The LaCroix Factory

Part 1

Adam Adams woke up to the sound of his blaring alarm. Today was the day. He was finally going to get a job. He was finally going to move out of his apartment with his annoying roommate and start moving towards a successful life. The first step was to start working at the factory where they made a drink he had heard of from his wealthier friends called LaCroix. Of course, he didn't drink LaCroix. He didn't have a real job at the moment. Adam didn't have money for lavish and luxurious beverages like sparkling water. He bought the cheapest things for himself so he could actually afford his share of the rent, which he was pretty sure was a little more than his roommate's.

Adam got ready for his first day on the job in his small bedroom and even smaller, grosser bathroom, which his roommate refused to clean. This was Adam's first training day. He had already gotten himself through the interview at the LaCroix offices, which was at a random office building instead of at the factory. Adam was going to the factory for the first time today.

He heard someone mention how the LaCroix stuff was all-natural, healthy, and handmade by people as opposed to machines, so he could see why they were hiring. He was delighted that they actually hired him of all people. He wasn't very qualified and he struggled to keep a job for over a month. Maybe this was his big opportunity.

Adam got in his old, used, disgusting car he got from a suspicious dealership and turned on his GPS. He put the address for the building into his old, dysfunctional phone and followed the direction. The directions led him to a small worn down building that looked more like a house than a factory. He looked at the building. It was a house. The bricks were painted to look like gray and metallic, but the paint job was shoddy, and some paint was beginning to chip. He looked at the entrance. It was a regular door with a doorbell. Above the door was a cheap sign that read, "Local LaCroix Factory" in big letters. The word "LaCroix" was a picture of the blue logo instead of the large black letters everything else was written in. Under it in a smaller red print were the words, "NO TOURS". An identical sign was on the lawn, which was covered in weeds and grass that had grown to the point that they covered up the red text.

Adam walked across the driveway and to the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited for a response. After a few seconds, an unkempt receptionist that looked around Adam's age opened the door. She looked as if she had just been sleeping.

"Are you the new guy?" She asked bleakly.

"Uh, yes. I'm Adam Adams," He answered.

"Right this way," She said as she let him in.

Inside was a reception desk next to the stairwell, blocking a walkway to the kitchen area and a bathroom. It looked like there was a basement behind the desk as well. The stair railing had a sign taped on which said "STORAGE" in big letters and had an arrow facing upwards.

There was an entrance to the living room area which was gated off with baby fences that people use for pets and small kids. Adam didn't see why anyone would use that for adults. The receptionist led him to the part of the fence which opened up. She tried opening it, but the whole thing looked old and worn down. She eventually just stepped over it, which Adam would have just done in the first place.

They walked through the house full of about twenty people working at different stations. One had people working a machine carbonating the final drink. The other had people putting it in cans. The receptionist led Adam to a different station simply labeled "Flavor" with bold paper cutouts of the letters, which were glued on to the wall. Each one was a different color. Adam was so confused about this place. He was beginning to wonder if he was dreaming.