The ReStart Program Ch. 01

Note: H E L L O <3 This is something that'll be a bit sweeter than my usual stuff. No sex in this one since it's the opener, but trust me, there will be plenty of cheeks slapping later!

Enjoy!

--

In the offices of Golden Scarab Inc., all you could normally hear was clicking. Endless clicking, with a few sighs mixed in here and there. Each of the employees worked the whole day through, responding to calls regarding bad internet services and usually responding in the same way to each of them. "Oh? You're lagging? Maybe you should turn your router off and on. Your internet is being stolen by your neighbor? Turn your router off and on. Your router is on fire? Turn it off, but make sure to turn it back on again."

Near the back of the offices in her own little cubicle was one Vel Campbell. If you saw her from afar, you'd think she was some kind of businesswoman. She wore a suit, held her black hair in a ponytail, and wore heels more expensive than most people's cars. And yet, all she was was another employee.

With a sigh of her own to add to the ones from the surrounding members of the company, she stretched her arms up into the air. "Fuck." She thought. "When's my shift going to end?"

"Tired?" A youthful, boyish voice asked from her right. She didn't have to look to know who it was.

"Hey, Kyle. Finished your calls?" She asked the ginger next to her, accepting the bottle of water he was holding out.

"Yep, figured I'd talk with the hottest girl in the company for a few minutes." He flashed her a wolfish smile.

Vel sighed.

"You know you're never getting anywhere, right? This song and dance you keep doing would probably work better on someone else."

"Ah, but they aren't you though. Go on, remind me why I do this."

"Because you've always wanted to sleep with a lesbian." She replied with a tired smile. "Which, by the way, makes as much sense as wanting to swim on land."

"Ouch." He chuckled. "No, but seriously, are you doing alright? You look extra-tired today."

"I am extra-tired." She replied, leaning back in her chair. "I don't know why I haven't quit yet."

"So you can hear more of my sweet voice?"

"Definitely not that." She laughed, putting her elbows down in front of her. The clicking of keyboards in the background meshed together, forming the sound that basically haunted her. "I just... Is this really all I could do with my life? Giving annoyed internet purchasers obvious advice over and over again?"

"Hey, you'd be surprised how many people don't turn their routers off and on again when something strange happens."

"What, like one percent of them?"

"Probably two."

"Wow, so many."

"Anyway, I dunno. I mean, doesn't the job pay well?"

"I guess." Vel shrugged.

"Better than nothing." With that, Kyle tossed her a wave as his break came to an end. She waved back and started packing up.

The walk out of the building was filled with the same "good evening's" she dished out at least a hundred times a day at this exact hour. Everyone she passed by looked the same as she did. Bored, depressed, somewhat coffee-deprived.

Was this all any of them had to look forward to every day?

As she walked back home because thankfully she lived just a block away, she thought about this. Not the preaching homeless man on the corner of the street or the cars honking next to her or the bird that took a shit just a few inches away from her could take her mind away from this question.

When she was younger, so, not a bitter twenty-eight-year-old, she had so much promise. She had a degree in computer science, she had more friends than she could keep up with, she had her family there to support her.

Now, that degree had amounted to nothing, her number of friends had dwindled down to four, and her family was back home in California. Here in Lowlight City, she had no family.

All she had was Netflix and wine. And usually, that was enough. But today, even as she eventually managed to reach her house, push off her heels, tossed herself onto the couch, and put on the latest episode of some random drama, she felt...

Empty.

Her phone started buzzing. With a childish groan, she reached for her pocket and pulled it out.

"Hey." She said to whoever was on the other line.

"Yo, witch."

"What's up, Carla?" She asked.

"Nothing much, me and the girls were gonna go out to the club tonight. Just checking if you wanted to come with."

"The girls and I*" She corrected.

"Actually, I'm reconsidering the invitation now."

She laughed, turning face-up.

"The club, huh?" She asked.

"Yep." Carla replied, popping out the "p".

"Eh, I don't think so. Not really in the mood tonight."

"Lot on your mind?"

"How do you know?" She asked.

"You always sound like you have a lot on your mind. It's kind of your thing. Well, that and the fact that you look like an actual witch."

What Carla was referring to was Vel's exceptionally pale skin and her long black hair that reached down to her thighs. She hadn't cut it in years. Every time she nearly got around to doing it something else would come up.

"Yep, this whole time I've been lurking in the darkness, waiting for my chance to strike on the foolish humans." She responded. "Hope you have fun though. But, yeah, I think I'll just stay in tonight."

"Okay. Let me know if you wanna go out or whatever. Bye."

"Goodnight."

Once again, she was alone. It was probably a little ironic to ask if there's more to life than work and then reject an invitation like this, but all this deep thinking had Vel feeling weird. She didn't really want to be in a club-type atmosphere tonight.

So, she searched the web as the show played in the background. Mainly just scrolling through twitter, but she visited a few other sites. Then, she came across something strange.

It was an ad of some sort.

[Tired of your day-to-day rut? The same work, the same results? Feel like you're stuck in the mud?]

"Wow." Vel snorted. "That timing though."

[Join the ReStart Program! Your ticket to a new life!]

What the fuck? She clicked on the ad, trusting her anti-virus to keep her safe from any potential threats. It took her to a polished website, depicting some strange empty, but beautiful town she hadn't seen before. It was bright and sunny with tons of overflowing vegetation and small white buildings.

[On November 17, Sunlight Valley will open! Founded on what had been a desolate land, thanks to the ambition of many Americans like you, there will now be a town built to bring to life the dreams of all who wish to look for a fresh start!]

[If you want to make something out of yourself, explore new places and meet like-minded people, sign up now for The ReStart Program! For a small payment, you will be given a residence along with job opportunities to help settle the town.]

[If you're interested, please sign up for a meeting and consultation here:]

Wow. What the fuck? Vel stared at her screen. It seemed too good to be true. The opportunity that she'd been asking for was basically jumping out of her screen. Sure, in the form of a shady website, but it was something.

Further research though was certainly needed. She ended up browsing different forums where people discussed this program and apparently it was far more popular than she'd realized. Several hundreds of people had already signed up for this thing. Even a few famous celebrities were signing off and saying it was legit.

"Huh." She said aloud, alone in the night. "Maybe..."

Her dreams that night were filled with a bright sun showering a beautiful little town in its radiance. People, happy and active walking around with the kind of energy she could only remember seeing as a kid. Then, there was her. Her, in the middle of it all, working some job she could be proud of. Then, as her dreamworld girlfriend ran up to her and kissed her cheerily, she woke up.

Was that kind of future possible?

"Fuck it." She mumbled and after breakfast and a shower, she was calling the number on the ad.

--

And that was how Vel ended up walking into a small, albeit sleek, looking building just a couple dozen minutes away from her home. She was wearing black shades and black jeans, her last few years of mindless work were suddenly flashing in front of her eyes.

She didn't want to get her hopes up, but if there was something that could get her out of that, well...

Walking in, the smell of lemon-scented air freshener assaulted her nostrils. There were a few couches on the sides of the room and some doors at the front that led God-knows-where. One man was sitting at the front desk, glancing up as Vel walked toward him.

"Hello!" He looked fairly charming. "I take it you're here for The ReStart Program?"

"Uh, yes." She extended a hand, shaking his. "Vel Campbell."

"Porter." He smiled easily before handing her a sheet of paper. "Just fill this form out, give it to me when you're done."

"Alright, thanks." She walked back to the couch, not expecting him to continue the conversation.

The paper itself was full of basic, if not a little personal, questions. Stuff like "hey, do you actually have any money?" "hey, are you a serial killer?" "hey, are you currently high?"

She answered every question in around twenty minutes, signed the document, and handed it back.

The man nodded and said into some kind of phone:

"Rosie? We have a new volunteer."

"Oh?" The elderly sounding woman replied. "Bring them in."

"You sure?" He asked. "Wasn't there another one in there?"

"Yes, but it works out. Trust me, bring her in." Rosie repeated and Porter shrugged.

"Alright." He hung up and turned toward her. "This door right here."

She nodded and went through the door to the left. It led to a small hallway with just one brown door at the back with the label "Director Rosie". She gulped.

"Please don't be some kind of scam, please don't be some kind of scam." She mumbled as she neared the end of the hall. Once she stood in front of the door, she breathed in, steeled her nerves, and walked inside.

The door slowly opened with a whine, she saw the elderly woman first. Then, she saw the other person there.

Her jaw nearly dropped. She actively had to keep herself from staring. Sitting opposite the elderly woman, with an available seat right next to her, was one stunning, cheerful-looking blonde that swiftly turned and aimed a potent grin at her.

"Hi!"

Well, picture Cupid's arrow flying straight through Vel's chest. Actually, it's more like Cupid was rapid-fire stabbing her heart with it. She was a gorgeous blonde beauty who looked like she'd just come out of a cheesy romcom. Her smile was the type that made you smile back, no matter how dark and brooding you are. It was her biggest weakness.

Vel gulped and took the seat next to her, trying to seem as composed as she could. If Rosie was at all aware of her internal melting, she wasn't showing it.

"Well, my name's Director Rosie. It's nice to meet you."

"Same here, I'm Vel Campbell." She shook the woman's hand before her attention was drawn by the woman to her left.

"I'm Elisa! Vel? That's a pretty cute name!"

"T-Thank you." Jesus. She hadn't talked to a legitimately beautiful girl in far too long.

The other girl just kept grinning, humming some song to herself as Rosie cleared her throat.

"So, it's good that you got here when you did. I was just getting started explaining how the program works." The woman closed a notebook on her desk and put her hands together.

"I guess I'm just lucky like that," Vel muttered as Rosie pulled out what looked like a photo album.

"So, the ReStart Program works like this: Taking into account your answers to a few questions I'll be asking both of you, you will be given a small home and a part-time job, for the fee you see here." She pointed at the papers next to the photo album. "You will be given the opportunity to live there for two months, at the end of those you may choose whether to find your own home or come back to wherever you live right now."

"So," Vel interrupted her, "why was this program made? It seems a little too good to be true."

"Well, really all you're doing is moving somewhere. Just, for less money than you would if you did it on your own. But, as for your question," Rosie adjusted her glasses, "basically the point is to populate the area as fast as possible as to allow the different companies that will be settling there, the McDonald's, the Starbucks' of the world, to have customers and workers quickly. Not that you will have to work in any of those, you choose a preference for that."

"So... This is basically the same as getting some kind of discount on an apartment?"

"Essentially. Additionally, though, you will be given a part-time job, though that only lasts for the two months. After those, whether you stay or leave is up to you, with the resources you will have built up over the course of your stay."

"Oh." Her work self was starting to appear. She crossed a leg, narrowing her brows and trying to find whatever bullshit the older woman was giving.

"Can I see where we'll be staying?" The blonde suddenly said. Vel had forgotten she was there.

"Of course. Here." She pushed forward the photo album and the blonde positioned it in such a way that both she and Vel could see it.

"Thanks." She mumbled and the blonde smiled.

The pictures themselves showed some fairly standard buildings, but the scenery around them was impressive. All in all, the vibe was bright. It was a feeling Vel had forgotten about over time.

"So, how much will the rent be after the two months are done?" The blonde asked.

"Good question. 1K a month."

"Huh," Vel said. "That's cheap for me, but if I was relying on a part-time job to make ends meet, I don't think I could afford that."

"You're supposed to already have a steady income before you make the choice to come. The part-time job is meant to give you time to look for another, more permanent position."

Shit. The skeptic in Vel's mind was throwing up several red flags. That said, it did all sound slightly less shady than she had been expecting.

"Can I see the inside of those apartments?" Elisa asked and Vel decided she wanted to know this too.

"Certainly. They are fairly small places though."

Indeed. It wasn't the "one leg in the bathroom, one leg in the living room" kind of apartment she had when she had just gotten out of college, but having guests over could feel cramped. As Vel analyzed the images, Rosie had one more thing to say.

"By the way, there was another reason I had you called in while I was speaking with another potential client." Rosie smiled. "There is also a roommate option."

"Oh?" The blonde perked up at that.

"Yes, of course, if someone has a family to bring they can do so, but also, if you don't have anyone to come with, but you still don't want to be alone, we can pair you up with someone." Rosie leaned back and raised a brow. "Would you be interested?"

Vel felt her palms get a little sweaty. The girl next to her was beautiful, there was no denying that, but for all she knew, she could be some kind of ax murderer. She hesitated, but as she looked into those bright blue eyes, she felt her pause fade.

"Um, I don't know... Would you like to? I mean, I have no one to bring." Vel indicated.

"Yeah." The girl nodded. "You seem pretty chill!"

Well. It seemed she was a bit of the "jump in head-first" type. Oh well, Vel had experience with people like that in the past.

"Oh, but..." Elisa cleared her throat. "I should say, just in case it makes you uncomfortable or something." She breathed in and, like she was telling a secret, said: "I am a futa."

"Oh." Vel was surprised. She hadn't met one in a very long time. "That's fine. I don't mind at all."

"Really?" Elisa grinned. "Awesome! Just you wait, I'll be the best roommate you've ever had!"

In her mind, Vel said: "and if not the best, definitely the hottest."

"I'll hold you to that." She said and Elisa gave her a thumbs-up.

"It's settled then?"

"Sure." Vel breathed out.

"Yeah!"

"Very well. Just sign these papers and you'll be official members of The ReStart Program."

--

It would be a month before Vel flew out there. For a few weeks, she wondered if she'd just given random people a couple thousand bucks. But, no. Soon enough, she was well on her way to Sunlight Valley. The plane was currently in the middle of its descent, with a somewhat sleepy Vel waiting for the inevitable end of the trip. Or, rather, the inevitable beginning of her next two months.

In her business clothes, a few minutes and some zombie-like travelers evaded later, she was stepping into a place so bright she had to shield her eyes.

"Holy shit." She breathed out when she saw the place in front of her. Marble buildings, sleek old-school cars as far as the eye could see, happy faces, and somewhat sun-kissed skin. "Is this Puerto Rico or something?" She joked in her mind as her phone buzzed.

Elisa: You're here!?!?!!?

She smiled. She and her soon-to-be roommate had swapped contacts after that meeting and ever since, every couple of hours her phone would vibrate with a new excited-sounding text. It had brought a welcome new element into her life.

But now, the text had arrived for a different reason. This girl, this ray of sunshine was to be her roommate for two months. None of the logical concerns that could have presented themselves in her mind. Every time they tried to make an appearance, all she could picture was that bright smile, that toned body, and her overall positive energy.

And that only got worse when Vel replied with a "yes" and soon, Elisa was pulling up in front of her (as she had arrived a few days earlier) in a car she'd rented.

"HI!" She yelled, rolling down the mirror and maybe this would usually annoy Vel, but right now, all she could think about was how charming she was.

"Hello."

"Come on! I can't wait for you to see the place!"

"Coming, coming."

Her stay at Sunlight Valley had officially begun.