Immediately one Kevin and Tessa stepped inside the elevator, spotlights adorning the ceiling turned on. Momentarily, they seemed like the brightest lights Kevin had ever experienced. He could hear Tessa fumbling with a few buttons while he concealed his eyes with his arms. Once his eyes had adjusted, he realised that the walls were mirrors. He looked down to avoid his glaring imperfections which were emphasised by the distortions of the battered mirrors, only to realise that the floor was also reflective.
"What are you hiding from?", Tessa asked.
"The lights, the mirrors. I don't like them", he confessed, in a daze.
"The lights? Oh, you mean the screen up there?", she pointed upwards, and Kevin looked up. Obviously not what I meant.
Above the door perched a television which initially depicted a bright white screen featuring a spinning logo. The logo sped up faster until a familiar android appeared, who began to speak with a London accent.
"MEPHRA Industries. Building homes and helping the needy. Granting you the opportunity of a fulfilling life and future employment. Here at Arumlily, you will be cared for as we set you on the proper path towards a better future. For you, for us, and for the good of the Market!".
"The Market", Kevin uttered silently to himself, half-hoping Tessa would comment.
She did, "Ignore that part", was all she said, "We're obligated to". Aye, sure.
The video continued, but the trek upstairs ended abruptly despite the slow pace of the elevator. After moments of corporate jargon, the android ceased her message with the company's motto: 'MEPHRA: Cooperation is Salvation' and smiled before the screen and the spotlights switched off.
The doors finally opened and the pair found themselves in a long, wide corridor. Rooms at either side were either closed or open, the latter of which revealed abandoned offices and empty rooms with broken shelves. At the end of the corridor, two more corridors stretched onwards for a while in the opposite directions. As the pair walked, Kevin noticed that many of the shops were boarded up. Some had the signs and plaques of old-fashioned and forgotten businesses. On the left-hand corridor, Kevin could see a chippy, a florist, and at the end of the corridor was a gym with no doors – the inside was scattered with broken equipment, torn wires, and shredded cardboard boxes. Kevin pondered on whether or not he had stepped into a post-apocalyptic movie. As he stared into the gym, a wire sent out sparks, illuminating the room enough for Kevin to identify a life-sized alien statue in the middle of the room every few seconds. Tessa had stopped walking, being further down the corridor on the right, tapping her foot impatiently. He jogged down to catch up to her, his wrists aching with every step.
They walked down the corridor and turned to enter another with glass windows across the left side. Outside, he could see the sprawling forest which Tessa had driven through, and the innumerable quantities of grey vehicles in the flat terrain. There was more of them than he thought. Tessa paused to adjust her shoe and noticed him gawking at the vehicles. "You've nothing to fear from them. I'm sure you're going to be a good boy, I hope?", she urged. What if they decide I'm not? Whatever this village provided him, there was no doubt that the price was complete compliance and obedience to their rules.
As Kevin took a step forwards towards the windows, to prove to himself that he was unafraid, he recognised the corridor as being one of the bridges connecting the several buildings together to compose the superstructure. Tessa walked further down while Kevin gazed out of the window, pondering the history of the place. Kevin reluctantly followed her once she called for him. If that building was supposed to be a shopping centre, what's up next?
When Kevin had caught up to Tessa, they entered into a wider area that was neither corridor nor room. To his left was a combined library and museum, battered and boarded. Outside were racks, cardboard boxes, and crates displayed tattered yellow books. The light from smashed windows above a sloping corridor revealed a laminated note attached to the door, explaining that the facilities would close on the 8th of August 1988. The style of the logos, font, and design of the place indicated that this area had closed around the same time as the shopping centre. As Kevin walked closer, the strong presence of dust triggered a coughing fit. "Pretend you didn't see those books", Tessa whispered. She ignored him when Kevin asked why, leaving him to wonder why they were even traversing this place. Was he about to be murdered or sold into slavery?
Somewhere, in the distance, the sound of what sounded like a disabled man screaming and stomping echoed down the corridor. A muffled woman's voice could be heard speaking to him, but it did little to alleviate his anguish. Tessa seemed unfazed as if she were used to it, "We're taking another lift", she exclaimed as she pointed to the only elevator in the bricked area.
"This place is like a maze, isn't it?", her question was more of a statement.
"How old is it?", asked Kevin once they had both entered the lift.
Tessa pressed 'floor 3' on the button display, to the right of the door which had now closed. "Different parts are older than others. Before MEPHRA moved in and renovated the place, it was owned by some cheapskate merchants. They thought frugality was preferable to renovation. When the village began to depopulate, the few remaining stores closed up and left. Must have been cheap for us. I guess Arumlily is another victim of the Market.
"Where did they move to?", Kevin inquired.
"They?"
"The people who lived in the village"
Tessa avoided that. "This building, it's used now as a sort of gateway into Arumlily. Everyone here is with MEPHRA. There are more people in here than you might assume". The elevator halted, and the doors stuttered their way open. Tessa impatiently used her hands to force it open faster.
They entered into a wide corridor with more yellow walls. Small, oval-shaped windows lined the left-hand side, whereas rooms were lined on the right, with windows to either side of them exposing offices and rooms full of machinery. Walking further down, Kevin saw employees in the same grey suits as Tessa working away on computers and phones. The corridor dragged on for ages, ending when Tessa pushed open a pair of doors, holding them open for Kevin. The pair entered into another staircase, yet this one was much tighter and the floor was carpeted. A couple of workers walked past them on the stairs. On each landing, a list of the floors was on the metal plaques, but Tessa was walking too fast for Kevin to read them. When the workers exited the stairwell, evident by doors slamming behind them, Tessa continued her story, "The Head of MEPHRA drew up plans to renovate these buildings and demolish some parts, but there were lots of complications, so it was scrapped. They added these towers instead. Oh well.", she sighed, stopping on one landing and walking down a brief corridor, "Anyway, we're nearly there, just keep your head down and say little". Kevin nodded. Tessa patted him on his shoulders.
Tessa pushed a buzzer by the door. Before long, a short, fat woman in large glasses greeted them. "Kevin Johnson? 3:30?", she inquired.
"That's the one", Tessa replied with a false smile.
The woman escorted them into a small, grey waiting room. Five plastic chairs stood against the wall nearest the door, a small table was in the corner decorated only with a fake plant perched atop. At the other side of the room, to Kevin's right, was a receptionists desk.
The woman locked the door behind them and walked with Tessa through the only other door in the room. After a few moments of standing uncomfortably around, the other woman emerged alone and told Kevin to sit down, just as she did herself.
Kevin was about to ask how long he would be waiting until he realised the woman was staring intently and expressionlessly at him. Despite the many times in which he looked to the ground, or at his fidgeting fingers, or at the clock which proved that twenty minutes had somehow passed since he had entered, the woman continued to stare unmovingly. Abruptly, she reached behind her desk and opened a few shelves, and began producing small figurines of aliens, placing them atop her desk. Some were larger than others, and some were more colourful. It was hard to look at anything else at that point. Kevin noticed the woman looking at him and holding her gaze as she reached for the next alien. This continued until she had around twenty of the things, all staring at him.
The clock revealed another ten minutes had passed, infuriating Kevin further. His irritation was overshadowed by the unease of this woman's presence. She's stopped staring at me at least, he thought as she began clicking on her computer and typing ridiculously fast upon her keyboard. The phone rang and the woman replied several seconds later. "Hello, MEPHRA Youth and Circumstance Engagement Facilities speaking". The woman paused, as did her half-smile. "If you just bear with me, I can check our database and I'll check her status".
The waiting was inordinate now and his dread was palpable. The phone rang a few more times after the first one and combined with the typing, the clock ticking, the footsteps, and the banging from the hall outside only added to the unique, surreal feeling that Kevin had only ever experienced in doctors' offices and hospital trips. Those events had consumed him with terror and paranoia growing up. His father's forceful behaviour and apathetic attitude had only reaffirmed the fear deeper inside him. Even now, the distress of wanting to run and hide yet being unable to was all-consuming. This place was an exaggeration of those haunting memories.
The door finally opened, and Tessa called him inside. He onerously forced himself to stand up and walk. Dread and relief immediately battled each other inside him. The woman behind the desk began turning the alien figurines to face him as he walked across the room and as Tessa finally removed the handcuffs.
Inside was a room only slightly larger than the waiting room. A round table engulfed the majority of the room, four people were seated next to one another at one side. Tessa joined them, gesturing for Kevin to sit at the opposite side alone. On the walls were grey banners featuring the MEPHRA logo and motto. In between were varied banners of aliens and owls.
The only man closed his binder and slammed it loudly onto the table and cut to the chase, "Kevin Johnson, may I introduce you to my colleagues. From my right to left is Tessa Henderson, of course". He then gestured at a middle-aged woman with dirty blonde hair, "Next to Tessa is Miss Olga Canning, she will be your therapist during your stay here". Olga raised her hand and smiled, ducking her head. She looked like someone's favourite auntie. She still can't be trusted.
"Next to Miss Canning is myself, you can call me David. You won't be seeing a lot of me, I'm only here to introduce you to your Guidance Team and the programme, to get things going for you. To the left of me is Mr Daniels", he gestured to a plain-looking, dark-haired and middle-aged man beside him, "He will be your personal escort around Arumlily. Whenever you have appointments, he will be at your door, and you will be expected to leave your home and enter the vehicle instantaneously". Daniels eyed him down. If this is all a hoax, it's very elaborate.
"And to the left of him is your former Welfare Coach from school". He gestured to the woman. She nodded her head at him, and Kevin gawked at her. He had paid no attention to this woman so far. She was dressed in modest clothing, sharply contrasting the heavy face paint, in the style of a clown, which she was wearing. Everyone seemed to treat this as if it were normal.
"Long time no see", spoke the clown. Kevin said nothing. "I don't think he remembers me", she remarked to David.
David ignored her. Instead, he produced a letter from his binder and slid it over to Kevin. Olga attempted to help move it, but Kevin had reached over to catch it, causing her to 'oops' and smile at him. "You must sign your name underneath our signatures at the bottom there. It just ensures you accept accommodation and our services and agree to comply". Kevin stared blankly at it, unsure what to do. Comply, he thought bitterly, what choice do I have? At that moment, Kevin began recalling documentaries of strict boarding schools, whose feigned purpose was to convert rebellious children into subservient ones. Yet covertly, they used extreme violence and shame tactics. Many children wound up murdered or mutilated before the schools were exposed. There must be some catch to this.
In the waiting room, he could hear the woman loudly shuffling the figurines across the desk. Beyond that, he could hear the loud marching of footsteps. The same clanking footsteps that the grey patrollers had made in one of the halls. Kevin began to theorize. Are they doing this deliberately?
"It's alright, son", David spoke in a much gentler voice, "Just sign the paper". Sweat dripped from Kevin's brow. He skimmed over the boring text, and to get it over and done with, signed the paper, sighing once he put the pen down.
"Excellent, Kevin!", Olga chimed.
David wordlessly reached over the table to collect the paper. Tessa rose and announced that she'd be taking Kevin to the car park, while David began speaking to Daniels about Kevin's address to escort him to his new home. Olga waved goodbye.
Tessa escorted him back down the stairwell, through another corridor, and into a different elevator, remaining silent throughout. She would occasionally glance at him. After the elevator had stopped at the ground floor, it was only a short walk down a large hallway filled with MEPHRA patrollers, armed with guns and tasers all staring at him, pointing, and whispering. Kevin did his best to ignore, helped by the growing apathy which had budded once he signed his name away to the creepy company of which he knew little about. The pair eventually reached glass revolving doors, leading out to the village beyond.
Outside was a fairly large car park with many of the typical grey vehicles of MEPHRA. Amidst them were many armoured vans, presumably operated by the patrollers. Only a few vehicles strayed from the orthodox colours of Arumlily. As they walked through for a few moments, Daniels emerged from a car a short distance away and waved at Tessa. How did he get here before us, Kevin asked himself, perplexed.
"And this is where I leave you", Tessa exclaimed and reached out for Kevin's hand, "You wouldn't believe me when I told you about all the difficult cases I've had to drive about. It's been quite pleasant having you around instead", she smiled at him, but it didn't seem as fake as the smiles before. "I just wanted to say thanks, and to... look after yourself here". Her demeanour shifted, and she glanced over her shoulder to Daniels who had lit up a cigarette and faced another direction, paying the pair no attention. "Listen, I'm really— ", her voice devolved into a whisper, and she took both of his hands into her own, locking them into an intense squeeze, "Just be good, Kevin. Be safe. Promise me". Her stare was just as intense as the grip she held upon his hands as if there was a message being silently conveyed which demanded immediate attention. Her eyebrows frowned, making her look sad or worried.
"I promise", Kevin responded, puzzled.
Tessa's closed her eyes and nodded, letting go of his hands. Kevin wanted to ask, to pry, but he had no questions, only undefined confusion. Tessa straightened her back and walked back through the revolving doors. She didn't look back once, and when she entered through the doors to carry on with her life, Kevin knew he would never see her again. Was she really as bad as I thought, he wondered. Behind him, Daniels called his name and commanded him to enter his car.