Clayton's POV
Clayton was still thinking about the message on his phone when he arrived home. The door was unlocked, which surprised him given that his mother didn't get home until late at night, so he pushed it open and entered the house.
He sighed. no one named Blue John had called to inform him that there had been a mistake and that the money did not belong to Clayton.
Furthermore, he couldn't even access the money because the account did not belong to him, but Blue John.
Clayton was so distracted that he didn't notice the commotion coming from inside the house until it was too late. He scowled when he saw his mother and another man having a heated argument.
"You fucking owe me a grand! Pay up, junkie!" the man yelled at his mother, Debbie.
Clayton could clearly tell his mother was high on drugs just by looking at her. She had been clean when he left for work that morning, and he had expected her to remain so.
He snorted. Who was he kidding? His mother was a heroin addict who refused to go to rehab to become clean. Instead, she went around borrowing money to spend on drugs.
She stumbled on her feet. "Can't you give me some time? I fucking gave you money yesterday!" she shouted, her voice drawling.
Clayton shook his head. He wondered where she had gotten the money to buy the drugs she was using and hoped that she had not raided his stash.
The man rolled his eyes. "That was because you wanted to get high yesterday! Now, give me the rest!" He shouted.
Clayton exhaled and cleared his throat. He's had enough of their quarrel.
The two occupants in the room turned to face him with a glare. They were not startled that he was standing there, and they continued to argue while ignoring him.
"Give me some fuckin' time! I promise to deliver the money before the weekend," his mother urged.
The man scoffed, "You said that last month Debbie!" He growled, refusing to believe her.
She brushed her fingers through her hair in frustration, before turning her look to Clayton. His mother's face brightened briefly, and she smirked as she returned her gaze to the man.
"This time is different; I'll get the money before the weekend," she assured, returning her glance to Clayton.
Clayton scoffed, knowing the expression his mother was giving him. She expected Clayton to be paid by the weekend, which would allow her to steal money from him.
Well, bad luck, He thought, because he'd already lost his job.
Clayton moved down the corridor to his room, deciding there was no reason to stay and watch two grown adults argue over money.
He unlocked his door and sighed as he entered the little space he called his room.
He walked up to his bed, unstrapping his bag from his shoulders, but he halted in his steps as he stared at the golden box on his bed in surprise.
Clayton scowled and muttered, "What the hell!" as he looked back at the door.
Nobody had broken into his room because it had been locked earlier, so he was shocked as to how the package had appeared on his bed.
He walked gently towards his bed and pried the box open. His scowl intensified when he noticed the contents of the box.
Inside the golden box was an expensive-looking digital wristwatch, a gray laptop, smart glasses, ear buds and another smaller box with a 'V' and a fist symbol, at the center.
Clayton took up the watch and stared at it in confusion. What the hell was going on? he wondered as he tapped the 'V' icon on the watch.
A holographic projection with a masked face emerged in front of him. "Welcome to Everwatch, Blue John. How can I help you?" The person behind the mask spoke in a distorted voice, breaking the silence in the room.
Clayton jumped back, shocked, and peered at the hologram. He blinked, attempting to grasp what was happening.
The masked man had called him the nickname, Blue John. "How..." he inquired. "Who are you?"
The masked man tilted his head to the left: "This is Everwatch, a vigilante justice system that is designed for vigilantes to exact justice on the corrupt elites and earn immense rewards." he explained.
He continued, "I am Nova, Your Guardian. You are one of the new recruits, and your codename is Blue John. I'm here to guide you and provide the necessary information to make completion of your tasks easier…"
He interrupted. "Hold on! I am Blue John?!" Clayton stuttered in shock.
The image on the projection changed into Clayton's entire profile, as well as a list of his personal information, including his birth date, address, parents, hobbies, and abilities.
Blue John's name was plainly written at the top of the projection with a bronze seal beside it.
The masked face appeared again. "Yes, you are Blue John. New recruits are given a codename and account. You'll find a wrist watch inside your golden box which you can use to communicate with Everwatch, as well as a black card to access your funds…" Nova explained.
Clayton's eyes widened when he peered down at the smaller box. He swiftly grabbed it and opened it.
A black and gold-lined card was gently inserted inside. The name on the card and the number match his codename; Blue John, and the account number he saw earlier in the text.
He chuckled as he found it hilarious. There was no way he was paid $1 million on the spot. Someone had to be pulling a prank on him because he couldn't possibly have become wealthy overnight.
"This is a joke, right?" he mumbled.
"No, Blue John. A task would be assigned to you at specific times to perform using your predetermined skills. You will be rewarded for completing your missions, and the reward will be transferred into your account." Nova explained.
Task? Clayton scowled, pulling out his phone to read the previously sent message again.
"I completed a task earlier, as indicated by the message I received. What task was I assigned?" he inquired, just to be sure.
There was a brief silence before the masked man spoke again. "You were entrusted with removing a threat from train 5009, headed to the lower sector. After finishing your task, your account was credited."
Clayton snorted. "And does this have to do with my sudden strength and new skills?" He asked.
"When confronted with an opponent, you are given a skill set to choose from; it may be accessed through your wrist watch, which you should always wear. So yes, it does." Nova told him.
"Shit!" Clayton cursed, dragging his fingers through his hair. The information was too much for his brain to process.
"Do you have any further questions? I am here to guide..." Nova was speaking, but Clayton interrupted him.
"I know what you're here to do, Nova! This is a lot of information to process." He murmured. "You're saying that I'm Blue John and that I can get rich by completing assigned tasks, just like I did earlier?" he inquired, trying to ensure that he was hearing things correctly.
Clayton could swear that Nova was smirking because the tip of his lips curled upward. "Yes, Blue John. That is basically the summary. Though, you're only allowed to withdraw only $1M a day until your level increases." He said.
"Well, I'll be damned," Clayton muttered.
He needed money, and if the system was real and genuine, Clayton would not mind beating up some guy and getting handsomely compensated for it. It was a lot better than working his ass off for a few pennies.
He exhaled. "When is my next task?" he inquired.
"In a hurry are we? Soon, you'll be tried again." Nova answered.
He arched his brow and was about to inquire how soon because he needed more money, but the banging on the door halted him.
He sighed when the conversation ended and the hologram disappeared.
The thumping continued, surprising him. He assumed his mother was in the house and would have opened the door because he was sure that whoever was at the door was not seeking him.
He clutched the black card in his palm and looked at it in wonder. He fucking owns $1 million if what Nova had informed him was true.
There was only one way to find out if the card worked; use it on a teller machine.
He hastily stood up and placed the card back inside the box before leaving his room. He heard another small knock on the door and rolled his eyes as he pulled it open.
"Don't you fucking get tired!" he spat at the person standing there, only to scowl as he realized who it was. A courier.
The courier took a step back and briefly looked down at his phone before returning his gaze to him. "I'm sorry. I just arrived... You are Clayton West, and the picture resembles you," he continued, handing Clayton a white package.
Clayton glanced at it, unsure what it was. "What is this?" he inquired, taking the package from the man.
The courier ignored him and handed him a digital pen. "Can you please sign here?" he asked, showing Clayton the screen of his tablet.
Clayton took the pen and signed. The courier grinned at him before walking away.
Strange things were happening to him that day, and he wasn't prepared to find out what the envelope contained. After closing the door, he strolled over to the couch and ripped the package open.
An invitation card bearing the inscription of the popular Kingston Elite Institution dropped out of the envelope. He grabbed it up right away and stared in awe when he realized what it was.
"What?!" he shouted, immediately taking the remaining papers from the package. It was not a joke; it was true.
Clayton was staring not only at the Kingston Elite Institution invitation letter but also at the acceptance letter to the Institution, which had his name, Clayton West, clearly written on it.
"I've been accepted into Kingston Elite Institution." He whispered in disbelief.