Unfinished Muse (7 page)

We’d all arrived early, and Moros wasn’t
there yet. I turned in my seat and checked on my lunch buddies.
Jilly had her hands in her lap, one hand clutching the other as if
she was afraid they might fly away. Her normally cheerful face was
sober. When she caught me looking at her, she forced a wan
smile.

A few people over from her, Elmore sat
slouched in his chair, arms folded, and one agitated foot jiggling
over the opposite knee. He shrugged at me and jiggled faster.

Poor Hal looked defeated. He sat at the
other end of the front row, shoulders sagging. He stared at a piece
of carpet a few feet in front of him without looking up.

I frowned and faced front, wincing at my
sore muscles. Was the job assignment thing that serious? Sure, I’d
be stuck with it for the next three years, but it wasn’t as if my
entire life depended on where they sent me. Seriously. A job was a
job—not that I’d ever lasted at a single job for three consecutive
years. The longest I’d stayed in one position was four months at as
a grocery clerk, and that was because I’d been dating my
manager.

Everyone was acting like we were waiting to
find out which ones of us would be chained to a rock and sacrificed
to the Kraken.

I smirked. Good thing I wasn’t a virgin. I’d
make a lousy maiden sacrifice.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Wynter.” Mrs. Moros
swooped into the room in time to humiliate me with her mind-reading
mojo. “The Kraken is a pescetarian. He gave up maidens centuries
ago. They made him gassy.” She eyed me up and down over her
rhinestone-encrusted glasses. “The purity of his meals was never an
issue, though. So, your reckless lifestyle wouldn’t have kept you
safe, I’m afraid.”

I slunk down in my chair and tried hard not
to think anything else she could embarrass me with. I stared at the
wall behind her and concentrated on pink elephants in tutus until
her attention went elsewhere.

Mrs. Moros pursed her lips and graced the
entire room with a sweeping scowl. “As the rest of you know, this
day is going to affect your lives in ways you can’t even guess at.
I won’t leave you in suspense. In a few moments, a human resources
representative will bring us your assignments.”

All around me were sharp intakes of breath
and nervous shuffling. When I’d woken up this morning, I’d been
more relieved to be done with orientation and testing. Now, thanks
to the tension in the room, I realized I should have been more
focused on where I was going next. My stomach clenched with the
anxiety everyone else had already been feeling.

Better late than never.

Moros picked a piece of lint off the arm of
her lime-green jogging suit and cleared her throat. “Ah. Ben. Come
in.”

A good-looking guy with dark hair and a
pleasant smile stepped into the room with an armful of manila
envelopes. “I’m sure everyone’s been waiting for these all
week.”

A nervous twitter came from the small
crowd.

Ben stood beside Moros. “Since I don’t know
any of you yet, I’ll call out your names, and you can come grab
your envelope. Feel free to open it up when you get back to your
seat. I know how much you want to know where you’re going.”

The very first name Ben called was Hal’s.
Poor Hal sat frozen in his seat, eyes wide. After a moment, it was
clear he wasn’t going to respond. Moros elbowed Ben and lifted her
chin toward Hal so Ben could walk the four steps over and deliver
it himself.

Hal took the envelope with a shaking hand.
He lifted the flap and pulled the paperwork out, his face a neutral
mask. Once he’d read the top of the first page, he gave a single
nod, slipped the paperwork back into the envelope, and sat staring
at the wall with that same neutral expression.

I couldn’t tell if he was relieved or about
to face his death. He was unreadable.

The rest of the assignments went out quickly
after that, and squeals of excitement mingled with groans of
disappointment.

Elmore opened his envelope and let out a
lungful of air. He grinned at me.

Jilly looked shocked, though not exactly
unhappy, either.

Ben got to the bottom of the pile. “Wynter
Greene?” He smiled as I took the package from him. “All right.
Well, that’s the last one. I’m sure you’ll want a few minutes to
look over your pack and talk to each other. Make sure you exchange
information if you’ve made friends, since you’re all going to
different departments.”

I took a deep breath, then pulled the papers
from the envelope.

Congratulations! You’ve been chosen to join
the Muse department.

I couldn’t read the rest. A big yellow
sticky note covered it. There was a handwritten message on the
note.

Please see human resources immediately.

Was I in trouble?

I shoved everything back in its envelope and
glanced around. Elmore and Jilly stood with Hal, patting him on the
back and giving him brave smiles. I hurried over and joined
them.

Jilly gave me a more cheerful smile than the
one she’d been giving Hal. “What department did you get? I’m going
to the Furies.”

The Furies? They dealt in justice and
revenge. Jillian Bean was the sweetest, perkiest person I knew. Why
would they assign her to such a harsh job?

“Looks like I’m going to be a Muse.” I
turned to Elmore. “You seemed okay with yours. What’d you get?”

“Courier Service.” He shrugged. “I have no
idea what that means, but it sounds good to me.”

Jilly elbowed me in the ribs and lifted her
chin toward Hal. He hadn’t moved from his seat and continued to
stare at a section of the carpet, as if it might move if he looked
away.

I squatted in front of him, making him look
at me instead of the floor. “Hey. What’s in your envelope? It can’t
be that bad, Hal. Moros said we can’t wash out.”

His tired blue eyes looked defeated. “She
said that, sure. But I’m being transferred to the Underworld. I
washed out, whether she wants to admit it or not.”

I swallowed hard. I’d had no idea Hal had
been having so much trouble. I knew most of the physical stuff had
been rough on him. But he must’ve been pretty dismal on the written
and psychological tests, too. Then again, who knew what criteria
the people in charge here used? It was all a big fat mystery.

“Did it at least say what you’ll be doing
there? Maybe it’s not so bad.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t read past the
word
Underworld
. I don’t think it matters.”

I tugged lightly at the envelope under his
palms. “Can I take a look?”

He handed it over without a response.

The paperwork inside was different from
mine. Instead of the Mt. Olympus Employment Agency logo of a
snow-capped mountain, Hal’s stuff bore a flaming gate and the words
Underworld LLC
across the top.

The Orientation and Training team have
thoroughly evaluated your qualities and skills and have determined
you are a better match for our Underworld offices.

I supposed if I’d read that as the opening
line, I might have been freaked, too. Poor Hal. I scanned farther
down the page.

…
and are pleased to welcome you to the
Department of Welcome and Transportation, where you will be
assigned the position of Ferryman.

I smiled. “Hal, this is actually pretty
cool. I think you need to read the rest of it. I think you’ll be
happier than you thought.”

Hal’s hand shook as he took the paper from
me and read the rest of the letter. He blinked. “I don’t
understand.”

Jilly frowned at me. “What is it?”

I tried to show excitement so Hal would get
that he hadn’t washed out. “He’s going to be the cool dude in the
cowl who rows people across the river for a silver coin.”

Elmore’s eyebrows rose. “Dude, I would so
love that job.”

It occurred to me that Elmore would probably
love any job they assigned him. How a guy like that could have hit
rock bottom to end up in this place was beyond me. Then again, I
couldn’t imagine how Jilly had ended up there, either.

Hal, I could believe, though. And myself.
I’d been on a rock-bottom trajectory for years. The only surprise
was that it had taken me so long to finally hit it.

Hal sighed and slid his letter back in its
envelope. “I guess that’s not so bad. I probably won’t see a lot of
you guys after this, though.” He lifted his head and sat straighter
in his chair, his attitude one of a brave man off to be executed.
“Anybody got a pen? We’d better exchange numbers now.”

~*~

The staff gave us about a half hour to say our
goodbyes, take a bathroom break, or whatever we needed to do. While
we were busy putting numbers in each other’s phones, the back of
the room filled up with people who chatted while they waited for us
to finish.

Moros went to the front one last time, her
rough voice louder than all the conversations going on in the room
combined. “Time’s up! Everybody move to the back and find the
person holding the sign for your new department. Pleasure working
with you and all that. Good luck, and try not to screw up.” She
stepped aside and waved her hand to indicate the back of the
room.

The new people lined up, each holding a
small sign with departments printed in neat letters.
Cupid.
Courier Service. Human Resources. Furies
. On the very end of
the long line, a man held up a sign that said
Underworld
.
Several people had already joined him. Hal gave us each a quick hug
and wandered over.

Jilly and Elmore joined their
representatives and left the room with them. The Underworld guy was
the only one who had multiples, I supposed because he represented
an entire company, not the individual departments. They all left
together in a pack.

No matter how many times I read the signs
that were left, I couldn’t find one that said
Muse
. Twice, I
slid my letter out and double checked it. It still said the same
thing.

Within minutes, everyone was gone except for
Ben. He stood there looking at me and holding up his Human
Resources sign. “You must be Wynter.”

I nodded. “There’s nobody from the Muse
department?”

He gave me a reassuring smile. “My office
wants to see you first. Didn’t you see my sticky note?”

“I saw it. I just didn’t think it meant
now
.” My stomach felt like I’d swallowed a rock.

Something about the expression on my face
must have made him realize how worried I was. He lowered his sign
and patted me on the shoulder. “Stop looking like you’re being sent
to the principal’s office. My boss just wants to talk to you.
Someone from Muse will come get you from HR and take you where you
need to go.”

I readjusted my purse on my shoulder. “But
why me? What do they need to talk to me about?”

Ben sighed. “Honestly, nobody told me. But I
promise.” He crossed his heart. “Nobody’s going to yell at you or
anything. Will you just come with me?”

I clutched my paperwork against my chest.
“Let’s get it over with, then.”

Ben led me out the door and through a maze
of hallways and corridors. After a few turns, I suspected we were
following a metallic blue line embedded in the marble floor. When
we arrived at a door marked
Mortal Resources,
Ben guided me
in, then turned left toward a second door that said
Human
Resources
. Across the hall, the frosted glass on the door said
Non-human Resources
.

We stepped out of the hallway as a woman
came out the other door holding a pile of folders. Half a woman,
anyway. The other half, from the waist down, was the back end of a
bright orange snake with large, black diamond shapes in scaly
rows.

I turned away, trying to keep my face
neutral and not show how freaked out I was.

Snake hair. Snake bodies. I’m going to lose
my shit if my new boss has a snake head. That’s where I draw the
line, folks.

Ben took me through a room where a few
perfectly normal-looking people waited, then stopped in front of
another door.

He gave a sharp knock, turned the knob, and
stuck his head inside. “You busy? I brought Wynter Greene.”

A woman’s voice drifted out. “No, I’ve got a
minute. Thanks, Ben. Send her in.”

Ben turned and gave me an encouraging smile.
“This is where I leave you. Ms. Eunomia will get you all sorted
out.” He patted my shoulder. “Good luck!”

My heart sank as I watched him march back
the way we came. I was on my own.

I pushed the door open and peered into
office.

A dark-haired woman with an olive complexion
waved me forward. “Come in. Come in. Shut it behind you and have a
seat, Wynter.”

I slid into the chair across the desk from
her and waited while her long, blue-polished nails clacked on a
keyboard. After a moment, she stopped and gave me a long look.

I twitched in my seat. Her gaze felt like a
prodding finger.

“So,” she said. “You’ve made it through
training and orientation. You got your assignment okay?” She
glanced at the envelope I still clutched against my chest.

I nodded. “Yes. The Muse department.” I
hesitated, then sat up straighter. “Did I do something wrong?”

Again, she fixed me with a long, prodding
look. “Wynter, why were you in the Lost orientation group?”

I frowned. “Lost?” Had I been in the wrong
room all week? “They told me to follow the line to Thebes. Was that
wrong?” My cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Why didn’t Mrs. Moros
kick me out?”

Ms. Eunomia opened a file in front of her,
flipped through the pages, then folded her hands over them on her
desk. She cleared her throat. “Wynter, on your application, you
left the field blank where it asks for your father’s name. Can you
tell me who that is?”

In any other HR office, I’d have pitched a
fit over the question. Here, I was mortified at not having an
answer. My throat tightened, which made my voice sound small. “I
have no idea. My mother won’t tell me the truth.”