Prologue
Agents Ella Darcy and Claudia Beth King sat in the cafeteria, eating. They had, after Ella casually mentioned a saffron risotto recipe that she wanted to try, gotten the Saffron Crocus Official to give them a day to randomly wander around the building and grounds. That is, they were allowed to unless something absolutely ghastly came up, and all of the people with desk jobs had gone on assignment. However, as that was very unlikely, they felt fairly sure that it would be a true day off.
The conversation turned to when different people had started working at the PPC. Claudia and Ella were both teenagers, which was very unusual, as most girls their ages tend to write things like Mary Sues, bad slash, Trolls, etc. Claudia had started in the Lord of the Rings, in the Department of Author Correspondence. Back then, however, it had been a desk job. When it had become a full Department, Ella was transferred, and the rest is written.
“Ella?” the brunette asked as she adjusted her glasses.
Ella looked up from stirring her soup. “Hm?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.
“I’ve been wondering. How old were you when you joined the PPC? You’ve been working here longer than I have, and I’ve been here two years,” Claudia explained.
“I was ten, so four years. It’s really a long story. And it’s chock-full of boring stuff,” Ella replied.
“So? I want to hear it,” Claudia persisted.
“No, you don’t. It’s really quite a boring story. We should enjoy our day off while we can. I don’t think that the risotto threat will work very often.”
“Let’s go outside, sit under a tree, and you can tell me,” Claudia suggested, before quickly devouring the last bite of what she assumed was a sandwich.
“Only if we can get some snacks to bring. It’ll be a long story,” Ella relented. At least she could be outside, a pastime that she’d missed for a long time.
“Sounds good. Potato chips and marshmallows okay?” Claudia asked. She’d wanted to hear this story for a while, and now she’d finally get to.
“Perfect,” Ella smiled. She drained the last drops of soup from her bowl and loaded her tray. “Let’s just put these away, first.”
Claudia nodded and loaded her own tray. The two agents set them on the labeled counter and walked out, in the general direction of the PPC-company store.
“There were green alligators, and long necked geese...’ Ella began.
“...humpty-back camels and the chimpanzees. There were cats, and rats, and elephants, as sure as you're born, but he loveliest of all was the unicorn,” Claudia added. “So, how much longer do you think....”
“Wow, that was quick,” Ella remarked as she spotted the store. A quick stop gave the two young women all the food and energy they needed to get to the courtyard.
Finding what tree to sit under, however, was tricky. Some of the trees were department heads out for a stroll, and one could easily step on their roots by mistake. Ella and Claudia sat under a large flowering crab-apple tree that they were sure was just a tree, as the Head of the Department of Author Encouragement had just passed them.
“So. Let’s start,” Claudia commanded.
“Umm... well... where from?” Ella asked, a little unsure.
“How you got here in the first place. I mean, people don’t just randomly show up at the front door. How was it with you?” Claudia suggested.
“Well...” Ella began.
back