1 - Fate is an unpredictable thing

"Ding" a text pops up

"Hello"

"I know it's been a long time"

"Sorry for not being in touch, but I Need your help."

"Considering the vacant job post you currently have."

" There's someone I would like you to hire."

"Trust me on this one after all we've known each other for a long time and you know I will never lead you wrong."

"She's a very capable person and there's also another thing about her, she has a very powerful ability.''

"Her name is Veronica."

"Veronica Makaya."

Voices could be heard from all over, sellers trying to advertise their market, children talking while going to school, people trying to catch the bus to go to their various places of work. Along the streets of Adeba, a young girl stood out from the rest. She had a light Brown complexion, she wore a lilac hoodie with black trousers, her long raven coloured hair packed in a ponytail and had a lovely pair of blue eyes . She looked absolutely stunning even the people could tell but no one dared to go near her when they saw her face void of emotions as if she was ready to kill anyone who get in her way. Despite all their thoughts, she was only thinking of how she will get a job which made her to walk about aimlessly.

Then she noticed a child who was about to run into the road and saw a car coming at full speed. She managed to grab the child by the arm before the car could hit him. The driver thought he had hit the child so he zoomed off, "don't do that it's dangerous" she said. "Junior !" She turned to see a woman running in their direction, the woman took the child away from her and thanked her before scolding the child. She turn around and continue to work when she noticed a boy selling newspapers. She was quite shocked as why someone would do this when you can just access the latest news on the internet, saying that selling newspaper in this time and age is just a waste of time. Despite her thought she still went ahead to buy one, she knew was a waste of money but for some reason, she had the urge to buy it.

She was just about to read it when she saw a woman talking on the phone and someone trying to steal from her without her noticing . At first she decided to ignore it but change her mind and walked towards the woman, she grabbed the thief by the arm and twisted it. The man gave a sharp yell out of pain which took the woman by surprise. "Return what you stole or else your arm is gone" the girl said.

The thief dropped the purse and ran away in a hurry as soon as she let go of his arm. "Thank you so much, how may I repay you ?" The woman said feeling grateful. She wore a long flora kimono jacket, a short blue slim fit gown which made her cleavage show a bit and white thigh boots. She had tan skin and white hair and she looked like a woman in her twenties, "maybe I shouldn't have bothered myself ,she looks well off after all" the girl thought "no worries ma'am no need to re...."

"No ! I need to repay you that purse had some vital information inside". The woman was so pushy that the girl had no choice but to give in, with that they went to a nearby cafe. "I must say, thank you once again" "no problem it's alright" the girl said, "she even ordered food for me isn't this a bit too much for a mere purse" she thought. "so what's your name ?" The woman asked "Vero" the girl replied. "What a beautiful name, my name is Eniola", Just then she noticed Vero reading a newspaper and asked why. Vero replied by saying she is job hunting and felt that the newspaper might have some info on some job vacancies but considered buying the newspaper a waste of money cause she could have simply done that using the internet. The woman smiled and handed her a card.

"What's this for ?" Vero asked "come to this place there's a vacant job post for a receptionist and someone like you would make a good fit" Eniola said. Upon hearing that, Vero's eyes lit up and thanked the woman over and over again. The woman just stared as her and smiled.

"Good luck Veronica Makaya".

At first, Vero didn't pay attention to what she said then it dawned on her.

"Wait ! How did you.... Huh ?"

The woman was gone

"Wait how did she know my actual name, I told her a fake name because we were strangers and I wasn't interested in befriending her, so how did she..." Veronica looks at the card and saw the name "Atlas Haven".

"What a name" she thought, she picked up the newspaper to continue reading and became more surprised when she saw the same name in the newspaper along with the advertisement of a vacant job post. She decided to go there and try her luck.

She continued to walk until she reached an Alley, there were two people waiting for her inside, she smiled and went in. "Looks like the job is done" a voice said "yes it is, she was quite surprised by the fact I knew her actual name, anyway good work newspaper boy" she said that she patted him on the head. "Why couldn't we just invite her for an interview like a normal person rather than going through all this trouble" another voice said sounding annoyed. She chuckled at his remark, "hey ! You think this is funny ? That girl almost broke my arm !" . "Yeah yeah I know but I have managed to raise are curiosity and she will be there any minute from now, everything is going according to plan" she said grinning from ear to ear,"Won't you agree ?"

"Yes ma'am" the voices said in unison

"Honestly how long will it take me before I get there ?" Veronica wailed as she studied the card which had a map on the back. "What a strange woman, who on earth is she ? No, what is she ?" These thoughts kept going through her mind that she didn't notice a signboard in front of her and ended up hitting her head against the Iron pole. "Damn it ! Could this day get any worse ?" Saying that, she looked up and was just about to curse at the signboard when she saw a familiar name.

"Atlas Haven" she turned her head to the left and saw a building which had the name Atlas Haven. She knew she had arrived at her destination, she felt a mix of emotions bubbling inside of her. "I'm only feeling this way because of that woman" She thought but at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder what all this is about and to find out, she had to go inside the building.



2 - Fate is an unpredictable thing (The Interview)

"This place is not so bad as I thought" Veronica said as she gazed around. The place was indeed beautiful; the floor tiles were cream coloured and so clear that one could see one's reflection, the walls were painted scarlet which had some gold patterns on it. In front of her was a receptionist desk with an elevator on the right side and a staircase on the right.

? ? ? ? ? "May I help you ?"? A feminine voice was heard. This made Veronica to snap out of it, She turned to see a woman in her thirties, she wore a Japanese style kimono, her hair was of a fiery color, she had turquoise eyes and was slightly tan in complexion. Veronica instantly knew that the woman wasn't from around here. "Yes? I came to apply for the post of a receptionist, I saw the Job vacancy in a newspaper".? Veronica said trying to sound formal. ''Ah yes, follow me"? The woman said as she walked towards the elevator with Veronica tagging along. They both entered the elevator, the woman pushed a button to take them to the second floor. The atmosphere was dead calm as the elevator went up. "So what's your name ?" She asked "Veronica Makaya ma'am"? Veronica replied. "It's a lovely name"?? the woman said? and the silence continued. Before Veronica could begin her train of thoughts, the elevator doors opened which lead to a hallway.

? ? ? ?

? ? ?? The woman walked out and Veronica tagged along. As they walked, Veronica was in awe of the interior decor. She kept admiring the hall when something caught her eye. Something was staring at her and it didn't look human, it looked transparent which made her surprised. "A ghost?"? She thought to herself, When the creature saw that they made eye contact , it immediately disappeared. "Excuse me ma'am, but is this place haunted ? Cause I saw something which looked like a ghost" She said.

? ? ? ? ? The woman didn't look surprised and simply said that the guests here are unique. "In other words this hotel must be very unique to have unique guest" Veronica stated. The woman didn't respond to her remark; "no answer huh ? Well its? fine, it's not my first time dealing with the paranormal"? Veronica thought. "Back then, I dealt with situations similar to it, i really don't want to go back to that life; no stop it, i'm? no more in that place, not anymore". "We're here"? The woman said suddenly, her sudden statement made Veronica snap back to reality. They stood in front of a large black door.

? ? ? ?? The door opened by itself which didn't surprise Veronica because it wasn't her first time seeing a door open by itself. Inside was a desk and two chairs on opposite sides of the desk. "This is the interview room"? The woman said "looks more of an interrogation room than an interview room"? Veronica thought They both took their seats. "I will be the one interviewing you today, actually the boss and two others were supposed to be here but they are busy, so its only me"? the woman said as she brought out some documents from a drawer. "My name is Miss Diana and I will be the one interviewing you today, let's Begin, so Miss Veronica, why do you want to work for our company ?? The question hit Veronica hard, she didn't know what to say. She knew that she only came here because someone recommended this place to her. "What should I say ? I can't just say I came here because some random stranger told me about this place, I should have sent a letter of application and waited for their reply rather than trying my shot? unprepared, should I make it up ? Oh wait I know"? with that she brought out the card from her pocket gave it to Diana along with the newspaper.

? ? ? ? ?? "You see, someone actually told me about this place, she gave me this card which made me believe she works here". "I guess that woman is the boss"? She thought "she also told me about the vacant job post of a receptionist, I became more motivated when I saw the same advertisement of the job post under the name Atlas Haven, so I decided to go for it and that's why I'm here"? Veronica said feeling awkward. "I really didn't think this through, like who comes? to an interview unprepared, wearing a hoodie and a pair of trousers, which is very informal"? she thought. "I see"? Diana stated; "I knew it, I did a foolish thing after all, I didn't even say the right words, just forget about it Veronica"? she thought to herself as she began to lose hope. " Okay that is good, onto the next question"? Diana said as she flipped through the pages. Veronica was surprised by her reaction, she didn't expect her to just accept what she said as if its nothing "maybe she's just being nice" She thought.

? ? ? ? ? Diana kept on asking questions while Veronica tried to answer them to the best of her ability. An hour later, they concluded the interview. "Congratulations Miss Veronica? Makaya, you have been hired as our receptionist, I look forward to working with you"? Diana said with a very bright expression on her face. "Hold up, I'm hired ?"? Veronica asked with a puzzled expression, Diana nodded her head in affirmation. Veronica had to slap herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming which made took Diana by suprise. When she realized she wasn't dreaming, her eyes lit up. She was just about to thank her when she remembered something.

? ? ? ? "Wait didn't you say that your boss and two others were supposed to be here ? Are you sure it's okay to be hiring me without their knowledge, wouldn't it be best to, you know, discuss this with them before acknowledging me as one of your own ?"? Veronica asked feeling unsure, Diana smiled and told her that it is okay because she is actually the interviewer for this company and the boss won't mind if she hired someone cause he considers her trustworthy. "Wow she must be very trustworthy then if she can hire someone and no one would mind"? Veronica thought. She felt everything was too good to be true and slapped herself the second time to ensure she's not dreaming. Diana was shocked at her sudden action and advised her not to hit herself too much. Seeing that everything wasn't a dream, Veronica's eyes lit up again "oh my goodness, thank you very much, when do I start ?"? She asked with obvious excitement in her voice. Diana told her to start the next day and Veronica agreed immediately.

? ? ? ? As She walked through the hallways, she couldn't help but squeal and leap out of excitement, unknown to her that she was being watched by two figures.

? ? ??

? ? ? ? ?? "Looks like she got the job"? The first person said "obviously she did, the person who recommended her is someone the boss consider trustworthy"? the second person said. "even though I wonder how she will cope"? the first person said with a smug smile "after all, most of the workers here, even the guests aren't human"



To be continued (Updates : Every Sunday)

3 - Atlas Haven

The Alarm went off, She didn't want to get up but the noise of the alarm won't let her sleep, so she had to reach for her phone to switch it off. She saw a label attached to the alarm, when she look closely she saw the heading "First day at Atlas Haven". She immediately got up and check the time; the time said 8:10 am and work starts by 9:00 a.m. she quickly went to take her bath and brush her teeth. She looked through all her clothes and found a black pair of trousers, a white dress shirt and a black tie. She wore it and dashed out of the house.

Just as she hurriedly walked along the street, she heard her tummy grumble and stopped at a nearby food stall. She noticed a high school girl on her phone and she had earphones on, she wasn't paying attention to the road. Just as she decided to cross, a car hit her at full speed. The girl's body fell down very hard and became disfigured, blood surrounded the corpse and the people were terrified by the scene. Veronica's eyes widened in shock as she saw the girl's lifeless body...

........

Just as she hurriedly walked along the street, she rushed to the food store to get some food; but that wasn't her main mission. She looked around and found the same high school girl on her phone, putting on earphones. She was just about to cross when Veronica ran towards her and grabbed her by the arm. The girl looked at her with a puzzled expression and was about to say something when a car sped pass them at high speed. The girl was startled and turned around, realizing what could have happened to her at that moment; she turned to face Veronica and removed her earphones.

"Be careful next time, always pay attention to the road before crossing" Veronica said with all seriousness in her voice. The girl thanked her before making sure the road was clear and then crossed. "At least I prevented an innocent girl death today, what says the time anyway" saying that she brought out her phone from her bag. "8:30 !!!, I'm gonna be late, Oh wait I know but I need to find a secluded place" She looked around and spotted and Alley by the corner and went inside. She made sure no one was around or watching her, when she saw the coast was clear; she said the word "teleport", snapped her fingers and with that she was gone.

She appeared right in front of the hotel building. She stood tall, Confidence was written all over her, She encouraged herself amd went in. She walked humbly towards the reception table when someone called out to her. "Hello, how may I help you" It was a girl, She looked around the same age as Veronica or possibly older than her by one or two years, She had short black hair, fair complexion and purple eyes. She wore a pink t-shirt with sailor shorts, along with a pair of leg warmers. She was of average height but not taller than Veronica.

"Ah, there you are" another voice called out, it was Diana; she stepped out of the elevator and walked towards them. "I see you have met Veronica, Zuri, let me introduce you to our additional member, Veronica Makaya. Veronica this is Zuri Elenga, she's our guest relation manager" Diana said as he stretch forth her arm towards Zuri. "Nice to meet you Veronica I look forward to working with you" Zuri said with a smile and she's stretched forth her hand for a handshake. "Right" Veronica says as she stretched forth her hand to shake her. "Come let's introduce you to everyone let's go to the second floor, tag along Zuri" with that, she turned around to leave while the girls tagged along.

The went inside the elevator which took them to the second floor. As they got out and walked, Veronica looked around to see if she will see that ghost she saw when she came for the interview but unfortunately she didn't. They all came to a stop at the same black door. "Huh ? The interrogation room ? " Veronica said allowed. Diana and Zuri looked at her with a puzzled expression, Veronica, realizing what she said try to clear their confusion by stating how she thought the room was for interrogation purposes rather than interview purposes , both of them giggled at what she said as Diana opened the door. Veronica saw some people inside, after they entered the room, she counted them and saw they were six in number, two females and four males. "Everyone this is Veronica Makaya, she's the new receptionist I would like you all to cooperate with her as she; will do the same" Diana said aloud. Veronica looked around and spotted the woman who gave her the card and told her about the receptionist post. The woman also saw her, smiled and waved at her. "Its that woman again, wait I thought she was the boss looks like she's not, what was her name again ? I have forgotten" She thought.

"Don't you mean assistant receptionist, because after all she will be assisting MJ" a young boy said, he had light green hair, wore zip off sleeves shirt, loose pants, timberland shoes and wore fluffy ear muffs. "Yes that is correct" Diana said in affirmation, Veronica wondered what he meant by that, as if Diana was reading her mind, she whispered to her that she will explain later. Veronica didn't mind but what made her ponder the most was when she heard the name MJ. "Could it be her ?" She thought.

"You all are dismissed, Veronica follow me" and with that Diana walked towards a brown door and Veronica tagged along while The others left the room. Diana open the door and went inside along with Veronica, there she saw a man spotted at a desk, he was slightly tan, his hair of medium length was of a fiery color and turquoise eyes. He wore a black wool winter cape, a cream dress shirt are the cool black trousers. His physical appearance made him have a similar resemblance to Diana but the male version. "Maybe they are siblings" Veronica thought. "Welcome" the man said with a vibrant smile. "Wow, for a man who looks like he's in his late 30s he sure is full of energy" Veronica thought.

"My name is Daisuke Kaen, the owner of Atlas Haven, the one that interviewed you the other day is my sister, Diana Kaen" he said. "Anyway let's cut right to the chase, you coming to work here is not a coincidence but a planned strategy" . Veronica gave him a confused look, Daisuke explained everything that happened and what it took them to get her here. "Wait wait wait, so you're telling me that from the newspaper... To the theft.... To that woman ? Was all just a planned strategy to get me here ???" Veronica said trying to take in everything he just said. "Yes you are correct Makaya" , "but why ? Like how did you know about me ?" Veronica asked still feeling confused, "good question" Daisuke bright expression soon became serious as he looked at her.

"You see someone told me about you Makaya, not everything, but something, you have an ability don't you ?" . As soon as Veronica heard his question, her eyes darkened, She gave him a deadly gaze. "How did you know about that ?" She asked sternly, "Calm down Makaya, I received a text message from one of my trusted friends, saying I should hire you as our assistant receptionist, she gave me some convincing reasons, She also mentioned that you have an ability but did not say what the ability is" Daisuke calmly said. "Ok but can you please tell me who told you all those things" Veronica asked sternly as she began to wonder what she's getting herself into. "Her name is Sharon, I'm pretty sure you are acquainted with her" , "Sharon ? She was my caretaker after I left that vile place" Veronica thought "Maybe he is connected to my first caretaker"

"There's another person who assured me to hire you, I'll call her out now.... You can come out now" . Veronica became astounded when she saw who came out. It was a girl around her age, she had blonde hair which was tied in a bun, emerald eyes, fair complexion and tall. She wore black trousers with a lemon dress shirt which was half tucked in. "This is MJ, anyway I'm pretty sure you guys know each other, she's the one that assured me to hire you though she didn't tell us your ability" Daisuke said just to reassure her, Veronica wasn't listening to what he was saying, she was so shocked by the fact that she was seeing MJ face to face, someone she thought she will never see again. "MJ...Is...That...you ?" She was so astonished that she didn't know what to say again. Daisuke could hear the break in her voice and decided to be quiet for a while to give them space. MJ walk towards Veronica and hugged her tight Veronica did the same

"It's been so long, I'm so happy to see you again" MJ said feeling emotional. "Yeah, it's so nice to see you again" Veronica said. After MJ let go on Veronica, Daisuke explained that the hotel is no ordinary one but serves as a haven for paranormal creatures, in other words, non-humans since the world harbors both humans and non-humans. He also mentioned that lot of the workers here are not human, and how they specialize in solving cases that most of the time, involves the paranormal.

"So apart from being a hotel for the paranormal, you guys also serve as a detective agency that solve cases that cannot be explained by human understanding, in other words, paranormal cases" Veronica said trying to make sense out of everything. "Yes you are right, listen Veronica, there are very few humans that have special abilities, is very important for me to know the abilities of my workers and also I would like to hear your thoughts on your new job, you are free to quit, after all, everything was more of a planned strategy than free will" Daisuke said with a calm expression. Veronica didn't mind the job but she didn't feel comfortable telling him her ability; but when MJ reassured her, she decided to say it.

"My ability in space time manipulation" Veronica said. Both Diana and Daisuke wear shocked by what she said. "Okay then, I welcome you Miss Veronica Makaya as one of us. You can go now" Daisuke said. Veronica thanked him and went out of his office along with MJ.

"That's one heck of a powerful ability" Daisuke said "even though, that Veronica is no ordinary girl". "Why do you say that ?" Diana asked. "Didn't you see the way she looks at me when I asked her about her ability. Despite the fact I kept my composure; I still felt chills running down my spine. Despite her normal appearance, she's obviously the dangerous type" He said.