Eden's Escape

by M. Tara Crowl

  Heloise was very tall, with thick but well-groomed eyebrows and cheekbones so prominent, their shadows were slashes on her cheeks. Her silky hair was shoulder-length, and she always dressed like she’d just stepped off a runway.

  Sylvana eyed them importantly. “Everyone knows why we’ve gathered. An American businessman by the name of David Brightly has released a statement claiming that his daughter has been kidnapped. That ‘daughter’ is our very own Eden.”

  The women nodded, carefully concealing their reactions.

  “As you all know, several weeks ago, we came closer to achieving our mission than ever before. Since I founded Electra in 1757, we’ve never been so close to acquiring the lamp.” Sylvana gripped the table, and her nostrils flared. “Unfortunately, Eden”—she said the name like it was a disease—“took us for fools. Not Xavier or Goldie, but a naïve, powerless baby genie. A twelve-year-old. A child!”

  Next to Violet, Monroe was scowling, as usual. Monroe’s clothes hung off her gaunt frame; her hair, currently turquoise, hung straight and limp around her face; her complexion was cadaver-pale, and her eyes looked half-dead. Everyone knew that part of her thousandth wish was to not need sleep. Maybe it was time-effective, but it made her seem more phantom than human. And really, what was the point of saving time when you had eternity?

  “Clearly,” Sylvana went on, “Brightly is a thwarted wisher. He certainly isn’t the first. But if we play this right, we’ll make him the last.”

  “Do you have a plan, Sylvana?” Kingsley piped up. Kingsley had the lovely face and soft blond curls of an angel, but she was as cruel and cunning as they come.

  Sylvana smiled. “Of course I have a plan.”

  A familiar blend of admiration and envy stirred in Violet. Without exception, even when a situation looked wrong from every angle, Sylvana always had a plan.

  “But first, I have an announcement to make. As you all know, every thirty years I appoint a new CEO, so as not to arouse the suspicion of mortals.”

  Violet stiffened as adrenaline shot through her veins.

  From the time Electra was founded, its alumni members had roamed the world, supposedly seeking treasures for the auction house to acquire and sell. Of course, they were actually searching for the lamp—but the mortal employees who handled day-to-day operations didn’t know that. By the late 1800s, Electra was thriving, and Sylvana decided she needed a genie alum to help her run the company. So Athena, the first alum to join Electra, became its very first CEO. After thirty years, Athena returned to obscurity and Monroe replaced her. The position was given to Kingsley next, and then Julianna. Violet wanted it more than anything in the world.

  “Julianna has been CEO for the last thirty years,” Sylvana continued, “and she’s done the job well. But tomorrow morning, she will leave for a well-earned sabbatical in Japan. Tonight, someone will take her place.”

  Blood rushed to Violet’s head. This time, it had to be her. Now, more than ever before, she’d proven herself. She’d found Eden with the lamp. She’d spied on Eden at the Rockwells’ apartment. She’d enticed Bill Rockwell to the amusement park. It wasn’t her fault things had gone awry from there. She’d done everything right—hadn’t she?

  “Our new CEO has shown herself to be crucial to Electra,” said Sylvana. “She’s sharp, she’s decisive, and she commands respect. Most importantly, she is single-mindedly devoted to our cause. Under her leadership, we will acquire the lamp.”

  Violet swallowed. This was it.

  “Ladies, I present to you Electra’s new CEO.”

  The chairs creaked softly as the women leaned forward on the polished walnut table.

  “Heloise.”

  Violet had been struck by lightning a few times. (When you’d been on Earth for nearly twenty-five hundred years, these things happened now and then.) Being immortal, she was also un-injurable, so the lightning couldn’t do any real damage—but it hurt.

  When Heloise’s name passed through Sylvana’s lips, it hit Violet just like lightning.

  With a start, she realized the room was applauding. Dazedly, she clapped a few times too.

  Heloise rose from her white leather chair and air-kissed Sylvana on both cheeks. Sylvana whispered something in her ear, and Heloise laughed.

  The burn of betrayal sizzled on Violet’s skin.

  “Now, for the plan,” said Sylvana. “Essentially, we’ve got to make David Brightly our new best friend. Ladies, you know how this works. Tomorrow night we have the Paris Jewels auction. The crème de la crème of Paris will be there. Tomorrow morning, Heloise and I will pay a visit to Mr. Brightly and extend him a personal invitation.”

  No one questioned whether Brightly would want to show his face at an auction the day after announcing his daughter’s disappearance. Mortals never said no to Sylvana.

  “Once he’s in my pocket, we’ll talk about the lamp and see what he knows.” Sylvana drummed her fingertips on the table. “And then our real work will begin.”

  The next morning, a chorus of chirping birds ensured that everyone in the Montmartre house was awake at dawn.

  “How many birds does she have?” Eden moaned, turning on her side.

  “Who knows,” Pepper answered, sounding as sleepy as Eden felt. “Wanna go upstairs and find out?”

  “Yeah, right.”

  Eden’s sleep had been uneasy. The bed was squeaky and saggy, and mysterious noises came from every direction. It was impossible to know whether it was just the old house settling, or other animals—visible or otherwise.

  And yet, those were small matters compared to the worrisome thoughts that had tormented Eden all night.

  She’d been so quick to volunteer to accompany Delta to Brightly Tech. She didn’t regret it, exactly, but lying in bed, she’d started to remember how she’d felt the night before. The unbelievable force that had kept her trapped in that awful chair. The sensation of needles being stabbed into her skin again and again. And worst of all, the feeling of being regarded as an experiment rather than a person.

  She reminded herself that Delta’s power was going to conceal her completely. That she was immortal. That she was brave. And that once they got the lamp back, she and Pepper would be free to return to New York.

  She was still scared. But those reminders had helped.

  A hard knock came at the door.

  “Come in!” Pepper croaked.

  Bola pulled the door open. She was already dressed in a black T-shirt, black jeans, and combat boots. Standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, she looked like a shadowy superhero—or maybe a villain.

  “Delta and I are going to the bakery to pick up food for breakfast.” She didn’t bother with a greeting—just launched right in, as if they were in the middle of a conversation. Eden supposed “rise and shine” wasn’t Bola’s style. “Get up, get dressed, and meet us downstairs.”

  “This early?” Eden moaned. Through the window, the sky was only just beginning to light up.

  Bola shot her a glare. “As if we have time to waste,” she snapped. And just like that, she was gone.

  “Good morning to you too, sunshine,” Pepper murmured.

  Eden swung her feet onto the battered wood floor. Realistically, she wouldn’t have been able to go back to sleep anyway.

  “I’ll shower first,” she said to Pepper.

  Over fruit and croissants, they cemented their plan. Bola would drive Delta’s car, a boxy brown Renault from the 1980s. Pepper and Delta would ride along, as would Eden—though only Delta would be able to see her. She was going to make Eden invisible before they left the house.

  They’d park the car around the corner from Brightly Tech. (Even though Eden had no idea where she’d run from the morning before, Bola had looked up the facility’s location as soon as she and Pepper had landed in Paris and saw the news.) Delta would go inside and tell the receptionist that she had information about Eden. Hopefully she’d have to wait to speak to someone. While she did, Eden would see if she could
find the lab where she’d seen the lamp.

  “That’s your one job today, Eden. Do you understand?” Bola said. “We want you in and out of there as quickly as possible. No messing around.”

  “Yeah, I understand. Pretty simple.” Eden forced herself not to roll her eyes. It was like Bola thought she was a little kid.

  “All right,” said Bola. “Let’s get going. Eden, are you ready?”

  Eden had just finished her croissant. She brushed the crumbs off her fingers and stood up. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “Delta?”

  With no fuss or deliberation, Delta looked up and made eye contact with Eden.

  Pepper shrieked. “I can’t believe it!” With a stunned look on her face, she came right up to where Eden was standing—so close, Eden had to take a step back.

  “Hey,” she said, laughing.

  “She can’t hear you,” Delta said. “You’re already gone.”

  “I am?” Eden looked down at her body. Everything looked and felt completely normal. She could see her jeans on her lanky legs, and the sneakers on her feet. She could see her arms, her hands, her genie bracelet, and the end of her blond braid. Even her voice sounded normal.

  “That’s incredible!” Pepper hooted.

  “I can see and hear you,” Delta said. “But no one else can.”

  “What is she saying?” Pepper asked.

  “Nothing much,” Delta said absently.

  Bola walked up and examined Eden—or, rather, the empty space they now saw instead of her. She nodded, satisfied.

  “Very good,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  The lobby of Brightly Tech looked more like a normal office building than what Eden had seen upstairs. Rather than the harsh white, fluorescent-lighted space, there was gray marble floor, a waiting area with black leather settees, and a big black desk where two receptionists sat.

  To the right and left of the receptionists were elevators. Employees arriving for work, holding briefcases and takeaway coffee cups, exchanged greetings with one another and filed onto the elevators to start the workday.

  Once they’d entered through the revolving doors, Delta gave Eden one final nod, then approached the reception desk. Eden hung back, watching the employees. Ideally, she’d see one she recognized and follow him or her to the floor where she’d been. Even though she couldn’t be seen or heard, she still had to use the elevator like everyone else.

  She watched Delta speak to the receptionist, then sit on a settee. She still hadn’t spotted anyone she recognized, but she’d have to get going anyway. She followed two women onto an elevator and flattened herself against the wall.

  She examined the buttons. There were eight floors.

  “I don’t think anyone knew,” said one of the women in French. She pressed the button for the fourth floor. “But are you surprised? I’ve been working here for three years, and I know nothing about him.”

  “But a daughter! That’s a big thing to hide.”

  Eden stiffened. They were talking about her! She supposed it would be a popular topic in the office.

  “Apparently she was his sister’s daughter. I didn’t even know he had a sister.”

  “He certainly knows how to protect his privacy.”

  The elevator hit the fourth floor and the women stepped off. Outside the elevator was a hallway with gray carpet on the floor, and normal wooden doors along the walls. Definitely not where Eden had been. Anyway, she was sure she’d been up higher than four stories.

  Alone on the elevator, Eden pressed the button for the eighth floor. The elevator rose again.

  The doors opened to a reception desk in front of a wooden wall. The receptionist seemed to be the gateway to whatever the floor held. This was more promising, at least. Eden stepped off the elevator.

  The receptionist pushed up her glasses and frowned directly at Eden. For a moment Eden was afraid she’d somehow slipped out of the ghost state and become visible, but then she realized the receptionist was confused because the elevator had seemed to come up with no one in it.

  In the wall behind the receptionist was a door made of the same chestnut-colored wood as the wall itself. Eden walked past the reception desk and up to the door. Carefully, she put out a hand to test the door’s handle. Not surprisingly, it was locked—but to the left of the door frame was a sensor.

  From behind the desk, Eden could see that the receptionist was reading a news Web site on her computer. Lying beside the keyboard was an ID card displaying the receptionist’s name and photo.

  Surely that ID would open the door. But picking it up right in front of the receptionist would attract her attention. Eden needed to create a distraction.

  It was time to be a ghost.

  On the other side of the desk was a wire-mesh cup filled with pens and pencils. Eden crept over and pushed it off the edge, so the cup crashed onto the floor and the pens spilled out. The receptionist cried out and stared in its direction. She stood up and went to examine the mess.

  Quickly, Eden swept the ID card off the desk and held it to the sensor. To her delight, she heard a quiet click. This time she was able to push the handle down. She tossed the ID back onto the desk, then opened the door, slipped through, and closed it softly behind her.

  On the other side of the door was a large rectangular area with white carpet and walls of the same dark chestnut wood. Stretching across the middle was a giant fish tank. It was nearly twice as tall as she was, and even longer than it was tall. Inside were dozens of fish in colors like royal blue, shocking pink, and the fiery orange of Melodie’s wig.

  Eden moved forward, and discovered a glass door on the wall to her left. A gold plate mounted next to it read JEAN LUC MOREAU.

  Jean Luc was the name of the man in the lab last night! That had to mean she was close.

  Peering through the glass, Eden saw an immaculate office space with several bookshelves and a desk that faced floor-to-ceiling windows. It was empty, though—no Jean Luc in sight.

  A little farther down was another glass door. This office was nearly identical, but the name on the plate beside it read DR. PATRICK EVANS. And after that, a third office: JANE JOHNSTON.

  Apparently, the eighth floor was where Brightly’s most valued employees did their office work. But what about their work in the lab? Where was it?

  The door to Jane’s office was the last one on the left side. Turning to the right, Eden walked beside the fish tank. There was an entire rainbow of them! So far on Earth, she hadn’t had an opportunity to look at real, live fish, and she found herself captivated.

  “How could I say no to ladies as lovely as yourselves?”

  The sound of the familiar Southern drawl shook Eden out of her trance. She whipped around to see David Brightly emerging from a glass door on the right side of the room. On the gold plate beside it was his name.

  Brightly was walking with a cane. The burn from the laser must have been serious.

  And he wasn’t alone. By his side was the head of Electra herself: Sylvana.

  Eden’s stomach did a backflip.

  Of course, she’d known there was a possibility that the Electric would investigate why Brightly had reported her missing. But Sylvana and her underlings had no idea that Eden was living on Earth. They didn’t know that the lamp’s rules had changed, and that the bracelet no longer bound her the way it had every other genie. They probably thought Eden was back inside the lamp already, and that Brightly’s search was futile.

  Still, here they were. Clearly, Sylvana was following any lead she could get.

  With Brightly and Sylvana was another woman whom Eden had never seen before. She was unusually tall, towering above Brightly and even making Sylvana look short. Her cheekbones were sharply pronounced, and her smooth, straight hair was shoulder-length. She wore a long black dress with a high neck. From the waist up, the fabric was covered with spiky gold pieces that threatened to puncture anyone who got too close.

  “I can’t say I know much about jewel
ry,” Brightly said as they whisked by.

  “We’ll teach you,” Sylvana cooed. As usual, she looked exquisite. She wore a turquoise wrap dress with nude-colored heels, and her honey-blond hair was long and full. The smell of roses wafted behind her.

  Eden followed them. Wherever they were going, she was going too.

  Of course, she’d come in with the intention of finding the lab. But she’d stumbled upon her two worst enemies convening—and she was invisible! It was the perfect opportunity to spy on them.

  Besides, she thought, maybe she’d hear something that would reveal where the lamp was. Maybe she’d even get some insight on how to save it.

  Brightly led them to the same door she’d entered through and held it open for the women. When he let go, Eden held it and sneaked out behind them.

  “Marguerite, be a sweetheart and cancel my appointments this morning,” Brightly instructed as he pressed the elevator button.

  “But, Monsieur—” the receptionist stammered.

  “And why don’t you eat something? You don’t look well, darlin’.” Brightly’s tone sounded sweet, but his expression showed his disgust. “Tell Patrick and Jane I’ll be back this afternoon.”

  The elevator dinged, and Brightly and the two Electra members stepped in, with the ghost of Eden right behind them.

  When they reached the lobby, Delta was sitting cross-legged on the settee. Several mortals had joined her in the waiting area. Eden wondered if they, too, were here to report information on Brightly’s daughter.

  Delta’s enormous eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw Eden trailing Brightly and the women.

  “I have to go with them!” Eden called across the lobby. It was strange being able to speak at any volume and know that only Delta could hear her.

  Everyone could see and hear Delta, though. She seemed to want to intervene, but she restrained herself.