by K. M. Shea
I was quiet after that. It was a revelation to me that I really loved the MBRC that much.
It also made me realize, in that instant, that I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t follow Fran to Florida, or go to the UK with Devin.
I belonged in the Chicago Magical Being’s Rehabilitation Center.
“All right, Miss Fae. You’ve sold me,” Grogrintork said, slapping me on my lower back.
“What?” I said, slightly shocked.
“We want to be a part of this MBRC of yers too,” Grogrintork said with a big smile. “And if being coffee machine repairmen is what it takes to get us in…well…blades raised to coffee!”
Grogrintork’s three guards each raised no less than five assorted weapons in the air to attest to his statement.
“You won’t regret it, Grogrintork,” I said. “Sometimes you’ll want to pull out your hair and kick Administrator Moonspell in the face, but every day is rewarding.”
“Amen,” Grogrintork said, holding out his giant hand.
I hesitated before offering him my hand. He shook it vigorously. “Ye’ve got spirit, Miss Fae. I wouldn’t be surprised if ye ran this joint one day. Now, how do we begin?”
I was unable to keep the beaming smile off my face. “Let’s go back to my office and discuss your options.”
“Aye.”
I found Madeline, Frank, and Frey in the cafeteria later that evening. They were trying to get the cappuccino machine to work without much luck.
“Morgan,” Madeline said, pulling on Frank’s shirt to get his attention. “See, I told you I saw her.”
“Morgan, what’s up with the—,” Frey started.
“I’m staying,” I blurted out, unable to keep the news to myself.
The vampire and werewolves blinked.
“What?” Frey asked.
“I changed my mind. I’m staying in the area—in Chicago—because I want to stay with the MBRC,” I said.
“That’s great news! Morgan is staying!” Madeline said, giving me a bear hug.
“What are you going to do about college?” Frey asked.
“I don’t know. I might take a year off, or do online courses. I want to take some Dale Carnegie classes, and I think I would like to visit the Fairy Council in Britain before I declare a major,” I said, laughing and hugging Madeline back.
“That sounds serious,” Frank said, his eyes wide.
“It is,” I said, backing away from Madeline when I noticed Frank’s bare neck. I needed to get him another flea collar. He probably already had fleas, and Madeline hung out with him way too much to avoid contracting them. “If I’m staying at the MBRC I’m not content to just skate along. I want to move up in departments.”
Behind me Harrison cleared his throat, momentarily checking my enthusiasm.
“Father is going to be so disappointed.”
I slowly turned on my heels to find Aysel standing behind me, dressed in his lofty high elf robes. “Oh, hey, Aysel,” I said.
“So you are going to stay,” Aysel said.
“Yep. If your dad offers me another contract,” I said.
Aysel snorted. “If he doesn’t the MBRC board will,” he said, studying me with his unnerving, silver eyes. “I…look forward to a continued working relationship.”
“Me too,” I said, the smallest excuse of a smile flashing on my lips.
Aysel gave me a look of disgust. “You desire one of those infernal human signs of affection, don’t you?”
“It would be the guardian thing to do, guardian,” I said.
Aysel gave me a sour look. “Don’t call me that,” he said before opening his arms wide.
I gave the stiff elf a passable version of a Madeline hug. He patted me on the back three times before giving in and squeezing me once.
“Stop that,” he said, brushing me away when I started laughing.
“I can’t help it. I’m just so happy, finally! I’ve got to tell my class—I’ve got to tell Asahi and Kadri!”
“Tell Perseus and Athena,” Madeline said. “They’ll love passing the word along. They’ve been campaigning to try and get everyone in our class an emailbox.”
“It’s just email,” Frey said.
“Yes,” Madeline said.
Aysel straightened his robes. “I suppose I could inform the administration department,” he said.
“Morgan should totally be the one to tell the MBRC board, though,” Frey said. “I bet the fairy and dryad will cry. Any takers?”
“I’m glad you’re staying, Morgan,” Frank said, shyly hunching his shoulders as he looked at me.
“So am I. I love you guys!”
“It just took a Fidem captain and a bunch of dwarves to make you realize it,” Madeline said in a sing-song voice as she grabbed Frank’s hands and started twirling in an impromptu dance.
I laughed when the pair almost bowled Aysel over.
“Morgan,” Frey said.
“Hm?”
“Welcome home.”
17
Devin the Flirt?
“So your parents finally let you out of the house, huh?” Fran asked me two days later. I skipped out of work to hang out with her, mostly because we haven’t had a real conversation since Ethan attempted to kidnap me.
“Yeah. They’ve gotten over it since my grades didn’t slide or anything,” I said, hunkering down in the couch.
As Fran’s family was gone for the evening—I think they were seeing a movie—we had opted to hang out at her place.
“That’s stupid. I would have thought your work could have pulled out one of those Men In Black gadgets and made them forget you were ever gone,” Fran said.
I nodded my head at the casual remark and ate a handful of popcorn to buy myself a few seconds. “Speaking of my job—,”
“We don’t have to talk about it. It fact, we shouldn’t,” Fran said, wrapping a fuzzy blanket around herself.
I stared at her. “What?”
“Isn’t it, like, top secret?”
“I don’t work on a secret government project.”
“Heck no! They would have pulled you from school for good if they realized you were worth something. No, I know you have something to do with things that aren’t…human.”
“How long have you known?” I asked.
“Since I met Madeline and Hot Garden Guy. So which movie do you want to watch? I’m feeling like it’s a Pixar night”
“What? You can’t gloss this over like that! You met them over two years ago. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you were still willing to make us work,” Fran said, “If you started to drop our friendship, or developed, like, a nervous twitch or something I would have asked.”
I couldn’t say anything. I was shocked by the revelation Fran had even an inkling that my part-time job wasn’t what it seemed. “That’s why you would accept work excuses so easily, wasn’t it? Man, I thought Hunter just had you persuaded!”
“Had me what?” Fran asked with narrowed eyes. “Wait, no. I don’t want to know. It’s better if I don’t know.”
“Why?”
“I’m very happy the way my life is. I like the world. It’s dirty and humans fight too much, but I suspect whatever or whoever you work for would blow my mind. Besides, I don’t want to find out that my ex-boyfriend is, like, an alien or something.”
“Oh yeah, I wanted to talk to you about Ethan,” I said. “And for the record—no, he’s not an extra terrestrial.”
“Good,” Fran said, sharply exhaling. “I was starting to think he had kidnapped you to…probe you or something.”
“No. Totally not. Anyway, he doesn’t have to be your ex-boyfriend. He’s being released in a month or so by my employer.”
“That’s fabulous for him, but I will not take him back.”
“Why not?”
“The dirty rat kidnapped you, in case you forgot.”
“Yeah, well he’s sorry about that,” I said, scratching my neck.
&
nbsp; “Sorry doesn’t cut it. If anyone messes with you they’re on my blacklist—boyfriend or not,” Fran snorted.
“I think you should give him a second chance,” I said.
“And why would I do that?”
“Because you genuinely like him. And I think you miss him,” I said. I considered telling her how Ethan pined for her in the MBRC holding cells, but I felt that would be more than a little mean to the reformed dark elf.
“Nope, I don’t. He just proves that my taste in men sucks. First that guy, and then Ethan-the-kidnapper. Wow, I’m on a roll.”
“Look, I liked Brett Patterson too. I actually liked him before you did,” I said, ignoring the hiss Fran gave when I uttered his name. “But I think the whole kidnapping thing gave you the wrong idea about Ethan. You really need to give him a second chance. He made you happy, Fran,” I said.
Fran sighed. “You’re too understanding.”
“Hah! As if,” I said. Really it was that I felt guilty for leading the dark elf to think I could reunite him with Fran if he spat out enough information.
“I’ll meet up with him again, but I won’t date him,” Fran said.
I sagged with relief. “Great,” I said. If I gave Ethan the chance to make up with Fran, that would be more than enough. He would totally win her back over.
“I mean it, Morgan!”
“Sure you do,” I said.
“I’m serious,” Fran said. “I was going to break up with him in June anyway.”
I froze. “What?”
“Well I’m going to Florida for college,” Fran said.
“So? Haven’t you heard of long distance relationships?”
“Morgan you are too old fashioned. I’m going to be a freshman in college in Florida. I want to be single then!”
“But you can’t!” I said.
“Why not?” Fran asked, arching an eye.
I clamped my mouth shut, glaring at Fran. I had pulled serious strings and embarked on a journey of paperwork to get Ethan sponsored and to pump him to an early release. I did not do all that work so Fran could dump the poor elf!
“You better change your mind,” I muttered.
“Like you can talk. You’re permanently single!” Fran said, stretching her arms above her head.
The reminder drew a sigh from me. “I know.”
Fran froze mid-stretch. “What was that?”
“What was what?” I asked.
Fran practically quivered with excitement as she rearranged her blanket and turned so she could perfectly face me. “You sighed and, for once, sounded sad about your lack of relationships.”
“I did not.”
“You totally did!”
“I didn’t mean anything deep by sighing.”
“You can’t fool me, Morgan. I have been your friend longer than your little brothers have been around. Spill!”
I rolled my eyes, this was going to be embarrassing. “You know how sometimes you think a guy, or maybe even a couple guys might like you?”
“Yeah.”
“And then you find out that none of them do?” I said.
My pride had taken a bit of a beating to learn that Hunter was only interested in being my permanent friend, and if I was being totally honest I thought maybe, just maybe, Aysel found me even a little bit…I dunno, alluring? Yeah, the guardian/ward thing totally killed off that thought.
“Oh yeah, that sucks,” Fran said, leaning back in her couch. “It always shocks me how books and movies pull off love triangles when they don’t happen a lot in real life. Our freshman year I deluded myself into thinking Michael Hoffman, Jake Anderson, and Clint Kegian liked me.”
“You never told me that!”
“Yeah it’s a good thing I didn’t, because none of them were interested. Anyway, you do have a guy that likes you, so you can’t be embarrassed.”
“Who?”
“Hot Garden Guy.”
I rolled my eyes. “Devin doesn’t count. He likes all women.”
“No way,” Fran said, shaking her head. “He has got a thing for you. He’s so smitten it’s ridiculous.”
“How could you know? You only met him a few times!”
“And that’s enough for me to know he likes you. When he met me he acted like a guy trying to present his best side to the parents of the girl he wanted to date. If he were a flirt he would have behaved differently.”
“Devin is a slick operator,” I said.
“Then explain the dates.”
“…”
“Does he give you gifts?”
“Maybe,” I said, glancing at my protection charm bracelet. It was the only piece of magical jewelry that I still wore. “But Hunter does too and he made it perfectly clear that friendship is the ideal role for him.”
“And you’re complaining? You were the one that suggested it in the first place. Anyway, Hunter just brings you food, doesn’t he?”
“Yes,” I slowly admitted.
“Look. I just think it’s pretty messed up that you’re embarrassed you thought guys liked you when they don’t, and you have Devin all lined up, and perfectly willing to do whatever you ask him to.”
“He’s a flirt.”
“Then tell him to stop flirting!” Fran said, throwing a couch pillow at me. “If he agrees to, you know he’s interested. If he doesn’t then he’s a flirt and I’ll admit I was wrong and take you out for ice cream to console you.”
“It’s February. It’s too cold for ice crea—,”
“Then I’ll take you out for coffee, or donuts, or something! Just ask him! Jeez!” Fran huffed.
“Thanks Fran.”
“No problem. Somebody has to be relationship minded here.”
“No. I mean, for everything.”
“Me too,” Fran said, smiling at me.
“I’m sorry I can’t tell you more about my job.”
“Hey, like I said. I don’t think I want to know about your job. I’m happy with a normal life. Or I will be happy as soon as you talk to Hot Garden Guy.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. So, what are we going to watch?”
“I was thinking a Pixar movie, but now I’m almost in the mood for something with superheroes,” Fran said sliding off her couch to look at her family’s DVD collection. “Wait,” she said, freezing mid stride. “Please don’t tell me you work for like…the Avengers or the Justice League.”
“Fran. Batman and Ironman are made up.”
“I know that. I mean, you don’t work for superheroes, do you?”
“No.”
“Good,” Fran said. “I didn’t want to be stupid girl who fell in love with the supervillain.”
“Don’t worry. Ethan wasn’t leveled high enough in his organization to be considered the top villain,” I said.
Fran glared at me. “I didn’t hear that! I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. I am not a villain’s minion girlfriend!”
“Well he’s not a minion anymore.”
“YOU AREN’T HELPING, Morgan.”
“At this point I’m not really trying to.”
“I CAN TELL.”
I laughed as my childhood friend grumbled under her breath and savagely picked out a DVD for us to watch. No matter what happened with Devin, I was happy. I had my friends, and I would keep working at a place I loved.
Life was perfect.
“Are you certain you want to do this, Miss Fae?” an MBRC minotaur from the defense department asked.
“I am,” I said, my voice strong. “I need to face him.”
“Very well. We will bring him in shortly,” the minotaur said before leaving the questioning room, his hooves clip-clopping on the tiled floor.
The glass window into the observation room let me see that no one would be watching us, but I knew there were going to be at least four guards in the room besides Harrison.
The MBRC wasn’t taking any chances with him, and I couldn’t blame them. Krad Temero had been a pain to catch.
“Harrison, we need to talk,” I announced.
Harrison shifted, probably shocked by my usage of his real name. “Yes, Miss Fae?”
“This isn’t really the ideal place to do it, though, so we can wait.”
“Miss Fae.”
I turned to study my bodyguard. Even though I didn’t meant to say anything, I couldn’t help asking, “Are you happy?”
Harrison gave no response. He didn’t move, I couldn’t even tell if he blinked since he was wearing his sunglasses.
“What I mean is, do you want to keep guarding me? I know your radio goes directly to Hunter’s guys, but are you okay with the fact that you aren’t his employee anymore?”
“What do you mean, Miss Fae?”
“I’ve just been thinking. It’s really unusual for a goblin to be employed outside of the goblin community, and technically as my bodyguard you report to Devin.” I took a deep breath before I said, “If you want to quit and go back to working for Hunter, I would totally understand. I would miss you tons, but you are a goblin and goblins, what I’m trying to say is…oh gosh. I’ve botched this terribly.”
“Miss Fae.”
“Yeah?” I said, miserably looking up at my guard.
“I will stay.”
“You’ll be my bodyguard?”
“Yes.”
“Even though you’ll be working for the Pooka and guarding a human?”
“Yes.”
“…Is Hunter making you stay?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Goblins only work for goblins because loyalty is at our core,” Harrison said.
“You mean…” I trailed off. I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t ask Harrison if his loyalties now stood with me.