looking for you. You wanted me. Is this really fair treatment?”
Fate stopped and turned to watch me. “You know, you're a little odd.”
“ Please, like you people have any room to talk.” I walked over to the car and got in the passenger side, not surprised in the least that he didn't try and get the door for me. He sped out of the lot before I got my seatbelt on and the way he whipped down the road made it hard to breathe.
“ Would you mind slowing down?”
“ Yes.”
“ Why are you so horribly unpleasant?”
“ You shouldn't be here.”
“ You are such a jerk.”
“ It's not just you, any transfer.”
“ I agree completely. You should do something about it. Maybe talk to the people in charge?”
“ Harold agrees, but he was being honest when he said he couldn't get rid of you until the thirty days.”
“ What about the old man? Maybe he can do something?”
His gaze swung to me. “What old man?”
“ The old guy that recruits?” The way he was staring at me didn't bode well.
“ Harold recruits.”
“ Only him?”
“ Yes. Who are you taking about? Are you talking to humans? Did you tell a human about us?”
There was absolutely no way I was going to say anything else. He obviously didn't know the guy and the way he was looking at me, I didn't particularly feel like admitting to knowing about him , either. When in doubt, say nothing.
“ I just figured there was someone above Harold.” He was so arrogant that I couldn't help but get a little joy out of him not knowing something I did.
“ No, that isn't what you meant at all.”
“ Don't tell me what I meant.”
“ Then why would you assume Harold's boss was an old man?”
“ I was being sexist.” The words tasted bad even as I said them. There wasn't a sexist bone in my body. My unlaughed giggles died a sad death in my chest, snuffed out by the false label of sexism. How short lived my glory had been.
“ You are so full of shit.”
“ Please, Fate, let's not pretend you're insulted over unshared confidences.”
He broke out into a deep laughter and som ething in my stomach fluttered. The scowl erased, a wide smile replacing it. How could such a jerk look so inviting just because he was smiling?
“ Why are we at the office?” I asked looking to change the subject and get rid of the offending expression.
“ It was closer than my place and I didn't want to leave my car in your lot.” He got out and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
“ Don't we need a plane or something?” I looked around searching for a hidden Cessna.
“ I'm calling for a door.” He held up a hand to me, gesturing for me to stop talking. “We're ready,” he said into the phone.
A door?
I spun around looking at the dark lot.
“ Shouldn't we get going?” I said to him. We did need to get states away and pronto.
“ There.”
Ten feet in front of us, a shimmering started until a set of doors appeared out of nowhere. They looked like they were made of platinum, but what was even crazier were the two guards in full armor that appeared next to them.
“ I'm guessing that they would be the ones that stopped anyone trying to go through without permission?”
“ Yes.” We approached the doors and they glided open. On the other side of them, a forest appeared.
“ And we can just call these guys up? How did they know where to lead us?”
“ Yes. The number is programmed into your work phone.”
“ Why did I need you then?”
“ They don't always like new people, even if they are supposed to be here. It's usually better if you travel with someone they know the first time.”
Fate stepped aside to let me go first. I hesitated right before I crossed the thres hold and felt Fate's hand on the small of my back. If it was someone else, it might have been a reassuring presence. Him? It was probably to push me through if I tried to stop.
And then I took the plunge forward.
Chapter Eleven
I stood on the other side of the door as
Fate stopped and turned to watch me. “You know, you're a little odd.”
“ Please, like you people have any room to talk.” I walked over to the car and got in the passenger side, not surprised in the least that he didn't try and get the door for me. He sped out of the lot before I got my seatbelt on and the way he whipped down the road made it hard to breathe.
“ Would you mind slowing down?”
“ Yes.”
“ Why are you so horribly unpleasant?”
“ You shouldn't be here.”
“ You are such a jerk.”
“ It's not just you, any transfer.”
“ I agree completely. You should do something about it. Maybe talk to the people in charge?”
“ Harold agrees, but he was being honest when he said he couldn't get rid of you until the thirty days.”
“ What about the old man? Maybe he can do something?”
His gaze swung to me. “What old man?”
“ The old guy that recruits?” The way he was staring at me didn't bode well.
“ Harold recruits.”
“ Only him?”
“ Yes. Who are you taking about? Are you talking to humans? Did you tell a human about us?”
There was absolutely no way I was going to say anything else. He obviously didn't know the guy and the way he was looking at me, I didn't particularly feel like admitting to knowing about him , either. When in doubt, say nothing.
“ I just figured there was someone above Harold.” He was so arrogant that I couldn't help but get a little joy out of him not knowing something I did.
“ No, that isn't what you meant at all.”
“ Don't tell me what I meant.”
“ Then why would you assume Harold's boss was an old man?”
“ I was being sexist.” The words tasted bad even as I said them. There wasn't a sexist bone in my body. My unlaughed giggles died a sad death in my chest, snuffed out by the false label of sexism. How short lived my glory had been.
“ You are so full of shit.”
“ Please, Fate, let's not pretend you're insulted over unshared confidences.”
He broke out into a deep laughter and som ething in my stomach fluttered. The scowl erased, a wide smile replacing it. How could such a jerk look so inviting just because he was smiling?
“ Why are we at the office?” I asked looking to change the subject and get rid of the offending expression.
“ It was closer than my place and I didn't want to leave my car in your lot.” He got out and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
“ Don't we need a plane or something?” I looked around searching for a hidden Cessna.
“ I'm calling for a door.” He held up a hand to me, gesturing for me to stop talking. “We're ready,” he said into the phone.
A door?
I spun around looking at the dark lot.
“ Shouldn't we get going?” I said to him. We did need to get states away and pronto.
“ There.”
Ten feet in front of us, a shimmering started until a set of doors appeared out of nowhere. They looked like they were made of platinum, but what was even crazier were the two guards in full armor that appeared next to them.
“ I'm guessing that they would be the ones that stopped anyone trying to go through without permission?”
“ Yes.” We approached the doors and they glided open. On the other side of them, a forest appeared.
“ And we can just call these guys up? How did they know where to lead us?”
“ Yes. The number is programmed into your work phone.”
“ Why did I need you then?”
“ They don't always like new people, even if they are supposed to be here. It's usually better if you travel with someone they know the first time.”
Fate stepped aside to let me go first. I hesitated right before I crossed the thres hold and felt Fate's hand on the small of my back. If it was someone else, it might have been a reassuring presence. Him? It was probably to push me through if I tried to stop.
And then I took the plunge forward.
Chapter Eleven
I stood on the other side of the door as
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