"Why did you come here? Do you need something? Are there any problems with your room?"
"No absolutely not sir, everything is just fine." Silence evolves them while Flower racks her brain for something to say.
"What's your name?" The man asks first.
"Flower and your?
"My name is Arthur."
"What do you work as?" Flower can feel that this is the most basic uninteresting conversation but they don't have anything else to talk about. Besides, she still doesn't know why she came here in the first place.
"I am a coding engineer."
"Wow. You must get a lot of money. That is a fancy job." Arthur laughs nervously and looks around.
"Well actually it's not really fancy. Just because I do coding, doesn't mean I code secrets for the top companies. But if you are good enough, they'll hire you. For now, I work for McDonalds designing a lot of the software that people like you use in the drive throughs."
"Oh...That's cool... I guess. But it is still a hard job. Coding looks like a bunch of nonsense to me." The man smiles before telling Flower that he has to go all the way to the edge of the Madaya for work since the headquarters is there. The girl finds it cool and wonders if she'll ever get to go there and have fun. Wish granted. Her phone dings, which is abnormal since no one texts her. Flower hurriedly takes out her phone happily for an excuse to get away from their horrible choice of dialect. The girl looks down at her phone while walking to the front door to leave. Another unknown number is added to the list. How did all these people get my number? Nevertheless, the girl is happy that the girls seem to be taking an interest in her. The texts are short and bossy, letting Flower know who she's talking to.
'Sally'
'Couldn't go on the trip, it got canceled.'
'Bored, remember the time I told you we'll take you to the Madaya.'
'The time's now. I don't want to go anywhere near the poor place where you live'
'It can rub off on me. Meet me by the mall and look good. I don't want to be embarrassed by you.'
Interesting writing style, but it suits her. Noises behind her pull her out of her thoughts and Flower realizes that she's still standing at Arthur's door. She'd paused without realizing to read the messages and now she has to choose an opinion. Again. Stay or go see what is going on. She's been given this opinion several times since she's come here, but she always chose the wrong one. Maybe it's not not the wrong one. It is. It always is and Flower should have learned that the very first time she snuck off or the second time by far. Flower turns around to go back into the old man's house when again she finds herself in a dream-like state. Her memories.
"If you want to survive this place you have to follow several rules. The most important one to notice and abide by is to mind your own business. You find something that doesn't belong-leave it there. You see someone doing something suspicious-turn around and leave. A lot of people go missing after they try being the hero and saving someone or doing something. People talk and some think that the FF is behind this phenomenon and they will kill anyone that gets in their way., even by accident. Second, if anyone in a higher ranking tells you to do something-do it. Even if it's dangerous, because if they are strong enough they will accuse you of doing so much more. Keep your head down and obey. Third…." Flower can sense that she was confused and felt like Macy was talking about herself and what happened to her, but this made no sense? The background was blurry and she could barely make out Macy's face. When did that happen? It starts to get on her nerves how she doesn't know anything and she remembers Aaron talking about it. Does the FF know she is suffocating like this? Did they mean for this to happen? Slowly the world around Flower comes back in dots. The man is still in the back of the house, talking. She could just listen to the warning she just received but if she listens to everyone's rules and warnings, would she be Flower? No, not at all. And with that for the third time in eight days Flower sneaks back to Arthur to see what he is doing. Maybe she's just curious and bored and wants to know more about The Sheero. Arthur is standing by his room at the back and Flower hides behind the door.
"I can tell she is curious." Yes sir. "What am I going to say to her?....No, you guys can't keep delaying this meeting. It needs to happen. The puzzle piece needs to go in and I won't discuss this topic again. You know how I feel about this..... Of course he thinks that. Out of all the people there are in this world that can hate her, it's him."
Now at first glance people can tell who Arthur is talking about. It's Flower. It has to be. But for the young girl, she can't believe that anything is about her. That is self centered and unrealistic. Everyone always complains about peoples' behavior when they are in situations like these. "How could you not see the answer right in front of you?" they ask. "How could you believe it? How could you act upon a doubt in your mind when all the evidence is stacked against it?" It doesn't make sense to them. They get so frustrated and always think that if they are in the other person's place, it wouldn't just fly over their heads. But what actually happens when they are in this oh so awful position. Most don't get to know, and most shouldn't know, but some do find out.
Flower shuts the door behind her and casually walks away in the direction of the mall. This is not the first time she's heard people talking about her. There is no particular evidence that makes her believe undoubtedly that they are talking about her, but she just feels it. The only conversation the girl is sure was about her was the one between Kate and Ky after the mob. Thinking back to their conversation, Kate had told Ky that he'd failed in protecting Flower but everytime she is near the FF she is anything but protected. Connecting the dots as much as she can in her head with the information she has, Flower tries to see the whole picture. But there's just one problem with the story. It all revolves on the Royal Five needing her. Or more accurately needing something from her that for some reason she is the only one that is able to give them. Why does Macy think the FF is dangerous but stays near them? Why is she warning Flower out of all people? Is Flower is danger somehow? I hate games. I hate riddles and I don't want to be in one. I don't have the IQ to solve it or get out of it. This is terrible. How did I end up like this? Flower thinks back to the first interaction or clue that could have signaled she was in a game of some sort. Naturally, her brain gives up on her and provides no clues to help her. After the mob most of her memories are hazy. In fact ever since the day she moved here everything seems to be like a dream somehow. A dream you're sure is real until you wake up. Alas she feels her knees bending and straining after each step and she wishes in her mind that she wasn't. Where can she go now to escape this situation? Flower wishes she could escape this whole place….. Oh wait. She's not a prisoner. The girl quickly puts out her backpack with the rules inside to double check. Yep , not a prisoner. All she has to do is find a exit, which seems simple but this place is 10 light years across, is infected with men she'll regret even coming into their lines of vision and might get her arrested for a rule she won't know she broke.