Report 03: Orientation

  Time: 08:30

  Location: Celestine Ward

  Date: June 10th, XXXX

  As Sao left me to my own devices, I found myself scanning the bunch of faces in the vicinity. They were just as clueless as I was about what was to come. I tried seeing if there was anyone I knew but to no avail.

  Then again, I was the only intern from Octans Ward College.

  >>>

  Loran wasn’t originally the megacity it is today. It comprises twenty other cities and suburbs now known as the Wards.

  Each Ward in Loran acts as an independent city and has its own Handler or the equivalent of a Mayor. Because the Wards remain semi-independent, each has its own amenities and distinctive culture, so some folks don’t even leave their respective Ward in their lifetime.

  I’m from the Octans Ward, one of the poorer Wards in Loran GDP-wise and home to the second lowest-ranked university in the city.

  Don’t get me wrong, even though it’s one of those “bottom of the barrel” schools, it’s still ranked pretty well in the nation. Although I understand its reputation relative to the rest of Loran, the fact that I made it to HNN can be considered quite the feat.

  It’s well-known amongst aspiring Cameramen that getting into HNN is a quick way to success in the industry. Of course, that success comes with a 0.001% acceptance rate, with many applicants coming from Lunar Prime University, the number one higher education institution in the nation with the best Digital Media program.

  As such, many of the interns I saw around me knew each other and had already established their respective cliques, even though it was only their first day in the office.

  >>>

  I felt utterly defeated, wandering to a lonely corner of the waiting area next. My only companion was the fake potted plant, basking in the sunlight it didn’t need, or so I thought until I heard a voice.

  “Look at those LPU folks, isolating everyone else who isn’t from there.” A female voice spat.

  I turned away from the plant to find a petite girl around 160 centimeters* with her back pressed against the glass pane.

  *Approximately 5 ft 3 in.

  Unlike other interns, her distinguishing feature was her dark brown hair with silver streaks pulled into a messy bun held together by a giant translucent plastic claw clip. Her attire consisted of a loose gray blazer with sleeves rolled up to her elbows over a plain cotton white tee, black khakis, and spotless white sneakers, which fit her hairstyle and caramel skin tone.

  “Already spitting remarks on the first day, aren’t you?” I laugh with nothing else better to do. “Isn’t that rude, considering they’re standing a few meters before us?”

  The girl rolled her eyes.

  “Psh, it’s an observation. Can’t help making it if it’s as clear as day. To those guys, we’re hicks from the sticks.”

  “How did you come to that assumption?”

  “No one in that group knows you, and you’re in this corner with me. The lone person from Delphinus.”

  “Alright,” I chuckle, folding my arms together. “You win.”

  The girl looks over at me and smiles.

  “Lucia Rosario.”

  “Owen Parkis. I’m from Octans.” I reply.

  “Which group are you in?”

  “Editing. You?”

  “Film.”

  “Oh,” Lucia gasped, “You must be a cameraman then? I swear, all the good-looking ones end up in Film!”

  “Well, we do have to pass a fitness exam to get the job.” I cock a grin. “It’s not a matter of beauty but one of survival. Good looks are just a perk some of us get for it.”

  “Woah, it’s bright here coming from you…” Lucia commented, sarcasm clear in her voice.

  “I take that as a compliment. I’m no runway model, so this praise is rather high.”

  “Okay, Greenhorns!” A loud voice suddenly boomed in the vicinity, grabbing everyone’s attention like a deer in headlights. I, too, was one of them. A plain-looking man with blond hair wearing a light blue button-up shirt and beige khakis clapped his hands together as he made his way to the center of the interns. “Welcome to HNN! I am your tour guide, Hal Dexstros! We haven’t got much time, so follow me!”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Without speaking another word, Hal rushed out of the area, all of us interns scrambling to follow closely behind him while weaving through the crowd of employees and Heroes. Even I found myself tripping over my feet and bumping shoulders with strangers. The decent person in me urges me to apologize, but I realize it’s not worth it. After all, they must have been mentally preoccupied with something else, and bumping shoulders was probably the least of their concerns.

  “As you all know, these are the elevators. Break areas and restrooms are located adjacent to them on every floor. The place you were waiting at was part of the Editing group. Any footage, photos, articles, or media goes to them for touchups before publishing. Along the right side, past the elevators, are the recording studios. I’ve been in one of these; no sound can get in or out of them.

  To the left is equipment storage. Most of you greenhorns in Film will spend your days here or in the field. Straight ahead are the powder rooms for Heroes and guests. Interns are prohibited from entering that area unless otherwise specified.

  At the end of the hallway on my right is the Administrative Department, so if you have HR or payroll-related questions, go there. On the left is more admin stuff, including Marketing and Legal. The floors above and below us are more storage, admin, and recording rooms, but they are easier to identify since floors, instead of this jigsaw mess, segregate them.”

  I was utterly dazed. It wasn't easy to keep up, but Hal crammed everything else into our heads in minutes. My brain was on the verge of exploding from this sudden information overload, but it was an eye-opening experience.

  If I wanted to survive here, I had to get accustomed to this.

  “Any questions?”

  Another intern at the front of the group raised his hand.

  “Yes!” Hal shot a finger gun at him, telling him to speak.

  “Why is this floor organized so differently than the rest?”

  “Good question! This floor that we’re on is the floor where HNN was founded thirty years ago. Other offices used to occupy this building, but as HNN grew, we slowly acquired more floors until the station eventually owned the building. Any other questions?”

  Another hand shot up from the crowd.

  Once again, Hal pointed his finger guns at the intern.

  “When do we find out our assignments?”

  “Aha!” Hal laughed, his voice echoing off the walls of the hallways, whipping out his phone. “With a bada bing bada boom, you shall all have your assignments right about now!”

  With perfect timing, everyone’s phones buzzed in their pockets. An email from the deployment team arrived in my inbox. The bold text, in all caps, reads “TEAM ASSIGNMENT.”

  I tap on the email, and almost in sync with everyone else, I buried my head into my screen, scanning the message eagerly.

  [Welcome to HNN! Attached below is your assigned team for the duration of the 12-week internship. Important contacts related to your engagement team are also included in this email. Please save them for your reference.

  Sector: Crime

  Team: Crime IV

  Location: 7th Floor, Room 7461

  Assigned Hero: Cosmo

  Manager: Marianne Tse ()

  Cameraman: Arvin Bhat ()

  Tech: Damian Wagner ()

  Editor: Saoirse Bryne ()

  Makeup: Topaz Abebe ()

  Intern(s): Owen Parkis ()

  Lucia Rosario ()

  We look forward to working with you this summer!

  Best,

  Deployment Team]

  “Huh, seems like we’re fated to be!” Lucia smirked, waving her phone screen at me.

  “Would you look at that?” I scoff.

  Lucia’s expression turns to one of confusion. It appeared she couldn’t quite grasp the situation.

  “We’ve been set up. Listen to the whispers.”

  Lucia shut her eyes tightly; moments later, they widened upon the revelation.

  “Oh my god! I'm so glad I got assigned to Entertainment.” One girl squealed with excitement.

  “Sports was my top choice! Yes!”

  “Lifestyle sounds like so much fun!”

  Lucia bit down on her nails, her brows furrowed, and veins popped out of her forehead.

  “This is blatant discrimination.” The petite girl hissed under her breath. “They assigned us to the most dangerous Sector.”

  “Nothing we can do about it.” I sigh, accepting my situation. “This place reeks of primates.”

  She snickers at my remark.

  As she’s about to say something, Hal so rudely interjects.

  “This Orientation has taken much longer than anticipated. I shall let you all head off to meet with your teams!” Hal gave everyone a toothy grin as he motioned for the crowd to disperse. “I hope everyone has a LOVELY first day here at HNN!”

  And just like everyone else, Hal rushed off, no longer to be seen in the vicinity.

  Lucia taps my shoulder and whispers, “We should get going.” She points subtly to the other interns. “It’s going to be a mad rush.”

  I nod, agreeing with her statement.

  “Let’s make a run for it while they’re distracted.”

  >>>

  In a dressing room on a floor below, a girl fixated on her reflection in the mirror mounted on the portable vanity.

  After being part of HNN for a while, she could never get used to her appearance. It was nothing more than a costume, a well-made fake that served as a part of the character she played for the sake of her work.

  That was not her.

  It itched to not be in her own skin. To wander the streets of Loran without needing to be one of those admired in the sky.

  Suddenly, her mind flashed back to her childhood.

  A single, sweet memory she savored for many years. A memory that brought her both hope and regret. She always wondered if things would’ve been different if she had done something. However, that was all in retrospect.

  As much as she wanted to dance around happily as she did, this wasn’t the past. She couldn’t afford to be the dreamer of the little girl she once was. Someone had to step forward in this dangerous world, and she was one of them.

  “I hope you are doing well up there.” She spoke, glancing down at her silver locket. The only thing that kept her going all these years. “Are you enjoying another day dancing amongst the stars? Today marks seven years since you’ve gone. I’m all grown up now, facing the real world to the best of my abilities. I honestly wouldn’t know what to do without Marianne all these years. You know, no one has forgotten you here. They still celebrate under the meteor showers every year in your honor...I wish you were here."

  The girl felt her face moisten. Luckily, her makeup hadn’t smudged. She didn’t have time to let her emotions get the better of her. She shut the locker with a resounding snap and pulled herself out of her chair while brushing out the wrinkles from her skirt. Her five-centimeter heels clicked lightly against the ground as she spun to face the double doors leading to the main hallway.

  “I’ll shine for you as you have for me.”