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Sunny became pretty clingy after Max and I fell into that Hunter’s trap. He wasn’t dealing well with the idea that I nearly died from being buried under a ton of cement and iron. I knew he was seeing a counsellor and wondered if I now gave him an extra thing to talk about during his sessions. The fact I needed to do extra exercises with my arm to help it recover some feeling didn’t help. He wanted to sleep in my bed every other night. Sharing a bed with another person should have felt weird, but I didn’t have any issues with it. Due to him being made of a transparent substance, I could sort of see his eyes even after they were closed. He’d gotten much better at keeping his shape while sleeping, and so most mornings I woke up with a pair of eyes staring at me. I should have been freaked out by that, but it was oddly comforting.
Max started to get a bit more protective and clingier as well. That was understandable. While I work I normally had them both ambushing me with hugs in the Zero room. Sunny and Max were crushing me before Sunny needed to go off to start work when Belizas came along. She saw the three of us and instead of mocking the scene, she joined in. I nearly suffocated.
“I wanted in on this. You’re all so squishy.” She said very happy about the attention.
I suffered for a minute or so with those three. I half expected Max’s sister to join in for fun. A door appeared and opened on the other side of the room. The appearance of a professionally dressed woman with large bat-like ears made my tormentors quickly pull away. If Belizas acted nervous, I should be worried about who just appeared.
“Can the human come along please? He is requested for an employee review.” She said in a kind voice, but the words still stressed me out.
A performance review did not sound good. Since I started working, I haven’t met any kind of real boss or supervisor. An’k was the supervisor for the sorting room and that’s the highest-ranking person I knew of. I’d been working for this long and yet I had no clue who paid my bills. The women turned to head through the door, but I got ambushed by another group hug. Everyone started acting as if I wouldn’t be coming back. I’d never seen my friends look so scared. Even Belizas’s face got pale at the fact I needed to meet with the boss.
I hurried to catch up and dreaded what might happen. The woman led us down a hallway of doors I’d never seen before. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked. The sound not great for my nerves. We finally stopped at a door at the end of the hallway. It looked fairly normal. I was unaware of what kind of horrors it may hold behind it.
“Good luck.” My guide commented as she stood aside for me.
I needed to take a moment to brace myself. With a lot of willpower, I reached out to take the door handle. It was so dark I couldn’t see my own feet in front of me the moment I stepped inside.
In the darkness, I felt the floor moving under me. The door disappeared and I fell to the ground losing my balance from being moved around in the dark. I thought I was the one moving, but things started to appear around me. Massive wooden bookcases sprouted from the floor. Each filled with old dusty tomes. A desk appeared a few feet in front of me with a large leather antique chair behind it. The room finished shifting around as the chair turned to face me. The person who called this meeting gave me time to recover.
They had a nice smile but I still couldn’t shake my nerves. I finally could stand and get a look at where I ended up. Besides the endless bookcases and the desk, I couldn’t see anything else in the darkness.
“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a human had been hired but doubted you would have lasted long enough for us to see each other.” The person spoke from behind the desk.
They stood and walked closer as they pushed around some paper on the cluttered surface. I honestly couldn’t figure out the gender of this person. Everything about them appeared neutral. From this voice to their old-fashioned clothing. They wore a long black wool button-down coat and professional high heel shoes. White wavy hair cut at their ears spilled out from a wide-brimmed hat. Their voice held a hint of a British accent that matched their clothing.
Red eyes landed on my own and I felt taken aback by their appearance. I could have sworn they were the same thing as Elly. But that wasn’t possible, right? There was only one Silver King at once. And yet another one stood in front of me.
“You look like Elly. Are you related?” I asked still a bit shocked by the similarities.
“Elly? Oh, that’s right. He is the current King. What a good kind boy. He was the one who arranged for you to work here. Yes, and no. We are both Silver Kings. I am one from ages ago. Normally a new King is chosen after ten years, or when the power burns through the human body it possesses. How I am standing here is… complicated. Let’s just say I can only be in this room of mine. Oh, silly me. I have not introduced myself. My name is Sterling.”
The name didn’t give away a gender. I’ve heard some Kings have been female, but I wasn’t aware of any. I frowned hearing about Kings switching every ten years. I hated to think something might happen to Elly. He was a good kid even if he tried to act tough. Would he be alright after he needed to pass along his title? Or could he do the same as Sterling and find a way to live at the same time as the next King?
“I never expected a Silver King to be the one running The Mailing Company.” I admitted.
“Us Kings have our hands in most aspects of the supernatural society. We are the ones who truly understand the balance and need to take steps to ensure the worlds are in order. But it is a large task for a single King using a human body. We created companies that we can use to delegate tasks that are needed. The Corporation is another company created to help keep the balance. Overall, it is meant to protect humans from creatures. But the Kings do use the stronger Agents to do tasks the Knights may be too busy for.” Sterling explained in a calm tone.
Knights? I really was way behind in all of this supernatural stuff. Everyone around me often wondered how I was still alive after dealing with so many creatures. I should buy a lottery ticket because my luck appeared to be very, very good.
“Uh… The Knights are…?” I asked.
I knew we were getting off the topic of why I got called into a meeting. But I wanted to prolong having a review for as long as possible. Hearing what may be said about my work ethic sounded far more terrifying than going into The Maze again. Sterling gave a look of surprise that I didn’t know the answer to my own question.
“Humans can refuse the offer to become a Silver King. But they could be turned into a powerful creature that carries the title of Knight. They do tasks the King requests of them in exchange. However, there are also the First Knights. They are the creatures that every other is a descendant of. For example, Fee is the first Necromancer. Noph is the first vampire. They are extremely powerful. Practically forces of nature. I’m not surprised you wouldn’t know of them, but I’m a little shocked you seem to know so little of other aspects of the world you’ve worked in for nearly a year.”
I hadn’t noticed I’d been at this job for so long. It felt as if it lasted forever and yet it all went by so fast at the same time. No matter how much I learned so much other information waited for me. There were so many different worlds out there. It was almost impossible for someone like me to keep track of all the species and rules they carried.
“I guess if I had a handbook, I might have learned some of this stuff.” I commented in what I hoped to be a light tone.
Sterling smiled and nodded toward the endless number of books around us.
“I’ve been trying to condense all this information into a book for you. It’s proved difficult. I honestly hoped you died before I even needed to brother.” The King said with a smile still on that pale face.
I laughed thinking it was a joke. My laughter and smile faded when I realized Sterling wasn’t kidding. The air in the room grew heavy and I started to sweat under my jacket. Warning bells in my head went off. After everything I’ve come across, I’ve never met someone as intense as Sterling. That smile no longer appears gentle. It seemed like the person standing a few feet away was holding back from ending my life.
“I’ve…” I started unsure of how to react to the thinly veiled hatred coming my way.
And it was hatred. I knew that the moment our eyes met again. Sterling’s hands were clasped tightly in front of them. That smile was dark, and voice filled with forced cheer.
“Elly told me the reason why he made you work for us. Why don’t you remind me?” The King asked.
I swallowed hard unsure if I would ever see my friends again if I answered. I finally had people waiting for me to come home and now I was facing the strongest creature for reasons I didn’t understand.
“It was…. because I can love my co-workers despite them being human-eating monsters.” I said, face flushing from embarrassment.
There was no other way to say it. I loved my friends. Even more than any human I’ve come across. And I knew that was wrong. Belizas wouldn’t think twice about hurting a human if she needed to. I didn’t know for sure if Max and Rufus ever killed a human, but I felt as if they have. And I didn’t care. It made me just as bad as them and yet this was what I chose. My life was better than it ever had been, nearly getting killed and all. That may have been the correct answer for Elly, but not for Sterling.
“Love?” The words came out as a laugh. “You humans always say that don’t you? You love us. It always comes down to that one simple thing. Love and lies!”
A sudden pressure came down on my chest forcing me to the ground. Sterling snapped at the final words and closed the distance between us. The King hadn’t done anything but let some power slip. And it nearly killed me. My chest felt as if it might explode as I clutched my shirt with my forehead pressed to the floor. I’ve never been in so much pain. Not even cutting off my arm hurt this much. I faintly heard Sterling repeating a single word with so much hate it nearly crushed me.
“Love? Love?!”
The King got down on my level, face pressed to the floor and fingernails digging into the ground. The red eyes crazed and any kind of calm in their voice was gone.
“You humans always lead with that lie! You hunt us! You love us! You lie to us! All these things can’t be true at once! Admit it to me. Tell me why one of my creatures gave you their name. A name they wouldn’t even share with me if I demanded it. How did you trick him?”
Sterling’s face came inches away from my own. My head pounded and my chest still tightened. I gritted my teeth together trying to feel any other pain but the one in my heart. Tears came to my eyes, but I refused to admit I tricked Max. I would rather die than say that. He gave me his name because we were family. I shook my head and Sterling pressed in closer.
“Tell me. Tell me. Tell me.” The words repeated in my head.
There was nothing to tell. A set of hands wrapped around my chest from behind. I choked on a scream from being held by this creature in such a tight embrace that made my skin crawl. Breath brushed my ear as more demands came.
“What are you going to do with him? You have his name. You’re able to do anything. Do not abuse my cute little creature. I’ll take his place. Anything you want to do to his body I’ll take it. I’ll accept your disgusting human desires. It’s the only thing your kind is after when it comes to us. You simply want our bodies or our lives…”
I made a weak attempt at shaking Sterling off. A hand started to pull down on my jacket zipper. I nearly got sick over the idea of Sterling’s accusations. I never saw Max in that way. I shook my head, silently refusing everything. If I didn’t fight back, I would die. Sterling’s anger was far too much for a human like me. Through all the pain and fear I snapped and told a truth I’d never considered until that point.
“I don’t want to sleep with anyone!” I shouted then gasped for air.
The moment the words left my mouth, the pain lifted, and Sterling backed off. The terrifying creature appeared standing in front of the wooden desk again. Disgust clearly on their face. I sat still gasping and letting the tears clear up. I’ve never been so damn scared before and didn’t know how to handle it. Finally, I let the words I shouted sink in.
I didn’t want to sleep with anyone. Was that even ever an option? I tried thinking back to meeting Vicky on our first date. I thought she looked cute, but I didn’t want to go home with her. The cat girls also were attractive, but I got hit by the sudden realization that I might not know what sexual attraction even felt like. I could love a person, but what if lust felt completely different? I only tried dating because that was the normal thing to do. Now that I was surrounded by things that weren’t normal in the slightest, I started to not care about that sort of thing. I hated the fact I was still a virgin only because I got mocked for it. But supernatural creatures saw that as a natural choice and even put a value on the concept.
“It seems as if Elly was correct in picking you. Humans can rarely be trusted with a creature’s true name and I doubted you. I wish to protect the ones under my rule. I can understand humans who display clear wants when it comes to supernatural creatures. If they want to kill us, it’s understandable. If they want to bed us, it is reasonable. You displayed interest in creatures romantically and yet refused to show your true wants. With this all clear, I can trust you to continue working with us.”
I sat, stunned staring at this monster that nearly killed me to squeeze out a truth I wasn’t aware of. And I felt certain Sterling would have killed me. This was not all just some sort of test. I need a long while of rubbing my eyes and trying to recover from our conversation.
“Does this mean I’m getting my handbook?” I finally asked.
To my utter shock. Sterling cracked and laughed at the joke. With a wave of a hand, I knew I passed the evaluation and could leave the room. I was more than glad to get the hell out of there.
“Treat your co-workers well. I hope we never see each other again.”
I agreed with those words. I stood on uneven legs. My body lurched forwards through an open door that suddenly appeared. I spilled out into the Zero room with a small crowd waiting. The news I got dragged into Sterling’s office traveled around. It turned out I was far more well-liked than I thought. Sunny helped me up and I looked over the faces of the worried creatures in the room. Some I recognized from the sorting room and at least five of Max’s sisters huddled in a group.
“Sterling isn’t a big fan of humans. Are you alright? We were really worried.” Max said and everyone else nodded.
“Yeah. I just… need the rest of the day off.” I admitted.
Since starting this job, I have not once asked for time off. I’d been forced to stay home when I got sick or injured. I think I earned it this time. Sunny and Max volunteered to take me home, but only after I got a few hugs and well wishes from my co-workers. Gary, the huge pile of mushrooms made a hug attempt, but Rufus gently shuffled him away. If I touched good ole’ Gary, I risked becoming a part of him. I think that was what he wanted though.
I was so exhausted, I passed out on my couch the moment I got home. I was asleep for a few hours when voices from the kitchen woke me from my uneasy nap. I soon found out Belizas came over to sabotage Sunny’s cooking. I watched them from the doorway for a few minutes as Max kept dragging her away and fought his urges to snatch some uncooked dinner away. Soon they noticed me, and Max brought Belizas over so I could help hold her back.
I could tell Max wanted to ask what happened during the meeting. I wasn’t really sure how to approach it. With a flailing and silently kicking Belizas between us, he carefully brought up the topic.
“What did you and Sterling talk about?” He asked.
Even Sunny paused cooking to hear my response. I think Belizas only came by to cause trouble to try and take my mind off things.
“I…” I started unsure of how to say all of it. “He wanted to make sure I wasn’t taking advantage of you. Telling me your true name is a big deal. I get that. And… I sort of bought Sunny. I think Sterling assumed I had impure motives.”
Max nodded along and even Belizas stopped struggling. I don’t think she realized just yet that both Max and I were hugging her around the waist. That amount of positive attention would make her scream. I’ve seen it happen before. I wondered how to say what else I wanted without it coming out poorly. I didn’t want it to sound like I was more trustworthy around all of them now that I knew for certain sex wasn’t an option for me. A good relationship starts with setting boundaries and being clear about your needs and wants. So far, I haven’t been clear in the slightest. Not with them, or myself. I’d kept trying to push for something I didn’t want. That was what made Sterling confused and concerned over my intentions.
“I don’t want to sleep with anyone. Like… Ever.” I said. The words were a bit weird to say out loud but felt as if everything made so much sense after they were spoken.
Max brightened up because he knew I just trusted them with a pretty heavy revelation about myself. I expected Belizas to make fun of me. Oddly enough, she didn’t. Telling them what I just did almost felt as frightening as dealing with monsters at work. I soon wondered why I was ever worried about saying something like that. The troublesome skinny creature slipped out of our grasp and started on Sunny’s uncooked cookie dough before we could stop her.
I knew then my friends would accept anything about me even before I did. As long as there was free food, Belizas was happy. Max was just glad to have a new brother he could play fetch with, and Sunny was grateful for a safe environment to thrive. My friends may be monsters, but I have a feeling they might be more accepting than some humans out there.