“That was… wow. Just incredible,” Savannah sighed as she sat at her desk. I took a seat across from her. My eyes scanned her desk for the black folder with my information in it, but I didn’t see it. Disappointed, I looked around Savannah’s office while she continued chattering at apparently no one in particular.
Tall mahogany bookshelves lined the long wall to the left, though they were mostly bereft of books; instead they were filled with a wide array of small statues and trinkets, animal figurines and a few trophies. The trophy closest to us was glass and shaped like a five-pointed star. It said something about regional recruitment engraved on the front, but I couldn’t make out the rest of the words underneath. On the wall to my right hung several uninspiring acrylic paintings depicting multi-colored, abstract shapes and thick black lines; their heavy, gilded frames were much more ornate than the actual artwork itself. I noted there wasn’t a single photo of friends or family anywhere in Savannah’s office.
Idly, I realized she was still talking. I wasn’t aware of her taking a breath since we left the arena.
“I knew you would score high, Aspen, but for a Polymancer to achieve Level Three in all three of their elements? It’s… well, it’s practically unheard of…” She was clearly distracted, rummaging through the top drawer of her desk as she spoke, so I was spared from having to force a smile in response. I was quickly growing weary of the charade.
“Here we are,” she said finally, pulling out a thick black file. My interest was immediately piqued. I leaned forward intently, my heart racing slightly.
Is she actually going to show me my file?
“These are the rules and bylaws of the Order,” she said briskly, opening the folder to show me a thick pink packet that was definitely not my personal file. Though I tried to hide my profound disappointment, I could feel my shoulders slump reflexively as I sat back in the chair. “Tom has asked me to be sure to share them with you. I’ll send them home with you to memorize before your formal induction – that will be this upcoming Saturday, a little less than a week from now.”
I nodded mechanically.
“The main things to remember are: no outside use of Elemental abilities – that means powers are only to be used here and inside your home – unless you obtain prior authorization from Tom’s team. Their contact information is listed here on page two. Additionally, try to limit interaction with non-Elementalists as much as possible, primarily to avoid inadvertently discussing or displaying your abilities, but also because over time you’ll find it’s much more edifying and useful to be among your own kind…”
Is this woman for real? I marveled in astonishment.
“…and lastly, at least with respect to the Big Three – bylaws, that is: No discussing the Asterian Order with any non-members, even Elementalists. That means its constituents, internal and external happenings, organization, et cetera. But you already knew that, since you’ve signed the non-disclosure,” she chirped officiously.
She snapped the folder shut abruptly, startling me, then handed it to me across the desk. I took it and set it in my lap, unsure what else to do with it.
“Back to the subject of your induction, we expect two new members to be initiated at the same time as you, though they’re both several years younger than you and far below your ranking.” She grinned excitedly. “You’ll also get your tattoo that night – three colors, just like I showed you, with the Roman numeral ‘three’ written underneath. Only those who achieve Level-Three statuses get that additional marking on their arm. It’s quite enviable.” She absentmindedly ran her fingers over her own tattoo, which was notably lacking that insignia.
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t want to be part of an organization that would keep secrets from me – or worse, lie to my face. I certainly didn’t want the damn tattoo. I had no intention of letting them brand me like a cow.
That symbol wouldn’t even be accurate, anyway, I thought wryly. I have to make sure I get the information I need before they try to stick me with a needle on Saturday.
And then what? – came the anxious reply. Tell them I’ve had a change of heart? Pray they’ll let me go without a fight? What if Aiden is right and they don’t let me leave? I quickly pushed that fear to the back of my mind.
One detail at a time, I reminded myself tersely.
Just then, I realized Savannah had fallen uncharacteristically silent. She was looking at me expectantly, her heavily made-up green eyes betraying a glint of impatience.
“I-I’m sorry,” I stammered, “I was just thinking about the initiation. What did you say?”
“I was just telling you that we don’t typically provide badges to unofficial members, but in your special case we’ll be giving you one today so you can begin working with your instructors right away. We don’t always have someone manning the front desk, and we want to ensure you have access to our facilities at all times.”
“Oh,” I said, slightly taken aback. “Sure. Thank you.”
“Now, it’s imperative that you keep the badge safely with you at all times and inform us immediately if you’ve lost it. There’s been higher-level talk of chip implants for all members, which would be rolled out in the next year or two…” I quickly put my hand over my mouth to hide my shock. “That will add a tremendous amount of convenience, while also eliminating the recurring security issue of lost badges. But we’re not there yet. The Dubai chapter will be initiating the first beta test sometime in the late fall.”
This woman is insane, I realized in horror. Are all Chapter heads like this or is she just a particularly-malevolent brand of fanatical?
“By the way, we’ve been in close contact with the heads at our Tel Aviv chapter and it does look as though Ori will be immediately and indefinitely transferring here in order for you to be able to begin your Electromantic training right away. Once you’ve outgrown him, as I expect you will in a couple months, we’ll arrange for a Level-Three Electromantic instructor to take his place. That may take some time, given how few of you there are in the world. But rest assured, we will get you the best instructor available, even if it’s the Magistrate himself.” She chuckled at her own joke.
I managed a small nod. Who is this ‘Magistrate’ everyone keeps talking about?
Savannah began scribbling something on a yellow notepad as she spoke again. “As soon as you are officially inducted into the Asterian Order, we’ll arrange for your identity cards – a drivers’ license, social security card, as well as a passport – so do think about a last name you’d like to adopt.”
I stiffened. You already know my last name! I wanted to shout, so I bit my tongue instead. Hard. She really has no intention of ever telling me the truth, I realized then.
“And, also at that time, I will personally oversee the creation of a task force to track down your family. If your parents are out there, we will find them. I promise you that, Aspen.” She looked up from her paper to give me a reassuring smile, fake pity clearly written on her face. A quid pro quo. I felt sick to my stomach, physically resisting the urge to scream.
You already know who my parents are!
Her ploy was so infuriatingly obvious – using what she thought was my own desperation to find my family in order to compel my allegiance to her. My hands balled into tight fists and I used the distraction of my fingernails digging sharply into my palms to re-focus.
“I… really appreciate everything you’re doing for me,” I managed to utter, my voice shaking with emotion. She must have thought I was overwrought with gratitude, because her expression softened and she placed her hand on her chest in some sort of transparent show of sympathy.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door behind me; it opened and Jeanette popped her head in.
“Savannah, do you and Aspen have a moment? I just finished chatting with Tom.”
Behind her, I could see him step out of the office just next door to Savannah’s, giving us a curt nod as he shut the door behind him. So that was Tom in Savannah’s office Saturday night, I realized. He must be the one who took my file that night.
“Jeanette, perfect timing,” Savannah smiled, motioning her in. “Please, come sit! Aspen, you of course remember Jeanette Vasquez from the arena; she’s our Chapter’s Financial Officer.”
I nodded at Jeanette as she approached the seat beside mine, but I was still thinking about Tom. Why does the Head of Security need to spend his Saturday nights reading up on new recruits?
“Congratulations again, Aspen,” Jeanette said politely, smoothing out her black skirt as she sat down. “I’m sorry I don’t have much time to stay, but I did want to let you both know that Mr. Strauss has just notified Aspen’s place of employment that she’ll no longer be working there.”
Her inexpressive face and cavalier tone threw me off for the briefest moment as I attempted to piece together the full meaning of her words.
“What?” I managed to gasp, gaping wildly between the two of them. Savannah swiftly cut in before Jeanette could reply.
“It’s so imperative that you start honing and developing your skills, Aspen. We can’t risk your safety, or frankly, our detection, in the unfortunate circumstance that you have an emotional outburst or an inadvertent Elemental reflex in front of the public eye.”
My mouth was hanging open.
“Rest assured, Mr. Strauss gave your employer a very plausible reason…”
“And what reason was that?” I spluttered wildly.
Jeanette regarded me calmly. “He simply told her that as part of the mandatory requirements of the university internship program you’ve just started, you will be obliged to quit any other extracurricular activities and work responsibilities.”
“That probably sounded bogus to her, since I’ve never mentioned any internship program before,” I shot back.
“He did report that she was initially surprised, yes, but when he told her about the rigorous, competitive nature of the program, she did seem appeased. She said she was proud of you.” I opened my mouth to interrupt, but Jeanette continued smoothly. “We also provided her with an excellent referral for a new waitress… An idea which was credited back to you,” she added reassuringly. “And because we understand your financial situation, to more than compensate for your loss of wages, we are pleased to offer you a monthly stipend in the amount of four-thousand dollars.”
That stunned me into silence. I felt as though my heart had stopped.
“Your first stipend, since you do not presently have a bank account, will be provided in cash.”
As if on cue, Savannah brandished a piece of paper from her drawer and set it down in front of me. My eyes could hardly focus on the text as Jeanette spoke again.
“The conditions of this agreement are simple: one, we ask that you do not discuss this special arrangement with any other member in the Order, apart from myself, Savannah, and Tom; secondly, you must of course remain an active member in the organization, while adhering to all training schedules and Asterian bylaws.” She retrieved an envelope from her jacket pocket.
“Here is your first stipend,” Jeanette spoke casually, handing me the plain white envelope. When I didn’t look inside, she continued, “The envelope contains four thousand dollars, enough to keep you quite comfortable until your formal induction; at which point, we will have processed your identity cards and opened a bank account on your behalf. From that point on, we will continue depositing your monthly stipends there as soon as your official membership is recorded.”
Stunned, I wordlessly looked down at the fat envelope in my hands. I had never possessed that much money all at once in my life. Savannah smiled at me primly from across her desk, the guardian of my gilded cage.
You’re in way over your head! a frantic voice in my head shouted. I frankly had no reasonable retort to give.
***
Thirty minutes later, I left the non-descript brick building with a thick packet of rules, a plastic security badge for the building’s entrance door, and a fat envelope of cash in hand. I felt shell-shocked, as though I had just emerged from a minefield. Worse, I felt dirty for even taking the money. For a moment I thought about tossing the lot of it in a nearby trashcan, but then I thought the better of it. I no longer had a job, and I would have to eat, after all. My red backpack at home on the couch, I unceremoniously stuffed everything inside the front of my zipped-up leather jacket. Then I took out the mobile phone from my pocket and, hands shaking slightly, typed a quick message to Aiden.
Sorry about that. I couldn’t find a break to write. Everything is okay. I’ll tell you more later.
I briefly considered calling him; I knew he was waiting anxiously to hear from me, but I didn’t feel like dawdling in front of that building. What I needed to do was visit Evelyn. It had been a few days and I wanted to check on her, since the last time I saw her was with some creepy Asterian crony sitting on her couch. It was probably also true that I was scared and needed comforting, and while she had no idea what was going on (and, as far as I was concerned, could never find out), she was the closest thing to family that I had, and that alone was soothing.
As I took the back roads to Evelyn’s house, I thought about my parents, something I had actively avoided doing for quite some time. Three years ago, in the beginning, when I couldn’t help but let my mind wander in the dark, late hours of the evening or the silent gray early mornings before the rest of the world woke up, I would become preoccupied, consumed even, by the thought of them: who they might be, where they were, if they might be somewhere out there looking for me. But with no clues or trail to follow, I realized over time that grieving the unknown only served to feed an insatiable thirst that nothing and nobody would be able to quench.
Over the years, I had become quite good at suppressing any thought of my parents. It was easier than one might think; until that week, I had had no memories of them, no information, no photos, no names… In a way, their absence wasn’t even a void, necessarily. To feel a void, one must first have had something with which it was filled. Without knowing what I had lost, I felt only a whisper of melancholy; a sense that only served to remind me that I was lacking something others had.
But now I had held – albeit briefly – definitive proof that they existed. David and Elizabeth Fulman. Just knowing their names had ignited a spark deep within me and I knew that nothing would stop me until I found them. They were the key to finally understanding everything: who I am, who I was, and who I was meant to be from there. If it meant selling my soul to the devil herself to get answers, I knew I’d go straight to hell to find them.