212A

Today, when I should have been studying, I went through my folders of work from High school. I cant help but laugh at the some of the stuff I wrote about, or even the way I used to write.
One thing I found really strange was this short story I wrote in the 11th grade. It was one of those "Here is a sentence, now finish the story" things. So this is the end product of what I suspect was a last minute job. I also think I might have stolen the plot from a movie, book or anime. LOL. Enjoy!

I had been looking for a job for a month when my friend told me about a place that was hiring at $18 an hour. I got off the subway downtown, found 13 Grand St. and headed for room 212A. The lights flickered and I could hear the sound of dripping water. I cautiously knocked on the door and waited for someone to open. A few seconds passed, but the door in front of me remained shut, the shiny golden numbers starting at me. I knocked again, louder this time, but there was no answer. I was growing impatient, and called out “Is anyone there? I’m here for a job interview. ” I stood outside for a few more seconds before finally turning the door knob myself and entering. The door was not locked, so I went on in. To my surprise, the room looked fairly normal; a reception desk sat at one end of the room, with chairs lined up against the wall in what appeared to be a waiting area. The room was completely empty and eerily silent.

I walked around the office looking for any signs of people that would help me, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Beside the waiting area was a small corridor, where there were two doorways. One was a supply closet, and the other door had a shiny silver plate with the words “Ray Staten: Director” engraved. Maybe this is where I am supposed to be, I thought, and knocked on the door, slightly afraid of whom, or what might be on the other side.

“Please, come in. I have been waiting,” said a very deep voice, muffled by the door. I was surprised to receive an answer, and took hold of the doorknob, my hand shaking slightly as I turned, opening the door to reveal a small, dark office. I stepped inside, and allowed my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Once I could see clearly, I was able to make out a small chair sitting in front of nice large desk. A Black leather chair was behind the desk, its back facing me.

“Um…Hello, my name is Darcy Tyler, and I am here about a job interview”, a said to the chair, my voice trembling, beads of sweat forming on my forehead. Maybe it was a mistake coming to such a mysterious place for a job. I watched with fear as the chair spun around. I braced myself for the face that would be staring back at me. Maybe it would be a giant brute who wanted to kill me for whatever reason. Maybe it would be a camera man, telling me I just got “punked” on whatever new reality show he worked for.

Finally, I saw the person who had called me out to such a desolate place. He looked rather small sitting such a large chair. He was a plump looking man, balding, and he was clearly not a tall fellow. He looked me right in the eyes for a moment before speaking again. His stare wasn’t as scary as I had anticipated, but rather, he seems relived to see me.

“Oh, Miss Tyler, you don’t need to tell me who you are. I’m glad that my associate was able to send you my message, and even more glad that you actually came,” he paused and pointed at the seat in front of him, motioning for me to sit down. I did, and he continued. “We here at Avara & CO. have been expecting you for quite some time”.

“So…I already have the job? What am I going to be doing? What exactly is Avara? Why have you been ‘expecting’ me? And who are you?” I asked all the questions that were piling up in my head. The man chuckled. He contemplated for a minute about how to answer my questions.

“Well, forgive me for not formally introducing myself. I am Ray Staten, director of this branch of Avara. Yes, you already have the job, and mind you, it will be paying much more than the 18 dollars my associate told you.” With that last part, my eyes went wide.

“So, wait, back to my other questions…” I trailed off, trying to figure out for myself what this Avara place was. Maybe I was going to be a secretary or receptionist. The office was lacking in one. Or perhaps Mr. Staten’s personal assistant, or maybe –

“You’re job here at Avara will be undercover agent,” Mr Staten said quickly, interrupting my thoughts. Again my eyes went wide, but for reasons other than before.

“Un-un-undercover agent?” I stuttered in utter confusion.

“I know you must be shocked, and you may even think that this is a joke of some sort, but if you please allow me to explain all the details to you, I’m sure you will understand everything.” He said to me, and I nodded, awaiting the crazy explanation he was sure to give me. “Well everyone is aware of the shady dealings that occur every day in this city. We would all like to think that the police are doing everything that they can do make sure things like the ‘underground’ world don’t take over, but we all know the sad truth,” he paused for a minute to look over at me. I nodded; so far, things were making sense.

“Well that is where Avara & CO. come into the picture. Think of us as the assistants for the police. We do the jobs they can’t, and we bust the bad guys for them. We find the guys who are in charge of smuggling drugs, counterfeiting money, selling illegal weapons, while we leave murder and robberies to the local law enforcement. Then we take them to the police and let them do their thing from there,” he concluded.

I sat there in my chair, absorbing the information, still unsure of a few details. “So, no one knows Avara does the underground stuff? Everyone just thinks it’s the cops doing it?” I asked. From what I saw on TV, it was supposed to be the brave and brilliant police officers taking down the mafia.

Mr Staten nodded again, before further explaining. “That is exactly how it is. The reason being that the cops just don’t have the skill or the brains to crack these cases. We let them catch the more stupid crooks, while we take down the criminal master minds. This is how it always has been. And no one is the wiser.

“We know you, Miss Tyler, are a skilled makeup artist, which will make going undercover in disguise a breeze, and we know you are smart enough to know how these perps are thinking. Which is why Avara would be fortunate to have your services.”

“But how do you know that about me?” I asked, a little intimidated by this all-knowing organization.

“We have our agents to find out all the information we need, Miss Tyler” Staten calmly stated. This “Avara” was quite impressive. I sat quietly in my seat, replaying everything Ray Staten had told me. One thing was sure, this organization knew their facts. I was, in fact, a smart person. I was always at the top of my class, and I was always playing detective games. To work for Avara and solve mysteries and crimes would be something that I would excel in, but I wasn’t sure if it was a safe thing to do.

“Isn’t this line of work…kind of dangerous?”

“Yes” he told me, point blank. “However,” he went on, “You will be given state of the art equipment to help you, a partner, and all of the effort of our staff to keep as safe as we possibly can. And of course, you will be rewarded greatly for your work.”

I grew excited as a sat. The job did sound like it was exciting, adrenaline pumping, and new. Not a boring office job, like I was initially expecting. “What would happen if I declined the job?” I still wanted as much information as I could get on the enigmatic Avara.

Staten looked slightly taken aback, but gave a sly smile. “We would be greatly disappointed of course, but being a secret organization, we would have to erase all memory you have of today.” Now it was my turn to be taken aback. So this was the type of technology I would be dealing with.

After much contemplation, I nodded, and accepted the job. Working as a part of some amazing undisclosed Avara would be an experience. Ray Staten clapped his hands in joy, and smiled greatly. “Wonderful! I knew you would accept the offer, Miss Tyler! Well, that should be all for today. I am going to have to ask you to drop by again tomorrow so we can give you all the major details on your employment here, introduce you to the staff here, and all the other formalities.” He stood from his chair, and to my surprise, he was even shorter than I thought, the top of his head just barely making it to my shoulders. He smiled at me, and showed me out of the office, opening the door for me.

I stepped out of the office, and into the bright hallway. We said our goodbyes at the door, and I made my way to the reception area form where I had entered. Just as I was about to leave, Mr. Staten called back for me. I turned around to see him leaning against the doorway of his office as he said “I forgot to tell you…Welcome to Avara!” I smiled, nodded, and left through the giant door marked 212A.