Sick Wires – Hiring (1)

It was late morning and I was staring at the ink lines spread on a fresh white paper that depicted a sum of money I was quite unsure was legal to give by the hour. Usually, it would have been because it was too low, but in that particular case it was actually the highest pay I have ever seen in my entire life. Written on a paper that I could read, at least. Surely there had to be some kind of catch I was missing. I looked down from the notice and stared into another piece of paper I was holding. The contents there were far more grim and the sum written in the bottom column made my breath hasten.
“Damn loans.” I couldn’t help but say it out loud. The anxiety I never bothered to take care of was biting at my chest, pulling further down. The busy business street didn’t seem to mind me standing there and murmuring to myself, unsurprisingly. I was on my way to the bank to discuss my long overdue loan that I couldn’t even start to pay off. I had taken loans from friends, and then from their friends, and I had no one else to turn to who I haven’t asked for money.
I looked back up at the notice that was stuck on the glass window. I wasn’t dumb, and I knew that no big sum such as this would be given without any sort of sketchy reason. It didn’t help at all that only “Dedicated workers needed” and a bottom line of “Patience is a must” were the details given.
“Are you looking to inquire about the job?” a cheerful voice startled me and I turned my head to see a young and vibrant looking woman flashing me her business smile.
“Oh.” I pushed my nervousness back down and tried to brush off the surprise. “No. I mean, yes. I think?”
“It really is one of a kind job, by a trusted company. They offer really high pay so if you’d ask me, I’d say you really should give it a try so even if you don’t get in at least you know you tried!”
I was familiar with what she was doing. Her job was to lure people into the office so they signed for jobs that needed to hire staff at a constant rate because their pay and conditions were so low which was why people kept leaving them. She probably got extra pay every time she managed to get a certain amount of people. I tried working for such jobs, but I often got fired because I was too passive and inefficient.
“I…” I was about to decline almost automatically, but the sum of money flashed before my eyes once again and I knew I had to try. I simply had no choice. “Yes. What is this job about?”
“Oh, please come in!” Smiling brightly, she gestured for me to step into the office. I followed her and held onto the loan paper tightly, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake and was about to be led to sign some organ selling contract.
“So, name?” The young woman walked me through some stalls filled with people who were obviously from the lower part of the economy. She sat me down at her cubicle and she immediately pulled out a pen and papers and looked at me with a toothful smile.
“Nectar.” I sat down and started playing with the folded paper between my fingers. I didn’t like being questioned, but unfortunately I had gone through this process far too many times.
“Nectar, oh! What a cute name!” She looked legitimately surprised, which calmed me down a bit. I didn’t care if she really thought it was cute, I was just relieved to hear something other than a robotic tone in her voice.
I gave her my ID so she could check my validity and then ticked some boxes in one of the process papers. She turned to me, and I felt more relaxed than before although still unsure of what the job was all about.
“Well, Nectar. The job is a job of a 24/7 staff. That means, you basically give up your current life and move to live where the company decides. The pay is high because there is no overtime pay, they just pay you as if you work overtime right from the start. Also, because of the job’s tough nature, you will be asked to sign some legal contracts about exceptions regarding your work hours and any possible complications that may occur while you work there.”
She was about to keep talking, but I had to stop her because all sorts of graphic scary stuff was going into my head. “Wait, wait. What do you mean by 24/7 staff?”
“Oh, it means that they are hiring for multiple positions and jobs. You will have to go there and decide for yourself. But if I were to categorize it, I’d say they are some kind of home maintenance jobs.”
“Home maintenance?” I felt relief as well as confusion.
“Yes. You know, cleaning, cooking, gardening…”
I could finally tell she didn’t really know herself what the thing was all about. I sucked on my bottom lip in search of a decision. Her not knowing what the jobs were about put me off a little bit. I looked down to the paper that was already crumpled in my fist. I really needed the money.
“Look, you can just go there and see for yourself. They have been hiring for two weeks and today is the last day you can sign up. You can decline on the spot once you’re there.”
I took a deep breath and tried to organize my thoughts. “You said this was a known company?”
She tapped her forehead with her palm and laughed. “Of course! I forgot to tell you! It’s Anakai.”
“Anakai? The computer stuff?” I was dumbfounded. I was expecting some kind of a retail company or maybe hotel stuff.
“Yes, but well, no. Anakai Tech is the computer stuff branch.” She air quoted when she said computer stuff, and I would have been embarrassed if I wasn’t so confused. “Anakai is the main company.”
It reassured me, even though I still had many doubts while she was handing me the papers. She kept smiling the whole time and typed some stuff into her computer, and then handed my ID back to me. I just sat and watched her, remembering how I was also in her place before, except I was always nervous when treating customers.
“All done. Your details and everything else has been sent to the company. You just need to go to their office and have an interview. Want me to schedule you one? The sooner the better, considering they finish registrations today.”
I just nodded and tried to think whether I had enough money for a bus. “Where are they located?” I asked slowly.
“Well, they have a customer service office in the mall right near us. Do you want me to check if they have an opening now?”
Well, that solved the bus issue. “Yes please.”
The registration overlapped with the bank meeting. I decided to go to the interview instead, and hopefully tell the bank I might be able to start paying them off once they call to ask me to give them my soul. I walked through the big mall and headed to the top floor, feeling very out of place. I was a grown, overweight woman, who couldn’t care less what she wore in the morning. But whenever I was in fancy places, I felt myself standing out and could almost see the gray aura I was emitting that lingered in the air after I passed by. Best I could do in those times was to pretend no one was there.
I reached the top floor and could already see a bit of a crowd gathering in the corridor. I kept walking and saw a blue buttoned shirt guy signing people to come over to him and enter a room. He saw me and mouthed “Anakai?” and signaled me to hurry and get in. I hastened my pace and tried not to look at him as I squeezed through the door right before he closed it.
“Ok! Everybody please sit down!”
It was a small hall, with comfy chairs and everything. Felt a bit like a small cinema as I found a secluded seat in the back and sank into the soft upholstery. When I was alone and comfortable, I felt more at ease even though I knew I was part of a crowd in an interview.
“Ok, everybody seated? Good. Well, Anakai is hiring eh? Yes we are. How many of you here have hopes to climb up the ranks in Anakai once they get in?” The man in the blue shirt was talking into a small mic that was taped to his cheek. It was so small, it was almost unnoticeable if not for the wires.
A few hands were raised slowly in response to his question.
“Well, that’s good for you, but this is not the kind of job we are hiring here for. This interview is more of an explanation about what you should know about our offer. The job roles are extremely demanding and all-time consuming. You will not get promoted, and there are likely no possible career advancements from them. You will have to approach the job with humility and diligence. However, we pay very well. Anakai will provide you with everything that you need, from home to food to medical bills.”
He kept talking. And I understood why the pay was so high. It was like modern slavery, excpet you get paid and sleep in a comfy bed. According to him, once you sign up, you become the company’s property. He then showed us the work environment we might be working at. Big house, big office, big cars. The excitement in the hall rose.
“The key for this job is humility, patience, and precision. If you are interested in undergoing training for possible hiring by Anakai, please sign the paper at the table right here. If not, you are free to leave now.”
The presentation was over, and a swarm of people descended the stairs to get to the table. Surprisingly, only two people decided to leave. I stood behind and saw them walk out of the door and look at each other. Their faces were full of contempt, as if they just watched a lunatic talk about becoming students in hogwarts. They shrugged at each other as if to confirm each other’s feelings to feel better about themselves not signing. And then they shut the door behind them. I looked back at the table below, it was still very crowded. I sat back down and waited for the commotion to calm down, looking at the people going out after signing the papers, smiling in excitement.
Some of them looked very young, around the age of 18. I wondered what could have made them want to leave everything behind for a job that’s going to suck the life out of them at such a young age. Then again, people come from all sorts of backgrounds.
I stepped down finally, and took one of the pens that were rolling on the ground. I filled the form as the man was watching me, waiting for me to finish.
“Please take this booklet. The training will begin in two weeks.” He handed me a colorful pamphlet and swiped the form out of my fingers to see whether I filled it right.
“Excuse me… Do you provide housing during the training?” I asked as I saw the location of it. It was another city, and not a close one.
“Yes of course. It’s Anakai we are talking about.” He smiled and organized the papers that got scattered around. He was probably waiting for the next interview.
“Um…” I felt nervous but I really had to ask. “Do you maybe have a training session going on sooner than two weeks?”
He stopped moving around and looked at me. “There is one, yes. But it already started yesterday. Why?”
He understood right away that I had no place to sleep, I could see realization in his eyes. I suddenly felt ashamed, and could feel my face flaring up. I wasn’t always considered poor, I used to be middle class. I still haven’t gotten used to the fact that I was homeless, nor for the fact that other people looked at me the same way I used to look at the homeless poor on the street.
“I can send you there now, yes.” He nodded without waiting for an answer. “I think this job might be perfect for you. Just be strong.” He smiled at me and pointed at his smartphone. “I’m going to make the call.”
I stood there, waiting for the man to finish mumbling into his phone. I felt a bit dizzy from how things have been progressing. I didn’t like change, not to mention sudden change of plans, but this sounded like something I could use to get out of this situation.
“A driver will come pick you up soon. Just wait at the entrance of the mall and hold the booklet with both your hands. Tell him Maurice sent you.” He hurried up the stairs and opened the door to let another wave of people in. I mumbled words of gratitude and snuck out before having to handle another swarm of people brushing against me.
The driver was already out, and he was very polite and professional when he heard Maurice’s name. It felt weird to be led into a car with such care, I almost wanted to turn and just run for it. Luckily, I heard the default ring of a niche phone company and that distracted me from thoughts of escape. Mainly because when I picked it up and looked at the small pixelated screen, it was the bank.
It felt good for a change, answering and telling them I found a high paying job in Anakai. The woman receptionist sounded suspicious and wanted to just deliver the call to her superior so they could deal with it. I hated phone calls so much.
I was given one more chance to show I can pay off the loan. One more. I put the phone down and rested my head back against the car cushion. Don’t think about it. Relax. Just get the job.
I woke up from a sleep I didn’t know I took. It was night. The driver looked at me, waiting for me to fully wake up. “We are here.”
I jumped and looked around, gaining a grasp of the situation I was in. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry. So sorry.”
I hurried to unbuckle the belt and turned to get out of the car. The driver took off right as I shut the door, and there I was, standing in front of some kind of a fancy gate.
“Welcome.” A soft voice greeted me and attracted my attention. “I heard we were having a late addition to the training. I am Holly.”
A woman in a suit gestured to open the gate for me. The heavy doors cranked a bit and turned open. The woman smiled politely and looked behind me.
“Your stuff?”
“None.”
“No luggage?”
“No.
“Well then. Please follow me.”
I was glad she didn’t make a face about it. Maybe they were ready to get people that had nothing on their name, considering how Maurice introduced the job.
“You missed two days of training, which is something I’m unhappy about. We went over the basics of manners and had a tour. Please ask tomorrow what it was about so you don’t make mistakes.”
She led me through a road, and then stopped near a small vehicle. The area looked more like an entrance of a university rather than a hotel or a workplace. What was this place exactly? I reminded myself that I should read the booklet once I was settled.
“Get in. Once you’re in your room, please do not, by any means, leave it. Not until the morning call.” Her movements were swift and short, but still elegant. I just nodded in confusion as she stuffed my hands with piles of papers. “And you have to finish reading this by the end of the training.”
The driver took off, and I was in my room minutes later, once again staring at papers.
“What in the world?” I said as I looked around me, and then back at the papers. I wasn’t tired, thanks to the deep nap I stole on the way there. There was no way I could go to sleep. I sat down on the bed and placed the piles next to me, picking one booklet to examine the title.
“Etiquette.” I read the title aloud, then turned and checked the rest of the titles. “Background. Vacancies. Ground Rules…” I flipped through the stapled booklets and breathed in deep, wondering what I’d gotten myself into. I was supposed to finish the meeting and then return to sleep somewhere secluded, pondering about whatever spiral of debt I was about to be led into again. I never thought about the opportunity of getting a job that paid this much, I only ever got accepted into the minimum wage ones that broke your spirit or tarnished your self image. Or both.
A sudden wave of hope washed through me, I felt like this could be a turn in my life. Rather than working for a long, long time to be paid small amounts of money and struggle to keep myself alive, I could dedicate myself fully to this job and hopefully quit in a few years after having my slate cleaned.
I pulled out a booklet that was titled “Summary”. It was the shortest and I hoped it would give me the general idea of this job. It opened in a similar manner of what Maurice said earlier today. Impatient people could not have this job, no promotions, no spotlight and no slacking off. On the other hand, this job offered anything and everything you needed in order to commit fully to its purpose, which was what I found perfect.
The new information came a little further into the text. The vacancies were jobs that meant to serve Anakai’s youngest heir in succeeding the branch. There was something about making his work environment flawless while also being unseen and presenceless. There was also a clear warning that any information given through the training and after, was to remain private. I assumed people wouldn’t want to be part of a lawsuit involving Anakai, and I was sure I didn’t. It was mentioned that anything that needed professional training would be done by trained individuals, or just be taught to us if necessary, once and if we are accepted into our jobs.
I had to read all of that and finish it all by the time the training ended. I spread the booklets on the bed and looked through all of them, then chose the rules one. At least I’d start with knowing what I absolutely shouldn’t do, the rest could wait for later. I organized the rest of the booklets back into a pile and placed them on my desk, right next to a pile of clothes the place provided. I got up and checked the sizes of the shirts, to see if I should even bother with the other pile. It had my size, and that meant I could get out of the clothes I have been wearing for about four days. I grabbed a matching pair and went into the shower.