It started with an old tv 📺 (reborn in hxh)

Not x in x Kansas x Anymore

"Hey... hey! Wake up!"

I grumbled, pulling my blanket over my head... Only, there was no blanket. Huh? I groggily sat up and tried to rub the sleepiness out of my eyes. "What... who? Is someone there?" I murmured. I vaguely heard people whispering. This... is my room, right? Is there someone else here? Or am I still dreaming?

Confused and alarmed, I glanced around as my vision finally sharpened. First of all, I was sitting on a dirty cement floor- definitely not my bed. Second of all, I was in some sort of dark sewer-like cave. It looked like a huge tunnel, with big pipes lining the walls. Third of all, I was surrounded by three strangers all talking to each other in hushed tones.

I blinked again. What is this...? It has to be some kind of lucid dream. I pinched my cheek hard. "Ow!" I yelped. Then I put my hand back down and stared at the three strangers, dumbfounded. If this isn't a dream, then where am I? I covered my mouth in shock. Could it be that I'm being kidnapped? Or HAVE been kidnapped, since it's past tense? Wait- this is no time to be worrying about grammar!

"Who the hell are you?" one of the men asked. He looked normal enough, save for the random badge pinned onto his shirt. 2? What's that for? The other one had the same badge, but with a number one instead. Behind them, I could see a... green man? A very short, bald, green man in a suit, the only one without a badge. I squinted. What kind of costume is that? Is he even human?

I looked up at the strangers. "First, tell me where I am," I demanded, coming to my senses. Did these guys really kidnap me? I began to panic in my head. But I wasn't about to look like a chicken in front of these strangers, so I tried to keep a neutral expression. Poker face...

"Hey, be nice. She's just a kid," One said to Two. Kid? Well, I guess to these old dudes, a teenager is still really young. He knelt down and said, "We don't know how you got here. This is the meeting place for the Hunter Exam, and you were here before us- even Mr. Beans here. He's from the Hunter Association." The green guy tentatively raised his hand to let me know who he was as I tried to keep a straight face. Mr. Beans?  That's fitting. He does look like a lima bean.

Regardless, this had to be a dream. But... Hunter Exam? That phrase sounded so familiar... Argh, it's on the tip of my tongue!

"Now tell us who you are," the other man said. One glared at him. "Uh... please," he added. No way. I'm not telling these maybe-kidnappers my name. They were probably playing innocent so that I'd spill all my info. Because if they can do that hacker stuff I always see in FBI movies, they could use anything against me, right?

My heart began to race. So what should I do? An alias? I need a name, quick, otherwise they'll start to get suspicious! "U- um... my name is..." Come on Evly, why is your mind going blank now of all times? Just tell them a name! Any name!

Suddenly, rather than my own thought, I had a feeling that someone quietly whispered into my head.

Aki.

"Aki! My name is Aki," I blurted out.

What was that voice in my head? And Aki? That's not even a common name! It was an eerie voice, one that was difficult to describe. Gentle, like a breeze, and a woman's, probably? I couldn't be sure. I made a mental note to look into it later. Don't know how, but I'd try.

"Well Miss Aki, can you tell me how you got here?" Mr. Beans asked. I blinked. "I..." They all leaned in. "...I have no idea. I don't- I don't remember anything." It was partially true. I had absolutely no idea how I'd gotten here. Though I did know who I was.

They looked dumbfounded.
"Hey, isn't that kind of serious?"
"You think she was kidnapped or something?"
"What are we supposed to do?"
"What if she's just lying?"

I decided to put on a bit of a convincing act. "Th- the last thing I remember is going to bed, and when I woke up, I was in this weird place." I sniffed sadly as an extra effect. "I really don't know how I got here... Can you help me? Please?" I wiped a fake tear away.

The three of them looked at me with pity. But it felt off, like they were staring at a kicked puppy rather than a lost young woman. "Shouldn't you take her to headquarters to look up her identity or whatever you do there? Then her address should pop up, right?" One asked Mr. Beans. I paused. Can they really do that? ...That's kind of creepy.

Beans nodded and held a hand out for me. "Miss Aki, would you mind following me to the Hunter Association headquarters? After all, it is concerning that you ended up here of all places. It was supposed to be closed off to the public until recently," he said. I accepted his hand and stood up, brushing my pants off.

But I wasn't going to the headquarters. I'd already made my decision. "Actually... can I stay here and take the Hunter Exam?"