Godspeed

6# Have You Read Percy Jackson? I'm About to be Claimed

     I'M BACK TO THE LOST GAME. I tried recalling where the man/boy had led me, but after the first few turns, I stumbled into a completely foreign location. I did find a bathroom in the corner so I gladly stopped there for a moment. 

     About "get help, you stupid girl", it won't work here too. Yes, I'm surrounded by help, yes there are humans around me and no head-detaching kids, but there was also the pink sign on my back.

     How does news travel so fast? I mean, I'm well aware that people are supposed to dislike me before people have the chance to dislike me. How is that even possible?

     'Excuse me? Hello?' I tried to ask a girl, but she hurried off like I was a deranged psychopath screaming bloody murder. I stab wood, not people.

     I went around beelining to the next person closest to me, trying to get one of the people to answer me.

     'Just point me to the direction of the touchstone,' I stopped a man in his tracks, who looked at me disturbed and walked around me. It's not as if Rosier and her goons are everywhere and listening, people!

     I've asked about a hundred people in this hall, surely at least one of them would give in, right? The persuasive language features I learnt in school were not helpful. It got to the point where people started shuffling away from me before I made eye contact with them. I thought I didn't mind getting ignored and hated for the rest of my life, but this was just annoying.

     Faith's first impression of me must've been: late and has a hard name to pronounce. I really don't want that to be her first impression of me. With that thought, I nearly yelped with joy when I saw in the corner of my eye an unmistakable wisp of white hair in the sea of heads. Thank you man/boy for being tall!

     I ran to his front, panting with relief and frenzy. He and his companion stopped. He looked down on the pathetic heap of my crouching body catching breath and nodded to his friend, 'you go ahead.'

      'You again?' he speculated with amusement in his voice, 'and I know what you want. Follow me.'

     'Thank,' was all I was able to wheeze out before following him.

I did my best to keep track of directions this time.

     Of course, I was unsuccessful. They really have to install maps every hundred meters in this building. The man/boy assured, 'Don't worry, I'll give you a tour right after your partnering.'

     'Thanks. What is the mentor partnering thing anyways?' I asked him. He admitted, 'I don't get what's the point of it. But I think it's a waste of time.

     'Basically everyone has to be partnered with a mentor within a week, it's some sort of tradition here. There are deities out there with names like: Pride, Curiosity, Generosity...'

     'Merry?' I suggested.

     He looked at me calculatingly, 'I see you managed to find someone to talk to you, but anyways you get the idea. Apparently, they're supposed to guide and help you throughout the rest of your life, but I can't say anyone has even met their mentors.

     'In the end, this mentor-partnering ritual is really just a labeling ritual. For example, we've got Adio the Greedy. He's always the last one to leave the Main Hall, always the one bickering about food with the fairies.'

     I couldn't help but feel a shock when he said "greed". That dream, how is it still with me? I usually forget about dreams minutes- no, seconds after waking. I tried to shake off the tingling feeling crawling up my skin.