Read Page 38

"I'll keep that in mind," I said as I sat at my desk. Angie pulled a bottle of clear top coat out of her desk drawer and went to work on her manicure.

Now I wished I'd thought to bring a book with me, if my job was going to involve sitting around and waiting until I was needed. There had been plenty of books in Owen's lab area, and I wondered if any of them were worth reading. There was a company roster in the top desk drawer. I found Owen's name, then picked up the phone. This felt awkward to do surrounded by my coworkers, but none of them seemed to be paying attention to me, so I dialed.Advertisement

Owen answered his phone himself, and fairly quickly. "Katie!" he said, before I had a chance to identify myself. For a second I wondered if he was a precog of some sort, then I noticed that the phone had caller ID on it.

"Hi," I said, deliberately not saying his name. "I was wondering if y'all had any books there that might be a good intro to magic. I didn't bring anything with me, and it looks like I might have time to kill, so I thought maybe I should just start studying up."

"That's a good idea. I'm sure I have something around here. When I find it, I'll have it sent over."

"Thanks so much," I said. I hung up the phone to find most of the office staring at me. Was it so odd

to take initiative around here? Kim narrowed her eyes at me, as if she saw me as a threat. Angie just rolled her eyes and went back to blowing on her fingernails. Gary looked up from his book, shook his head, and went back to reading. Rowena glared at me for a second, then went back to spinning around

in her chair.

I reminded myself that even though these weren't ideal working conditions, it wasn't Mimi. Boredom was better than frustration. Then there was a flash of light and a popping sound and a stack of books appeared on my desk. That was handy. I wondered what else could be teleported like that.

The books were all old, with rich leather covers embossed in gold. The top one's title was A History ofMagic . I opened it and found a note stuck to the inside cover.

"Let me know if you have any questions." It was signed "O.E" I was glad he'd put the note where it wasn't immediately visible, then realized he had to be aware of the interest shown in him. Knowing him, I suspected he hated it.

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History had always been one of my favorite subjects, so I dove right in. It went all the way back to prehistoric times, covering ancient sects and discussing the difference between religious magic and the kind of magic that was an inherited skill.

Some of this stuff would have made a great novel, and it was hard to believe that people around here considered it real history.

I'd just reached the part about the role of magic in the rise of King Arthur when another call came through. This one rang straight to Kim's desk. She answered with an overkill of brisk professionalism and took a page full of notes before she hung up the phone and turned to me. "I need to sit in on an important meeting. Katie, you should come with me."

Although I'd reached a really interesting spot in my book, I eagerly followed her out of the office. She carried a notepad and pen with her, and I wondered if I should have brought something. As we walked she gave me her own version of life in the verification department. "I would discourage you from emulating Angie," she said, her lips curling in disapproval. "The fact that our kind is too rare for them to fire us is no excuse for slacking off. A person can rise within this company from our department. All the executives want a verifier as a personal assistant. Play your cards right and impress the right people, and you may just make your way out of the pool."

"You've been here two years, right?" I asked, and then realized that was the wrong thing to say. As professional as she tried to act, Kim was still in the pool. "You must really know your way around," I added, hurrying to cover up my foot-in-mouth episode.

"I pay attention, and I keep my eyes and ears open. If you do the same, you could move into my position when I leave."

"You're planning to leave?"

"There's a new chief executive. He's going to need an assistant, and the best assistants for executives are immunes. Who else from Verification is he going to choose?"

I had to admit she had a point. I couldn't imagine flighty Rowena, lazy Angie, or whatever Gary was when he wasn't reading working with Mr. Mervyn. Then again, I wasn't sure I could see Kim at his side, either.

We reached the conference room where I'd been spending a lot of time lately. Kim took a seat not at the table, but in a chair set against the back wall. I sat next to her. pqdm.com