A million. “I don’t think so.” I lifted the bag from the floor, feeling completely lost and alone. All I wanted to do in that moment was run home, far away from the beautiful, unfamiliar place.
“Oh,” Elijah said, interrupting my thoughts, “sorry. One more thing.” His face was solemn, but I detected worry in his eyes, as if he was about to give me bad news. Had I already done something wrong? “I’ll have to ask you to turn your cell phone over to me.”
I paused, letting his words sweep through my mind. I was a millennial. I hadn’t gone more than an hour without my phone since I was eleven. It had to be a joke. I stared at him, not moving for my phone.
He braced himself, though his gaze never wavered. “I know it must seem odd, and I do have a cell phone you’re all able to use for emergencies, but it’s a house rule that everyone turns in their cell phones during their stay.”
“I—I have to check on my mom. This is the only number she has to reach me if something goes wrong.”
“Of course,” he said softly. “You’re welcome to give her my cell phone number for emergencies. I’m happy to give that to you right now if you want to text or call her with it.” He paused. “If it’s a dealbreaker, I understand. I can have George back here to pick you up within the hour. The unfortunate truth is, we do this out of necessity. Our employer values discretion above all else, and we find people who have access to their phones tend to…overshare. It’s incredibly important you don’t disclose anything about what we do here, who you’re with, or even where you are to anyone. I know it’s a lot, but I believe they discussed this in your interview, didn’t they?” He held out his hand and my gaze dropped to it. So, he wasn’t kidding.
“When will I get it back?” I asked, my hand moving to my pocket cautiously.
“As soon as the week is up. You can rest assured it’ll be locked up. No one will have access to it. When the week is up, or your stay ends, if that comes sooner, you’ll get it back.” He smiled at me then. “Service is spotty here, anyway. My phone only works because it’s a satellite phone, and the Wi-Fi is shut off, so it’ll do you no good to have it, but I can understand if you aren’t comfortable. It’s always off-putting at first, and we have had a few who chose to leave because of it, but Mr. X needs to know you’re committed to the cause, no matter what obstacle is put in front of you. Consider this obstacle number one.”
I slid my phone from my pocket, my throat suddenly dry as I wondered what I would do without it. I touched the button on the side, watching the screen light up to show the grainy picture of Mom and me, her face pale from her latest treatment. Oh, I missed her so much already.
I looked at Elijah, waiting patiently for my decision, his hand still outstretched. “What’s the number?” I asked. “I’ll text it to her.”
He rambled it off, pausing so I could get the numbers typed every so often.
Mom, made it safe and sound. Miss you already. We aren’t allowed to have cell phones here, boss’s rule, but they have an emergency phone if you need to reach me.
I considered texting her a location, so someone knew where I was, but didn’t know the address and, he was right, service was spotty. I couldn’t even get my phone to ping my location. I had to trust my gut. I looked at the man still waiting for my phone. Elijah seemed trustworthy enough, and George even more so.
I sucked in a deep breath as I read the number back to him to confirm it was correct, then finished out the message.
Take care of yourself and I’ll see you in a week. Love you.
I pressed send, watching as it took more than a minute to send, then handed over the phone before I could hesitate any longer. My insides were in knots as I wondered if I’d made a mistake, but it seemed my only choice. I needed this job, which meant I had to play by their rules.
Elijah held the phone in his hand as if it were a foreign object, never sliding it in his pocket. “Right, well, this is where I leave you. Dinner is at five sharp. I’ll see you then.” He did a half-bow and stepped away, spinning around and walking toward his office. I picked my luggage back up from the floor and took hold of the door handle, feeling the cool metal connect with my palm. I turned the brass knob and stepped inside. The bedroom was the size of our entire apartment back home.
There was a large window directly in front of me, which bathed the room in natural light. On the right side of the room was a large bed, with white wooden bedposts and a light gray comforter. It looked like something from a hotel. Directly in front of it, on the left side of the room, was a long, wooden television stand, with a TV on it that was at least a fifty inch, potentially more. A remote lay on the edge of the dark nightstand beside my bed, underneath a solid-looking lamp, painted a light green with a cream-colored shade. The floor was solid wood, but with a thick, white shag carpet that took up most of the space. It looked so luscious I was dying to get my toes on it. For the moment, my worries were almost forgotten as I flopped my bag on the comforter and unzipped it. There was a tall, gray wardrobe on the far side of the room, with silver handles in the center. I’d never been one to unpack when I stayed away from home, but seeing as I’d be there for a week and needed to look my best, plus I had several hours to kill before dinner, it seemed like a good option.
I pulled a few outfits out, walking across the room to the wardrobe and opening it up. There were velvet hangers inside, as well as an iron and a blue bottle of wrinkle release spray.
Everything was so clean. Neat. There was a place for everything, a space for whatever I needed.
I hung the clothes carefully, smoothing each outfit out as I let my mind wander to what the week might bring. To be honest, I had no clue what I’d gotten myself into. When my clothes were hung, I moved toward the cracked-open door beside the television, where I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a large mirror. The bathroom.
It was smaller than I’d expected, given the size of the room, but adequate. The vessel sink sat atop the same gray and white marble I recognized from the kitchen. There was a standing shower beside it, with a rain showerhead. There was something so peaceful and serene about the room, enough to somehow make me forget I should be on edge and worried.
I laid out my toiletries, trying to place them as neatly as I could. My generic items, no matter how neatly I arranged them, still made the place look less classy in an instant. I’d trashed the place up immediately.
I looked in the mirror, picking up my hairbrush and running it through my hair. My dark roots were coming in with a vengeance, dark meeting blonde near my ears. The car ride had not been kind to me. My hair was frazzled, my eyeliner running, and my cheeks too pink. I’d need to freshen up before dinner for sure.
Was it formal? Casual? Elijah hadn’t mentioned. Should I go find him and ask? Would that be a bother? I’d just arrived, and I didn’t want to already be the only candidate with questions.
No, I’d figure it out. Somehow.
I walked from the bathroom and closed my empty suitcase, wanting desperately to check my phone. It felt like rehab for the social media-obsessed. Hi, I’m Autumn and I’m an Instagram addict.
I picked up the bag and slid it under the bed, watching a piece of paper drift to the floor with it. I picked it up, reading over the typed text as I remembered Elijah’s warning that there’d be a letter explaining the rules for my stay in my room.