Death Wish (17 page)

Wish 23

“Good morning, Eliza and Robin!”
Albert waves at us from down the hall. I wave hello before ducking into my office with Robin. I move over to my desk and grab a light gray cardigan that’s draped around the back of my chair.
“I don’t feel like repeating that story to anyone else,” I explain. Robin nods understandingly.
“Knock knock,” says a voice, and I turn around. Harrison grins at me from the door. I wave him in, and he wraps one arm around me to give me a kiss while setting a to-go tray on the desk. “Morning, ladies,” he says, greeting me and my protégé, and hands us both cups from the tray. “I come bearing coffee.” He winks at me before giving Robin a smile. “How are you, Robin?”
“Oh, heh, I’m doing well,” Robin replies, rubbing one hand behind her neck nervously. I forgot that she uses her shy personality when working undercover. It jars me to realize that I know she’s lying while Harrison has no idea. But I have to act normally so he doesn’t suspect anything. I take a sip of coffee and smile at him.
“So
Robin
did a
great
job with her first solo Wish,” I say, and when she isn’t looking I wink at Harrison over the rim of my cup. He gives me a quick nod, remembering my suggestion to make her feel like a part of the family, before smiling at Robin.
“Did you really?” He looks excited. “That’s great! Well, with Eliza helping you, there’s no way you were going to be anything but amazing.”
Robin laughs softly and blushes. “She is a great teacher,” she agrees, and looks at me while saying, “I’m learning a lot from her.” She smiles at me. It’s genuine, not faked.
After finishing our coffees with a few more minutes of small talk, the three of us start making our way to the Clerical Department to pick up any new Wish assignments we may have.
The Clerical Department is beautiful. It’s the first area you walk into when entering the Fairy Godparent building, and they put all of their best decorators into its design. There are no walls; instead, there are huge, floor-to-ceiling windows that let daylight stream into the area. Beautiful, rich green plants mark the corners, and behind the front desk at the center of the room is a man-made waterfall. Water cascades down a pillar of black granite from the ceiling into an elegant pool that’s filled with fat orange goldfish. It is in this area that people who want to die come to request, submit, and schedule their Death Wishes. Everything about the room is peaceful, tranquil, and designed to relax the client. It’s as if the room says
Come in, you are welcomed. We will make your last moments the happiest you’ve ever experienced
.
Future clients come in through the main entrance, but the Godparents who are assigned their Wishes come in through a back entrance. This way, the clients only think about their final Wish, not about the people who will be forced to carry it out.
Whoa. Forced? Robin’s rubbing off on me more than I realized.
We walk through this back entrance now and head over to Roger, one of the receptionists, who sits at a station behind the enormous fountain. But before we can pick up any new assignments we may have, our attention is caught by an argument going on a few feet away.
“I don’t
care
if it’s not your job, you idiot,” a woman in a lab coat says menacingly to a man trembling in front of her, “I
need
those files delivered to me! Or do you not
care
if another innocent couple dies without submitting Death Wishes? Because that very well could happen if I don’t get the report on the Smiths’ Life Chips!”
The woman looks up while the man she’s talking with stammers apologies, and when she makes eye contact with our group I realize that it’s Doctor Sloan. She tries to wave me over. I look left and right. Harrison shrugs his shoulders, and I point to myself as if to say
Who, me?
She lets out an annoyed
huff
and hurries over.
“No, I meant the
other
Amazon Godmother with silver and blue hair. Yes, of course I mean you!”
Her voice is harsh and angry, and I remember that we aren’t supposed to know each other. I do my best to look confused, which isn’t very hard—I have no idea what’s going on.
“I’m tired of dealing with this incompetent moron,” she continues, shoving a piece of paper at my chest. I stumble back before grabbing it. “I am Doctor Harriet Sloan, and I am
trying
to get to the bottom of the deaths of Joel and Beverly Smith. Apparently no one in my department cares enough to give me the files I need to research this, so I’m giving you the assignment.”
She points to the piece of paper I’m clutching in my hand, and I unfold it.
Alli and James Schumacher, Engineering Branch, Office 3B
is all it says on its surface. The irate Surgeon explains.
“Go to these two, tell them Doctor Sloan sent you to pick up some files, and deliver them to me as soon as you can. Or is that too much information for you to handle, Miss Godmother?” She somehow manages to look at me condescendingly, even though she has to crane her neck to meet my eyes.
“Hey,” interjects Harrison, his voice buzzing with anger. “I don’t know where you get off, but this lady is one of the top Godparents in our organization,
not
your personal messenger. And I
—
”
“
You
,” interrupts Sloan, staring him down menacingly, “do
not
get to lecture me. This is
slightly
more important than trying to impress your lady friend with your heroics.”
I place my hand on Harrison’s shoulder before he spits out an annoyed retort. “Hey, sweetie, it’s okay. I’ll go get the file and meet you guys later. It’s easy enough. Besides, this is really important.”
He looks up at me, relaxes, and claps his hand over the one I have on his shoulder.
“Alright, Elly. But
you
, Doctor Sloan,” he admonishes, wagging a finger disapprovingly, “remember that a ‘please’ could work wonders next time.” He turns to Robin, who hasn’t said a word throughout the entire exchange. “Come on, Robin. Looks like I’m your chaperone for the time being.”
He gives my hand a squeeze, gestures for Robin to move ahead of him, and they walk away. I wait until they’re out of earshot before turning to Sloan.
“You know, he is right. Manners get results,” I say with a smirk.
“Just get the file for me,” she says. But then under her breath she adds, “I’ve gotten you a reason to go to the Engineering Department. Try to find out what you can.”
She gives me a quick smile before walking away. Just before she disappears around the corner, she calls out “And
please
don’t screw it up like everyone else around here has.”

*

The Engineering offices are in the building next to Fairy Godparents Headquarters. While the exterior of the Godparent building is all about beauty and stunning glamour, with black marble walls and silver-rimmed windows, the Engineering building is much more simple and subdued. It is shorter than the Godparent building, only three stories tall, and is constructed from generic red brick and white mortar. Trails of ivy grow up one side of the building, and the overall look of the structure creates the image of a quiet house of learning.
I walk over, wrapping my cardigan tighter across my body. There is a definite late-autumn chill in the air, and I’m sure that winter will be waking from its slumber in the next few weeks. I hurry across the cobblestone walkway connecting the Godparent building to the Engineering one and pull open the doors to walk inside. I head over to a nearby receptionist. The greeting room in the Engineering building is nowhere near as lavish as the Godparent one. The walls are painted in simple brown tones, and the desk that the receptionist sits behind is about a third the size of the one for the clerical workers in my building. Then again, I suppose that this division of the Security branch don’t have anyone to impress.
The receptionist looks up in surprise
—
I doubt she gets many visitors here. I greet her, say that I’m looking for the Schumachers, and with a nod she directs me to a staircase nearby.
“Third floor, second lab on the left. You can’t miss it.”
I thank her and head to the stairs. Once I reach the third floor, I find Lab 3B and look inside.
My first thought is that a tornado must have blown through this room. Various pieces of electrical equipment, soldering tools, and the like lie across every available surface. A row of filing cabinets dominate one corner, and a ridiculous amount of papers are strewn haphazardly around the room. Organization must not be a priority for these researchers.
“Excuse me?” I rap my knuckles against the open door. “I was sent by Doctor Sloan to pick up some files. Is anyone here?”
There’s a crash behind the nearby cabinets, accompanied by some cries of “Wait, wait!” and “Coming! Just a second!”
Moments later, two Engineers emerge from behind the partition and walk over. They are clearly twins
—
the only difference between them is gender. They each have a shock of dark brown hair framing their faces, a light spattering of freckles across their noses, olive colored skin, and brilliantly white smiles. The girl of the duo steps forward and grabs my hand to shake it.
“Hello!” She enthusiastically pumps my arm up and down. “It’s so nice to meet you! My name’s Alli, and this is my brother, James.”
“Hello,” says James, waving to me from behind his sister. “Sorry, we don’t get a lot of visitors
so
she gets excited when newcomers arrive.”
The sister, Alli, smacks his arm with a grin. “Oh shut
up
,” she teases, “I’m just personable! Now then,” she says, clasping her hands together and turning to me, “what is
your
name? And how can we help you?”
I smile
.
The twins remind me of excitable puppies. “My name’s Eliza Hayworth, and I’m a Godmother from the Fairy Godparent division. Doctor Sloan from the Surgical division sent me to pick up some files.”
“Oh, yes, of course!” Alli turns around to rummage in a desk drawer. Her speech turns stilted while she tries to look for the files and continue talking. “She… requested… the information about the Life Chips... of Joel and Beverly Smith. Ah, here it is,” she announces proudly, turning back to hand me a thin accordion folder. “This is everything we learned from examining the Chips,” she explains. I take it from her and tuck it safely in the crook of my arm.
“Great, I’ll be sure to give these to her as soon as possible,” I say. I glance at the file, and look back up at Alli, who is smiling happily.
Huh
. Doctor Sloane said to integrate myself with some Engineers, and these two look like they could be a wealth of information. Could they become my source for Chip information? It’s certainly worth a shot. I instantly change my demeanor from polite aloofness to friendly warmth. I give the twins my most dazzling smile and lean against the desk behind me.
“So,” I say sweetly, “you two don’t get many visitors up here?”
James shakes his head. He and his sister sit down on two nearby stools, imitating my relaxed position. “No. All we work on is Chip stuff, and there’s not a lot of interaction between us and other Security Branch divisions. Heck, the only reason Alli and I are together all the time is because we happen to work on the same type of hardware for the Chips.”
Alli nods in agreement. “Yeah, it gets pretty lonely up here.” She shrugs her shoulders in a
hey, what can you do?
motion.
“That’s why I get so excited when anyone stops by. Oh!” She claps her hands again together. “Would you like something to drink? We’re alone so much that I forget my manners!”
Before I can answer she hops up and runs over to a mini fridge. James meets my eyes and gives me a weary smile and shrug, like he’s seen his sister do this countless times and you should just sit back and let it happen. Alli bustles around the refrigerator, and a few minutes later she emerges with a tray of soda and cookies.
“Eat, eat!” She sets down the tray and waves me towards it. I’m not very hungry, but Alli is such an energetic
host that I feel compelled to eat. She chatters excitedly while I nibble on a chocolate chip cookie.
“James and I were
so
excited when we got the call to look over the Smith Chips. I mean, this is a serious career maker!”
“Yeah,” James agrees. “I mean, this is the first time a Life Chip has shut down on its own in… What? Four hundred years?”
He looks at Alli for confirmation and she nods.
“So if we can figure out what happened to the Chips, we’d be heroes! I mean, it’s so
scary
what happened,” says Alli. She gets a fearful look on her face, and stops talking for a moment. James leans over and pats her knee, whispering something comforting. She exhales softly,
pulls her shoulders back, and
then smiles again while clapping her hands together.
“Right! Well, anyway, this is a really big assignment, and we’ve been doing our best to figure out what happened.”
I nod, swallowing the bite of cookie in my mouth before responding. “So have you learned anything from the Chips?”
I immediately repress a wince.
Not subtle enough
. But the two must be more excited than I thought to have a new face in their office, because they don’t even bat an eye at my interest.
“No, not yet,” says James, and I breathe a small sigh of relief. At least the Revolutionaries aren’t in danger. The twins look at each other with disappointment, and my relief is replaced with a twinge of guilt. All actions are connected, and the work of the Revolutionaries is affecting the careers of two sweet, hard-working Engineers.
I feel a twinge of nausea, and realize that my guilt over deceiving these two lonely siblings is manifesting in physical discomfort. I need to get out of here before my remorse causes me to blow my cover.
“I’m sorry, you two. I hope that you can find something soon.” I straighten up and give them a smile when they stand to shake my hand. “Alli, James, it was so nice to meet both of you. And hey, I’d love to see you again. Would you like to stop by my office sometime?”
They both freeze and stare at me.
“R-really?” Alli looks at me in disbelief. “I mean, you’d like to see us again?”
I nod, surprised by how shocked she seems at my suggestion.
“Of course I would,” I confirm. “I love making new friends, and you two seem really nice.”
That, and I could really use some intel on how the Life Chips work
.
Alli looks to her brother and they both grin.
“We’d love to!” They exclaim in unison.
I give them directions on how to get to my office, take another cookie for the road
—at Alli’s insistence—
and when I leave they are both waving happily.
“Bye, Eliza!”
I wave and give them a smile as I leave. I keep smiling after I leave the building, accordion folder in hand.
That was surprisingly easy,
I think to myself.
Looks like I have two sources in the Engineering department.