Death Wish (4 page)

Wish 5

Harrison mutters something softly, twirling a piece of my hair between his fingers. I stretch; my head is in his lap and we lie together on the couch in my living room. The empty takeout containers of our dinner lie on my coffee table, where we discussed my new assignment over steaming plates of noodles. He traces lazy circles on my shoulder with his other hand. I’m happy, full, and content.
“Hmm?” I murmur, prompting him to speak up. I look up, but Harrison isn’t looking at me. Instead, his eyes are trained on the silver strands of hair in his fingers. He shakes his head slightly, breaking out of his reverie, and repeats himself.
“Did you know,” he starts again, shifting his gaze from my hair to look down at me, “that back in the Old World, grey hair was considered ugly?”
“What?” I bark out a laugh, his words too ridiculous to believe. I sit up and lock eyes with him, pale blue to chocolate brown. “You’re joking, right?”
“It’s
crazy
, isn’t it?” His eyes widen with the excitement he gets from talking about our world’s history. “But no, I’m not even close to kidding. There were all sorts of dyes that people would use to get rid of the color. And this didn’t happen with any other hair color. Pre-Chip people
hated
grey hair. I mean, sure, people would sometimes change their hair from their natural color to another, but they had
countless
ways to get rid of or cover up grey hair.
” His eyes shine with passion, gesturing widely with his now-free hands.
I snort with incredulity. It’s partly from the expression on his face, but mostly because that is one of the most absurd things I’ve ever heard about people from the past. “I don’t believe you. It’s
hair
. Why would they care so much?”
Harrison shrugs, taking on a more serious expression. “Maybe it was because of their lifespan? I would guess the grey hair reminded them of their mortality. But whatever the reason, not very many people seemed to be fans of the color.”
I look down at the silver and dyed-blue strands of my hair. I’ve always loved the color of my hair, and it’s been that shade of gray since I came out of the womb. I can’t understand how someone could be ashamed of something as trivial as that. I know that our society is much less concerned about issues of beauty and physical appearance than theirs was—after all, when everyone can live as long as they want, looking youthful doesn’t exactly accomplish anything—but I still find myself taken aback by the ridiculous things Harrison teaches me about the past.
I pull out of my thoughts to find Harrison leaning forward, once again playing with a section of my hair. He looks up at me with a lazy smile. “They were crazy, Elly.” His voice is husky as he looks down at the intertwined strands of blue and silver. “Your hair is the most beautiful color I’ve ever seen. It looks like mist, fog, and starlight all at the same time.” He gives my hair a little tug and I close the distance between us in a gentle kiss. I sigh against his mouth. Even two years into our romance, Harrison’s kisses still make me melt. After a few moments, Harrison pulls back. I quirk an eyebrow at the sad expression on his face.
“I’m going to have to stock up on those, now that I’m not partnered with you at the moment.” He smiles, but he still looks sad. I wrap his hand between my own and brush my thumbs over his knuckles.
“I’m really going to miss going on assignment with you, Elly,” he admits. I nod. “I still can’t believe the Primary assigned you to another pixie.”
I smile at his use of the term upper-rank Godparents use to describe new recruits. One of his arms is curled behind his head, the other draped around my shoulders. His relaxed posture is at odds with the tension in his voice. I poke the strip of exposed skin between the hem of his T-shirt and his pajama pants playfully.
“Well it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve handled a newbie, now is it?”
“Exactly,” he replies. “Come on, the last time that happened you fell in love with your protégé. I can’t have that happening again.” Mock horror colors his features.
I laugh and draw my hand away to trace swirling patterns on his chest with my fingers. I pretend to be deep in thought. “Well, maybe you
should
be worried. She did have these amazing green eyes…” I trail off and look at him with a wink. He laughs and squeezes my shoulders in a side-hug.
“Nah,” he replies, “I’m not worried. There’s no way she’s prettier than me. But still... It’s going to be weird not having you around at work.”
I pull away and look back down at him; his expression is once again sad. He looks away from me, and the slump of his shoulders shows that he’s taking this harder than I anticipated. But he’s not the only one who’s sad; I’m proud that the Primary trusts in my abilities enough to assign me another trainee, but I don’t like being separated from Harrison. I shake my head slightly.
No use getting depressed over things we can’t change
.
We might not be working together, but the assignment won’t last forever. The two of us will be working together again soon enough. I sigh softly and pull my partner close, whispering
come here
.
“Hey, Hare,” I say, “just because I’m training a pixie, doesn’t mean we’ll never see each other.” He leans against my shoulder and I run my fingers through his gold and blue hair, curling our bodies together on the sofa. “The Primary said that my only job for the next couple of weeks will be training her in combat, acting and Chip extraction skills. And besides, once I’ve finished doing trial Wish assignments with her and she’s paired with another Godparent, you and I will team up again.” I refuse to stay sad over something temporary. I poke him, and when he looks up at me I smile encouragingly.
“It’ll go by quickly. We’ll still spend as much time as possible together. We just won’t be able to be together when either of us are on assignment or I’m training Robin.” To my relief, he doesn’t look sad anymore.
“And besides,” I continue, reaching down to speak into the blue pendant around my neck, “as long as we have these, we’re never apart. Right?”
Harrison returns my smile this time and lifts his own pendent to his lips.“Right.”
His deep, beautiful voice comes out of my own necklace. No matter the distance, we are always connected.

*

“So you’re our newest recruit?”
I rest my hands on my hips while I size up Robin. We are standing in the workout studio of the Godparent facility; a huge, dome-roof gymnasium made of concrete. Various workout machines and padded mats are scattered around us, while ropes used for gymnastics and strength training hang from the lofty ceiling. We are both dressed in the standard workout attire for Godparents: tight black sleeveless tops and black spandex capris that cut off at the knee. Our feet are bare. I glance down and notice part of a tattoo on Robin’s calf. Roots made of brown ink wrap around her ankle and a dry, brittle vine curls its way up her calf before disappearing under the fabric of her pants. I’m curious about the design, and make a mental note to ask her about it later.
Robin bows her head to me respectfully. “I am, Godmother Hayworth. I’ve wanted to be a member of the Fairy Godparents as long as I can remember.”
I’m surprised by her words. The majority of the populace treats the Fairy Godparent Organization the same way you would treat a wild animal: fascinated by it, but too scared to get close. There is no shortage of cruel rumors about us, and the rare times I find myself out in public I am treated like a pariah.
“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow in interest. My reasons for joining the Godparents were radically different than the reasons most people joined, so I’m always curious about what drives others to become Godparents. I signed up because I wanted to help people, but most of the other people who apply are enticed by the perks of free room and board, as well as the mystery of the job itself. “Why did you want to join us, Initiate Sun?”
She seems a bit taken aback at the question and her mouth opens wordlessly. She probably wasn’t expecting me to take any interest in her during the training. I gesture my hand in front of me, encouraging the newcomer to speak.
“Um, well, why do I want to be a member… Well I
—
Um…” She fumbles through her words. A light shade of pink crosses over her cheeks. “I
—
I’m sorry Godmother Hayworth, I guess I’ve never really thought about my reasons behind it. It just always seemed like something I wanted to do.” She looks back up at me, her eyebrows furrowed with guilt as she fingers the hem of her black tank top nervously.
I small laugh escapes me. She jumps slightly at the noise and then meets my gaze, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Don’t worry, Initiate Sun.” I wave my hand in the air dismissively. “This isn’t some sort of test. I was just curious. Since I’m going to be training you, I thought it would be nice if we got to know one another. And by the way, I’m not very big on formalities, so please call me Eliza.”
The pink colors her cheeks again, but this time a timid smile accompanies it. “Thank you, Godm
—
I, I mean, Eliza. And, um, you can call me Robin.”
“I would love to, Robin.” I return her smile back before turning around. I wonder what made her choose this path. It isn’t often that a young person joins the Godparent ranks. Harrison didn’t join until he was twenty-one, and I was a rarity when I became a Godmother at age eighteen. The majority of Godparents sign on somewhere between the ages of forty and sixty-five. And the decision to become a Godparent isn’t a light one to make: this job becomes your life. The Fairy Godparent Organization Headquarters is not only where we work, but it’s also our home. The only times I really leave the complex are when I’m out on assignment or getting coffee from my favorite cafe across from Headquarters.
While it seems naive once you actually become a Godparent, I can understand the appeal of applying to be one. After all, we’re the mysterious government agents who hold the secrets to death. There are plenty of young people who try to apply, hoping for a glimpse into the hidden mysteries of our world. But once they discover the catch, almost all of them back out.
This job is permanent.
Once you sign up and are fully initiated you can’t leave. The only way to quit your job is to turn in what has been sarcastically dubbed a “Fairy Resignation”.
You stop being a Godparent when you submit your own, personal Death Wish.
Once they find that out, it’s no wonder that so few young people actually go through with their application.
I walk over to a series of painted track lines that run in a circle around the entire room. I motion for her to follow. I raise my hands above my head, interlocking my fingers and arching my back as I stretch. Robin comes up beside me, her hands at her side while she watches me. I bring the knee of my left leg to my chest, still stretching, and turn to her.
“You may want to stretch too,” I say, motioning to the empty space next to me. “We’re going to start our session with a run.”
“Oh!” She immediately starts copying my movements. “Right away, Eliza.”
So polite,
I think to myself. Clearly she’s feeling nervous.
I sit down on the floor, my hands briefly grazing the rubber material of the track before I lean forward to stretch my hamstrings. “So, Robin,” I say after she sits down beside me, “tell me about yourself. What’s your story?”
She pauses mid-stretch. “My story?”
I nod. “Your age, your family, the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten. You know, the important stuff.” I grin and she lets out a soft giggle, pushing a strand of loose black-and-green hair behind her ear. She continues stretching while she answers.
“Well… I’m nineteen years old. My mom and my younger sister are the only family I have left after my dad submitted a Death Wish. I can’t really think of anything I’ve eaten that would be considered weird.” She cocks her head upward, deep in thought, and then looks back at me. “I genuinely like Brussels sprouts. Is that weird?”
I bark out a laugh, and stand back up. I reach my arm up, raising my hand over my head and leaning to stretch my left side. “How about we classify that as
somewhat
weird?”
She giggles again as she nods.
“Um, what about you Godm
—
er, Eliza?” She comes to her feet as well. “What’s your story?”
I nod my head towards the track stretching out in front of us. “How about we run while I tell you? We’ll just do three laps today.” The room is very large, so even three laps will still take some time. She nods, and we both start sprinting.
“Well, as you know, I’m a Godparent, and I’ve been one since I was a bit younger than you. I’m twenty-four now, and I’m coming up on my sixth anniversary here.” I look to see how Robin’s doing, and am surprised to see that she’s keeping pace with me. “Wow,” I exclaim, “I didn’t think you’d be doing this well! Do you run a lot?”
She nods, her focus on the track in front of us. “Yeah, I love running. It just… it makes me feel
alive
, you know?” She glances over at me, then looks ahead again. “The wind in my hair, feeling the strain of my muscles... It’s amazing. I love it.”
I think about this for a moment, paying attention to the experience of running. The sweet ache of my muscles courses through my legs, waking up from the sudden surge of activity, and the cool breeze feels very refreshing when it passes over me. She’s right. It does feel pretty great.
Robin continues. “Six years huh? And you’re already at the top of the Godparents… Wow.”
I shrug, angling my body slightly as we run around the first curve of the track. “I’m not at the
top
. I mean, I’m still a field agent. Primary Godfather Johnson is the head of our organization. But most people in the office do classify my partner and me as the best of the field agents in our region.” I look over at her again with a grin. “And hey, not to brag, but they’re right.”
Robin smiles, a bit bolder than before, and begins pulling ahead of me. “Well that may have been true
before
, but now
I’m
here. And I think the title of best field agent sound pretty good…”
She pauses, looks over at me, and before I know it we’re both laughing. With the wind flowing past me and our laughter in the air, I think that I’m really going to enjoy this time with my new trainee.