The Daredevil and His Angel

Chapter 2: Arrival

   
    Wattson

    "Merci!" I wave to the driver while getting out of the car. I go around to the trunk and retrieve my bag. Afterward, I walk up to the front doors with my suitcase rolling behind me. This is it, the Apex Complex. Anxiety kicks in, making me sick to my stomach. What if the other legends hate me? What if I completely embarrass myself? What if I'm really not good enough to compete in the games? What if...

    I stop myself and shake away all the negative thoughts infesting my mind. Today is supposed to be the happiest day of my life, so why am I feeling so nervous? Sure, this is a life-changing moment, but my decision to enter this competition will help get my life back on track and hopefully make me happy again.

    I finally gather enough courage to walk through the front doors and into the luxurious lobby. The walls are completely white with pictures of all the legends evenly dispersed around the room. The floors are dark brown hardwood that contrasts the light-colored walls well. There are TVs in the corners showing highlights of the recent game and interviews with different legends. Two doors are located on the left and right of the back wall. I assume they lead to the cafeteria and the apartments. The receptionist's desk sits between them with a woman busily typing away at her computer. She seems really focused on what she's writing. I feel bad to interrupt her work but I really need to check-in and find out where my room is.

    "Excusez moi?" I timidly speak and the receptionist jumps at the sound of my voice.

    "Oh, hello there! I'm sorry, I hope you weren't standing there for long! I was busy writing a hateful email to my boss about the decrease in pay. It's ridiculous! How does he expect me to be friendly to people when I'm barely getting paid! Seriously, I have bills to pay and I just want to go to The Paradise Lounge after work, but I can't do that with no money! I'm sure he's not decreasing his own pay!" She rants and while I stand there awkwardly nodding my head. What exactly am I supposed to say in this kind of situation?

    "Oh my god, I'm rambling again, I'm so sorry! Please don't tell my boss what I said, I'll be fired this time for sure!" she begs, looking at me with sad eyes.

    "C'est bon! Don't worry about it, I understand! I wouldn't be pleased about that either. Also, you don't have to worry, your secret is safe with me," I reply while pretending to zip my mouth shut with a wink and she gives me a sigh of relief in return.

    "Thank you so much! Hopefully I'll be able to repay your kindness someday," the receptionist gave me a kind smile before sitting up straight in her chair and smoothing out her clothes.

    "Let's start over. Hello, my name is Abigail. Welcome to the Apex Complex! How can I help you today?"

    I can't help but laugh at Abigail's attempt to make things right. She seems to be a very silly person.

    "My name is Natal-" I stop mid-sentence after realizing I need to use my other alias.

    "My name is Wattson, I'm the new legend joining the games. I only need to check-in and find out what apartment I'm staying at."

    "Of course, I should've known, sorry for not recognizing you. As you can tell, I'm a bit of a mess today. Let me get your key for you," Abigail says as she opens a drawer located at the bottom right of her desk and pulls out a key with a tag hanging off of it. She reads the tag before looking back at me.

    "Looks like you will be staying in apartment 139," She hands me the key, "Just go through the door on the right and keep going through the hallway until you reach your room number. Your roommate should be expecting you."

    "Wait, I'm going to be staying with another legend?" I ask. Why didn't I know about this before?

    "I'm afraid so, everyone stays with another legend. Is that a problem?"