
I push the forty-foot doors and walked inside with a sound bang. "Heeeeey, Ben!"
Ben was sitting on a recliner on the stage. I run over to him and plop myself down on the couch beside him. I laid on my back and looked up and the high, unfinished ceiling before tilting my head to get a better look at Ben. He had a small, diminutive stature. His face was wrinkled and old. Older than mine by a long shot. He was semi-bald on the top of his head, but he had grays whisps of hair on the sides. He had no mustache and no special facial features that could make him stand out in any crowd. Well, at least when you put him near other people near his age.
He glanced at me and pushed his thin, wiry glasses up on his nose. I insisted to offer him a full eye procedure to purify his cataracts and sharpen his vision to a twenty-twenty. But, he refused. He likes the glasses since they were given to him by his late wife. Pshh. People and their sentiments, am I right?"
He greeted me, "Hello Mr. Grey, It is nice to see you today."
I rolled my eyes, "Oh please, no one appreciates my presence. You can be honest with me. Also, call me Micheal, like how many times have I told you that?"
"You've told me in every session, but I don't feel comfortable calling you by your first name."
I picked my nose, and responded, "Well, I don't feel comfortable when you call me 'Mr. Grey'. I didn't hire you for the past nine years for you talk to me like every single, f*cking person does. It's our one-on-one time. Also, don't you have a policy of 'customer's always right?"
Ben sighed and took off his reading glasses. "If you insist...," he paused for a little, "Micheal." I gave him a toothy grin. He chuckled under his breath, and his eyes let a sparkle escape.
"Now then, shall we begin?" he asked. I faced the ceiling once more and shut my eyes. Ben leaned back in his recliner and took out a little notepad that was filled with nine years worth of notes and scribbles. "Micheal, I want to imagine the darkest moment of your life. The moment when you felt betrayed, alone, and depressed. I want you to close your eyes and imagine that. You might feel scared or nervous, but I want you to relive that experience and fight it!" he said with great enthusiasm.
I made myself comfortable while my eyes were closed. I was hypersensitive to the sounds that resounded in the auditorium. The soft whispers of the wind escaped through the windows. The small drops of water that pelted the walls. It was raining. I counted the rhythms of the water drops until I began to feel tiredness sift throughout my body.
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Vincent POV:
Eric, Marco, and I made it all the way to the bakery. Eric barged in through the flimsy door. We could hear faint apologies inside. The bakery was nothing special from the outside. I would say that the bakery was the only normal-looking shop in the sea of superficial wealth. While all the other stores surrounding the bakery were painted, patched, or refurbished with expensive and shiny miscellaneous items. But, the bakery was a humble red-brick building with a small and stout chimney. It was blowing out small black smoke. The buildings had no signs of advertisements or signs or slogans. A person couldn't tell what they were looking at until the strong aroma of bread and the fragrance of sweets hits them. I had to admit that the smell was divine. There was a regular-sized window showcasing a middle-aged woman with strong arms throwing a large ball of dough in the air and kneading afterward. Marco was entranced by the way she threw the dough into the air and magically turned the south into a perfect sphere as she brought it down.
After observing it from the outside, I nudged Marco to continue forward. He followed the wafting smell of buns right through the door.
*Ding*
The door sounded the bell. One pair of eyes greeted us. On the counter was a middle-aged man- probably the husband of the woman inside. He wore a white chef's uniform without the hat. His well-trimmed, black hair had a few streaks of white slashing across at the sides. His eyes were a deep maroon. I stared a few seconds longer than I should have, which made the man curve his mouth into a smile. I averted my gaze and continued to examine him secretly. The white uniform camouflaged all of the flour that was on his clothes. The powdery substance flowed throughout the store. It settled down on the furniture and register, making the entire place feel like it was covered in a light layer of snow.
The man said, "Hello and welcome to Alfonso's Bakery!"
I walked closer to him. He gave off a scent of savory bread and sweet cupcakes. It was heavenly. Before I even noticed, I was drooling. My face went red. I wiped my saliva, and apologized to him, "I'm very sorry!" I glanced back at Marco; he was doing the same thing. "Marco! Apologize, now!" I whispered at him.
The man seemed to have overheard, so he laughed it off. "No, no! It's fine. To me and my wife, it brings pleasure when people can't resist our bread and sweets! Baker's pride!"
I brought Marco closer to me and smiled. "I understand but still...Anyway, are you the person that hired Eric?"
"Ah, yes! You were the one that Eric told me about a short while ago. If you're Vincent, then this young man," he pointed to Marco, "must be Marco."
Marco gave him a wide grin. I could tell that he liked the man already. Marco asked a question, "Is your name Alfonso?"
The man laughed. "No, no. Alfonso was my great-grandfather's name. This bakery has been in our family for four generations. All the recipes and styles have been kept exactly the same. All-natural, all handmade. We renamed it after the person who started it all as a sign of appreciation."
Marco was impressed. "Four generations?!" It was understandable that he was surprised. Most of the orphans don't even know their immediate family, much less four generations of history.
I spoke up, "I would like to personally thank you for the extra bread that you were able to give us yesterday."
A female voice came around the corner from the kitchen, "Nonsense! We're just glad to help!" The same woman we saw through the window playfully slapped her husband on the back of his head. "Hector, were you going to introduce me to our guests, or what?"
Hector had his hands up. "Aiya, Alicia! I was going to! You need to be more patient!"
Alicia crossed her arms around her chest. "You should have been quicker!"
Hector sighed and looked back at us. "Well I'm sure my wife has overheard our entire conversation, so no need for formal introductions." He then continued, "Would you like to taste some of the bread that came out of the oven just now?"
I glanced at Marco, and I could see his eager eyes staring back at me. I nodded my head at Hector. Alicia smiled and went back to get a steaming hot tray filled with loaves of bread. She gently lifted one of the loaves out and placed it on the counter. She brought out a serrated knife and cut thick slices. Then, Hector slathered butter on all the slices. Just then, Eric came in through the backdoor.
"Hi, Eric!" Marco waved.
Eric looked surprised that we were still in the store. He waved back at Marco and smiled at me. I smiled back. Alicia said, "Ah! The more the merrier!" She cut another thick slice and handed it over to Hector. Hector slathered the piece of bread with butter, again. He handed this slice over to Eric and presented a tray with the same towards us.
Marco hurriedly reached over and grabbed his slice. He immediately stuffed half of it into his mouth. I pinched his cheek, and said, "Where are your manners? Say 'thank you, Marco."
Marco, still with the bread in his mouth, shyly said, "Thank you."
Alicia replied in a sweet voice, "No need for thanks! I'm glad you've enjoyed it." Hector let out a laugh.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a couple of credits. I asked them, "how much would that cost us?" I included Eric as well because it wasn't part of his benefits of working at the bakery.
Hector and Alicia's faces showed slight surprise when I asked them. They both said in unison, "Consider this a gift, there is no need to pay. You do not owe us anything for that matter."
I looked at Eric. He was nodding his head at me telling me to let it go. But, my mind would not rest on this matter. I pulled out a single credit bill, and said, "Then, should at least cover my third of the bill." I pushed the bill forward on the counter. The bill gathered flour as it skidded across.
Hector made an effort to push the bill back, but Marco and I were already out the door. Marco yelled back, "Thank you for your kindness!"
Eric was confronting them. He was explaining how I couldn't pay back something that I thought was a debt. I didn't hear the last part of it because the door shut really fast.
I dragged Marco all the way to the park that was in the central of the square. I sat down on a bench and watched him play on the faded playground. I looked around at my new surroundings and something caught my eye. A billboard was being hauled on top of a broken-down building right in the middle of the traffic.
It said, "Grey Corp's Ceandor Island Presents: The Fourteenth Edition of the Evolution Games!"