Hired Luck

by Mel Todd

  Stone blinked at me, but Jessup nodded slowly. "You know I did get that information, but it was so long ago I'd completely forgotten. I need to institute a new policy to always run via OMO. No matter what. Stone?"

  "On it, sir. I'll run that ASAP."

  Jessup nodded, looking at me as he asked, "I assume we have your contact information?"

  "Well, I gave it to him, so probably?"

  "Then, I promise: If we figure out who she is and have a time for her interment, I will make sure you are notified. Is there anything else?"

  I sagged. I hadn't wanted to fight with them. Why couldn't some people just be nice?

  "No. Really, that was all I wanted. I just wanted to know her name. It seemed wrong I'd seen her dead and didn't know her name." I shoved my hands in my pockets and avoided his gaze.

  He allowed a slight tilt of his head. "Admirable attitude." With that he turned and started back behind the secure doors, Stone following him.

  "Dammit, I was trying to keep her here a little longer. He wanted to see her," Stone muttered, but I heard him as I turned away.

  "And you work for him since when?" I heard the captain say as I walked away.

  The conversation was silenced with the secure doors closing behind them. A cold shiver went down my spine. If they were talking about me, and I knew they were, I didn't want to meet whoever Stone had been waiting for. In fact, leaving right this moment sounded very good. Turning on my heels I headed for the door at a quick pace. I stepped out into the heat, then turned down the street with the chill still trickling down my back. I headed away from the police station, not running, but closer than I liked for a reason I didn't understand.

  A crash, a honk of horns, and the cessation of the chill chasing me caused me to turn around. One of the big banners announcing DragonWorldCon, a convention held every year about everything involving magic, both real and imagined, had broken loose and collapsed on someone. The fabric moved and even from here I could hear the words they were saying - absolutely not things acceptable for mixed company. With a half snicker I turned and headed away. I had cleaning to do, stuff to buy, and I needed to look at what continuing education course I could take.

  I didn't think about taking the mage test. Not today. I had enough to consider.

  Chapter 10

  With the rise of magic, there was a matching decline in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. There had been a rise in Wicca, Druidic Sects, and Buddhism. Most people now identify as non-secular, though some worship gods they say reside on the other planes. ~History of Magic

  Now what do I do? A day off and nothing to study? At this rate I'm going to need to find something else to keep me busy.

  The apartment was empty when I got home. I checked the schedule and saw that Jo had classes until three that afternoon. That meant she'd probably get home about four.

  Good. Plenty of time to clean and get the laundry done.

  That was the exciting way I spent the next two hours. But by the time I was done the apartment was clean, the last load of laundry was in the machine, and my legs were killing me from running up and down the stairs with full baskets of clothes.

  Just more proof I need to join a gym.

  That idea caught me. I'd have time to go with this schedule. Once I got a few paychecks in, that was something I could do. I still avoided the OMO thoughts—I just wasn't ready. Or I was avoiding it, or a bit of both, but either way, I'd mentally braced myself to go in soon. I wanted it to be a weekday while Jo was working; I didn't want anyone to know until I had the results.

  The lock rattling in the door pulled me away from the laundry folding and I looked up to see Jo walk in, lugging a backpack and looking tired. Something else lurked behind her eyes but it vanished as soon as she saw me.

  "Yo, how goes your weekend?"

  "I hate rotating twelves, hate, hate, hate, but it lets me get chores done without everyone else in my way." I nodded at the piles of clean clothes. She was much more of a clothes horse than I was, and my clothing was pretty simple under the jumpsuits, though in winter it'd probably be more substantial.

  "Ooh, yes, my favorite tank top." She grinned and set her bag down, flopping on the couch next to me and starting to match socks. "You have any plans tonight?"

  I blinked at her, my brain not tracking. "Tonight?"

  "Well it is your Saturday, right?" Her smile was sly and teasing, and I went on alert. I knew that smile.

  "I guess so." I hadn't really thought about it like that, but she was right. This was like a Saturday. "But it's your Monday. Shouldn't you be studying?"

  "Meh, is classes. They're telling us all the boring stuff right now. Besides, I got invited out with a bunch of students. We're going to the Varsity. You want to come? I mean, it means I don't have to cook," she wheedled a bit.

  That caused a flash of guilt. She did get the brunt of the cooking. I had no issue doing it, but I swear, nothing ever went right. Even her mother, who believed everyone could cook, had kicked me out of the kitchen. It was that bad.

  One night out, the Varsity is like hamburgers and hot dogs, I can afford that. It's a night out.

  "Sure. But won't I be intruding?"

  Jo gave me a funny look. "You're my best friend, and my roommate. Of course not. Besides it is kinda an open get-together. Show up, eat, bitch about school. You know, normal stuff."

  I couldn't think of a time I'd ever done that, just hung out with anyone that wasn't Jo and her family. Maybe this is what I needed, to actually have a life and have fun.

  "Sure. When do we leave?"

  Jo glanced at her watch. "Eh, probably about two hours or so. It will take us about twenty minutes to walk there."

  "Sounds good." I fell silent, finishing the last of the laundry.

  "Fine, fine. Your silence speaks volumes. I’ll get up and study until then." She dragged herself off the couch, acting like the force of gravity pulled her back down.

  I blew a raspberry at her. "It really feels odd not to have something to study for. I was thinking of maybe taking a class or joining a gym. Lugging that stuff around and then climbing a ladder yesterday proves how out of shape I am."

  "Wait? What? Ladder?" She plopped herself back down, staring at me. "Spill!"

  I laughed and told her about the adventure but said nothing about time-stopping or my missing hair or anything relating to magic. That would be after I tested. At least, I thought I would test.

  Make up your mind. You can't keep going back and forth about this.

  Telling her the story and answering all her questions, she was either more interested in my job than I thought, or she was avoiding homework. I figured the odds were running about fifty/fifty on that. But she settled down and stared at her books for a bit then started in on something on the computer. I started reading for fun. The idea still astonished me but I wasn't reading fiction. Instead, I was working on a library book I'd gotten about deaths in children. Looking for something that would account for Stevie dying in my arms.

  And if it was a mage? If he died by magic?

  I couldn't answer that question, so for now I pushed it to the back. The library had a huge section on magic and mages. It would be next on my list.

  "Hey, you ready to go?" Jo yelled from her bedroom. I looked around, confused. I'd been so wrapped up in the book, it was fascinating and creepy how many ways you could die, that I hadn't realized she'd gotten up.

  "Ummm, I guess. Is what I'm wearing okay?" It was the same jeans and clean shirt, a t-shirt style but in a solid dark red color. It brought out the red in my hair.

  "Sure," she said as she came out. I rolled my eyes. Gone were her jeans and t-shirt for Guzman's Repair Shop. Now she had a formfitting tank top and her hair was up in a ponytail.

  "Someone there you're trying to impress?" I recognized Jo on the prowl. This should prove amusing.

  "Maybe," she said, looking away from me. I smirked at that. When she flirted, it was like something between a prancing horse and a bulldozer.
Jo didn't do subtle well.

  I got up, slipped my shoes back on and ran a brush through my hair. Jo had said nothing, or hadn't noticed my alteration, so I was not about to bring any attention to it. We headed out, enjoying the air that had cooled a few degrees from that afternoon. We talked about nothing important, just enjoyed the walk to the Varsity. The city buzzed around us, and I smirked at the DragonWorldCon banners appearing everywhere. I had a soft spot in my heart for them after the day I'd had.

  The noise and excitement outside the Varsity became apparent even a block away. Students, mostly in their early twenties, milled around and clogging the parking lot and sidewalks. It made me glad we weren't even trying to park her bike. It would have been a challenge.

  "Hey, there they are," Jo said, her voice rising in excitement. I saw a group of people and followed her there, watching the morphing groups around me. Almost all of them had tats on their faces. In fact, I saw very few that didn't.

  We joined a group of four—three guys and another girl—and from the slump of Jo's shoulders, I figured her current interest wasn't here.

  "Hey everyone, this is my best friend, Cori. Cori, this is Joey, Linc, Mark, and Shelia." She introduced them in a wave of gestures and a blur of faces. They all glanced at my temple and a flicker of something flashed over their faces. Jo didn't notice, but I felt those flickers as blows and it took everything I had not to make an excuse and leave. I put up with enough shit at the job, I would not let them chase me away.

  I regretted my decision in the first fifteen minutes. Being at home in the empty apartment would have been preferable to having them treat me as a mix between a pet and a piece of furniture. I tried not to seethe because the conversation was fascinating, but people talked over me, ignored any comment I made, and even Jo didn't seem to notice, too busy sparkling in the social buzz. The worst part was knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if my face was tattooed, they would have pulled me in and welcomed me.

  The long-ago conversation with Kadia rang truer than it ever had. But how in the world would I get past it? Could I?

  The real question is, do I care enough to try?

  When the waitress brought our food, I prepared to be ignored even more. I'd already realized my stomach was churning too much to eat a hamburger. I'd just ordered a large vanilla milkshake, figuring the bland sweet milk would help settle my stomach. Besides, it was cheap enough that I didn't stress the money much.

  I was already smarting from just how they talked, but worse was Jo not seeing it. She didn't catch the subtle put-downs and how they talked about people without magic. That hurt more than anything, and I was ready to ask for my food to go. I turned my head to watch the waitress. I wanted that shake more to give me something to do than anything else. She was two steps away when her shoe caught on a sticky part on the floor. I saw the tray flip and head towards the table - not in that magical slow motion but more just like normal accidents.

  Jo’s friends had stuck me on the edge, mainly to make it easier to ignore me. This arrogance gave me the time I needed. I stepped out and to the side just in time to avoid the platter of food, drinks, and unfortunately my milkshake as they hit the table with a resounding crash that brought the whole restaurant to a standstill. I looked at the table with five students all coated in what would have been their dinner.

  "And I believe that is my cue to leave. Have a nice evening, peeps." I dug in my pocket and pulled out a five, tossed it on the table, and turned and walked out.

  "Cori! Wait!" I could hear Jo yelling but I didn't slow down. I just kept walking, torn between annoyed and pissed off, and blessing my karma for once. I couldn't think of a more fitting end for a bunch of jerks. But Jo was in much better shape than me, or at least she could move when she wanted to, and she caught me before I got to the apartment.

  "Cori, what was all that about? Why did you leave?" Her confused voice had a hint of anger to it.

  I turned and stared at her, arms across my chest. She still had a few fries sticking to her hair and from the sticky wet brown substance, it looked like she'd been hit with Coke mostly.

  "I left because I wasn't wanted. Your friends," I put a sneer into the word, "didn't even bother to notice me. Much less take any time at all to talk to me. And worse, and what really hurts," my control slipped because it had hurt, "you didn't notice or do anything to stop it."

  "I did—" she started to protest, and I just looked at her, my arms crossed, hugging myself. Jo blinked, her eyes tilting up as we stood there, the apartment building lights a beacon of safety. But right then I didn't want to be comforted. My skin crawled with annoyance and hurt: of all people, I never expected this from her.

  "I," she started again, but her shoulders slumped. "You're right. I am so sorry. I just," she swallowed and looked away from me. "I wanted them to like me and I assumed they'd like you too, cause you're Cori."

  Her misery colored her words, and I wanted to put my arms around her and hold her, tell her it was okay. I didn't.

  "You know, even if everyone says there are no prejudices, there are. And not saying something is how it starts. Now," I held up my hand before she could say anything. "I could have said something also, but I didn't. And that's on me. But if those are your friends," I stressed the word again, "are they the people you really want to hang around?"

  She looked away and I got the feeling she was hiding something else but I didn't push it. She'd tell me in time, when she was ready. Besides, I was still annoyed at the whole situation.

  "Okay. And I'm sorry, Cori."

  "Me too." I looked at her again. "But I'm not touching you until you shower. You look sticky and I don't need that on my clothes."

  Jo glanced down and laughed a little. "I feel sticky. If I don't shower soon, I might turn into a statue. It feels awful on my skin."

  I laughed, shaking my head. "Come on, I'll open all the doors, so you don't need to touch anything. Personally, I'd strip in the shower. Leave your shoes at the front door and I'll clean them."

  "Thanks. You're the bestest."

  "Maybe. Next time, let people know I'm the bestest?"

  "Deal." We headed up into the apartment. It still hurt but I had faith in her. She'd always be there, but no one was perfect. Right? I ignored the niggling worm of worry. Between the mage stuff and work, I didn't have time to worry about anything else.

  Chapter 11

  While making testing mandatory has been thrown around in Washington DC for years, there are only a few countries that make it mandatory for all citizens. Interestingly, two are Asian and one is tiny. Japan and North Korea both require it three times. Once upon turning 21, then again at 25, and a final time prior to marriage or 30. The other country is Lichtenstein. They require it at age 27 if not already tested, and all immigrants into their country are required to test if they are not mages registered with the OMO. ~ Magical Politics

  Just one more day. I can do this and then I'll figure out the mage thing.

  I'd spent Tuesday exploring the area and campus, getting more books from the library, and trying to figure out how to set up a savings plan that would pay for more schooling someday. I didn't even look at the OMO, though I kept rolling it around in my head. I also slept in. That was the best part of the day.

  Jo was more serious in the evenings. It seemed like she always had a book in front of her, muttering to herself, but I didn't pry. I did plan on seeing if I could get her to take me to the college library this weekend. There were some books that looked fascinating.

  I showed up Wednesday morning and it felt like I'd walked into a different world. Jorge waved and smiled at me. Lisa came over to talk to me as I made coffee, and everyone teased me about Catastrophe Cori. It felt normal. Heck, I didn't even mind the teasing. It was the best day of work I'd had in ages.

  Our calls were random over the next few days, but routine: accidents, overdoses, people being stupid as Labor Day weekend approached. I kept it together, and life was good.

  Friday mornin
g dawned hot, humid, and with thunderclouds and lightning threating to break at any moment.

  "I really hope we don't get more people up trees or cellphone towers today," I said looking out the bay to the heavy dark clouds like cotton balls saturated with blue black ink.

  "Yeah,", said Jorge, "’cause you would be the one going up there, not me. I have no desire to die by lightning."

  I grinned at him. "You never know. You might get mutant powers and become a superhero." The comic book characters from Marvel were all the rage right now, and who wouldn't want to be Wolverine, always healing and immortal.

  If I was immortal, that might give me enough time to learn everything.

  The thought was wistful as I sipped my coffee. The heat had been enough that I gave in and made the coffee iced. Of course, it lowered the caffeine level, so I had warned everyone I was using the super caffeinated mix and made iced coffee for the entire crew. That might have been a mistake from the looks of ecstasy on their faces as they sipped on the brew. I grinned to myself as I sipped. I fit in here. I could be a valuable member of the team.

  That caused my smile to fade. I'd already decided to get up early Saturday. Jo rarely crawled out of bed before ten on the weekends, and I thought she had something today which would make her really late coming home. If I got up at eight, I could test and be home before she got up.

  "All units, report of multiple victims at Centennial Olympic Park. Repeat, multiple victims. All units respond." My head jerked up and I saw that Jorge had the same expression on his face that I knew was on mine.

  Oh shit!

  I turned and sprinted for the rig. Slipping into the passenger side, I dropped my coffee in the cup holder, buckled in, and grabbed the radio. "Unit Ruby 3 responding," I said, even as I saw everyone else headed toward their rigs. We pulled out first, mainly because we'd been in the bay, already dressed and ready to go. I glanced at the clock in the ambulance as we pulled out, twelve-fifteen, the start of lunch.