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Chapter 23: Second floor
“We’re going to eat before you-” Watching his eyes turn to Jessie, I was confused at seeing them widen in disbelief. “You.” He ground out darkly after a pause.
Raising my eyebrows at the venom in his voice, I looked behind me at where he was staring only to be welcomed by the sight of Jessie’s face slowly morphing into horror and realization. Not being able to understand what was going on, I curiously spoke up.
“Jessie? You know Roy?” I asked.
Seeing her tear her lone eye away from him to look at me, with me idly wondering when her hair went back to covering the other, I saw her pale. Opening her mouth just to close it again, she resembled a fish out of water gasping for breath. Soon though, she managed to cease in the movement, only to turn to face the ground, shame pouring off of her in waves.
“You bet she knows me.” Roy said between clenched teeth. “Believe me when I say you don’t want to trust this bitch. She’ll just leave the moment you need her help.” Angrily spinning on his heels, Roy didn’t turn back once he began walking off. “Go eat by your fucking self. Of course a pampered bastard like you would have a selfish bitch like her for a guard.”
After watching him walk off, I turned fully around to face Jessie. She was still staring at the ground as if somehow looking up would set her on fire. Not wanting her to be like this, even more so after last night, this morning, and the conversation we just had, I spoke up.
“Only my third day here and I already have someone calling me names.” I said with some humor. “Guess I’m not too popular with other men, huh?”
Noticing that her mood didn’t improve at all at my attempt of levity, I scratched the back of my head. Just when I was done however, Jessie looked back up. Face full of regret and self loathing, she managed to get her voice to work.
“That was him.” Voice a whisper, she brought a hand up to grip her opposite elbow.
“Him?” Trying to understand what she meant, I immediately asked in a way for her to clarify.
“The boy I left, back on my first day guarding. The one who was immediately taken to the fifth floor with all those women on his first day here.” If possible, her voice went even quieter.
“Ah.” Humming in my head in understanding, I connected the full picture. “So that’s what those subliminals from Roy meant back in the cafeteria. Guess I understand the reason why he left so suddenly. After hearing that my first night at the casino was going to be better than his, he blew a fuse.”
Feeling a little bad for the guy that I spoke to only a handful of times, I decided that there was no reason to be bothered by it. Me and Jessie are going to help the men here in the end, so why worry my mind with things like understandable animosity. Looking around to make sure that no one could see into my room, I walked forward and gave Jessie a tight hug.
“You did the best you could.” I told her gently.
Feeling her arms come up to wrap around me tight, she nuzzled my neck and spoke into it.
“But…I just…left.” Her muffled voice sent pleasant vibrations through where she spoke.
“You were eighteen. You had just dealt with life giving you problem after problem. Don’t blame yourself.” Pulling myself out of our hold, my reassuring smile seemed to give her enough energy to smile back. “You heard Roy. I got to eat before I go to the Game Center tonight. Make sure you eat too, it’s not a good idea for us to look like we’re attached at the hips, especially with the plan ahead.” Turning around to head towards the cafeteria before she could respond, I yelled to her over my shoulder. “Make sure to close my door ma’am!”
Walking down past both hallways, I pushed through the door to enter the lobby. Instantly getting noticed by Lexa, I watched her place a pen down, stand up, and walk over to me with a serious expression.
“I’m sure Roy informed you of where you’ll be going tonight?” She asked once she was standing near me.
Nodding my head, I tried not to show any outward hesitance from the information Jessie had shared with me.
“Yeah.” I replied simply. “He told me to go eat now, and tonight I’ll be headed up to the second floor.”
“Very good.” Looking pleased with something, Lexa gave me a scrutinizing look before continuing. “You did very well last night. You entertained the people the director wanted you to entertain, and you made sure that their moods never wavered. That’s an excellent first night. We…expect things from you to rise to even greater heights shortly.”
Now that I had the confirmation of what this place entailed, I didn’t miss the pause in her sentence, or the connotations behind it. Suppressing a shudder, I once again nodded in her direction before heading over to the Game Center. It was a little past noon now and I suspect that it would be getting dark as soon as I got done eating my fill.
“That’s what I get for spending my morning having some fun.” I thought even though I didn’t really feel bad about it. “And from spending the rest of the time having long talks with Jessie. Doesn’t matter though, I probably didn’t miss anything important.”
Upon walking into the casino, I tried my hardest to ignore the way I noticed more things that I didn’t before. How some of the boys who wore those short shorts and sleeveless tuxedos were getting their crotches discreetly felt by a few women upon bringing them their drinks. The way an old woman who looked to be in her sixties at the youngest was whispering something in the ear of one of the boys who served her only for her to get up and drag him to an elevator. He had a look of defeat in his eyes. How the faces of every guy on the first floor stared as if they had lifeless eyes.
“Holy fuck was I an idiot.” I insulted myself. “Did I really take the words of Jenny and Nurse Joy like some sort of gospel or something? Why didn’t I doubt this place regardless of what she and Nurse Joy said?” Taking a breath, I forgave myself. “No. In the anime and games the only good people are Gym Leaders, The Elite Four, Jenny’s and Nurse Joy’s if you aren’t the protagonist or their friend. Everyone else is either trying to battle you or impede you in some way without reason, and while that is the whole point of the game and anime, I think I unconsciously only put those people as not being able to make any mistakes in my mind when it transfers to real life. Especially since I was almost raped by random trainers in the woods and immediately saved by one of those four.”
Averting my gaze away from what was now so obviously going on, I walked to the back kitchen, got the chef to tell me that my meal would come out soon, and walked to the seating area. Taking a spot at a table by myself, I noticed that unlike last time, there were no women in the room. The only other people were guys, and they were making a point of sending me pitying glances or worried looks. Thinking that they thought that I was still clueless, I just did my best to ignore them. That was proven to be something I couldn’t do however, because soon a guy that I recognized to be one of the ones that was sitting with Roy came up to me.
“H-hey, are you Koal?” Fiddling with his fingers, he kept looking around nervously.
“Yeah? I think we met one other time, right?” I responded kindly.
Nodding, he took a breath before speaking.
“Look, you should watch your back. Roy…he’s a little miffed about what you told us the other day. About how the higher ups want you to wear less revealing clothes and how on your first night you just had to make sure people on the first floor were having fun.” Not looking at me, he began to quickly walk away before I could respond. “J-just watch out. I don’t want a fellow guy to go through anything bad, even if his situation is a little better than my own.”
Left to sit with those ominous words, I let out a sigh.
“Just what I need right now.” I thought with bitter emotions.
After waiting for my meal and eating it, the time to go to work soon came around by the fact that Jessie and Lexa had showed up. Stepping inside the cafeteria, a cold mask on Jessie’s face and a serious business like expression on Lexa’s, they walked up to me. Standing up, not knowing what to expect on the second floor, I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Come with me. You already have a guest assigned to you.” Lexa said in a no nonsense sort of tone which caused Jessie’s mask to break in surprise, right along with the same look to come to mine.
“A guest assigned to me? What does that mean?” Feeling nervous from the look of pure despair that came onto Jessie’s face, I thought it’d be wise to add another question. “What am I going to be doing?”
Motioning for us to start following her, we all took small measured steps out of the cafeteria.
“It means that a person from last night thought you were fun enough to ask for you to be given to her in a smaller room designed for a specific group of guests.” Looking at me with a raised eyebrow, she looked back forward and continued. “Of course it could also mean that someone randomly saw you last night and asked for you, but I can assure you that this is not one of those moments. As for what you’re going to be doing…” Letting out a hum to, I guess best explain herself, I waited. “Much the same as last night, only this time the woman paid to be a bit more touchy. With how you were last night I assume this won’t be a problem, correct?”
Feeling some weight behind those words, I could only glance at Jessie before slowly nodding.
“W-who’s it going to be?” I asked in nervousness.
Of course I realized that she said that it was a person from last night, but with the knowledge I know now of these people doing dark deeds, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a lie.
Ignoring my question, Lexa led me and Jessie through the bottom floor of the casino. Taking a glance around and seeing more people inside then when I entered, and even more people walking in, I made sure not to make any faces at what I was seeing. There were couples here, this was a Game Center after all, there were also just men by themselves and women by themselves, even groups filled with both genders, all having fun playing slots or going to a card table. Once again I couldn’t help but notice the dark nature hidden between the lines now though, and all of those situations that held darker intentions always led to one place.
Upstairs.
I considered turning around and running. To grab Jessie by the hand so that we can make our escape so I wouldn’t find out what would truly happen once I reached the second floor, but I knew better. The words I said to Jesie repeating in my mind. They’ll just come after us.
To my surprise we didn’t take the elevator, instead, Lexa led us to a staircase going to the higher floors. Seeing she noticed my confused expression, she gave me a smirk.
“The elevator is only used for the higher rooms.” She explained with finality.
Knowing that she most likely wouldn't explain why, I just obediently followed her up the stairs, Jessie now behind me, leaving me in the middle.
It wasn’t anything special once we got to the second level of the building. Just a wide hallway with many doors that led to God’s know what, with another staircase at the opposite end that went up. Coming to a stop in front of a door somewhere in the middle, one last thought came to my mind.
“Just what is the second floor?”