The Karma Beat

by Juli Alexander

  According to Leo, his father had enemies. My only enemies were my brothers, and they weren’t smart enough to orchestrate my downfall with the Oversight Committee.

  Leo got out of the car and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You want to go in first? I’ll wait a few minutes.”

  “Yeah. Thanks for the tea and chips.”

  “I’ll owe you way more than tea if you can find a way to help my father.”

  I just nodded and walked to the front door. I really, really hoped they had iced tea in the other realm. With lemon. And preferably crushed ice. I could make do with cubes. What if there wasn’t any ice at all? No. That would be hell.

  I didn’t see any sign of Ian or Sean in the foyer so I walked into the kitchen. I was glad they weren’t in there. They wouldn’t know I hadn’t stepped right out of the pantry like usual.

  I yelled up the stairs, “Sean? You here?”

  His face peeped through the railing upstairs. “Are you still mad?”

  “Of course I’m mad, but I’m not going to hurt you. Did you do your homework? And did you have your snack?”

  Sean came pounding down the stairs. “I’m almost done with the homework.”

  I eyed the chocolate smeared on his face and the front of his Falcon’s sweatshirt. “And you had what? A bag of chocolate chip cookies for a snack?”

  “Wow,” he said. “You’re almost as good as Mom.”

  “I saw them in the pantry yesterday.” I should have grabbed some when I had the chance. “And don’t forget to get started on your book reports.”

  Sean frowned. “You’re evil.”

  I held up my thumb an inch from my forefinger. “Just a little bit,” I said. “Don’t get too comfortable, Sean. I’m still negotiating for some input into your list.”

  “Whatever, Stinky,” he said trying to sound bored, but ruining it by breaking into a run up the stairs.

  “Don’t come out of your room until Mom and Dad get home!” I yelled after him.

  Then I turned back toward the garage. As soon as Ian started practice, I was hitting my mother’s office. I didn’t have a lot of time, and this was my best chance not to get caught.

  I didn’t want to give myself time to think about what I was doing. As I keyed in the combination to the office door, I rationalized. The senior staffer information wasn’t top secret. There wasn’t any reason for Leo not to have it. I’d bet you could walk right into the Genie Communications Headquarters and copy the names off of the wall by the elevator. The doorknob turned, and I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. Right, Jen. Then why didn’t Leo just try that instead of coming to you?

  Big-time doubts hit me all at once, but I was already in Mom’s office. I’d violated her trust. Why not get the information I needed? I’d have all night to think about whether I should give it to Leo. If I didn’t give it to him, I hadn’t really done anything wrong.

  The pink-clad genie on Mom’s screensaver winked at me. Even though I knew the program did that, I still felt like she was telling me she wasn’t buying my excuses. “You shut up,” I muttered.

  I went to “My Computer” and pulled up the hard drive. Mom had a file on the Directorate.

  “Bingo,” I said, because it seemed appropriate.

  I opened the file to find only the names and the general information I already knew. No photographs, and no addresses.

  I closed out that file and opened the file marked department heads. Here I hit pay dirt with a mailing list. Pay dirt? I was starting to think in cheesy detective slang. I had almost eighty names and addresses. The senior staffers.

  After sending the list to the printer, I tried to find more detailed profiles on each of them. When the printer stopped, I’d come up with nothing, but I was getting panicked and wanted to get the heck out of there.

  I grabbed the sheets. Closed all the files, and slipped out of my mother’s office. A sudden burst of noise from the garage nearly gave me a coronary. After being in the soundproofed room, the racket from Ian’s band was thunderous.

  My heart pounded as I glanced around. I couldn’t possibly have gotten away with sneaking into my mother’s office.

  I ran up to my room and stashed the list under my pillow. Then I grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and hit the stairs a second time. If I wasn’t playing the drums when Mom and Dad came in, they’d know something was wrong.

  A racing heart and a guilty conscience didn’t facilitate conforming to the beat. I sounded like a novice drummer. I would have been mortified if anyone could hear me.

  I couldn’t concentrate on what I was doing. I kept thinking about Leo, and the list I’d printed, and my mother, and the criminal act I’d just committed.

  Pounding on the drums didn’t chase those thoughts away. And suddenly, I knew what I’d missed in the conversation earlier. Leo had never learned to play drums. He’d just used magic to be as good as the average high school drummer. But how? Why hadn’t he gotten caught?

  Sean popped up in front of me and sent my heart racing again.

  I stopped playing and snapped, “I hate it when you do that!”

  “I was just checking on you,” he said with a wince. “I thought you maybe were having a seizure or something.”

  “Are you saying I’m playing like crap?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  I hefted the drumstick in my hand, but I didn’t have the energy to pound him. He was just telling the truth. “I’m having an off day,” I admitted.

  Sean wrinkled his nose like something smelled bad. “I’ll say.”

  I groaned. “I give up. Let’s go start on the salad. Maybe you can earn a few brownie points.” Thursday night was always pizza night, but Mom insisted we eat some salad with it.

  “I wouldn’t need them if it weren’t for you.”

  “Don’t even get me started,” I said, shoving him lightly toward the stairs.

  He barely budged so he must be getting stronger. The last thing I needed was two brothers who could out-wrestle me.

  “Move it, Cretin.”

  Sitting at the table with Mom and Dad, I couldn’t enjoy the pizza. I may as well have eaten just the salad.

  “Jen,” Mom said, startling me. “Why are you so quiet tonight?”

  Because I broke into your office and downloaded secret information that I’m about to hand over to a male genie who will most likely end up getting me banished to the other realm? No. How about playing dumb? I shrugged.

  Dad came to my rescue. “I guess she doesn’t have a lot to say if she isn’t speaking to either of her brothers.”

  “Exactly,” I said with too much enthusiasm.

  “She’s talking to me,” Sean said around a mouthful of pizza.

  “Tough break, kid,” Ian grumbled.

  “Ian,” my dad said in his warning voice.

  “I’m not the only one on duty this weekend, am I? I have a ton of homework.”

  Mom shook her head. “There are three genies on this weekend. You should be okay.”

  “What time are you practicing Saturday, Ian?” I asked. I really didn’t want Leo running into my mother.

  Ian was chewing and didn’t bother to answer.

  “We told him four o’clock,” Mom said. “Dad and I are taking Sean and a friend to a movie. You’re welcome to come along.”

  Mom and Dad always tried to clear out of the house for the practices on Saturdays. I think it’s because Ian’s obnoxious friends usually came as soon as they woke up and then never left.

  “I might be going over to Alex’s for a while.” I was totally lying, but if Leo was going to check out the people on the list, I wanted to be part of it.

  “Just be sure you get your chores finished,” Mom said.

  She’d designed this ridiculously elaborate chart for our chores. It took up half the kitchen wall. “How could I forget,” I said. I cut off another bite of pizza with my fork.

  I looked up to see Sean stuffing a whole piece into his mouth. Boys ar
e so gross.

  The image of Leo’s warm blue eyes found its way into my mind. Okay, maybe just brothers are gross.

  Ian belched, earning a sharp look from my mother. She usually gave them each a warning burp. For some reason, they seemed totally incapable of controlling their bodily functions.

  Dad finished off his slice of pizza and leaned back in his chair. “That was exceptional,” he said happily.

  Mom grinned and winked at me. Dad said that every Thursday night. I’d overheard him begging my mother to up pizza nights to twice a week. Mom and I both suspected he had pizza for lunch half the time.

  I took another bite of pizza and tried to keep my mind off my perfidy.

  As Ian grabbed for the last slice of pizza, Sean whined, “No way, Ian. That’s my piece.”

  Another Thursday tradition. They’d spend the next few minutes fighting over who had eaten more.

  “May I be excused?” I asked Mom.

  She nodded, and then turned her attention to the squabbling boys.

  I made my escape, rushing up to my room. I closed the door and pulled out the list of stolen names. Had one of these people really framed Leo’s dad? Or was his father guilty?

  I almost kicked myself for missing such a good opportunity. When I was in my mother’s study, I should have done some research on his dad. I hadn’t even tried any of my mother’s file cabinets.

  I needed to hide the list where Mom wouldn’t come across it. Just cramming it in my backpack or purse wasn’t enough. I pulled out my trig book and folded the papers into it. Mom wouldn’t find it there.

  I plopped down on my bed and tried to figure out when I could get back into my mother’s office. I needed to know more about Leo’s father. And I wouldn’t mind knowing more about the Directorate either.

  I wanted to call Leo, but I was afraid my mother could be tracking my calls. Not on purpose exactly, it’s just that it would be so easy for her to do. Genie Communications kept the records anyway, and she had access to them any time. Plus, she probably should be watching out for Ian. He’d probably call some 900 number if she didn’t keep an eye on him.

  Dad had already busted him on the Internet a couple of times. Even Sean had tried to type in the Playboy website. I hated that I shared a gene pool with those idiots.

  I doubted either one of them would ever grow up. Which made me wonder. Was Leo really more mature than other guys his age? I knew he had more facial hair. Was he mentally more mature, or was that just a line? For some reason I really wanted him to be more mature than the guys I was used to.

  I guess having your father incarcerated would make you grow up pretty fast. The image of my parents in jail was so ludicrous I couldn’t help grinning. My parents never did anything wrong. Mom wouldn’t even eat a grape in the grocery store before she paid for it. And my dad was the only person in Atlanta who actually drove the speed limit.

  Leo’s dad hadn’t been such a stickler for the rules. But had he stolen billions of dollars from the wish recipients and diverted it to people he knew? If so, why? Leo was right. It didn't make sense.

  Leo found me before I walked into the school on Friday. He looked hot in his Levi’s and leather jacket. I was glad I’d worn my green sweater and short black skirt.

  “Well?” he asked eagerly.

  “I got the senior staffers names and addresses.”

  Leo grinned. “I knew you could do it.”

  I pulled the list out of my math book and handed it to him. “But I couldn’t find anything on the Directorate that isn’t common knowledge. No addresses.”

  Leo scanned the list. “I’ll MapQuest them all tonight.” Then he pulled a cheap wireless phone from his pocket. “I realized last night, when I couldn’t find out if you’d had any luck, we needed a way to communicate. I bought us each a cheap disposable phone. Genie Communications wouldn’t know to monitor these. I programmed my number in for you.”

  “Good idea.” Was I actually welcoming more interaction with him? Maybe Ian was right and I was a total idiot.

  “I’ll do the computer work tonight and then I’ll start tracking them down tomorrow while looking for the Lexus.”

  “You really think something suspicious will just hit you over the head?”

  He shrugged. “It could happen. I’m going to see my dad tonight too, so I’ll check with him.”

  “I figured out about the drum thing. You know, that you used your magic.”

  With a smile, he leaned in closer. “Like you’ve never done it.”

  “Done what?”

  “Used magic to give you what you want.”

  “I haven’t. You’re lucky you haven’t gotten caught yet.”

  “There are ways to minimize the risk of getting caught.”

  “How?”

  He glanced around. “We should talk about this later.”

  “No really. How?” As if I wouldn’t have heard about such a thing.

  Lowering his voice, he said, “You know. The mirror.”

  “The mirror what?”

  He eyed me with confusion. “The mirror. You write down the wish, stand in front of the mirror, and grant the wish to the reflection.” He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. “You really haven’t done it?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “The magic residue is much smaller, so it’s harder to get caught.” Glancing around, he said, “We can’t talk about this here.”

  “Can we talk tomorrow? I mean, do you need any help tomorrow?” Please tell me I didn’t just ask him that.

  His eyes lit as he grinned. “Yeah. I really could use somebody riding shotgun.”

  “Maybe I could help for a couple of hours.”

  “Tell your parents you’re going to Emory for a Habitat for Humanity meeting. I’ll pick you up at nine.”

  I had been interested in Habitat for Humanity. Mom would probably buy that. “I’ll try,” I said.

  Then Leo focused all his attention on me. “Thank you, Jen. You don’t know what this means. I’ve been trying for days to get this information.”

  I got a little lost in his blue eyes. Before I could come up with an answer, he said, “I’ll check with you later.” Then he turned and went into the school.

  When I got home, I’d have to figure out a good way to broach the topic of the meeting at Emory. My parents would love the idea of me being interested in Habitat, but I didn’t want to overplay it. Mom knew I didn’t have much time for house building, and Dad would probably make Ian go with me. I could hear him now, “Follow your sister’s example, Ian.”

  I shuddered. No way did I want to get saddled with Ian. Even if I were really going to a meeting. Instead, I’d be driving around the city again with the Harley-riding hottie who I shouldn’t trust at all. So why did I?

  I needed to find out more about his father.

  Mrs. Mashburn was one of my favorite teachers. She was smart, and tough, but fair. Unfortunately, Johnson Elliot, the biggest class clown in eleventh grade, was in my comparative government class.

  “I’d like you to work on this project in groups of three,” Mrs. Mashburn said. “Each group will take a country. Then you’ll write a ten-page report and give an oral presentation.”

  No one dared grumble in Mrs. Mashburn’s class, except Johnson.

  “Dude,” Johnson said, “give me two babes.”

  Mrs. Mashburn whipped her attention back to him. “One more word, and it’s in-school detention for you.”

  I almost got zapped with her laser-beam anger since Johnson had sat next to me today. He liked to spread around what he saw as his entertainment.

  Johnson nodded. He kept his comments low and discreet as Mrs. Mashburn started pointing out groups of three. She started on the other end of the room, and I realized with horror that Karen and I were going to end up with Johnson. I liked Karen. She was a good student. I turned and we exchanged a look of shared dread.

  Mrs. Mashburn finally got to us, and I tried to ma
ke a face to convey our panic. Not a sarcastic face but I twisted my mouth and raised my brow in what I hoped was a please-God-no look.

  The teacher faltered, and I could swear her ice blue gaze softened. “Karen and Jen, you can work together. Johnson, you can work alone. I’ll alter your page count accordingly.”

  I heard Karen’s sigh of relief from behind me.

  I mouthed thank you to Mrs. Mashburn.

  A nearly averted crisis wasn’t how I wanted to start the day. I still wasn’t breathing normally after my adventures yesterday afternoon.

  Thanks to Mrs. Mashburn, I didn’t have to cope with an academic disaster on top of everything else.

  Mrs. Mashburn powered up her laptop and started explaining the project.

  I felt such a rush of gratitude. Maybe I should do something nice for her. I was allowed to grant tiny little insignificant wishes. I could give Mrs. Mashburn a tiny wish, but I’d never know what she wished for. If her next wish wasn’t trivial, the grant wouldn’t work until the next trivial wish. I hadn’t granted any in a long time. Two years ago, I granted one for a girl in my class. The next thing I knew, the guy I had a huge crush on walked right up to her and asked her out.

  It had been terrible, and I’d resigned never to make that mistake again.

  Granting a wish for yourself in the mirror…Leo was nuts.

  Of course, Mrs. Mashburn was awesome. And she wasn’t likely to wish for Leo to ask her out. Not that I had a crush on Leo. Because I didn’t.

  Shaking off my errant thoughts, I went ahead and granted Mrs. Mashburn her next trivial wish. Then I hurriedly jotted down the notes to catch up.

  The bell finally rang, and I crammed my notebook into my bag.

  Johnson jumped up as usual, acting all hotshot, and started strutting for the door.

  I saw Mrs. Mashburn give him a dirty look. It happened so fast, I almost thought I imagined it.

  Until Johnson tripped over his own feet and smashed into the floor. My classmates laughed and pointed.

  Mrs. Mashburn jumped back and covered her mouth.

  She had totally wished for him to fall on his face!

  I clamped my mouth shut as a peal of laughter escaped. I never would have guessed she was so vindictive.