sparks

2

George

"Sorry, love, your name again?"

"George, Davidson" I smile at the receptonist.

Her fingers fly over the computer faster than I can register as she continues chatting to me.

"Oho! Yes, yes, I spoke to your mother," she states, waggling a bony finger at me, "she seemed like a lovely woman!" I don't know what to say, so I mumble an awkward 'thank you' as I wait for her to tell me where to go.

After peering around a little, I become more and more aware of how big this room actually is, of how big everything seems to be around here.

Not only is half of the room polished beyond belief, but theres a round twisted staircase just behind the nice receptonist lady, and don't even get me started on the golden and bronzed paintings dotted around the room. Nerves would be an understatement to what im feeling right now.

"Alright, George" the lady starts, whipping my head back around to face her, "you're in building 2a, but most people just call it the left wing, room 35."

"Thank you" I smile again, my cheekbones now starting to hurt from all of the poised up smiling i've had to do today.

A couple seconds after I turn to make my way for a door, I realize I actually haven't a fucking clue as to what direction I should be going.

"Im really sorry" I whisper, turning back to the lady "could y-"

"Could I walk you to your room?" she asks with a sympathetic look, like shes looking at a lost puppy.

"Yeah, do you mind?"

"Not at all" she responds, waving a hand in the air as if it were nothing, "even I still get lost, and i've been working here for nearly 30 years."

"30 years?" I ask, picking up my bags to follow her through a big set of black doors.

"Mhm, it doesn't feel that long though, time flies!" she laughs, her short heels echoing loudly around the empty hallways.

"Do you not get sick of the boys around here?" I tease, just trying to make light conversation.

"Oh some of them can definitely be of menace" she tells me, "but I wouldn't trade it for the world, two of my grandchildren graduated from here just last year."

"Grandchildren?" I scoff, "you don't look old enough to have grandchildren."

"Oh, stop it!" she laughs again.

See, when you've been stuck around adults for the entirety of your life, you become pretty good at communicating with them.

After weaving through a couple more doors, she leads me through a small courtyard and up to a completely separate building.

If I thought the entrance building was big, then I wasn't at all prepared for this one.

"Here we are" she claps, bringing me up to what I hope is my final set of doors for a while.

"Just continue down this hall, up the first set of stairs you see, and just keep going straight until you see room 35, you can't miss it."

"Thank you" I smile again, but this time its not a bullshitted sort of smile, I really mean it.

"No worries, and if you ever run into any bother, just ask for Maisie at reception" she nods, patting me gently on the arm before turning away, "you take care now."

"I'll try" I mumble when shes out of earshot, not taking a second glance over my shoulder before edging my way through the entrance.

I'd been hoping i'd be able to stay out of the way of anyone and just slip easily into my room, but by the looks of this hallway ? I already knew it was impossible.