New Job, New life

That’s the thing about this city, it’s rather like an elephant. It’s large, loud, gray, and never forgets.

“Hey Remy, which building should I evacuate for you today?” The brunette across the sidewalk jeered. At least she had the courage to say it to my face. Her words may cut, but honestly it wasn’t as bad as the constant wear and tear of quiet whispers and sideways glances.

“Off to ‘remodel’ another building? Don't worry, I'll call the fire squad.” She cackled, seeing that I wasn’t going to do anything about it.

Usually being a student at the New York Academy of Magic would warrant some respect, but apparently that went out the window as soon as you accidentally blew up a building.

Finally, I got to the nearest city library--the school didn’t want me in theirs, what with books being flammable and all--and breathed in the smell of pages and ink, revelling in the silence. 

The lady at the desk smiled. My favorite of the four librarians, though they were all very nice. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I set down the stack of books.

“Just returns today?” She raised her eyebrows. It was a fair question, my usual policy was to check out just as many as I turned in.

“For now.” I grinned. “Believe it or not, I have a job today.” Magic Freelance was despised by the Academy, but the people didn’t seem to care, they kept hiring any magician who would let them. Or, almost any, that is.

“Hey, that’s awesome! I’m so happy for you!” She beamed, her smile reaching her eyes. “You have to let me know how it goes!”

“Thanks Cyndi. I will.”

Normally I would stay in the library for at least an hour before daring to brave the streets again, but this time I didn’t have that luxury. My meeting with the client would start soon.

I made my way through the streets, trying my best to avoid as many people as I could. It didn’t help much, everybody always seemed to see me, but at least if I couldn’t hear them, I could tell myself they weren’t whispering about me. Unfortunately, I didn’t believe myself. If I did, I might be less sleep-deprived.

Finally, I reached the cafe where my client wanted to meet. I looked through the window, trying to guess if they were already there, but seeing as many people sit alone in cafes and I didn’t know anything about them, there was really no way to tell. I shrugged and walked up to the counter. They could find me, it’s not like I was a nobody anymore.

“Could I get a vanilla chai with soy milk and no cream, please? Thanks. Sorry, I know it’s complicated.” I offered a smile and a 10 note, knowing it was way too much. “Keep the change.”

She smiled. “It’s not a problem. I’ll bring it out to you.” She gestured with her head to one of the women sitting alone in the corner, stirring her drink. “I think she’s waiting for you.”

I looked for a second, waiting to see if she’d look over to me and wave, or do anything really, but all she did was stir the drink and look out the window. I sighed and walked over, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach.

“Remy.” She didn’t look up at me, just gestured to the bench across from her. When I was seated and at eye level, she smiled. Somehow, the gesture wasn’t warm or comforting. I felt rather like a small rodent staring down a hyena.

I cleared my throat. “Hey.”

“Good. I was worried you wouldn’t show.”

Not that I didn’t get the letter they had slipped under my door, even though my name wasn’t anywhere in the building, not even the mailbox. In hindsight, I probably should have been more worried about that. 

“Anyway, I have a job for you.”

I frowned, my stomach doing gymnastics trying to signal me to leave. “Are you sure you have the right guy?” Please say no, please say no. “I’m sure you’ve heard my reputation.”

“Oh, I have. That’s exactly why my boss wanted you. I didn’t agree, of course, but what the boss says, goes. Besides, you won’t let us down, right?” I felt something cold press into my knee. It could have been something other than a gun, after all I’m sure there are plenty of cold, round, hollow circles someone can press against your leg after making a vague threat. But I really didn’t want to make that bet right now.

“Yep, of course. Count on me! But, uh… what exactly is the job?”

She smiled again, while her green eyes ripped my head off and tore me to shreds. “Good! I’m glad you agree. Don’t worry, we don’t ask for a lot.” She finally withdrew the weapon, and looked down to examine her sharp nails as the server brought my drink over.

I considered bolting, or blinking in code at the server to get some help. But nobody knew morse code these days, so I figured it would only get me in trouble. Instead, I tried pleading with my eyes. “Thanks for the drink.” Please get me out of here. 

She didn’t seem to notice, just smiled and walked away. I turned back to the woman in front of me, and took a sip. Almost immediately, my stomach cramped. I clutched my middle and started scooting my way to the edge of the bench, knowing what was coming next. “Fu- I told her no cream!”

And then, everything started spinning, which is not usually a side effect of consuming dairy. “Wait, what is…”

“Shhh.” She lunged to keep me upright as I tipped over. “Let’s get you to the car before you fall.”

“No! I don--” She glared, and I quieted down, noting the bulge by her hip. “No. I don’t want to go with you. I don’t want your job.”

“Well that’s too bad. You don’t even know what it is yet.” She shrugged my arm over her shoulders and laughed, brushing a kiss on my cheek. “Plus, you don’t get a choice.” 

Her show must have looked more convincing than it felt, because people barely gave us a second glance, and usually everybody gave me at least three.

We made it out to her car, and honestly the rest is a blur. I’m not sure if we were just moving that quickly, or if it was the effects of whatever drug was in that drink, but next thing I knew I was sitting at a large, wooden conference table vomiting into a bucket.

A slam of a door swinging open too hard echoed through the room. “What did you do to him?”

I looked up to see the prettiest, most terrifying woman standing in the doorway. Her auburn hair was pulled into a long braid that draped over her shoulder, through her crossed arms, ending in a curl gracefully at her waist. 

“I told you I wanted him in one piece. I assumed you were smart enough to know that I meant unharmed.”

The lady beside me blanched. “I’m sorry, Ma'am.”

“Yes. You will be. Now get out.”

She scurried out the door faster than I’ve ever seen someone in heels like that move. Finally uncrossing her arms, the new woman advanced from the doorway and took a seat, back perfectly straight, one leg crossed over the other and hands clasped on top.

“She can be a handful. I’m sorry about the drugs. We really don’t approve of those methods, not for those we want on our team, anyway.”

I wanted to ask what their team was, but when I opened my mouth, vomit escaped rather than words. Not that there was much difference with me, especially when nervous.

She grimaced, then continued. “Anyway, I need some security around here. You see, we deal with a lot of very sensitive information and… artifacts, if you will. I need to be able to destroy it at a moment’s notice.”

I squinted, wracking my brain to figure out what she was talking about, and realization dawned. She wasn’t just any dangerous woman, she was the most dangerous woman. Lena Cordova, the head of the American Mafia.

She nodded, likely registering the understanding in my eyes, though I’d heard she could read minds. I’d heard a lot of things about her that I hoped weren’t true, for my own sake. “Yes, that’s where you come in. Your amount of sheer raw power is hard to come by, and you have better control than most, believe it or not. See, you’re going to be my little self-destruct button. You’ll live here with me, and if I say the words, you make sure this whole place goes down in flames, fast. Can you do that?”

I nodded. 

“Good. No need to worry about school, we’ve expedited your graduation, under a new name, of course. And you don’t need to worry about your apartment or friends or family either, your funeral is scheduled for Thursday. You won't be able to attend, of course, but we can stream it for you so you can see everyone who cares about you. Now, let’s discuss payment...”

I sat, still in shock, listening to Lena tell me about my new life and the expectations that came with it as the illusion of choice faded away.

See, that’s the other thing about this city. It isn’t part of America anymore.

It’s Lena’s city.