1: It’s All True
It was the first day of Wesley’s new job as a receptionist at his local bed and breakfast—The Pegasus Inn. It was located in the city of Pennsylvania. He had never been in the building before, but he was eager to be working and experiencing a new environment.
As he drove closer to the hotel, he chose a parking spot, locked the car doors, and made his way inside the Pegasus.
The lobby, in contrast to the building’s all-black exterior, was completely and blindingly white — from the walls and carpet to the three chairs and a coffee table that sat at the back. Opposite from the sitting area was a desk, behind which stood a woman with a short afro. She smiled politely at Wesley as he walked in and asked, “May I help you?”
Wesley glanced at the silver name tag pinned to her white uniform. “Betty”, it said. He smiled back at Betty. “Yes. I’m Wesley, the new receptionist.”
Betty brightened. “Wonderful, I’ve been waiting to meet you! It’s not often we’re busy, but, when we are, it’s certainly difficult to keep up with everything yourself.” She introduced herself formally as the one who was to be training him. “Give me just a moment, and I’ll go fetch your uniform and everything you’ll need.”
Wesley nodded, and Betty disappeared into a back room. He took to watching the TV behind the desk, on which was some conspiracy story about something that had happened in Pennsylvania involving magical gemstones and superhuman beings. Wesley shook his head at the nonsense of it all; he never believed in conspiracy theories, but something kept his eyes on the screen.
He didn’t have much time to himself before guests started coming in. The first hour or so of his new job went by as scheduled until a peculiar group came through the front door. They weren’t a quiet bunch. One of them, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years, came to the front desk, guitar around her neck.
“Hi, I'm Marie Stryker and we’re checking in for the penthouse suite,” she said, looking at Wesley.
“Are you sure you guys can afford that place?” asked Wesley incredulously. “I mean, this is downtown Pennsylvania.”
“Yeah, we made a reservation. We’re The Contract Breakers.”
“No way! You guys are the Contract Breakers?! I love those guys. So, do you have a concert here or something?”
“Yeah,” said Marie. “It should be in town square, right outside the abnormally tall signal tower. Also, one more thing—I keep hearing people talking about stars and stuff. What is that all about?”
“I have no clue—some conspiracy theories, I bet,” Wesley said as he handed Marie the room keys.
“It’s all true,” said another woman who overheard the conversation. As she spoke, the room began to smell of lollipops.
