to start,” Imran says in his soothing voice. “I’ve talked with many of you privately, so this should come as no surprise. But just to reiterate, this is the first year we’ll be undertaking this process. And we are going to expect you all to check out. This is Raina. She’ll help facilitate the testing.”
Raina gives a quick nod but says nothing. Her hair is dark and thick, with the kind of loose, effortless curls that everyone wants but no one gets without a salon. She can’t be any older than sixteen. She looks as if she never laughs.
“All the teams are going through testing. And I expect all the teams to be clean. Especially the New York team. The others look to New York to set the standard, so you need to do just that. As you know, if anyone is found to be using, you’ll be banned from the Leagues forever and ever and then some.” Imran pauses and flashes his reassuring smile. I don’t think the man has ever raised his voice. I don’t think he has to. Even when he issues orders, he sounds like he’s giving praise. “So do as Raina says.”
Another crisp nod from Raina, and then we’re dismissed for good this time.
As Gem and I make our way out of Chelsea Piers, I ask her what she thinks Raina will be doing.
“Nothing,” Gem says with a scoff.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because how could they possibly know?”
“I don’t know. How could they?”
“They can’t. That’s the point. You can’t test for granter use. It’s not like getting a wish leaves some sort of mark. It’s not like there are trace amounts of leftover wish dust in your pee.”
“So you think it’s all a ruse?”
She nods her head. “Totally.”
“But Imran made such a big deal about it when he recruited me. Why would he do that?”
“They don’t
want
us using granters. But they can’t
stop
someone from using a granter. Besides, everyone in Miami was talking about granters all the time, and how you find one. It’s virtually impossible,” she says as we walk to the coffee shop.
“How is it impossible? What do they say?”
“That’s all I know. But it’s not like finding a genie in a bottle. Everyone says it’s more …” Her voice trails off.
“More what? Complicated?”
“Not complicated in the sense of a scavenger hunt or riddle complicated. But more like you have to be ready for it,” she says as we reach the coffee shop and order our iced coffees.
“Hmm,” I say because there’s not much else to say. Imran made it clear I needed to be clean, and so I will be clean. Besides, Elise is my granter for all intents and purposes. As long as she’s in my life, I’d never need a granter.
After coffee Gem takes me to her favorite shop in the East Village for rings. The store’s exterior is black, and the windows are full of leather bracelets and silver necklaces as well as tattoo designs.
“When I get out of the Leagues, I’m going to come backhere and get a tattoo,” Gem says, pointing toward the back of the shop where a bleached blonde with a nose ring is sitting stoically as the tattoo artist inks a design along her arm.
“What are you going to get?”
Gem shrugs. “I don’t know. Something pretty. Flowers maybe, since, you know, I do like flowers.”
I nod. We can’t have tattoos in the Leagues. Our arms are often exposed in the shows and the unmarked skin is part of the uniform.
“Maybe I’ll even be a gardener when I’m too old to perform,” Gem muses as she taps her fingers absently against a glass case, checking out the costume jewelry underneath it.
“Ha. You’d be the best ever and put everyone out of business.”
Gem laughs. “True. So true. But my
made
flowers never last.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’d be the flower magician, and everyone would come to your store to see you make roses and lilies.”
“Boring,” Gem says.
“What’s boring?”
“Those flowers. I like daisies. Those crazy Gerber daisies, you know? They’re in every color. Purple, pink,
Raina gives a quick nod but says nothing. Her hair is dark and thick, with the kind of loose, effortless curls that everyone wants but no one gets without a salon. She can’t be any older than sixteen. She looks as if she never laughs.
“All the teams are going through testing. And I expect all the teams to be clean. Especially the New York team. The others look to New York to set the standard, so you need to do just that. As you know, if anyone is found to be using, you’ll be banned from the Leagues forever and ever and then some.” Imran pauses and flashes his reassuring smile. I don’t think the man has ever raised his voice. I don’t think he has to. Even when he issues orders, he sounds like he’s giving praise. “So do as Raina says.”
Another crisp nod from Raina, and then we’re dismissed for good this time.
As Gem and I make our way out of Chelsea Piers, I ask her what she thinks Raina will be doing.
“Nothing,” Gem says with a scoff.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because how could they possibly know?”
“I don’t know. How could they?”
“They can’t. That’s the point. You can’t test for granter use. It’s not like getting a wish leaves some sort of mark. It’s not like there are trace amounts of leftover wish dust in your pee.”
“So you think it’s all a ruse?”
She nods her head. “Totally.”
“But Imran made such a big deal about it when he recruited me. Why would he do that?”
“They don’t
want
us using granters. But they can’t
stop
someone from using a granter. Besides, everyone in Miami was talking about granters all the time, and how you find one. It’s virtually impossible,” she says as we walk to the coffee shop.
“How is it impossible? What do they say?”
“That’s all I know. But it’s not like finding a genie in a bottle. Everyone says it’s more …” Her voice trails off.
“More what? Complicated?”
“Not complicated in the sense of a scavenger hunt or riddle complicated. But more like you have to be ready for it,” she says as we reach the coffee shop and order our iced coffees.
“Hmm,” I say because there’s not much else to say. Imran made it clear I needed to be clean, and so I will be clean. Besides, Elise is my granter for all intents and purposes. As long as she’s in my life, I’d never need a granter.
After coffee Gem takes me to her favorite shop in the East Village for rings. The store’s exterior is black, and the windows are full of leather bracelets and silver necklaces as well as tattoo designs.
“When I get out of the Leagues, I’m going to come backhere and get a tattoo,” Gem says, pointing toward the back of the shop where a bleached blonde with a nose ring is sitting stoically as the tattoo artist inks a design along her arm.
“What are you going to get?”
Gem shrugs. “I don’t know. Something pretty. Flowers maybe, since, you know, I do like flowers.”
I nod. We can’t have tattoos in the Leagues. Our arms are often exposed in the shows and the unmarked skin is part of the uniform.
“Maybe I’ll even be a gardener when I’m too old to perform,” Gem muses as she taps her fingers absently against a glass case, checking out the costume jewelry underneath it.
“Ha. You’d be the best ever and put everyone out of business.”
Gem laughs. “True. So true. But my
made
flowers never last.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’d be the flower magician, and everyone would come to your store to see you make roses and lilies.”
“Boring,” Gem says.
“What’s boring?”
“Those flowers. I like daisies. Those crazy Gerber daisies, you know? They’re in every color. Purple, pink,
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