by E. J. Larson
He sighed. Without a good excuse, however, he couldn't cancel. This job was his calling. What good was free time or rest to him. He wouldn't really be able to rest after this request anyway.
13. Jasper
HE MOVED THE text box another half inch to the right. Yes, that was perfect.
“Nova, what do you think?” Jasper asked his colleague, who had already been pacing impatiently in front of his desk for ten minutes, waiting for his draft. As he knew full well, she didn't dare approach him about it. They had already gotten into each other's hair twice that morning over other little things. Novalee didn't shy away from conflict, but she knew he wasn't going to get to the bottom line any faster just because she was bugging him.
“Very nice,” she admitted approvingly. “You may be an ass, but you're a pretty talented one.”
“Thank you.” He ignored the insult. Powerless and delivered with little emphasis, Novalee could not draw him out with that term. It was unworthy of a retort.
“Now can we finally send it off and go eat?” his colleague whined.
“You and me? Eat?” he asked skeptically.
“Everyone else is long gone,” she continued to nag.
“And that's why I have to sacrifice myself?” Jasper raised a brow and eyed Novalee. They usually avoided each other when they weren't chained together professionally. Quite apart from the fact that they were both a pain in the ass, they worked together extraordinarily effectively. Both had asked for other partners several times, but the success of their projects kept their boss from separating them. Where there's friction, there's heat, Andrea Tulli had replied every time Jasper called her on it. One day, one of them would have to find another employer when he got tired of having to put up with the other. To him, the weekends helped to create enough distance from her so that he could put up with her for five days again. However, the fact that she had recently started calling him on the weekends lowered his irritability threshold. This week he was also more irritable due to the SteamPower induced lack of sleep. All in all, the omens were not particularly good for a harmonious mood.
“You're the one to blame for this mess, after all.” Defiantly, Novalee hacked away at the keyboard of her laptop. After all, the email to the client had to be sent as well so they could leave the office without feeling guilty.
“If you'd done a better job of selling my first proposal, we'd have been done yesterday,” he parried, despite his gnawing hunger.
With a final nod, Novalee flipped down the screen and grabbed her slivery shoulder bag in the ubiquitous black that enveloped her.
“Now, are you going to go with me, or are you going to hole up under your desk like a hermit?”
“I'm coming,” he finally relented, locking access to his computer.
Tapping his back pocket, he checked to make sure he had his wallet in his pants and followed Novalee out of the office. The glaring sunlight hurt his overtired eyes. He squinted them shut and shielded them with one hand. Wasn't it supposed to be fall by now?
“Had a long night?” his colleague mocked without a hint of how right she was.
“Not the way you think. I'm helping a friend out of a jam right now, so I barely get any sleep,” he explained more tamely than usual. His sarcastic shields were down because even they needed a little rest once in a while.
“Oh, so selfless? I'm surprised,” Novalee returned cynically.
“Don't bug me or I'll never tell you anything again.”
“It's all right. I just never expected you to show me such a nice side of yourself.”
“I wasn't planning to. I'm just tired,” he apologized for his honesty.
“You don't have to be so embarrassed about being human.”
Sometimes he could only shake his head at this strange creature. Novalee, next to Jasper, already looked more like an alien on the outside than a normal city girl. She had a face ghost like white with rouge when she showed up for work. Her hair was tousled, which she seemed to intend, and her green eyes radiated an almost frightening intelligence. Her whole expression seemed to constantly want to say 'I'm smart, I don't need to be beautiful too'.
Her outfit always looked a little like she didn’t find time to change after a Bad Taste party. But no one invited her to parties, so that was out of the question. She just had a lack of good taste, as Jasper would eventually discover. On this day, she was wearing a red and black patterned lumberjack shirt that she must have been sweating tremendously in as the sun blazed down on her. A pair of black jeans and high dark lace-up shoes with no heels to speak of completed the ensemble.
He had his hands buried deep in the pockets of his beige cloth pants and was dozing off as he walked. Novalee was leading the way, and obviously had a fixed destination in mind that she was heading towards. Jasper didn't really care what he got to eat. The main thing was that there was something at all.
“You really need to come to FU.Ture. The appointment is on Friday, so mark it in red in your calendar. It's best to get a good night's sleep beforehand, too. I want the customers to see you at your best,” Novalee rambled as the door of a building swung open before them. The reflection of light in the glass door drew his attention right there. And there stood model Tiffany, of all people, whom he would willingly give a wide berth. Another beauty appeared next to the leggy runway model.
“Oh, hi Jasper,” she fluted elatedly. “I've been waiting for you to call. I guess you're another one of those guys who doesn't get back to me until a week has passed, huh?”
A growl reached his ear from the side. It was low enough that Tiffany didn't pick up on it, but he did. Her constant disapproval pissed him off. This was neither the time nor the place to discuss the topic once and for all.
“Hi Tiffany, sorry, I'm really in a hurry right now. My lunch break is almost over,” he tried to gently brush her off. After all, he wasn't in the mood for her any more than he was for Novalee's nagging. He knew his colleague didn't like his lifestyle, but it wasn't her thing. She'd be the last one he'd go home with at night, so it didn't concern her. “I'm really tied up right now. Better not expect a call.”
He marched on, not caring if Novalee followed him. If she didn't, he would find somewhere to eat on his own. Jasper didn't need her or anyone else to tell him what to do.
“Hey, wait a minute,” the blonde model called after him, but he didn't turn around. He just wanted to leave. No arguments, no false expectations. They'd worked it out that night. It was just going to be a little sex. No commitment, no lies. How had she gotten that wrong? He'd thrown away her number as quickly as he'd left her apartment in that hideous high-rise.
“This is so typical,” the black-haired alien hissed at him. Novalee hurried up beside him, sizing him up with her shrewd looks. “I knew you were this kind of guy. I almost took you for a human earlier, but you're just a self-absorbed ego pig after all.”
“What do you want, Nova?” he sneered back. “It's none of your damn business who I sleep with. And it's none of your damn business who I care about. You don't fall into either of those categories. Now either leave me alone or hold your forked tongue.”
Novalee was silent, but it didn't feel like a victory. With those words, he had overshot the mark by several feet. His spacey steps increased the distance to the models whose burning gazes he felt at his back.
He felt the urge to apologize, but perhaps it had been time to draw the line at this point. Where else was her interference going to lead? She was a colleague. Nothing more, nothing less. It was none of her business what he did in private. Her bigotry got on his nerves, but at least he didn't interfere in her decisions, unlike her. Besides, she had no right to judge him if she only caught snippets of his life. She had no idea how things really were. Everything had been settled with Tiffany. He wasn't an ego pig, she just hadn't kept her end of the bargain.
“This is where I was going,” she explained meekly as they reached a store that belonged to a chain famous for salads and sandwiches.
“Okay,” he agreed. He had something heartier in mind, but he didn't want to argue anymore. He just wanted to be left alone. Besides, he felt sorry for her. She was an annoying alien, but a human being nonetheless, and didn't deserve to have someone treat her the way he had just minutes before. “Go ahead and sit down. What do you want me to bring you?”
It was the only kind of peace offering and apology he was capable of right now. Jasper wasn't just irritated because of her, but he had taken it all out on her. His tiredness, his frustration over his experience with Tiffany, and that stupid feeling that Novalee was at least partially right. This lifestyle wasn't what he wanted out of life. But it was what it gave him.
14. Quinn
THEODOR BROOKS STROLLED from work place to work place, looking over the pieces of art and correcting where he thought it necessary. She had initially been given a simple commissioned task. Based on a drawing, she was working up an engagement ring with a stunning diamond. At first, Brooks had looked over her shoulder as she cut it, guarding the stone in her hands like an eagle guards its prey. But that surprised Quinn little, given the value of the raw material. When he seemed satisfied with her technique, he had moved on and left her to complete her work in peace.
“Miss McNally, the grinding looks pretty decent already, but you really need to work on your edging,” her new boss judged at closing time as he looked over her shoulder again. If there was one thing she knew, it was grinding. She knew that very well.
She shared the workspace in the large workshop with Paul, Sharon, and Teagan, all of whom had worked at Brooks & Shore's blacksmith shop for some time. Paul and Sharon were nice, but remained noncommittal. They did solid work and seemed to have no particular ambition. Routinely, they worked through their assignments and usually called it a day. Quinn stayed late and tried to do her best to carry out her bosses' wishes. She had noticed on her first day that Theodor Brooks' standards were far higher than her previous employer. That realization both fired her up and made her nervous at the same time.
“Outstanding work, Miss Osbourne,” he praised effusively from the next table. “One would begin to think you had surpassed your master.”
“Thank you, Chief,” her colleague Teagan returned. Quinn turned so she too could see what was impressing her superior so much. The master student stood behind her desk with a wide grin on her already flawless face, taking the praise in stride. Looking at her work table, however, made the class differences between them obvious.
Metalwork had never been one of Quinn's strengths, but no one had noticed because no one had expected any particular skill from her. Things were different now. Suddenly someone was leaps and bounds ahead of her, and she was rushing awkwardly after them like a schoolgirl trainee.
“Have Miss Osbourne show you how she does it tomorrow,” he turned back to Quinn. “Learn and improve your work by the weekend. Then we'll see.”
The invitation to ask her colleague for help bounced off Quinn. She would solve this challenge on her own and only in the worst case ask Teagan of all people. Ever since her first day on the shop floor, she felt she hadn't been treated with the respect she deserved. She wasn't a rank beginner and she didn't want to be looked at that way by her colleagues. Brooks had every right to be critical of her work. He was her boss, after all, and it was his shop. At least half of it was his. The other half belonged to his wife, Jade Shore, whom Quinn had only seen once on the day of her selection. Apparently the woman with the Chinese roots took care of other aspects of the business while her husband watched over the shop.
She had been sitting in her room for two hours, poring over tutorials and online textbooks. Maybe her first impression of Teagan was deceiving her, but she didn't think her colleague would be happy to tell her her secrets. More likely, she'd let Quinn up and show her off. That was why she wanted to start the next day of work as prepared as possible.
A knock on her door gave her pause.
“Yes?” she returned, lifting her gaze from her desk.
The door was opened carefully and Jonah poked his head through the crack.
“I was wondering if you'd like some company? My project team is here and we're about to order some food. Maybe you'd like to join us.”
“Thank you, that's sweet.” She almost had the rejection on her lips when her stomach reminded her that there was still a world away from the manufactory. “I'll be with you in a moment.”
Behind her bedroom door, she had placed mirror foil on which she could at least roughly check whether her hair and make-up made a well-groomed impression. She wasn't entirely satisfied with the mirror's verdict. So she applied a touch of blush and some fresh lipstick before stepping into the living room to meet the strangers. Another scrutinizing glance. A second judgment. Yes, that was how she liked herself.
A curly-headed boy in a black and white mottled knit shirt and short cargo pants sat on the armchair. His fingers fiddling on the display of his phone in high concentration. The sofa was occupied by a tall, lean guy who eyed them suspiciously through his thick glasses. Jonah was talking to another person in the kitchen.
“Hi, I'm Quinn,” she introduced herself.
The curly-haired one nodded. The other looked to the side, startled. Talking to these two obviously wasn't going to be that easy. Quinn wondered if she should just disappear back into her room and pretend she never came out. But Jonah put a spoke in her wheel.
“Quinn, this is Rachel, Ben, and Ethan.” A blonde whose hairstyle resembled Quinn's own beamed at them. Rachel pulled her into her arms and hugged her as if they were old friends. Helplessly, she patted Jonah's acquaintance on the back.
“Oh how nice to meet you. Jonah's told me so much about you already,” she gushed. Quinn bristled. What did Jonah know to tell others about her?
“Well, I may have mentioned you, but that sounds a bit …,” intervened Jonah awkwardly.
“Never mind, I'm definitely glad I'm not the only girl in the room now,” Rachel interrupted his unfinished sentence. “Quinn, tell me something about yourself. I want to know everything. Where are you from? What are you doing? How do you like it here?”
Caught off guard by the sudden wave of words and interest, Quinn plopped down in the vacant chair. Rachel slid on the sofa next to Ben and Jonah rounded out the group, while curly-headed Ethan continued to communicate on his smartphone.
“I'm from a small town in Wyoming and I'm a jewelry designer,” she told Rachel. “Honestly, I'm still pretty overwhelmed with a town this size, but I'll get there.”
“If you ever want to do something, feel free to call me. I'm up for all kinds of shenanigans,” the hyper blonde offered. That radiant color couldn't possibly be real, Quinn thought. She really needed to know who cut Rachel's hair.
“I think your hair is very cool.”
“Yeah, we could almost be twins - hair twins,” Rachel agreed, giggling. Now Jonah seemed to catch on as well, smirking as he looked from one to the other. Even Ben grunted in amusement.
“Yeah, so this is my project team for this semester. We're developing something together for the university,” Jonah explained the gathering of the disparate squad.
“Are you all studying this engineering stuff?” Quinn asked uncertainly, because she had absolutely no idea what Jonah had told her about his studies so far.
“No, I'm studying computer science with a focus on cyber security,” Rachel returned. Quinn looked around. Secretly she hoping Ethan and Ben would be a little more willing to talk before Rachel immediately laid out all the details of her education in front of her. Her hair twin was certainly nice, but Quinn knew even less about computer science than she did about mechanics and electrical engineering.
“Product design,” Ethan replied tacitly as her gaze met his. His voice sounded soft, though he made no particular effort to seem amiable.
“What about you, Ben?” asked Quinn finally, because even a few seconds later the gaunt guy didn't move on his own.
“Me?" he squeake
d, startled.
“Yeah, you,” Quinn returned, giving Rachel beside him a questioning look. What an odd group, she thought irritably. Jonah and Rachel still seemed the most normal of this team, yet without comparison she would have put them both more in the 'weird' category. They were unquestionably likeable, but they didn't seem exactly average, at least to Quinn. But Ben and Ethan topped the evolution in terms of communication skills.
“I'm studying business administration,” Ben finally stammered. That surprised her even more. Actually, Quinn had always thought business majors were an elite bunch of easygoing guys with fat wallets and golden futures. Ben, on the other hand, was more the type of oversized earthworm who felt much more comfortable underground than among humans.
“Okay, what do you guys want to order?” she steered the conversation in a different direction, because she didn't feel like this tedious preliminary banter anymore. Instead of engaging in this exhausting small talk, she might as well sit at her desk and study. She just wanted to eat something quickly and then get back to work quickly. Her goal was to achieve the decisive breakthrough on her own and not have to beg her colleague on her knees to help her the next day.
15. Tyler
“TYLER, OVER HERE,” a familiar face beckoned him from beneath a mountain of red curls. The woman who had lured him to Fairfield was waiting for him in the lobby of the modern police headquarters building. To his delight, he reached his new workplace with a short walk. He would not need a bicycle or his own car. That helped his battered wallet a great deal over the next few weeks.
After the phone call the day before, he had looked up her name again because it had simply slipped his mind. It was 7:28. He was two minutes early, yet Lynn Fremantle was already waiting for him.
“Come with me. We'll have you assigned to the new task force in a moment. Did you find a nice place to live? There are some really great apartments here in Fairfield. If you don't like where you're staying, I'd be happy to recommend something.”