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Jon hated talking to statement givers. It’s not that he didn’t believe them anymore. After he tracked down Gerard Keay, who was surprisingly not dead but living a peaceful life in California, he received a brief explanation of fear entities and avatars. It terrified him at first, but if Gertrude Robinson could handle it, then why couldn’t he?
No, he didn’t hate talking to statement givers because he was a skeptic. He hated talking to them because now he was stuck explaining what fear entities were and what kind they encountered. Sitting in front of Jon’s desk was Freddie, a young man who looked like he belonged in Baywatch. Jon was trying to explain how his previous employer was likely a Vast avatar, but Freddie had to be the densest person he’s ever met.
“No,” Freddie said with a frown. “It’s a waterpark, sir. It didn’t have anything to do with the sky.”
Jon let out a sigh. This was going to be a long day. He could feel it. “For the last time, the Vast is associated with the fear of the sky and large bodies of water.”
And many other things too, but I’m trying really hard not to confuse you any further, Jon thought.
Freddie scratched his head. “I wouldn’t say we have a large body of water in Slyde World. ‘Cept for that time Mr. Calcifer made that big whirlpool. Isn’t that right, mum?”
But Ms. Pledge wasn’t paying attention. She was clutching the handle of her broom and looking around Jon’s office with suspicion on her face. The old woman hasn’t spoken much since she arrived at the Institute with her son. Freddie did most of the talking while she busied herself writing her own account of the event. After she set her pen down, she wrapped her hands around her broom and hasn’t loosened her grip since. Jon thought it was odd that she brought it with her to give her statement, but he’s met stranger people before.
There was a knock on the door and Martin peeped in. “Hey, Jon. I know you’re busy, but you said you wanted these files as soon as possible. And well—”
Martin paused as soon as he saw the people Jon was speaking with. His mouth fell open. “Freddie? Ms. Pledge? What are you guys doing here?”
“Martin!” Freddie exclaimed. He leaped out his chair and wrapped Martin in a hug.
“You know these people?” Jon asked.
Martin grinned. “Yeah! We used to be neighbors, but I haven’t seen them since I moved to London.”
Ms. Pledge got up too and gave Martin another hug. “Martin dear, what on earth are you doing here?”
“I work here,” Martin said. “I’m an archival assistant now.”
Ms. Pledge beamed. “That’s wonderful! I’m so proud of you. How’s your mother doing?”
Martin glanced at Jon nervously. Jon couldn’t recall Martin ever mentioning anything about his family before. “She’s… er… she’s fine,” Martin managed to say before quickly changing the subject. “But what about you? I haven’t seen you guys in ages. Are you still working at the waterpark?”
“Actually, that’s why we’re here,” Ms. Pledge began. “You see—”
“Mr. Calcifer was evil!” Freddie interrupted. “He flooded the whole place with some dark magic or something!”
Jon pinched the bridge of his nose. “Again, it’s not magic.”
“Right right,” Freddie said. “But it’s all cleaned up now, and I’m in charge of the whole park. Oh, and I rescued a baby in the process, so I’m a father now too. Named him Ms. Pledge, after the bravest person I know.”
Jon’s eye twitched. He already felt sorry for the child.
Martin, however, seemed more concerned about other matters. “What do you mean the park was flooded? Wait, does this have to do with the Vast?”
He looked pointedly at Jon for an explanation, but before Jon could respond, Ms. Pledge spoke. “Uh, Martin dear?” she asked. “You said you worked here, right?”
“Yeah,” Martin said. “Why?”
“Do you know where your boss’ office is?” Ms. Pledge asked.
Martin frowned. “You mean Elias? Sure. Go up the stairs, turn right, and you’ll see a woman named Rosie working at reception. His office is right beside her desk. Why do you ask?”
But Ms. Pledge didn’t respond. With her broom in hand, she brushed past Martin and marched out the door.
“Did you say something to her, Jon?” Martin asked.
“I—” Jon stammered. “I don’t think so. She came in to make a statement about the waterpark, but she hardly said anything, even when I was explaining about the fears and things.”
“Should we go and check on her?” Martin asked.
Jon nodded, already getting up from his seat. “Freddie, you better come with us too.”
“Okay.”
Jon led the way, and Martin and Freddie trailed behind him. When they reached the upper level, high-pitched screams were coming from Elias’ office. Rosie had one ear pressed on the other side of the door, shamelessly listening in.
Martin rushed forward. “What’s happening?” He asked. “Is he hurting her?”
Rosie shook her head. “Actually, I think that’s Elias screaming.”
“He sounds like a scared child,” Freddie said with a laugh.
Just then, the office door flew open, and Martin caught Rosie by the waist before she could fall forward. Elias ran past them. Jon saw tears falling down his face, and there was a sizable bruise on his forehead. They all stared baffled as he didn’t slow down his pace, bolting out the front doors.
Ms. Pledge stepped out of the office and waved her broom in the air. “And stay out, you little eyeball freak!”
The group turned to her stunned. Martin was the first to recover. “Ms. Pledge, what just happened?”
“What happened is that I saved you from that scheming boss of yours,” Ms. Pledge answered. “I knew there was something off about this building the moment I stepped in. You didn’t think I left my experience with Mr. Calcifer learning nothing, hmm? No, I have a third eye for no good managers now. He won’t be coming back. I gave him a good warning.”
Jon blinked in disbelief. Why were old women such badasses?
“Riiiight,” Martin said. “So my boss has just been fired by my childhood neighbor. Okay, sure. Jon, what do we do? Are we all unemployed or…?”
“I… uh…” Jon wasn’t sure why the decision was up to him. He was technically in charge of the Archives, but he hardly had a say in the other departments. “Okay, Martin, tell everyone to meet in the canteen in an hour. If Elias is really gone we need to discuss.”
____________________
Everyone was chatting noisily when Jon entered the room. Most of the staff were circled around Rosie who was undoubtedly recounting everything she knew about Elias’ departure. Ms. Pledge and Freddie already left, promising to come back to visit Martin, and leaving Jon to clean up the mess they made.
“Hey, boss!” Tim said as Jon made his way through the crowd. He was sitting at a table with Martin and Sasha. “Martin said you wanted to see all of us?”
People glanced up at the mention of Jon’s name. Conversations slowly started to decrease and Jon gave a curt nod. “Yes, well,” he started, before clearing his throat to address the crowd. “If everyone could please settle down, I have an announcement to make.”
Once he had everyone’s attention, Jon continued. “As I’m sure most of you know by now, Elias will no longer be running The Magnus Institute.”
The staff murmured in confusion. A woman that Jon didn’t recognize raised her hand.
“Yes?” Jon asked.
“Does this mean we don’t have jobs anymore?” The woman asked. There were shouts of protests from around the room. God he hated public speaking.
“No,” Jon said firmly. The crowd fell silent again. “That’s what I called you here to discuss. The Institute has enough patrons to keep us employed, even if Elias isn’t here. Most of them hardly visit us, so long as we continue to show proof that we’re doing our work, no one will notice.”
“So we keep working here as if nothing happened?” One man shouted. “What if they find out that we’re working with no management?”
“We’ll tell them that Elias retired,” Jon answered. “And that he entrusted the Institute to someone new.”
“Who?” Martin asked.
“Hold on,” Tim said. “Are you thinking of giving yourself a promotion, boss?”
Jon snorted. “Hardly. I don’t want the position.”
He already explained the fear entities to his archival assistants. He also told them he was closely associated with the Eye because of his position as Head Archivist. As long as Jon kept reading the statements, the Eye didn’t interrupt his normal life. Martin was concerned at first, but Tim and Sasha already had an idea of what was going on. They all seemed to be understanding at least. They weren’t even too upset that they couldn’t quit their jobs at the Institute, Tim actually joked about the situation being great job security.
But Jon didn’t want to try and explain all of it to the rest of the staff. Even if he wanted to run the Institute, there was a risk that the power would corrupt him, and he’d turn into another Elias. Keeping his dealings with the Eye in the archives was the safest plan for everyone.
“I was thinking we could all take a vote,” Jon suggested. “Does anybody want to nominate someone?”
No one spoke. People looked around the room, waiting for someone to step up. Elias’ job came with a decent paycheck, but most of the Institute was terrified of him. No one wanted to be the one behind Elias’ desk if he decided to march back in. It didn’t help that there were rumors that he kept dead bodies in his office.
“Sasha can do it,” Tim shouted.
Everyone turned to Sasha, considering the idea. She was staring at Tim with a shocked expression. “Tim, I can’t run the Institute. That’s crazy. I’m just an archival assistant.”
“Why not?” Tim shrugged. “You’re always going on about how you could be more. If Elias wasn’t a sexist prick you would’ve been Head Archivist. No offense, Jon.”
“None taken,” Jon lied.
“Here’s your chance,” Tim said.
“Yeah,” Martin piped up. “You’re a born leader. Plus, you’re the only one here who can hack into the security system and access Elias’ accounts.”
“I don’t know,” Sasha said. “It’s a lot of work.”
“Come on,” Tim said. “You’ve been in academia for more than ten years. That’s more than any of us.”
There was a collection of nods and whispers of agreement from the crowd.
“Do you want the job, Sasha?” Jon asked.
After a minute, she sighed. “If everyone is okay with it, then I guess I can give it a go.”
No one objected, and Tim gave a loud whoop.
“Alright,” Tim shouted. “Let’s give a hand to our new captain, Miss Sasha James.”
There was a round of applause from the other employees. Most of them looked pleased. Sasha was an intelligent and friendly coworker, and they knew she would be a better boss than Elias. Some of the older staff seemed a little worried, but whether that was because they thought she was unfit or they were concerned for her safety, Jon couldn’t tell for sure.
With the meeting over, people started filing out of the room to get back to work. Jon walked over to the table to join his assistants and his new boss, who were talking excitedly about the changes Sasha could bring.
“Congratulations, Sasha,” Jon said.
“I’m a little nervous,” Sasha admitted. “I’ve never been trusted with a position this high before.”
“We’ve got your back,” Tim said. “I’m telling you, you’ll do great.”
“If you need help, you can always call on us,” Jon said. “But you’ll be fine. Tim’s right. No one is more qualified for this than you.”