That’s not it at all.
FOURTEEN
Beatrix
“What do you mean he’s being promoted?” I ask incredulously.
Polly shrugs apologetically. “He was a big hit with the school yesterday. We got a glowing recommendation from the principal, saying how impressed she was with Kellan.”
“With Kellan?”
“Of course, she mentioned you too, but Kellan really made an impact. Also, we’re not exactly promoting him. He’s still going to be doing the same tasks he would as an intern, only he’s going to be paid now.”
“But he’s only been here for a few days! How is that possible?”
“I’m sorry, Beatrix. I thought you’d be pleased, having someone to assist you. I’ve already talked to Charlie, and she’s quite excited by the prospect.”
My best friend is such a traitor. “Is she now?”
“Please just give him a chance,” Polly says. “I suspect in time, you’ll grow to appreciate him as much as everyone else does.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Do you know about his…other job?”
She nods knowingly. “Ah, yes, the soulmate stuff. I admit, I only learned about it yesterday, but as far as I understand, it’s just a bit of harmless fun…the equivalent of someone moonlighting as a magician. No one’s getting hurt.”
“But they are! Did you know Charlie thinks she has to wait a whole year to meet her soulmate? She’ll basically be living in limbo all that time, and there’s no way to prove whether this mysterious person will ever even show up!”
“Maybe you should ask Charlie how she feels about it. When I talked to her this morning, she had nothing but nice things to say about Kellan.”
“Fine.” It’s clear the whole world has gone crazy, and I’m the only one making any sense.
Well, if no one in this workplace believes that Kellan Gallo is ruining peoples’ lives, I’m going to get some proof. They won’t be able to argue when I show them how inappropriate he is for a job in a science lab.
I’m going to play detective.
***
When I get to my desk, I see Kellan and Charlie bantering back and forth like no one’s business. Kellan looks up at me and smiles.
“Ah, morning Beatrix. Have you heard the news? I’m your new permanent co-worker. Your paid co-worker.”
“Yes, I heard.” I sit down at my desk and turn on my computer.
“Polly said I could set up my official workspace anywhere.” He points to the end of Charlie’s and my desks, so he would be looking at the narrow edge of the partition. “How about if I go here? That way, I can be near both of you at all times.”
“I don’t mind what you do,” I say, opening my email. I’ve decided to be neutral and professional from now on. It’s important that I remain impartial if I’m going to be investigating him later.
He seems to get the hint. “In that case, I’ll just set up over here.” He points to a vacant spot beside Charlie.
“That’s fine with me.” At least then I don’t have to look at the guy.
Charlie stares at me over the top of the partition. “Are you okay, Bea? Anyone would think you made a move on Kellan last night, and he rejected you.”
My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline. “Is that what you think is happening here? That I’m acting like a jilted lover?”
Kellan pipes up. “Just so you both know, I’m not getting involved in this conversation.”
I ignore him. “Charlie, I just think Kellan’s…extracurricular activities make a mockery of the very foundation of our work, and while he continues to take clients at Heaven Sent, he’s acting in a way inconsistent with scientific principles.”
“Yeah, okay.” Charlie rolls her eyes at me. “Scientists are also not generally closed-minded people either.”
She’s right. I do pride myself on not jumping to immediate conclusions. But I feel like I’ve given Kellan more than enough time to prove himself, and he hasn’t done anything to convince me yet.
“I’m sorry if my work offends you, Beatrix,” Kellan calls out, clearly forgetting he chose to abstain from talking. “But it’s not my fault my skills didn’t...”
I hurriedly cut him off. “What? That you can’t give me any actual proof of your soulmate-predicting ability?”
“Well, if you had come to Heaven Sent last night, you would have seen me work my magic on three clients, one of whom is already acquainted with her soulmate. And while you may not agree with it, I find what I do brings most people joy and comfort.”
“All right. Well, as long as you promise to follow agreed methodologies while you’re on the clock, I will no longer question what you do on your own time.”
“Thank you.”
I hear Charlie and Kellan murmuring to each other on the other side of the partition, but I manage to tune them out. I kind of lied just now when I said I didn’t care what Kellan did on his own time. I’m still going to prove he’s a fraud.
I owe it to all those people out there who have put their life on hold for a future prediction that won’t ever come true.
***
When I finish work at 5pm, I sneak out, leaving Charlie and Kellan behind.
I head over to the Valley, to Heaven Sent. I know Kellan wouldn’t have had time to beat me there, and I have a vague recollection from the article I read in YZ that he only works Friday and Saturday nights, so he probably won’t show up on a Wednesday.
The place doesn’t look officially open yet, but the front door is unlocked. I cautiously enter and scan the interior. I don’t know why I was so intimidated before. Sure, its décor is more elaborate than most other clubs I’ve been to, but it’s still just a place where people drink and dance. Nothing special.
Right now, it’s deserted, apart from a woman sitting at one of the club’s tables with a folder in front of her. She looks up as I approach. “Can I help you?”
“Uh, yes, sorry, hi. I was wondering if I could talk to you about Kellan. He works from here, doesn’t he?”
“If you want to make an appointment, either call or come back after 9pm. I’m busy right now.”
“Oh, no. I’m actually here on behalf of…Starburst Casting, and I’m sourcing contestants for a new psychic show on Channel Eight.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “A psychic show?”
“Yeah, it won’t go to air until next year, but we’re starting filming next month. I, uh, I was hoping since you work with Kellan, you could give me your thoughts on the guy. Do you think he’d be a good fit for something like that?”
“It’s up to Kellan. Why don’t you ask him directly?” She looks back down at her folder.
“Do you think he’d stand up to scrutiny?”
She glares at me. “Are you insinuating Kellan is a phony?”
“No, no, of course not. It just helps to talk to some of our potential candidates’ friends and acquaintances. They know them the best, so they can give us a heads up on what to expect.”
“Listen, woman. Kellan is one of my best friends, and you’ll never meet someone sweeter or more genuine. What he does is real, and I have hundreds of previous bookings to prove it.”
“Do they or Kellan sign some sort of confidentiality clause?”
“No, why?”
“I was just wondering if perhaps I could interview a few of his previous customers. Maybe from different periods of time, so I can get the full picture. We might even use some for Kellan’s intro package.”
“What did you say the name of this show was?” she asks suspiciously. “I might just call Kellan and see if he’s okay with all of this…”
“No, please. We don’t want to get his hopes up if we go in another direction. But he’ll definitely have more luck if I could get the details of those customers.”
She looks like she’s about to argue, and then lets out a sigh. “Fine. But only because we don’t have anything to hide. Kellan is real and amazing, and if you do cast him on your show and edit him to look otherwise, I wil
l hunt you down and kill you.”
I try to give her a reassuring smile. “I promise we will do an authentic edit.”
“You better. Wait here a moment.” She gets up and disappears out the back. I hope she’s not secretly calling Kellan. The last thing I need is for him to show up here and bust me.
She comes back with a scrap of paper. “Here are the phone numbers of three of his customers.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll be in touch with Kellan if we select him to proceed to the next round.”
She waves a hand dismissively and goes back to her folder. “Whatever.”
I leave, examining the piece of paper in front of me. Samantha Harrison, Fran Simons, and Gillian Middleton.
These three women will help me prove Kellan is not who he says he is.
The world has enough misinformation, and it’s my job to make sure truth prevails.
FIFTEEN
Kellan
I’ve never met someone as determined to disprove my ability as Beatrix. Just because I couldn’t read her, it seems like I’m suddenly the worst person in the world. It wasn’t my fault, and it wasn’t like I was mean to her or anything. If we’re being picky, she was the rude one, ditching me at the bar like that.
Not that I care anymore. Charlie is obviously already on Team Kellan, so I’m going to focus on her. And really, she has more reason to keep me at arm’s length since I turned her down for a date. For now, Beatrix can stew in her own juices. I know I have a gift, and I shouldn’t have to justify myself to her. Yes, she has made me question a few things lately, but I’ve decided I can’t let her craziness affect me. I was totally fine before I met her, and I’ll be fine again.
And, it was actually my non-scientific skills that turned this gig into a lucrative one. I didn’t realise until after the DNA workshop that the school principal knew who I was, and she requested a sneaky prediction session before I left. I’m almost certain that’s why she put in a good word for me with Polly.
Anyway, apparently, today is the first day that our new boss, Elijah, is in charge on his own. Steve has left to be with his wife full-time, and Elijah has called an afternoon meeting.
We all gather in the boardroom at 3pm, which I must say, is a terrible time to expect people to be productive. They’re all still digesting their lunches and looking half comatose from the day’s demands.
But Elijah seems focused on the task at hand. After the brief discussion we had on Monday, I thought I was going to like the guy, but soon after he begins talking, I change my mind. He’s one of those cold, emotionless types. The kind of person who used to bully me at school for being different.
He glances at me briefly, but then moves his gaze to the projector screen at the front of the room. I note that Beatrix and Charlie are sitting down the front. The room is crowded, so I’m forced to stand at the back.
Elijah clears his throat. “Hi, everyone. I appreciate you all taking time out of your afternoons to attend this meeting. I wish I was here under better circumstances, but hopefully Steve’s wife will make a speedy recovery, and he’ll be back in no time.”
Right. I can’t imagine Steve returning would actually be something Elijah wants. He would be out of a job in this office, or at least pushed into another position.
He clicks a remote to show a bunch of figures on the screen. “Last quarter’s sales were good, but we can still do better. Our competition is increasing, especially with StemTech stealing TremCo from under our noses. We need to work harder than ever to maintain our competitive edge.”
Beatrix chimes in. “I’ve put together some strategies with Charlie that might help address that.”
“Excellent. Come by my office afterwards, and we’ll discuss them.” He rambles on about a bunch of stuff that goes completely over my head, but I pretend to understand, nodding thoughtfully every now and again. For a moment, I forget why I’m even here. Haven’t I always been totally averse to working in an office? And meetings? I swear meetings were designed by some sort of sadist.
But then I tune back in when I hear Beatrix mentioning flights and hotels.
“I trust you have all that in order, Beatrix,” Elijah says. “If you need additional admin support, let me know.”
“Will do.”
Suddenly, the meeting is over, and Elijah leaves the room. Everyone else begins to shuffle out, so I go over to Beatrix. “What are the flights and hotels for?”
She looks at me disbelievingly. “Um, the annual conference in Singapore? How could you have heard me discussing the booking information, but not the reason?”
“It’s a talent I have. I’m trained to only hear the fun stuff.”
She looks at me for a moment. “Okay. Well, don’t worry, you’ll get an invite. Unfortunately, everyone in the company is allowed to attend.”
“What do you mean, unfortunately?” I ask, offended.
“Well, it’s not like you’ve earned it. You’ve only been here a few days. You’re not making any money for the company, and to be honest, I can’t see how you’ll be much help to me and Charlie.”
“What about at the school? I thought we were a great team!”
“I could have easily done that stuff on my own. I didn’t need you.”
“Well, at least give me a chance to prove myself. What if you let me help you book everything for the conference? I know some people. I can call in a few favours.”
“No, thank you. Besides, the bookings are practically already done. I have tentative agreements with my usual contacts, so I just have to finalise them.”
“Then what should I do?”
“I don’t know. Since you were allocated to both me and Charlie, I think it’s best you focus most of your attention on her.”
“Fine. I was going to do that anyway. But just remember you said that when Charlie is all caught up on her work and getting accolades from Elijah for being a team player.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “I will.”
Oh, it’s going to be like that, is it? Then I’ll show Beatrix exactly what she’s missing out on.
***
After my little showdown with the ice queen, I sneak out and order a coffee for Charlie, bringing it back to her desk and making a big deal of it in front of Beatrix. She pretends not to notice, but I can tell she’s already regretting turning me into an enemy.
Charlie takes to having an assistant like a duck to water, and despite her slightly manic energy, she’s actually pretty good at her job. She puts me to work logging in some new samples, which turns out to be a more interesting task than I expected—mostly because I look up each item to see what they are, and I find out they’re cell culture mediums used to develop organoids. Apparently, organoids are small self-organising tissue cultures made from stem cells—and they can be created to replicate the function of other organs in the body. I amuse myself by imagining mini-brains and kidneys growing in a petri dish. Charlie may or may not look at me strangely when she sees me laughing to myself.
At 5pm, I start to pack up and head over to Heaven Sent. I’m not due for my next session until tomorrow, but I feel like a drink with Roxy. Hopefully, she’s not too busy and can spare a few minutes before the club opens.
“Hey, Rox. How are things?”
She pours me some whisky from behind the bar and slides it over to me. “Same old, same old. You?”
“Yeah, not bad. I’m quite liking this new job.”
“I’m glad you’ve found something to keep you out of trouble when you’re not here. I noticed you seemed a little directionless lately. Hey, before I forget, some chick was in here yesterday asking about you.”
“Really? In what regard?”
“Apparently she’s casting for a psychic TV show and wanted to know what I thought of you being on it.”
I chuckle. “What did you say?”
“I told her to talk to you. She wanted the details of some of your previous clients, so I gave her the numbers of three random bookings. I hope that was okay?
”
“Sure. I’ve got nothing to hide. It’s nice to know I’m still in demand. I don’t get as much media interest these days.”
“I know. You used to have tons of people wanting to interview you. I remember that first year you were in residence, you had at least one journalist visit every night. I don’t know if anyone ever asked you to be on a game show, though.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure I’m a game show kind of guy. It sounds kind of tacky. And they probably just want to make me look stupid or try and prove I’m not legit. I get enough of that with work at the moment. Anyway, enough about me. Business seems to be going well for you lately. Are you happy?
She sighs. “Yeah, but money isn’t everything.”
“No, but it’s a big part. What’s up?”
She rubs her hands down her face. “I don’t want to talk about it with the soulmate king.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And why not?”
“Because you’ll just want to do your thing, and that’s not what I’m after.”
I stare at her. “You’re wondering when you’re going to find your one?” Roxy has always told me she doesn’t want to know the future, and I’ve totally respected that.
She nods. “God, what is wrong with me? Why am I being so weird about it? I know it will happen when it’s supposed to, but sometimes I wish she’d hurry up.”
“Look, I understand that you don’t want to use my services, but if you like, I can take a quick look just to reassure you. I’ll give you as much or as little information as you need.”
“No. I don’t want to know anything.”
“Are you sure?”
She pours herself a shot-glass of tequila and downs it in one gulp. “I don’t know, Kellan!”
“It’s completely up to you.”
She taps her hands manically on the bar as if trying to decide.
“Okay. I guess I want to know timeframes, rather than what she’s going to look like. And I don’t want anything specific, like what you normally do. Just tell me if she’s coming in the next two years. That way, I can mentally prepare.”
I grin. “Sure. Wow, Rox, this is exciting! I think I’m looking forward to this moment more than you. You’re my closest friend, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you.”
Mind Reader Page 7