Henry didn't know how he had fallen asleep as all he could remember was watching the pretty lady walk away and then taking a sip from the coffee she had offered him… Damn! Had he been drugged? He wondered.
He rose up from the perfectly arranged king-sized bed, and struggled to his feet. He was now dressed in a pair of sparkling white pajamas and a pair of white socks.
He was in another room which looked smaller in size and less majestic compared to the previous one he and the pretty lady had been in. But, this room looked more of a teenager's room and as Henry took a look around, he almost fainted with shock as he saw pictures and images of himself all over the room walls. Images that dated back to the very day he had been given birth to, to more recent images… As recent as an image of him pickpocketing an elderly lady's bag the previous day.
As he was staring in awe of what was around him, which looked like a basic summary of his life, the door to the room opened and the lady he had seen earlier walked in with a tray of food.
"Look who's awake?" She said as she dropped the tray on a side stool.
"What is this?" Henry asked.
"What is what?" The lady replied with a question.
"This…" He said pointing at the pictures around and the images in his hands. "How did you even get all of these?"
"Well. Like I had told you earlier, I've known you since the very day you were born. And at that very moment, a space had been prepared for you."
"You mean that this room has been here since the day I'd been born?" Henry asked, confused.
"Yes, Henry."
"Then… I don't get it… Why didn't you bring me here all this while… Why let me suffer for more than fifteen years?"
She walked to him and placed her hands on his shoulder. "I would have brought you here the very minute you were born... But, there's a custom guiding this place. I couldn't just bring you here... I had to wait until you were ready."
He chuckled. "And what makes you think that i'm ready, now? And what does being ready mean? Ready for what, exactly?"
She graced him a smile. "I know you need answers and I promise to answer all your questions, but in due time, like I had said earlier, a test is going to be performed and after that, you'll get all your answers."
Henry sighed loudly. "So, what am I supposed to do now?"
Her smile broadened. "Well, I brought you food, and believe me, the chefs here are nothing you'll find elsewhere."
And honestly, she wasn't lying. The chefs in Hoboran were one in a billion. They were the best at poisoning and charming people through delicious delicacies. But fortunately, they hadn't been ordered to hurt the lad, so the food was free from everything else but spice.
"Thank you." Henry said as he sat down to eat.
"Don't thank me yet." She smiled wickedly as she watched Henry devour the food . 'Thank me after the test, idiot kid.' She said in her mind.
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She walked out of Henry's supposed room, and went straight into the elevator. Thankfully, no one was in it with her as she always felt irritated when the elevator was jam-packed with sweaty and heavy breathing busy people.
That's why she had always requested from the other councillors that the multiple elevators be divided into two categories; one for the admins like herself and the other for everyday workers and individuals walking aimlessly in the administrative building.
The elevator stopped and opened at the councillor's meeting block. She stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the armed guards positioned by a glass barricade.
She showed them her ID before she was allowed into the block. As unnecessary as this was as she had been an admin for multiple years and all the guards knew her, it was the only way she could enter the admin's block.
She strolled into the meeting room and was shocked to see empty seats around. "What's this?" She asked herself. She quickly took her phone out and checked the message she had been sent.
*To Councillor, Chantria Vald, meeting at 10 counts*
She checked the time, she was even five digits after 10 counts. Where are they?
Chantria walked out of the meeting room and walked quickly to the one person she could reason with properly in the whole of Hoboran... Mr. Karl Woods.