A Farewell to Charms (22 page)

“Don’t worry about that just yet. I wanted a chance to talk to you alone. I’m very curious to know what Desi was thinking during all of this.” She gave me an appraising look. “I cannot tell you how interesting it’s been watching you over the last few weeks. Every step—you and the Pearson boy figuring out the manuals, your application of job skills to sneak into Façade, the clever story you told your mother when I sent those packages, your resourcefulness in finding the sub—with a little aid from Meredith.”

Meredith swallowed but said nothing.

“I’m confused how you saw all that.” I said. “I thought—”

“That we weren’t watching. Of course. That’s what you needed to believe. You got away with everything because I wanted you to get away with everything. Once we knew you and Reed were spending more time together, we tuned into every conversation. That’s why I reassigned Meredith and took you on myself. That’s why I told Dominick to keep communication brief, to make it seem like I was too busy to care. All those hiccups we created—the Floressa package, the lack of information on your Elsa job—were a test. I wanted to see how quickly you could think in difficult situations. I wanted to see how far you would go with your big plans. And I’ll admit, I was quite curious to see what would happen to Caprice, once her magic was restored.”

“Nothing,” I mumbled. “Her skin tingled. La-di-da.”

“Meredith, what did you say her emotion was again?” Genevieve asked.

“Kindness.”

“Ah, yes. Well, it seems Caprice made quite a splash at that wedding. She linked with some important celebrities, and the wheels are set in motion for a charity she’d like to start. Let Them Eat Cake, a program that feeds hungry inner-city children. And her magic, that extra jolt of kindness, was surely her motivation.”

“Really?” I couldn’t help but beam. “That’s amazing. Genevieve, don’t you see what good we can do with this power? If we just let the sub hopefuls keep their skills and magic, they can develop those abilities for real-world purposes.”

“You have a point,” Genevieve said. “You have many good points. And I don’t think it would hurt if we explored your philosophies a bit more.”

If Meredith’s silver lining was her prince, then mine was knowing that I had made some kind of an impact within the agency. “I’m glad you’re more open—it’ll make the sanitization a little less painful.”

Genevieve threw up her hands. “Would you two stop! I’m not going to sanitize you, Desi. And Meredith, I’m not letting you quit.”

“What?” Meredith and I said at the same time.

“Well, I obviously had to
say
I was punishing you in front of my council. I would look soft if I didn’t sanitize you. But it turns out I
am
soft, and I have an idea that I think will benefit you and Façade both.”

“If this is like last time, Genevieve, when you promoted me to Level Three, I won’t take your bribe,” I said.

“I would like to start a new division at Façade, run by Meredith and assisted by Desi. I also think Reed Pearson would be a vital asset—”

“Reed? Is Reed okay?” I finally realized that Genevieve was not only aware of my acts of sabotage, but Reed’s as well. “You’re not going to sanitize him, are you?”

“Reed was never brought before the council. They have no idea that he was involved, and he may continue at Façade. Or he can go into the Organic Magic department, working with his parents in Egypt, and whatever research they do can help your division. You would use magic to help non-royals in whatever capacity you see necessary, as long as those being helped are unaware magic is involved.”

Meredith looked like she was about to faint. “You’re giving us a new job?”

“Not with Façade. I can’t keep you on here after all that has happened. No one here would know what you are doing. But I would fund your research, sort of a charitable donation, and provide a modest stipend for any recruits.”

“Recruits? Like Caprice?” I asked.

“If that’s where you want to start. But I can’t go around handing out magic. What we can do is screen potentials, and send you the ones we feel are better suited to your needs.”

“The rejects,” I said.

“Call them what you may. Should you find their skills useful, their job would be to positively impact those in need, sort of like what Desi attempted to do while subbing. Their work would be secretive, of course.”

“So I’m not getting sanitized or losing my memory, and Meredith still has a job. We both have jobs.”

Genevieve looked at Meredith. “She likes to repeat herself, doesn’t she?”

“All the time.” Meredith laughed.

I bounced from one foot to the other. Not only did I get to keep my job, but Genevieve was improving it! It was like a dream come true, just not a dream I had even known was possible. “Can we also explore ways to strengthen organic magic? Then you won’t have to steal magic anymore.”

Genevieve’s features hardened. “It would be very difficult to convince the agency to quit that practice altogether. And I believe I’m being very fair in what I offer. We’ll continue our magical procedures regardless, and this way, some of the rejected subs will still get to keep their magic, should they choose to continue their employment with your branch.”

“Fine, then can
we
be run solely on organic magic?” I asked. “And use us as an experiment? If that works, it would be something for Façade to consider, right?”

“I’ll concede that. You never cease to impress me, Desi Bascomb.” Genevieve strode across the roof and pushed open the entrance to the emergency stairs. “You two can take a bubble out of here—I’m going to get some exercise on these stairs. And I suppose you can keep your bubble, Desi; no one is going to notice that. And your manual…I’ll have to figure out how to grant you access on there without Façade being aware of your usage. And I’ll have my assistant send out a formal agreement to you this week.”

“Just not to my house,” I said.

“Yes, no more tricks. You’ll be able to do this job without being detected by family or Façade.” Genevieve pointed a manicured finger at Meredith. “As for you, we’ll hammer out a contract later—I could maybe keep you as an independent consultant, since you weren’t fired like Desi. But for now, I think Desi has a ball to get to, and you might want to place a phone call.”

“To who?” Meredith asked.

Genevieve’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. I might not like how she ran everything at Façade, but we were very lucky to have her support. “Technically, you’re no longer a Façade employee. So technically, anything you want to do in your personal life would be your business.”

Meredith continued to look confused.

“Your prince, Meredith. Go call your prince.” Genevieve gave Meredith a wink and slipped behind the door, leaving Meredith and me alone in the dwindling Paris twilight.

“What just happened?” Meredith asked.

“You just quit Façade,” I said. “And I almost got sanitized. And then we got rehired.”

“I can’t believe it. I get both.” Meredith shook her head and whisked out her phone. Her smile was absolutely brilliant. She wasn’t doing this with a text this time. Her prince answered on the second ring.

“Roberto,” she breathed out. “My answer is yes. Forever and ever. Yes.”

Meredith cried and laughed while she flew me home in her bubble. As soon as she dropped me off, she was zipping right over to see Prince Roberto. And as for me? I didn’t know what my life was going to be like from this point on. I knew I would miss subbing—miss my clients, miss being a part of their lives. I would miss Façade—the rich history, the wonderful people who worked there, the mystery of not knowing what each job would bring. No more tiaras, no more princesses, no more glitz and glam.

But on the plus side, I would still be able to see Reed, even after he moved to Egypt. Meredith would be able to guide me as I made this epic leap. I had the opportunity to do the very thing I’d always wanted to do—use magic for good for anyone who needed it, regardless of money or status. I had a future of possibility and excitement with this new organization we would be forming. Genevieve had even given me permission to seek out my own employees.

And I knew exactly who I was hiring first.

K
ylee was already grilling Reed when I got back to the grove, my bubble appearing just behind a tree. He had his hands in his pockets, and he kept flinching as she attacked him with question after question. It was so fun to watch, I didn’t interrupt.

“Are you an alien?” she asked. “Cyborg? Unicorn in human form? Warlock? Serial killer.”

“I told you, Kylee, I’m just me. And whatever you thought you saw, well, I can promise you won’t be seeing it again.”

“And what did you do with Desi? Vaporize her? Bite her? I’ve heard of invisible werewolves, you know.”

Reed rubbed the back of his neck. “I would really like to know where Desi is too. Why don’t you go look for her, and I’ll wait here in case she comes back.”

“No way. I am her
protector
. You go see if she went back to the dance, and
I’ll
wait here.”

“Kylee, I promise I’m not some psycho from a scary movie.”

“That’s exactly something a psycho from a scary movie would say.”

“Fine. Fine. I’m going to check in at the rink. I have a surprise planned for her. She should be back in a bit, and when she is, and after you’ve confirmed that she is not an alien clone, can you
please
tell her to come find me?”

“After I check that she has not magically been tampered with.”

“Yeah. You do that,” Reed muttered.

Kylee sat down on the bench, right next to the hot chocolate I’d set there before I left. I tiptoed behind her, leaned in, and whispered, “Boo!”

Her scream could be heard in Oregon. “DESI BASCOMB! Don’t you dare!” She grabbed at her chest, then swallowed me in a hug. “What happened to you? Don’t lie. I saw you disappear into…I know this sounds stupid, but in a giant—”

“Bubble? Yep.”

“For real.” Kylee steadied herself on the bench. “So…is this what you and Reed were up to? Perfecting your Houdini act? Because he appeared a few seconds after you left. And…he’s not an evil wizard, right?”

“Kylee, listen to yourself.”

“What? I just saw my best friend and the hottest boy in town alternately pop in and out of thin air. What do you want me to think, Desi, IF THAT IS YOUR NAME?”

I moved my hot chocolate and joined Kylee on the bench. “So, you’ve been asking me for the truth for a really long time, and I’m going to tell you. You probably won’t believe it, but I promise you, this is all very real.” I took a sip of my still-warm hot chocolate, and started. “So, last June, when I was working at Pets Charming, I made a wish on some magical fish, and a bubble just like the one you saw appeared in my room along with my agent, Meredith, who offered me a job as a magical princess substitute…”

I gave her a three minute rundown of the last six months of my life. Kylee didn’t interrupt me, just kept nodding like a bobblehead.

“…so, yeah. You saw a bubble. And those weird phone things we showed you are our manuals. And you wouldn’t have been able to see any of this if you didn’t have some MP—Magic Potential.”

“Wait—
I’m
magical now?” Kylee rubbed her chin. “Desi, that all sounds so crazy. Like, it’s so far out there, I don’t know how you could even make it up.”

“That’s because I’m not making it up.”

“And that’s why Reed and you are so tight.”

I swallowed. “Well, yeah. That’s part of the reason.”

Kylee played with the fringe on her scarf. “The other part being you both like each other.”

“Kylee—”

She held up her hand. “Desi. It’s fine. No, seriously, for real this time. You and Reed? I’m okay with it. I had a stupid crush on him, but I can tell it’s more for you two. And as your friend, I need you to know I approve and I’m happy and so on. Now. As far as all this magical business goes…” Kylee readjusted in her seat. “So when do I get my own bubble? Do I have an agent? Can I borrow your bubble? Can we go wherever we want? Have you met any cute princes? Tell me you can introduce me to a hot prince. Where is this Façade place? And are there any divisions for magical creatures? Because, oh my gosh, Desi, what if we got our own pet unicorn?”

“You should be in shock now.” I reached over and felt Kylee’s forehead. “Why aren’t you in shock? I’m being totally serious about all this. You should be running away and screaming.”

Kylee pointed at the spot where my bubble had first appeared. “I just saw you pop out of thin air. And I
am
a musical prodigy, you know, and sometimes when I’m playing my clarinet it feels like there’s a…power that’s helping me perform. Maybe that’s magic. And I still sleep with my light on because I’m worried about evil creatures biting me while I sleep. Royal substitutes? Not a stretch.”

“The bad news is, I can’t offer you a princess job. But the good news is, I’m helping to start a new agency division. The pay is awful, there is no glamour or perks. We might fail completely, but there will be travel involved as we look for new recruits.”

“Like bubbles? Please tell me I get a bubble. And if vampires are real, you better find me a hot one.”

“The hottest.” I let out a laugh. “I think I’m in shock more then you are. It’s such a relief to finally be able to tell you everything.”

“And we’ll have plenty of time for you to tell me more,” Kylee said. “But now you should probably go find Reed. And I will sit here on this very cold bench and digest that I have magical abilities.”

“You
will
have magical abilities.” I pointed out. “First we have to ignite them, though, and that only comes when you interact with a magical organism.…You know what? We’ll go over that later. You digest. And here.” I tossed her my manual. “Go through the gossip section first. You’ll love the insider tips they have on Prince William.”

I left Kylee to explore the world of Façade while I tried to find Reed. He wasn’t at the skating rink, much to his busy boss’s dismay. The decorations committee had sent Celeste over to help, who of course thought
help
was a four-letter word.

I mean, it is a four-letter word. But still.

“Do you know how gross these skates are?” she asked.

“Yeah, yeah, disgusting. Hey, have you seen Reed?”

“He was just here looking for
you
. I saw him go out into the parking lot. Ooooh, why are you looking for him? I knew you two were in love!”

I ran over to the parking lot, which was filled with cars and festive partygoers in winter coats. I surveyed passing faces until everyone had crammed into the community center and I was left alone. It was cold, and my shoes were not made to walk in snow, and I looked adorable in this peacoat and Floressa Chase original dress, which was not being put to good use searching for Reed.

I heard the jingle bells before I saw them. The horse’s hooves clicked against the wet street as the driver pulled closer to the curb in the sleigh. Reed was tucked in under a blanket. He patted the seat next to him. “The driver is named Dave. He does some horticulture work with my dad, so for twenty bucks he agreed to give us our own fifteen-minute sleigh ride.” Reed lowered his voice. “He also has incredibly bad hearing, so don’t worry about him eavesdropping.”

“Hi, Dave!” I called. Dave smiled under his bushy mustache. I hopped up by Reed and settled under the blanket.

“Dave can vouch for me if Kylee starts chasing us, yelling that I’m trying to steal you back to the mother ship.”

“She won’t. I just told her all about Façade.”

Reed frowned. “How did you get away with that?”

“The council can’t fire me twice in one day.”

“Wow.” Reed let out a low whistle. “They really did? I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Barrett showed up at the wedding, and my bubble took me right home—I tried to change my location so I could find you, but there was some kind of freeze on the control and I couldn’t do anything. I was brought right back here.”

“And nothing else happened to you? Sergei or your parents or Genevieve didn’t say anything?”

“No. Like I said, I had no clue what was going on. I didn’t even get a slap on the wrist.”

“About that. Genevieve knows everything we did—she was watching the whole time.”

“No way; serious?” Reed’s voice cracked. “But then why didn’t I have to face the council? They aren’t going to call me in, are they?”

“No one else knows you were involved, and Genevieve isn’t telling anyone.” I shifted in my seat and looked Reed square in the eye. “She offered me a new position, and she wants you to work with me and Façade and your parents, if they want.”

Reed leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “I’m in.”

“Don’t you want to hear what the job is?”

“Another part of having truth as my emotion? Sometimes you don’t have to hear the truth—you can feel it. And I trust you so much, Desi, that I am behind you one hundred percent on any new adventure. Plus, we’ll still get to see each other, once I move.”

I grinned. “Yeah, we will, huh?”

“So I want to hear all about the firing and rehiring, but first I think this is the perfect time to give you your birthday present.” Reed reached behind the seat and produced a small box wrapped in gold paper. “I remember you told my parents that it’s your birthday tomorrow, and with all the other things going on in your life, you probably haven’t thought about it much. And fourteen is a big age.”

I peeled back the paper and opened the box. When I saw what was inside, I threw my head back and laughed. A tiara. A real, honest-to-goodness, Celeste-might-wear-this-at-herpageant TIARA. I pushed back the pink tissue paper and held up my gift in the moonlight. “It’s the best present ever.”

“I know you were joking when you said the reason you worked at Façade was so you could wear tiaras, but I thought you should still have one of your very own. Besides, you’re, uh, more awesome than any princess I’ve ever met.”

I elbowed his side. “Even Floressa Chase?”

“Especially Floressa Chase.”

“Oh, come on. I bet you were excited that you got to kiss her.”

“No way. I’ve had to kiss a lot of princesses.” Reed reached over and stuck my tiara on my head. “I’ve kissed Elsa before, too, but you’re not acting weird about that.”

“What?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Barrett kissed ELSA?”

“No,
Karl
did.”

“But you’re Barrett.”

Reed knocked on my head. “And you’re dense. I’ve subbed for Karl, too. He had me come to Metzahg when he first reunited with Elsa, because he couldn’t break up with her on his own. But when I got there, I decided Elsa was just too cool to pass up and told him he should come back and face her. So he did, they kissed, and now they’re doing the whole happily-ever-after thing.”

“So, you were there?” I asked, misty-eyed. “In the garden?”

“Yeah, I walked around a garden. How’d you know that?”

“I was subbing for Elsa.” I was right. Reed was the prince I’d first fallen for. And he was the boy who saved me from the dunk tank. And the sub who’d helped me stand up to Façade. He was everyone. He was everything. “So what does this mean?”

“Desi, I liked you the first time I met you. Yeah, Elsa was really cool that day, so it makes sense if you were her. But honestly? I like you just as you. Not as a princess. Not as a sub.” He reached over and took my hand under the blanket. “Just Desi.”

And I realized that it didn’t matter if part of the time he was Karl—if I kind of had liked Karl—because right now, it was just Reed. Just Reed and me.

“Do you like old movies?” I asked.

“Some of them. I watch them to study acting.”

“But you know
Casablanca.”

His face filled with understanding. “Yeah. That was you quoting lines, wasn’t it?”

I nodded.

He leaned in and smiled at me, our faces inches apart. “You know what other line I like?”

I shook my head.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

And then Just Reed leaned over and gave Just Desi a soft, quick kiss. We weren’t royals, we weren’t actors, and he wasn’t saving me from a dunk tank.

And that five-second kiss was my most magical moment yet.