hotel 18 !

3

Chengcheng lead us through the hallway of Section Z.

As I thought I would be, my assigned room was at the end of the hallway.

Chengcheng unlocks and opens the door. He hands me the key.

"Here is your room. It works like a hotel room except you are staying here longer than most and you're not paying for anything. You have a full sized bed, a mini fridge, a full bathroom, a closet, entertainment, and a balcony."

I take a look around. It seemed like a good place to stay in for two years.

"Now come on, we can start off our tour by showing you the most important part of this place."

Chengcheng led us to a gym. It was filled with people. A lot.

"Oh, let me introduce you to one of my friends and the supervisor for Section D, Ding Zeren."

"Hello new Lost. We thank you for taking up our offer to give you protection." He says.

I really don't want to be known as a Lost. I nod since I didn't want to seem rude.

"Anyway, to get you started on your first day you have to confirm your stay." Zhengting takes me to a line with the sign: SECTION Z CONFIRMATION

"Hello, new Lost." The girl says to me, of course.

"Hello"

"You're here to confirm and secure your stay at Hotel 18, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Here is a sort of contract where you confirm that you know what you have to do here and that you'll follow all rules and regulations." She places a sheet of paper with the rules and expectations. She places a pen on the table.

I skim read the page before signing at the bottom.

She places an ink pad on the table.

"I'm going to need your fingerprint now." She grabs my right hand and places my thumb on the black ink. She places my fingerprint on the paper and let's go of my hand.

I got handed a wet wipe from Zhengting to wipe off the ink.

"Thank you and welcome to Hotel 18."

How many times have I heard that so far?

"Now that we're done with that we are going to sign you up for Outings and Cards." Chengcheng leads us to another place.

"What are Outings and Cards?" I ask.

"This organization does want to keep you safe but not keep you inside at all times. That's why we have to get you registered to Outings so there is actually spots for you to enjoy the town or somewhere else." Zhengting explains.

"And if you've been doing good, you get higher chances of having an Outing and could possibly have longer times." Jieqiong continues.

"Cards are like credit cards and debit cards. It's based on how good you are in the week. If you did well, you will get transferred a certain amount in your card. If not, your balance stays the same or it takes away. " Chengcheng says as we enter a small waiting room.

"The good thing is that of the money you spend, you don't pay anything back." He says with a smile. "I'll leave it up to your protectors from here. I have to go and welcome the new group of Lost. Bye Xiaocao, Zhengting, and Jieqiong!"

All three waved goodbye to him and returned our focus to the office.

"Hello, Zhu Zhengting and Zhou Jieqiong from Section Z and our assigned Lost, Zhang Xiaocao." Zhengting says to the man behind the desk.

"We'll be right with you, take a seat."

When three people came out of the office, I knew we were next.

"Section Z, Zhang Xiaocao." The guy behind the desk calls and points towards the office.

We stood up and walked in.

"Hello, Zhang Xiaocao! Welcome to Hotel 18! I hope you like it so far. Anyway, I'm Cheng Xiao and I'm in charge of incomes of the Lost from Section T to Z."

There we go with that name again...

"Protectors, I need the information of the Lost and the results from the Inspection Area." She orders.

Jieqiong pulls out a transparent device and taps away.

"Thank you"

She checks out the information on her desk.

"Alright, you look to be in good condition. Your first transaction will be of 80. Your card will be activated and given to you for use tomorrow around noon" Cheng Xiao informs.

I say thank you and we left the office.

"You guys want to go get something for lunch? It's almost time." Zhengting asks.

"I'm good." Jieqiong says. "I had a big breakfast. Plus I have a lot of work to plan out for Xiaocao." She waves before she leaves us to eat in the dining hall.

"At least we have time to talk." Zhengting says with a hint of excitement.