The flown of people coming and going on the entrance hall was surreal, there was no elbow room at all. It was the first time I saw a place so crowded.

I had the instructions on how to get to my station written on paper, may be my mistake reading, but the paper said 20th floor? it said to head to the 20th floor for further instructions, it could be a 2ªth, but that would make just as much sense as I actually being on the 20th, isn't the higher the floor, the more important you are? wasn’t that too high for a newcomer like me?

I wanted to ask someone about it, like the ladies sitting at the entrance, taking calls, filling out papers and talking with the people from outside, but I also didn't want to be seen as a novice, inexperienced, someone who can't even follow basic instructions, I didn't want to be seen as the idiot I truly felt thinking I might have this good of a job.

But also because they were too pale.

Pale in an anemic way, like the sun was a passing rumor among them, guess they didn't had a lot of that in the big city. They looked tired, with dark purplish circles the color of bruises under their sunken eyes. I didn't want to be a nuisance when they seemed barely able to stand.

It is better to face the consequences than spend a minute more standing like a fool on the lobby, at least I have plausible deniability.

-----

in front of the elevators was a crowd waiting for the doors to open.

I couldn’t distinguish them apart, with faces of men and women beginning to blend with the same features, Deep bags, empty eyes and pale skin.

The number of workers was extremely extensive, I could see 6 elevators over the long and narrow hallway, a mass of tired looking workers preventing me from passing, no matter how much I struggled.

I considered hitting someone with my elbow to let me pass, it was just a thought though, and it made me ashamed for being so restless while they all had this strange aura of mind focused precision, they were so professional. But the sound of the doors opening froze everyone in their places, heads turning painfully slow towards the apparels.

The movement resumed with violent vigor, the flow of the crowd dragging me, like a castaway being dragged by the high tide, and like waves, the crowd pushed and pulled against my will, suffocating me. No sound other than footsteps on marble and shallow breaths, crawling painfully from their chest, were made at that moment. Eerily similar to an anthill, the suit and ties being the only change.

When the flow stopped once again, I found myself inside an elevator with twelve others, the size unlike any I had ever used before. I felt anxious, out of depth, out of control.

Why is everything so big?

I pressed the button for the 20th floor and waited with bated breath as people came and went.

My prospective co workers kept their heads down, their skin was icy to the touch, the mirrored interior prevented me from looking anywhere beyond their figures and my face, my eyes showing the growing apprehension in my heart.

This is where I will be working from now on.