“Hey, Lex. I’m glad you came.”
“Hi,” Lex replied, feeling a smile on her own face despite the odd circumstances. “So you came to help me out.”
Casey shrugged. “I hear you’re trying to decide what to do.”
Lex nodded and looked at the grass for a moment. She gazed back up at Casey and squinted a bit to look her in the eye, since the patch of sunlight they stood in had widened as the breeze picked up. “I have to admit, I feel a little weird talking to you about it, though.”
Laughing, Casey responded, “Well, the fact that you’re talking to me and not to someone else might say something about the direction you’re thinking about going. But remember that I’m just here to help. I’m not really even the person you met, I’m just your guide here.”
“I know, I know,” Lex answered, rubbing her hands together a little nervously.
“Let’s walk a while,” Casey said, indicating the direction Lex had been traveling in before.
The two of them fell into step together comfortably, like two old friends used to hiking around together. The very air they passed through seemed to sparkle as stray bits of sunlight made it down to their level, and Lex found herself relaxing again. Finally, she spoke once more. “So you know what I’m trying to decide, whether or not to take the job offer for the M Agency.”
Casey smiled down at her. “I told you I knew you’d get it.”
“OK, so you were right,” Lex replied, feeling a little sheepish and smiling at the ground. “What I want to know now is, do you have any advice you can give me? Some things about it sound good but some sound bad, so I’m not really sure what to do.”
Casey was quiet for a moment, looking up at the branches as they met above their heads. “Well, I have a question for you in return. What do you want out of life?” Lex looked over at Casey as she paused, knowing her own expression showed puzzlement. “I don’t just mean to marry some guy and work at some job. I think you’ve always felt that you wanted to accomplish more, to put something good out into the world. Is that right?”
Lex felt her heart jump as she thought about her previous excitement in reading about the team responsibilities and training. “That’s true.”
Casey smiled down at her again. “Well, think about what you know about the job so far. It sounds like it might offer the potential for you to do more good in the world than most of the jobs you’re used to doing. Also, I have a feeling that if you take this job, it will be the start of a long road for you, one that you’ll find some of your other heart’s desires at the end of.”
Lex thought for a bit about what Casey had said and then asked, “Do you have any idea what would happen if I refused the offer and continued looking for another job?”
Frowning a little sadly, Casey looked down at Lex again. “Yes. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that if you turn this job down, you’ll have trouble coming your way for a while.”
“Ah,” Lex replied, now frowning herself.
“I’m sorry about that,” Casey said. “I wish I had something better to tell you.”
Lex smiled up at her again. “It doesn’t matter. Thanks for being honest.”
Casey looked up at the branches overhead again and said quietly, “There’s something else, too. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but I have a feeling that if you do accept the offer, you and I are meant to—“
Lex almost levitated off the couch at the noise from the intercom because it seemed unbelievably loud in the quiet house. She jumped up and ran to it, immediately responding with a hurried hello.
“Ms. McKilliam, the courier who was here earlier is back,” the person from the front desk replied.
“Please send him up. Thank you.”
Lex broke the connection and shook her head, still feeling jumpy from the jarring noise and the cascade of thoughts running through her mind as she tried to decide what response to give. Some minutes
“Hi,” Lex replied, feeling a smile on her own face despite the odd circumstances. “So you came to help me out.”
Casey shrugged. “I hear you’re trying to decide what to do.”
Lex nodded and looked at the grass for a moment. She gazed back up at Casey and squinted a bit to look her in the eye, since the patch of sunlight they stood in had widened as the breeze picked up. “I have to admit, I feel a little weird talking to you about it, though.”
Laughing, Casey responded, “Well, the fact that you’re talking to me and not to someone else might say something about the direction you’re thinking about going. But remember that I’m just here to help. I’m not really even the person you met, I’m just your guide here.”
“I know, I know,” Lex answered, rubbing her hands together a little nervously.
“Let’s walk a while,” Casey said, indicating the direction Lex had been traveling in before.
The two of them fell into step together comfortably, like two old friends used to hiking around together. The very air they passed through seemed to sparkle as stray bits of sunlight made it down to their level, and Lex found herself relaxing again. Finally, she spoke once more. “So you know what I’m trying to decide, whether or not to take the job offer for the M Agency.”
Casey smiled down at her. “I told you I knew you’d get it.”
“OK, so you were right,” Lex replied, feeling a little sheepish and smiling at the ground. “What I want to know now is, do you have any advice you can give me? Some things about it sound good but some sound bad, so I’m not really sure what to do.”
Casey was quiet for a moment, looking up at the branches as they met above their heads. “Well, I have a question for you in return. What do you want out of life?” Lex looked over at Casey as she paused, knowing her own expression showed puzzlement. “I don’t just mean to marry some guy and work at some job. I think you’ve always felt that you wanted to accomplish more, to put something good out into the world. Is that right?”
Lex felt her heart jump as she thought about her previous excitement in reading about the team responsibilities and training. “That’s true.”
Casey smiled down at her again. “Well, think about what you know about the job so far. It sounds like it might offer the potential for you to do more good in the world than most of the jobs you’re used to doing. Also, I have a feeling that if you take this job, it will be the start of a long road for you, one that you’ll find some of your other heart’s desires at the end of.”
Lex thought for a bit about what Casey had said and then asked, “Do you have any idea what would happen if I refused the offer and continued looking for another job?”
Frowning a little sadly, Casey looked down at Lex again. “Yes. Unfortunately, I have the feeling that if you turn this job down, you’ll have trouble coming your way for a while.”
“Ah,” Lex replied, now frowning herself.
“I’m sorry about that,” Casey said. “I wish I had something better to tell you.”
Lex smiled up at her again. “It doesn’t matter. Thanks for being honest.”
Casey looked up at the branches overhead again and said quietly, “There’s something else, too. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but I have a feeling that if you do accept the offer, you and I are meant to—“
Lex almost levitated off the couch at the noise from the intercom because it seemed unbelievably loud in the quiet house. She jumped up and ran to it, immediately responding with a hurried hello.
“Ms. McKilliam, the courier who was here earlier is back,” the person from the front desk replied.
“Please send him up. Thank you.”
Lex broke the connection and shook her head, still feeling jumpy from the jarring noise and the cascade of thoughts running through her mind as she tried to decide what response to give. Some minutes
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