The sound of the engines slowly faded into numbing silence as the metal behemoth came to a stop.
A mechanical voice belonging to the pilot came out of the speakers.
This time, Noah heard it clearly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Los Angeles.
The local time is 10:49 pm, and the outside temperature is approximately 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit).
For your safety, please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until the seatbelt sign has been switched off.
We ask that you take care when opening the overhead lockers, as items may have shifted during the flight.
On behalf of the entire crew, thank you for flying with us today. We hope you had a pleasant journey and look forward to welcoming you on board again soon."
The young man looked out of the plane window, where nothing but darkness greeted him.
How absurd, he was really in America.
Just a few decades late to live the American dream, the young man had come all this way without a plan or a job.
Throughout the long travel, he had spent many hours thinking about what came next.
And the conclusion he had reached was…
'I'm going to be a construction worker.'
No need to interact with too many people.
He could just claim to be mute and work eight hours a day.
He'd find a house in a remote area and spend the rest of his days lazing around there.
The ambition to get rich, spend a life of luxury, with plenty of cars, surrounded by beautiful women, or a loving family, he had it, just…
'Whatever I decide to do, it'll probably only hurt more people.'
There is a distinct look in someone's eyes when they realize you've lied to them.
Sometimes it's rage, resentment, disgust.
Those are not pleasant, but used to them, Noah could endure them.
The ones that truly touched him were different:
Disappointment, pain, sadness.
Looking at someone crumbling, feeling betrayed by your lies, that is the worst.
He could not forget that look, even if he saw it a hundred, a thousand, a million times.
Sophia bid him goodbye.
She had slept through the rest of the flight after dinner, so they hadn't talked much more.
When most other people had already gotten off the plane, the young man finally found the resolve to get up.
He slung his small luggage over his shoulder and walked out, displaying a courteous smile towards the flight's crew at the exit.
As he walked through the terminal towards the airport's exit, he realized how full his bladder was.
He had held it in to avoid waking up Sophia just to go to the bathroom.
He was afraid of having to interact with her any more than he already had, lest he run his mouth any further.
In a hurry, he made his way towards the closest bathroom.
The sliding panel doors made the bathroom look high-end for an airport.
It wasn't common, but a beginner's first experience becomes their standard.
He was about to walk in confidently with a smile when he saw a little sign that read:
"1$ entry fee"
His mood immediately turned sour.
He had no money to begin with; did he have to pay even for a pot to piss in?"
The image of the great American airports immediately crumbled.
Where he came from, the bathrooms may not have been as clean, but at least they were free.
There was no helping it, though.
He really had to go to the bathroom.
With a gloomy face, he swiped his phone over the payment sign and got into the cubicle.
It was really nice, he almost felt like the fee was worth it.
Almost.
After that small emotional fluctuation, he came out of the bathroom relaxed and relieved.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
The notification of the 1$ spent that arrived made his mood sour again.
"damn it."
What he didn't notice at the moment, however, was that the usual notification he got whenever he spent money in the 'red' didn't follow.
And beneath that single dollar spent was veiled a row of messages from his bank.
With nothing to his name, he couldn't even find a place to sleep.
He'd probably have to go homeless for a few nights while searching for a job.
All alone, in a different city, a different country, a different continent.
The young man felt a strange sense of relief…
Right now, even if he lied to his heart's content… would anyone ever find out?
His thoughts were pushed aside as he saw the price for the shuttle to the city center.
Again… couldn't help it.
With his trusty earphones on, he rode the bus as he looked at the lights of the city at night.
He felt there was something magical about this city, probably because it was his first time seeing a different city in reality.
"Hah, even the roads are big here."
He mused.
A hint of fear blossomed in his heart.
Blinded by the spur of the moment, he had come all the way till here, on the other side of the world.
A new foreign place was waiting to be discovered.
He knew nothing about it.
That moment didn't last long, though, since his thoughts quickly went back to his bank account.
He had chosen the destination only because he found a discounted ticket online after all.
He sighed as he unlocked his old phone to check his balance.
Strangely enough, the number written in red he expected to see was instead white.
It should've been something along the lines of 50$ with a fat minus symbol beside it, but that wasn't the case.
A small but at least positive number sat there.
Its white colour stood out on the black background, shining in the boy's eyes like the countless lights of the city.
What was going on?
His mind jolted.
Amongst the few past expenditures, he found some anonymous deposits.
Five of them, to be exact.
In between the plane ticket purchase and the money he had spent to go to the bathroom.
While he was on the flight, someone had deposited money into his account.
And at that moment, with music blasting into his ears, a memory he had mistaken for a dream emerged in his mind.
That floating panel, what did it say again?
It went something like…
"Congratulations on awakening the compulsive liar's… system"
As he thought about those words, a strange phenomenon appeared in front of him.
His eyes widened in surprise.
That strange window hovered in front of him once again.
And it now displayed a few lines of written text:
"Host's current name: Noah-...
Host's current balance: 7.25$
Today's casual lies count: 5
Main lies progression: none.
Lie to named characters or higher to trigger main lies."
It seemed… something incredible was happening to him.
It all seemed too absurd to be true, but the phone he held in his hand displayed his current balance, making it impossible to deny.
A fire of ambition and eagerness that he had tried his best to keep at bay sparked from deep inside him.
His lips turned into a barely contained smile as he looked out the window.
The beautiful lights in the distance made for an incredible view of the city's skyline, but the most beautiful sight was visible only to him.
And it was floating a few centimeters from his face.
In the meantime…
At one of the most luxurious five-star hotels in the whole city…
A black Maybach slowly halted at the entrance, where a clear, resplendent red carpet accompanied various distinguished people inside.
Two elegant valets immediately received the guest, one reaching out to open the door while the other opened the car trunk and took the luggage.
The black-tinted windows made it impossible to recognize the person sitting in the back seat until they stepped out.
Her elegant shoes touched the red carpet, and before long, a delicate-looking woman was walking towards the entrance.
Her chestnut hair rested gently on her shoulders, while her dark eyes scanned beyond the glass door.
She was looking for someone.
Elegant but not over-luxurious, her clothes were all of great design.
Custom-made for her 170 cm height (5'6), they perfectly displayed her slender figure.
Even if a bit tired from the flight, she carried on with a confident, steady stride.
Her footsteps halted when an old butler dressed in black bowed to her side.
"Welcome to the Grand Fair hotel, Miss Sophia. We have been waiting for you.
Was the flight bearable?"
Even in his old age, his attitude remained professional, slightly tainted by kindness grown over the years.
"Thank you for the concern, it was alright.
There weren't any delays."
"That is pleasant to hear."
The old man displayed a nice expression as he indicated the way.
"Please, after you.
Miss Bailey has been eagerly waiting for your arrival."
Having heard what she was waiting for, the young woman smiled and thanked the butler before making her way into the Grand Fair hotel.