Elena's phone screen froze, the map app displaying her to be quite far from her destination, yet she knew she had arrived. Before her stood a run-down shophouse, its faded green and white paint peeling from the concrete walls. The building, a patchwork of weathered hues adorned with splotches of moss, caught the golden rays of the sunset, casting a long shadow across the pavement.
The ground floor unit, empty and abandoned, had glass windows coated with a thick layer of dust and grime, obscuring the interior. A faded "For Rent" sign hung crookedly on the door, its edges curled and yellowed with age. A set of stairs led to the upper floor, their concrete steps worn smooth by countless footsteps, and the metal railing now a dull, rusty brown. A single, flickering light bulb illuminated the stairwell.
A small, handwritten sign taped to the wall beside the staircase caught Elena's eye. Written in neat, precise letters, it read, "Tenang Cleaning Services - We Clean Even the Unseen!" A small arrow pointed up the stairs, confirming that she had indeed reached her destination.
"This is not what I was expecting."
She knew Tenang was a small Unseen Matters agency that covertly disguised as a cleaning services company. However, to see the stark contrast between this scenery and the shiny, sleek, and modern setting of Bayangan's headquarters gave Elena some whiplash in her expectations.
"Everyone has to start somewhere, right?"
Elena took a deep breath, feeling the dull scent of moss in her lungs. She glanced down at her carefully chosen outfit - a black jacket over a linen white shirt, tucked into her dark blue jeans and black and white sneakers. She was told to be casual and comfortable but Elena wanted to make a good impression on her first day so slightly overdressing would be alright. Gripping her phone tightly, a smile spread across her face. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for - her big break into the city. No more dead-end jobs without career progression.
Elena made her way up the stairs to the second floor, where she was greeted by a sleek tinted glass door - an out-of-place element among the dusty concrete and dried moss. A sign reading "Tenang Cleaning Services" hung on the door, with a string of smaller letters underneath instructing visitors to ring the doorbell. She saw a small button at the side of the door with a bell icon and pressed it.
No ring was heard. Elena waited.
Moments later, the glass door swung open, revealing a grinning man.
"Oh, you're here!" he almost bellowed out those words, catching Elena off guard with the volume and eagerness in his tone.
"Welcome to Tenang!" The man stepped forward and extended his hand for a handshake. Elena returned the handshake, noticing the softness of his hands. "Name's Joe. You must be Elena. Come in, come in."
As Joe ushered her inside, Elena took in his fashionable and well-kept appearance. A light blue shirt with a batik-like pattern, unbuttoned to reveal a cream undershirt, paired with tight-fitting, ankle-length white pants and dark brown leather loafers. His wide grin was plastered on a face with an enviable complexion, and his hair was styled in a slight pompadour.
Stepping into the office, a blast of cool air washed over Elena, easing the sticky heat that clung to her skin. She inhaled deeply, the musty scent of moss giving way to the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the unexpected tang of lavender.
The office of Tenang Cleaning Services was small, confined by the area of a modest shophouse. To her left, two rows of desks stood perpendicular to the window, forming an open office area. Computer monitors, papers, folders, and various trinkets adorned each desk, forming an organized chaos. A walled-off workspace tucked in the corner piqued Elena's curiosity. To her right, a partition separated a small office, a nameplate bearing 'Ramachandra' affixed to the door.
"I have heard all about you and your…" Joe paused as if to create a dramatic effect. "...exploits in Bangsar. Impressive for such a young girl. By the way," He swiftly turned to Elena and closed in. "I love your skin! So fair and so smooth. I envy you a little. Such is youth."
"Ahh…thanks?" Frankly, Elena was having trouble keeping pace with Joe's energy but could not help to awkwardly smile. She did take extra time on her appearance before coming here and being noticed on her effort flattered her.
"Don't overwhelm her already." A deep voice called out and a tall burly figure emerged behind Joe.
"I'm happy to see you here, Elena." Ram extended a handshake to her which Elena quickly reciprocated. His hands engulfed hers in a firm grip.
"Thank you so much for this opportunity. I can't thank you enough and I really appreciate all of this, Mr. Ram."
Ram's eyes crinkled at the corners, a smile tugging at his lips. "Please don't be so formal. We are not Bayangan. And drop the Mr." Ram motioned towards a small office. "Let's talk more in my office to run through details, then we will do proper introductions."
"Alright," Elena replied before giving a small nod at Joe.
"Be easy on her, Ram!" Joe called out as Elena and Ram entered the small office room. Joe turned to a hunched-over figure at the desk closest to the window. "You seemed overly quiet. Aren't you excited?"
The wavy-haired man turned towards Joe with an annoyed expression. "No," Arif replied bluntly.
"But you should! You're getting a mentee and she is cute to boot."
Arif let out a small sigh. "Sounds more troublesome than worth being excited about."
Joe plopped onto the chair next to Arif. "You're such a downer. Show some energy, this is something new for you."
"I don't want new experiences. I just want to be--"
"A mentor, right?" Joe interjected, a mischievous glint in his eye.
The corners of Arif's mouth twitched into a reluctant smile. "You're a pain, you know that? If you're so thrilled, why don't you mentor her?"
"Nah," Joe waved his hand dismissively, leaning back and lacing his fingers behind his head. "I've got that tedious surveillance mission, courtesy of a certain someone's lazy ass." He cast a pointed look in Arif's direction, eliciting a wince from his colleague.
"Besides," Joe continued. "I'm more for a cool funny uncle who brings snacks and gifts and sneaks them out past their bedtimes. You can be the dad. Fits you better."
Arif narrowed his eyes, but Joe's grin only widened in response. After a moment, Joe's expression sobered. "Seriously though, what's your deal? Why are you so against this?"
"Everything's troublesome to you," Joe muttered, shaking his head. "Would it kill you to look forward to something for once? Show a little excitement?"
Silence settled between them, the hum of the computer filling the void. Finally, Joe spoke again, his tone sincere. "The kid's got potential, Arif. You've seen her file, what she did without any training."
"True" Arif replied bluntly. That was his first impression of Elena as well.
"Imagine what she could do with guidance from the 'Great Arif,'" Joe teased, drawing out the last two words.
A snicker escaped Arif's lips. "She'll end up a cynic like me."
"Don't let her down, okay?" Joe's voice held a note of earnestness.
Arif sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine, since you and Ram are both on my ass. I will try." He emphasized the word 'try'.
Before Joe could push his case, the creak of a door drew their attention, followed by Ram's deep voice. "Let me introduce you to the rest of the agency."
Joe stood, stretching his arms above his head. "That's our cue." He glanced at Arif, who pushed himself up from his chair, a flicker of resignation in his eyes.
The rookie and the founder stepped forward towards the two men. Ram extended a hand towards Joe.
"Elena, you already met Joe. He is the most senior around here…and also the loudest." Elena gave a courteous nod.
"Yes, nice to meet you again. And hey, I'm not that loud!" Joe's voice was a booming echo in the small office. He flashed Elena a grin. "Welcome to the humble team!"
Ram motioned towards Arif. "And this person here is Arif."
"Hi."
Elena's eyebrows rose slightly as she took in the contrast between Joe's welcome and Arif's reserved nod. She returned Arif's greeting with a polite smile, but couldn't help wondering at the stark difference in their demeanors. "Nice to meet you too."
"Oh," Ram clasped his hands together before looking at Elena. "Arif will be your mentor through your time here in Tenang."
"Ah," Elena brighten up. "Then, I'm looking forward to it, Arif." Arif gave a weak smile in acknowledgment.
"I know you have a lot of questions so just disturb Arif and make good use of him." Ram's tone is almost playful, much to the dismay of Arif.
"Oh, we also have another person in Tenang named Hani." Ram continued." But she's on attachment at Bayangan at the moment."
Joe interjected. "Attachment is a fancy word. More like forced against her will to support boring admin work."
Ram chuckled. "Well, she'll be back in a few weeks." He looked away and muttered in a low voice. "I hope she doesn't kill me then…"
Before Elena could ask further, Ram continued. "That wraps up the introduction. I'll leave you to Arif." Ram looked at Arif. "Make sure she's all settled, alright?"
Arif did not respond and looked away. Ram shook his head slightly.
"Alright?"
"Yeah okay" Arif replied bluntly.
"Great. Well, I will be off now. You Mambangs will handle the fort at night. The business admin folks like myself need sleep." Ram started to walk away towards the office's exit. "And welcome on board again, Elena."
"Thanks Mr. Ram!"
"Elena, no Mr." Ram replied from the exit.
"Right. Thanks Ram." Elena gave a small wave, feeling a little at ease.
"See ya, boss." Joe's voice followed.
With a final wave, Ram disappeared through the door. Joe turned to Elena, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a job to prepare for." He shot Arif a pointed look. "Courtesy of our resident slacker here."
Arif rolled his eyes, but Joe just chuckled, giving Elena a wink as he walked back to his desk, leaving Arif and Elena standing. A certain awkwardness hung in the air. Elena shifted her weight from foot to foot, racking her brain for something to say.
Elena always found the first-day jitters the worst, a potent mix of excitement and dread that made her tongue feel like lead in her mouth. She swallowed hard, trying to summon the confidence that had propelled her this far. She looked at Arif, trying to break the silence.
"So…anything you want me to do now?"
Arif's eyes were void of any interest but he gave a short reply, "Come, let's get you settled," Arif said, his voice flat and his gaze already drifting back to his computer screen. Elena's smile faltered a bit at his lackluster response. But she quickly pushed it aside, determined to make a good impression.
Arif walked towards his desk by the window. There were folders, papers, and stationary all over the desk but it had a sense of order and organization to them, as if they were part of a system. There was a vacant area beside his desk with a computer monitor set up.
"You can sit here. This would be where you can do your desk work." Arif pointed to the row of desks opposite theirs. "Joe and Hani sit over there. That walled-off part is Hani's and I highly advise not to mess with that."
"R-Right." Elena nodded and made a mental note that Hani sounded scary.
"As for what you can do for your first day…" Arif paused before pulling up a thick book from the drawer underneath his desk. He placed unceremoniously at Elena's desk with a resounding thud.
"Read this. Has all you need to know about…stuff." Arif gave an unsatisfying explanation. Elena reached out of the book and saw the title written in bold typeface, "Mambang Manual, Bayangan-issued Version 5.1"
"Oh, there's a manual for Mambang." Elena's tone was of surprise.
"Yeah, there are new Mambangs almost every day. So, naturally, the Bayangan has a manual." Arif said matter-of-factly.
"Right…that makes sense." Elena flipped through the manual, her eyes widening as she took in the sheer volume of information. "It's kinda long," she murmured, more to herself than to Arif. But he heard her anyway, a rare hint of amusement flickering across his face.
"Your first task is to read it," he said, his tone making it clear that he expected nothing less.
Elena turned at Arif quickly. "A-all of it?"
"Yeah," Arif focused his attention on his computer. "It's a rite of passage so study up."
Elena's fingers tightened around the manual as she watched Arif turn back to his computer, his attention clearly elsewhere. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach, and she couldn't shake the nagging sense that her new mentor wasn't exactly thrilled about her presence. She swallowed hard, a mix of determination and nervousness swirling in her gut.
Elena took a deep breath.
"Well, first day and there is already a challenge for us. We can do it!"
Elena settled into her desk and began reading the manual.