Tessa had no good reason to refuse and easily found the office. It was a tiny room adjacent to the much larger administrative office that governed most of the school’s day to day activities. When she arrived, she discovered a line of two others ahead of her. The young man in front of her was tall and lanky, with bright blond hair. When he glanced back at her, his fair skin and blue eyes confirmed him as a castal. That wasn’t surprising since castals—or patricians, as they liked to call themselves—were often among the RUNA’s elite, and this school certainly claimed many. A moment later, she realized with a start that she knew him. His double take told her he’d recognized her as well.
“Tessa?” he asked.
She groped for the name. “Darius. What are you doing here?” She’d met Darius a few months ago, during a visit to the Nordic
caste’s land grant. His family had played a surprising role in one of Justin’s investigations, and Darius had used Tessa’s connection to get help from Internal Security. Darius hadn’t threatened her or anything, but he’d certainly been forceful in soliciting her help, making the whole experience a bit overwhelming. His face brightened as he looked down at her.
“I go here,” he explained. “I transferred from the Nordic Tertiary Academy after . . .” A little of that enthusiasm dimmed. “. . . well, after things wrapped up in the spring. Dad hardly knows me these days, and everyone else is gone. It was time to move on.”
Tessa felt a pang of sympathy for this odd and often frenetic young man. He’d lost his mother and older brother to the actions of a demented cult, the aftermath of which had landed his father in a convalescent home. Darius had sought justice for them for a long time, and Tessa supposed that resolving something as big as that might very well spur the need for a fresh start.
He looked as though he wanted to say more, but the receptionist called him up next. Tessa busied herself checking messages on her ego, the small device that handled both telecommunications and daily activities for Gemmans. She only half-listened as Darius put in a request for an internship in one of the many government agencies based in Vancouver. When it was her turn, he caught her arm.
“Is it okay—that is—do you mind if I stick around and walk out with you? There’s something I need to ask you.”
“I’m only going to the subway stop a block away,” she said, having uneasy memories of the last time he’d asked her for help.
“It won’t take long, I promise.”
The earnestness in his eyes melted Tessa’s worries. Besides, it seemed unlikely he could be caught up in two death cults. She agreed to talk to him and then stepped up to make her application. Darius had been seeking a full internship, but Tessa didn’t need anything that extensive. She put in a request to interview one of the professions Clarissa had suggested, along with the chance to shadow said person a few days and get a sense of the job’s scope. The process was relatively painless, and once Tessa’s information was in, the receptionist told her they’d submit it to the agencies they worked with and follow up once there were some hits.
Darius was waiting outside for her, as promised, leaning against the side of the institute’s brick wall. The school was on the east side of downtown Vancouver, far from the larger businesses and government buildings, but still abuzz with commerce and activity. It was July, high summer, and what passed as the city’s hottest time of year still felt mild compared to the heat and humidity Tessa had grown up with. She didn’t mind the difference, though. There weren’t as many mosquitos, and she didn’t sweat as much, even in the full force of today’s sun.
“I’m not just here for a change for myself,” Darius told her as they walked toward the subway. “I’m here for real change. Change for everyone.”
The rush of the light rail roared overhead, and Tessa waited for it to pass before speaking. “What do you mean?”
“I want to serve our country,” he explained. His long legs moved him farther than hers, and he forcibly paused and slowed. “After I saw what your friends in Internal Security did—the way they took down that group—I realized I have to be a part of it. I have to fight the good fight too.”
“You want to work for Internal Security?” she asked, startled. “Maybe. If not them, someone like them. I’m not sure what area
I’ll specifically get into. Law. Politics. I just know I have to start by getting my foot in the door. That’s why I was at the internship office— I’m trying to get a position somewhere, anywhere. It’s not easy, though. Those spots are in demand.”
“According to Clarissa—one of my instructors—businesses want students from Creative Minds.”
Darius grinned. “Us and every other tertiary student from the elite schools in the area. The competition’s stiff.”
They reached the subway stop, just as the purple train pulled up. “That’s mine,” she said.
His smile faded. Apparently his question hadn’t been as quick as he’d expected. After a moment’s thought, he shrugged and gestured her forward. “I’ll ride with you.”
“I’m going to the suburbs,” she warned. She had to assume he lived in some block of student housing in the city.
“It’s okay. I’ll just catch it back.” Early commuters were beginning to go home, and she and Darius had to jockey for a spot against a window. “So,” he continued. “Here’s where I was wondering if you could help me. You’ve got connections to Internal Security. Maybe you could help me get an internship.”
That was his question? She shook her head. “I wouldn’t say I have connections.’ The guy I live with just works for them.” Defining her relationship with Justin was always a little weird. It was hard to explain to people how he’d obtained a student visa for her as part of payback to her father for help during Justin’s exile in Panama—the reasons for which even she still didn’t know.
“Yeah, but he must know people, right?” Darius had that eager gleam in his eye as he leaned toward her. “One good word is all I need. It can be in IS. It can be anywhere. Anywhere I can make a difference. Haven’t you wanted to do that? Help your country—er, province?”
Not so much. Panama’s ever-shifting government didn’t exactly inspire confidence and devotion. Sure, like many, Tessa had wished for stabilization and enjoyment of privileges like the RUNA and EA possessed. It had never occurred to her while living there that a young woman like herself might have any role in something like that. Even here, she was still content to be an observer of the world around her, rather than an active participant.
But yet again, something endearing in Darius broke through to Tessa. Maybe it was because he actually made her feel like he wanted to improve his country for the sake of doing good, rather than out of the unquestioning devotion she so often saw in others.
“I can ask,” she said at last. “But I can’t promise anything.”
He gave her that big grin again, and she found herself smiling back.
His favor in place, Darius shifted the attention from himself and engaged Tessa in conversation. To her surprise, he asked her very little about Panama. Most people who made attempts to get to know her started with differences between the region, and she couldn’t blame them. It was an easy opening. Darius seemed to care less about where she was from than who she was and where she was going. He was especially interested in why she’d been in the field experience office and grew absolutely delighted when she explained her media project.