Behind his dimpled smile and sugary eyes lies a past of hardships. Zee lives aimlessly, hopping from job to job, unable to keep stable employment. But when he is invited to take a position at the prestigious Haven Hotel, Zee's life changes from a le...
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It was still empty, that USB. Zee hadn't opened it again since three years ago. But the little wave symbol, thinly lined with white ink, was fading. It was almost a habit to carry that USB around with him, like a little charm. In fact, it was a habit. It wasn't until his modeling gig, when he was always on the move, where he stopped carrying it around in his back pocket.
Instead, his habit evolved.
He would keep the USB safely at home. Next to his laptop, at all times. But then when he was home - when he was truly alone and still - he would hold it in his fist.
At first, Zee did this out of anger. He clenched it in his fist, wanting to squeeze and crush it within his grasps. But he couldn't do it. He did this several times, until it suddenly just started to feel nice holding it and rolling it between his fingers and palm. Now, it made him feel safe to have the little piece of plastic in his hand as he rubbed the smooth surface.
He turned his head away from the vessel that once carried his heart, letting it sit beside the now dusty and unused laptop. He quickly rushed to the exit, slid on his sneakers, and slammed the door shut behind him.
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Zee's jaw slacked and his eyes bulged open. He now stood in front of the Haven Hotel. It was an imposing building, tall and massive. Standing at the entrance, Zee bent backwards and reeled his head to observe how high the building reached. But his eyes could not catch where the roof was. Up in the heavens, probably, he thought.
The inside was just as impressive. Honestly, Zee was expecting chandeliers and red carpets and embellished fountains in the lobby. He'd never been inside a fancy hotel like this before.
But no. No chandeliers. No red carpets. And most of all, no fancy fountain. But despite that, it was still impressive.
It's definitely clean and neat, Zee first thought as he collected himself.
The lobby felt almost too perfect. And to Zee, perfection seemed sterile, cold. It was also a bit too quiet and... empty. There were plenty of guests inside, and it was most definitely not silent. But there was something odd about the hotel that made it feel like it was holding a secret in the midst of the public eyes.
Zee glanced at his watch. 7:12. He was not late. If anything, he was quite early for his first day of work. But this wasn't because he had incredible work ethics; the truth was that he made a promise to Max.
"Meet me in the lobby, at seven. Sharp," Max pointed a finger at him yesterday. Zee swatted his finger away, but Max returned the finger where it was, "Seriously."
