4 Chapter 4: Catch a Hear (1/2)
I had to meet with Beth Monday morning. My internship was officially over, but my job was about to begin. As an actual employee, there were new responsibilities and rules I had to abide by, but much of my first day as Beth's assistant was spent like any other. I ran a few errands, and we practiced writing spells.
I even wrote a new spell I called ”Cannon Ball.” I hated continually finding myself knocked around like a rag doll, so Cannon Ball was meant to make me tough as nails. At least then I wouldn't hurt as much. What it did was take away all the feeling in my body. It only lasted a few moments at a time, and after it wore off I'd feel any severe injuries like broken bones. Still, it was suitable for nullifying temporary pain I might take from my frequent accidents.
Unfortunately, that was my only major event that day. My dad, on the other hand, had a meeting with the owner of the drive-through that day. If everything went well, he would be the new owner by the time I made it home. The things my dad could have done with the Drive Through were boundless. For one, he could have started by giving it a better name than ”The Drive Through.” Honestly, how generic could you get?
Thanks to Velmer, I finally had a new phone, so I texted my dad all day, asking for updates. His only replies were short responses like ”don't know yet,” ”tell you later,” or my favorite ”can't talk now.”
As an employee, I only had to work 8 hours a day with Beth, so I got to head home earlier than expected.
I knew Dad would win. Who else would they give the drive-through to? He was the most loyal hard working person in town. If anyone deserved a break, he did. That made it all the more difficult when he finally made it home.
He didn't get it.
He didn't have to say as much. I knew he didn't get it because he didn't say anything at all. Sometimes no answer was the worst, but it was the most definitive answer a person could give. The light in his eyes was dim. His shoulders were heavy. Worst of all, he wouldn't admit it. I asked if he was ok, and all he could say was, ”I'm fine, just another day. ” It shouldn't have been just another day.
Tuesday morning. I didn't feel like going to the theater, but I forced myself. Like usual, Dad was already gone by the time I left my bedroom. I wanted to say something to him. I wanted to do something for him. My dad didn't ask for much. He was a simple man, but that made it matter more when he finally set his sights on something.
Working with Beth that day felt long and drawn out. My mind wasn't in it.
”What are the interns doing,” I asked.
Beth was reading me the daily schedule letting me know what my responsibilities would be, but I couldn't pretend to be interested. It was rude to cut her off, but in my opinion, it would have been worse to fake how I felt at the moment. She sighed with exhaustion, likely realizing I hadn't been paying attention.
”There's been a leprechaun sighting in the woods,” she said.
Creatures were a part of everyday life, but there were two that people recognized as rare, Unicorns and leprechauns. I perked up a little at the insinuation of one of the two being involved.
”A leprechaun? You mean a real leprechaun?” I questioned in disbelief.
”Yes, and your former peers have been tasked with capturing it.”
”But why?”
”It's a leprechaun,” she said as though the answer was obvious.
We were on our way outside to Beth's car, but I held us up at the main entrance until she continued.
”Leprechauns are unregistered creatures,” she said.
”You make it sound like they're terrorists,” I debated jokingly.
”As magicians, a part of our duties is to deal with creatures who are malevolent or inhuman.”
”I thought we wrote spells,” I said.
”And at times the public expects us to use those spells to combat problems of magical origin,” she continued to say.
”It's just a leprechaun,” I argued.
”Leprechauns can be extremely dangerous.”
”So is a baby with a shotgun. If people were hunting me, I'd be more than dangerous myself,” I said.
We finally walked outside. Beth didn't seem interested in continuing the conversation, but she continued to speak as she led the way.
”There are those who would do much worse than we plan to,” she said.
”Worse how, and what are you going to do with it?”
”Leprechauns have to grant wishes for anyone who catches them.”
”That's just a myth,” I said.
”It's very true.”
She got in her car, but I stood, waiting to hear more.
”We're needed across town to see a man about ordering my next spellbook,” she said, waiting for me to get in.
”Would you mind if I helped search for the leprechaun,” I asked.
”Pitch,” she said in an almost disappointed tone.
”It'll help me learn more, and I can do field tests on my new spell.”
She gave me a displeased look, but I could see she was thinking it over.
”If you'll be joining the search, then you should know it's not an average lesson. Finding the leprechaun is a challenge between the mentors.”
”Ok,” I said.
”If you involve yourself, I expect you to win but also that you be safe,” she said, and that's when I understood.
Beth took me out of the internship. I was supposed to be better than just another intern, so involving myself in their trials was like taking a step back. Furthermore, if I lost to anyone else, it would prove I was no better than the rest.
”Sure, how hard could it be to find a leprechaun,” I joked.
”Writing spells is one thing, but using them in the field is another,” she stated.
There was a good bit of information on the leprechauns whereabouts. I knew it was in The Dead Woods. Unfortunately, there was the issue of the intern's having a head start. They started their search two days earlier than me, so there was no telling what kind of progress they made. I figured it would help make the situation more manageable if I had a bit of help.No one said I had to work alone after all.
”Why am I here again,” Velmer asked as we stood at the edge of the wooded area.
”To help find a leprechaun,” I said as unironically as possible.
”We're hunting leprechauns!” Wes exclaimed.
I didn't expect such an adverse reaction.
”I thought I told you,” I said.
”Pitch, we can't be a part of a leprechaun hunt, it's wrong,” Wes debated.
”We're not gonna hurt it, I just want to ask for a wish,” I said.
”Pitch!” Wes exclaimed again.
”What?” I asked.
”This person is a person, not a wish-granting thing,” he told me.
”I know, but I need this,” I said.
”I can't help you with something like this,” he said before starting to walk away.
I expected Velmer to be the one I'd have to convince to help me, not Wes.
”If any of the interns find it fist, there's no telling what they'll do, it's a competition to them,” I said.
He stopped but stood with his back to me. Was I asking too much of him? Was I manipulative? I noticed he filled down his other horn to make it even with the one he broke at my mother's house. I didn't want to ask him to do anything outside his comfort zone.
”This is wrong,” he said.
”I don't want to hurt it. I won't hurt it. If anything, I'd help it escape,” I said.
”Pitch,” Wes said, pleading with me.
”You know I would never hurt anyone,” I tried to persuade him.
”You hurt Santa,” Velmer chimed in.
”Santa was an asshole, but Wes, I could really use your help,” I said.
He didn't say anything for a while, but he eventually turned back around. I felt shitty for pressuring him, but I guess that didn't stop me.
”I'll help, but only if this is a rescue,” Wes said.
I could sense his hesitation.
”How do we know it's a guy,” Velmer asked as if he were deaf to the tone of the moment.
Velmer didn't seem nearly as conflicted about the hunt as Wes did. He almost seemed happy to join in. Happy wasn't the right word, ”indifferent” might have been. I didn't realize how much of an asset he was until we got into the search. His abundance of cellphones wasn't the full extent of his technological aptitude.
Velmer was a real tech-head. While Wes and I walked around aimlessly checking under bushes, he had a remote-controlled drone flying around.
”Where did you find this guy?” Wes asked.
”Velmer? He moved in next door to me a few days ago,” I explained as we watched him pilot his machine with precision and tact.
It was easy to see magical creatures as people who relied on magic more than modern technology. Goblins and computers were far from synonymous in my mind, but that only made it all the more informative seeing Velmer us better search skills than I had. To be fair, in a world of magic, you'd expect everyone to read spellbooks more than chemistry books. Of course, that wasn't always the case. It varied from town to town; some places focused on magic while others developed science. Daybreak was more of a magic centered town, so seeing someone inept in science like Velmer was different.
Unfortunately, we weren't ten minutes into our search when out of nowhere, something like a fireball shot Velmer's drone out of the sky. It happened so quickly I almost missed it.
As Wes, Velmer, and I gathered around the charred bird to check its damage, something emerged from the bushes. Someone emerged from the bushes. It was the interns, Bj, Vista, and the elf Harmon.
Were they working together? Beth told me it was supposed to be a competition. As they came near, they seemed too coordinated for opposing parties. Regardless of their teaming up, one of them was responsible for Velmer's drone catching fire.
”One of you is paying for this, right?” Velmer asked with his drone in hand like a deceased pet.
His voice acted as the crack in the tense silence between parties.
”Why are you here, Pitch?” BJ asked.
It didn't surprise me; she acted as their leader at that moment.
”Looking for the leprechaun,” I said.
”You're not an intern,” she argued.
”I wanted to help,” I said.
”We don't need your help, Vista added from behind BJ like a hype man.
”But you haven't found it yet, have you?” I questioned the opposition.
They wouldn't answer, and of course, that was an answer enough.
”Right, so we're going to find it,” I said.
”We aren't allowed to have outside help. Last I checked Wes and your goblin friend aren't interns,” BJ said.
”Neither am I, which means I don't have to play by your rules,” I said.
I was more confrontational and abrasive than usual. Standing in teams that had no choice but to oppose one another gave me a pack mentality for the moment. Something about going back and forth with each other reminded me of fourth grade. BJ seemed to be afflicted by the same mindset.
”If you get in our way, we will put you down,” she threatened.
”Put us down?”
”You guys, I don't mean to interrupt, but we've been out here a couple of days. Things are hard enough without fighting each other, so maybe we can just,” Harmon tried to interject himself.