South London Forever // George Karim

-rebellion and puppies-

"You'll be in a small team, we prefer to keep co-workers tight knit, builds trust that the youth need in these times. Although you won't be in any real danger, you're only working the dayshift for now."

They were walking down a hall that was lit up with fluorescent lights, Freddie could feel it prickling against her skin. Penelope was still showing her around, even though assistants were bustling through every door with clicking pens and mugs of coffee. "Don't people try to steal things all the time? Like the man with the book."

"We don't usually get robbed of things on the higher levels, of course there's always a few relics or silver rapiers, but anything above level five is fine from the public. You'll get a key card with the rest of your kit so you can access the breakroom, which is right down this hallway."

Freddie followed the click of her heels until a door opened and she was met with the smell of coffee and warm banana bread. Chattering voices died down almost instantly, and someone turned off the Cavetown song playing through a radio [she was very good at figuring out where music was playing from her time dancing, her ears were tiny genius's].

The...three people, Freddie deduced from the cup that was put down, the footsteps, and someone sneezing, in the room probably didn't get many visits from the Penelope Fittes. It was clear when the boss spoke that she probably had to figure out who these employees were before bringing Freddie down here to the musty breakroom. "Everyone, this is your new colleuge, Freddie."

They knew who she was. Not that she was sixteen, not that she liked dancing to Florence + The Machine, that her favourite biscuits were gingernut, or that she could memorise anything in an instant. They knew the ghostlocked girl, not Freddie.

She turned to where the person had finally stopped sneezing, and waved with one hand, the other deep in her pocket, fingering the pattern on her sleeve nervously. "Hi."

"Freddie, this is Tabitha, Smith, and-"

"Hi, I'm Arthur!"

Freddie nodded, trying to smile, but she couldn't assess the situation very well, she could see the rapiers and traces of death glows, but she didn't know these peoples tells. She didn't know them at all, and it was freaking her out.

"Now, I'll take you down to reception and find someone to take you on the rest of the tour and you can pick up your kit." Penelope said, and they went back out into the chemical scented hall and out of the comfort of good music and caffeine.

"I could show-"

Freddie didn't turn around, pretending not to hear as Arthur spoke. Penelope was already back near where she was pretty sure the elevator was, so she hurried down to the woman. "Um, when do I start, by the way?"

"As soon as the next lot pass the test, we can find one for you. Fittes will cover the costs, of course, but there's only one of them left and it failed, so you'll have to wait a few weeks."

"Wait for what?"

"Your seeing eye dog, of course." Penelope said, and they stepped into the elevator.

She pressed a button. "We get them for everyone who needs them, Fittes is such a big place its confusing even for people who can read the directions. There all trained for this building and the streets around it, you don't live too far away, do you?"

"No," Freddie said, "only a few blocks."

She was getting a dog? That wasn't what she was expecting, but she wasn't about to go complaining. She'd never had a pet; would she kill it accidentally? What if Lockwood didn't like it? Did they take it back when she went home or left Fittes? She frowned, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Why did the last one fail? What'll happen to it?"