by Lily Webb
Grandma Elle, my new secretary, met us at the door, her face twisted in concern.
“What’s wrong, Sugar? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I held up a hand to stall her, not wanting the guard to overhear. “Thanks, Obax, you can go.”
“I’ll be outside if you need anything,” she growled, and slammed the door shut.
Grandma stood staring at me expectantly. “Well?”
“It was a vampire I saw, actually, but a ghost was a good guess,” I said and slumped into my rolling chair behind the carved, decorative desk that served as the centerpiece of my new office.
“Vampire? What are you talkin’ about?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Grandma narrowed her eyes and rested her hands on her hips. “Try me.”
I sighed. “The vampires recently elected a new president, Julien Delroy, and while we were discussing his election, he showed up unannounced with a bunch of his buddies and demanded we expand the Council to include representatives from other paranormal species.”
“Well, ain’t that one heck of a first day!”
“Yeah, and it gets worse. He and his friends have already told their people there’ll be a Council vote on the issue next Monday — without our approval. They forced our hand.”
“Now hold on a hootin’ minute, you mean to tell me y’all went along with that?”
“There was definitely pushback from some council members, but Heath didn’t have a choice. Could you imagine the public outrage if we didn’t vote after everyone thought we would?”
“Hm, I reckon you’re right.” Grandma sat on the desk and rested her hand on mine. “How do you feel about all this?”
“Honestly? Exasperated. I knew this job wouldn’t be easy, but if things are already this complicated—”
“Oh, hush now with that stinkin’ thinkin’,” Grandma interrupted. “It ain’t gonna get you nowhere. It’s politics, Sugar. You just gotta beat them at their own game.”
“You’re right, you’re right.”
She smiled devilishly, her eyes twinkling. “Ain’t I always?”
“Always,” I agreed, and she snorted.
“You think it has a snowball’s chance in Hades of passing?”
“It’s possible, but I dunno. It’s never made sense to me why there are only witches and warlocks on the Council, so I’ll probably vote for it, but I don’t have a clue if anyone else will.” Blaine definitely wouldn’t, and he couldn’t be the only one. Those in power are rarely in a rush to share it with others.
Grandma beamed and patted my hand. “That’s bold. Good for you.”
“Anyway, did anything interesting happen here during the meeting? Any fires I need to put out?”
Grandma hesitated. “Well, funny you should ask…”
“Whatever it is, just tell me and get it out of the way. I don’t think I can handle any more surprises today.”
“Someone from the Moon Grove Messenger called wantin’ an interview with you.”
I sat bolt upright in my chair. “Really? Who?”
Since becoming Head Witch, I’d gotten radio silence from the staff at my old job. It made sense, given that I was now a member of the government they covered, but it still stung.
“Was it Mitch? Or maybe Flora?”
“Nope. It was some young guy whose name I didn’t recognize. I think he said it was Christian or something like that?”
“Christian? Are you sure? I don’t know anybody by that name at the Messenger.”
Grandma scowled at me. “I might be old, but I ain’t deaf. He definitely said his name was Christian, but I can’t remember his last name.”
Had Mitch already hired someone new to replace me, or had he just reassigned a reporter from another department? Just because I’d never met him didn’t mean he hadn’t been working there all along.
“Okay, if you say so. Anyway, why did he want an interview? And what did you tell him?”
“He didn’t say, but I reckon it’s because of your high profile. I told him you weren’t in the office at the moment and I’d have you call him back if you were interested, but I think you should prolly do it,” Grandma said.
Well, at least she hadn’t volunteered me for something without my knowledge — I’d already had that happen once today.
“Did he leave a phone number?”
“No, but I didn’t figure you’d need one.”
Okay, maybe Grandma wasn’t the best secretary, but she was family and raised me from the time I was a little girl, so what right did I really have to complain? Besides, I’d been meaning to talk to somebody at the Messenger for a while but hadn’t gotten around to it, so calling for Christian would give me a perfect excuse — one that didn’t look suspicious.
“You’re gonna do it, right?” Grandma asked.
“I don’t really see any reason not to. I’ve been a bit, er, reclusive since the election, so I think it’s time to get out there. Especially with this big vote looming over my head next Monday.”
“Oh, I wonder if that’s why he wants to talk to you?”
“Hard to say. I mean, none of us on the Council knew Julien would make an appearance today, so how could a reporter at the Messenger have known?”
“Heck if I know,” Grandma said and pushed herself up off the desk. “Anyway, I’ll let you get to it. Don’t worry about the phone ringin’ while he’s here, I got it.”
“Sure, thanks.”
Grandma walked through the door that linked our two offices and left it open. Realizing that the longer I waited the worse it would get, I reached for the phone on the desk in front of me and punched in the direct extension for the editor-in-chief, Mitch Harris. He picked up after two rings.
“Yeah?” Mitch barked, his gravelly voice as familiar and soothing as an old blanket.
“Well, nice of you to answer the phone,” I said, and the line fell silent.
“Zoe? Is that you?”
“Now that’s shameful. You’ve already forgotten the sound of my voice. You sure move on quick, don’t you?”
Mitch chuckled. “As M.I.A. as you’ve been, can you blame me? I’ve been wondering if the Council did you in or something.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt they’d like to, but so far, I’m still alive.”
“Not that any of us would know. Where in Lilith’s name have you been, Zoe?”
“Right under your nose, as always. I’m just swamped learning all this stuff and haven’t had a chance to come up for air.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear from you. What’s going on?”
“You tell me. My grandma said a reporter of yours called asking for an interview with me today. What’s the deal with that?”
Mitch groaned. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard. We hired someone to replace you a couple weeks ago. His name’s Christian Beaumont. He’s fresh outta school in Starfall Valley but he came highly recommended.”
“I see. Interesting.” Yet again, the Messenger had resorted to hiring someone outside of Moon Grove. Maybe no one in town wanted to fill the big shoes I’d left for them.
“Yeah, he’s a lot like you in some ways. For what it’s worth, I didn’t tell him to call you, but the kid is a little, well, obsessed with you, so it doesn’t surprise me that he did.”
“Obsessed?”
“Well, maybe that isn’t the right word, but he knows a lot about you and had nothing but good things to say. I guess it was only a matter of time before he came knocking on your door.”
“Well, I’m available now if he still wants to speak to me.” I could definitely use the distraction, and I was curious to see what Christian was like.
“That will make his day,” Mitch laughed. “All right, I’ll send him over, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Why? You owe me some return grief for all the trouble I gave you while I worked there.”
“Be careful what you wish for, Zoe. Anyway, it was good to talk with you
. I hope things are going well for you over there. Don’t be a stranger.”
“I’ll try. See you around, Mitch.”
“Yup, later,” he said and hung up.
Grandma appeared in the doorway, leaning against its frame with her arms crossed. Luna, my talking black cat, sauntered out from Grandma’s office and jumped up in my lap. I stroked her under the chin and her purring brought me some ease.
“So, you’re gonna do the interview after all?” Grandma asked.
I shrugged. “What could it hurt? Besides, it sounds like this reporter is a fan of mine, and I’ve always liked to give newbies a leg up.”
“Whatever you say, Sugar,” Grandma said and went back to her desk.
“I’m a great judge of character. I’ll tell you within two minutes whether this Christian guy is worth your time,” Luna said, her voice vibrating through her purring.
“We’ll see about that. Obax?” I shouted to get the gargoyle’s attention. A beat later, the door creaked open and her horned head appeared.
“Yes?”
“The Messenger is sending over a reporter for an interview in the next few minutes. His name is Christian. Let him in when he arrives, please, and try not to scare him too much.”
Obax nodded and closed the door. I sat nervously drumming my fingers on my desk, unable to focus or sit still while I waited. I didn’t know what to expect with the interview, but it had to be better than driving myself crazy thinking about Julian and the upcoming vote.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. Given that the Messenger’s office was right across the street from the town hall, Christian arrived in less than five minutes. Obax held the door open for him, her amber eyes scrutinizing him — the same way she did to all my visitors — and slammed the door behind him.
A fresh-faced, eager young man stood before me, his piercing blue eyes flashing like chips of ice as they swept over my office, seemingly unable to believe he was alone in a room with me. He was fair skinned and white-blond locks of hair spiraled down to his chin. If Mitch hadn’t already told me Christian came from another magical community, I might’ve guessed he was Scandinavian.
He wore expensive looking clothes — a powder-blue collared shirt and navy tie accented by a perfectly pressed pair of tan slacks and an understated leather messenger bag — and it occurred to me that he was probably overcompensating for the fact it was his first job in the industry.
“You must be Christian,” I said, and he beamed at me, revealing bright, straight teeth.
“That’s me,” he said and dashed forward to sit in one of the two chairs on the opposite side of my desk. “It’s so nice to meet you. I can’t tell you how excited I am.”
I didn’t understand why, but rather than say so, I offered him a hand to shake. He stared at it and grimaced.
“No offense, but I’m a bit of a germaphobe. Handshaking isn’t really my thing,” he said, and I shrugged. Luna hopped out of my lap onto the desk and sniffed in Christian’s direction. He reached out to pet her, but she growled and backed away.
“Knock it off, Luna,” I said and bopped her on the head. She growled and jumped off the desk to dart under it. “Sorry, she’s a little persnickety around new people. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you too, Christian. I hear you’re my replacement over at the Messenger. That must be a difficult role for you.”
“It’s not so bad. I mean, I’ll never live up to your legacy, but that doesn’t bother me.” He shook his head slowly, awestruck. “I still can’t believe I’m here talking to you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you’re such an inspiration, as a journalist and a politician. Starfall Valley is far away from here, but everyone there knows about you and the work you’ve been doing here in Moon Grove. You’re a legend.”
That was news to me, and I didn’t know how to take it. My election to Head Witch was a big deal for Moon Grove, but I wouldn’t have guessed that would make me famous across magical communities.
“Well, I don’t know about all that, but I appreciate the compliment anyway,” I said. “How long have you been here?”
“Just a couple weeks. To tell you the truth, I didn’t think I would ever leave Starfall, but when Mitch called to offer me a job here, I didn’t hesitate. I’m glad I came. It’s interesting to see how similar yet different our two communities are.”
“Where is Starfall, anyway?”
“It’s high in the Cascade Mountain range in Washington, in the shadow of Mount Crescent.”
“I see. I’d never heard of it until today. It sounds nice.”
“It is. There are types of magic and paranormal species there that you don’t have here in Moon Grove. You should visit sometime. I’m sure you’d love it. Maybe you could go as a diplomatic trip or something? You know, to improve relations between the two communities. Or maybe you could go to learn some new magic? In Starfall, we believe the higher we climb, the closer we get to the Veil, which makes our magic stronger.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. Anyway, I’m sorry to take over the conversation. You’re here to interview me, not the other way around. What did you want to talk about?”
Christian blushed and looked away from me. “I’d like to write a profile piece about you and your election.”
I weighed my words for a second before speaking. The thought of the Messenger writing a puff piece about me, one of their prior reporters, didn’t sit right in the pit of my stomach, but I liked Christian and wanted to help him.
“You know what? I figured someone would at some point, so it might as well be you, right? That should help you get your career off the ground.”
Christian’s head shot up, his eyes wide. “Really? Are you serious?”
“Sure, why not? You can’t be the only one who wants to know more about me, and it would be good for me to speak publicly. I haven’t done that since I got elected. I worried I’d say the wrong thing.”
“Councilwoman, this is a huge break for me. You don’t have any idea. I’ll make sure it’s worth your time, and I won’t print anything you don’t like.”
Hearing myself referred to as a councilwoman was odd, and part of me wondered if I would ever get used to it.
“It’s nothing, really. Why don’t we get started now?”
Christian nodded eagerly and swung his bag forward to pull out a small pad of paper and a pen.
For the next hour, I lost myself in conversation with him. He asked me about all kinds of things: my initial arrival in Moon Grove and how I’d been unaware about my magical abilities, what led me to pursue the stories I had since I got here, and my stunning upset of an election.
It amazed me how easy he was to talk to — his boyish charm and enthusiasm were almost hypnotizing — and by the time he wrote the last sentence and closed his pad of paper, I’d concluded he had a promising career ahead of him.
Christian sat back in his chair. “You’ve given me a lot to chew on,” he said and tucked the pad back into his bag. “I’m not sure when the story will be ready, but I’ll definitely send you a copy before it goes to print so you can make any corrections you want.”
“Great. Let me know if you have questions between now and then.”
“I will, and thanks again. Anyway, I’m sure I’ve taken up enough of your time, so I’ll get out of your hair. I bet you’ve got a lot of work to do before the first Council meeting next Monday.”
Dread clenched my stomach at the thought. At least Christian and the Messenger didn’t know about Julien yet. However the chips fell, I knew the vote he’d forced us into taking would shape the course of my tenure as Head Witch, and I couldn’t imagine having the press on my tail leading up to that.
“I’ll be there to cover it, obviously,” Christian said.
“Great, I’ll keep an eye out for you. It will definitely be a newsworthy event.”
Christian eyed me and I kicked myself mentally.
“It’s your first official meeting as Head Witch, isn’t it
?” he asked, and I nodded. “Wow. Good luck.”
“Thanks, same to you. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help, even if it’s not for the story.”
“Cool,” Christian said and stood to head for the door. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, so I’m glad we’re off to a good start.”
“Likewise. Now you’d better get back over to the Messenger before Mitch comes calling for you. Trust me, you don’t want to be on his bad side.”
Christian smiled. “Tell me something I don’t know. Have a good one, Councilwoman.”
“You too.”
He headed for the door, and as I watched him leave, part of me I wished I could trade places with him and slip back into his shoes as a young, idealistic journalist.
As soon as he left, Luna crept out from under my desk and sniffed the surrounding air.
“I take it you weren’t a fan of him?” I asked.
“He smelled funny,” Luna said, her nose bobbing.
“He’s from another community. Maybe that’s why?”
Luna sat on her haunches, her tail curling in front of her feet. “Or maybe I know a suck up when I smell one.”
I scoffed and shook my head. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”
Luna fixed me with her neon blue eyes. “Me? Never.”
Grandma entered the room, saving Luna from further scrutiny. “Oh, good. You’re done with the youngin’. Beau called while you were chattin’. He wants to have you over for dinner with his parents on Thursday.”
“Well, that’s convenient because I think his dad was at the meeting today,” I said, thinking back to Sam Duncan, the shifter who’d come with Julien.
I hadn’t gotten to spend much time with Beau since the election, so it would be nice to reconnect — and it would give me the perfect opportunity to get the scoop on his dad’s role in Julien’s little gang.
“Meetin’ the folks already, huh? Sounds like things are gettin’ serious between you two. Are you gonna be Mrs. Duncan soon?”
My cheeks burned. “I doubt it. Anyway, thanks for letting me know. Do I have anything on my calendar Thursday night?”
