entify from my taxi ride. When the car stopped at the intercom, I briefly worried if someone had made the wrong call

, the security gates took a while befor

on built at the path's end resembled a high-end magazine publication - offering a sleek and cold grandeur alongside an impossible scale. No famil

my large duffel bag, the driver paid no attention before continuing toward the

he woman towered above me with her elegant look as she wore a sleek bl

h her eyes while making the dec

es

chandeliers met me, along with morning light seeping through skylights in the magnificent entr

r identity through the clicking sound of her he

nd her through a hallway that had a lig

our daily tasks, will be assigned to you. Everyone you address at the hotel should be called 'sir' or 'ma'am' unless different instructions are given. The kitchen at the buildi

of rocks. My body was uncertain if I was re

, ma

oo

d like they belonged in a museum. Everything here screamed money-old, inh

his is your room. You'll find everything you need inside. You're expecte

es

efore disappearing witho

ined both cleanliness and heat. The wall stood alongside a twin bed on which a properly arranged uniform lay across-comprisin

d, the mattress creaking softly beneath me. My

. I just have to stay invisible. Do the j

d pulled out the worn photo again,

father-what then? Would I confront him? Ask him why he'd abandoned us? Or would I keep pretending

under my pillow and

ree of water stains. It looked too perfect. Too still. Li

e had s

stepped into th