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“How was school today, Anya?” Twilight asked.
“We have to do a career studies report again. Teacher said it can’t be the same career as last time,” Anya announced.
Good, thought Twilight taking a sip of his coffee, I don’t want to have to go in for another parent teacher conference.
“What career will you write about this year?” Yor asked, handing Anya her hot chocolate.
“Spy,” Anya replied.
Twilight spit out his coffee.
“Like Bondman,” she continued.
“Cartoons aren’t research.” Loid said wiping off his mouth.
“There are spies in real life!” Anya insisted.
“Yes, but they’ll hardly give you an interview. Pick something else.” He grabbed another napkin and wiped coffee off the table.
“Are you ready for your trip to Münk tomorrow?” Yor asked him.
“I just need to pack; the hospital is taking care of most of the arrangements.” He fished a piece of paper out of pocket. “Here’s the number for the hotel front desk. If anything comes up, you can leave me a message.”
“What are you going to do?” Anya asked.
Hmm, how to explain a psychology conference to a six-year-old? “A book I use at work, the Diagnostic Standards Manual, is getting a new edition. So, psychiatrists and psychologists from around the country are getting together to talk about it. It’s like if one of your textbooks got updated and you could see presentations on what was new.”
Anya stared at him blankly. “That sounds super boring.”
“Well, you aren’t a psychiatrist.” There were several panels he was interested in. It’s too bad he’d probably be doing WISE business instead.
While they waited for homeroom to start Anya asked Becky what she was doing her career report on.
“I’m going to prepare for my singing career. Daddy’s getting me an interview with Suzanne, who’s starring in that new musical downtown,” Becky replied.
“Lucky. I want to interview a spy, but I can’t find one to talk to.”
“Bondman isn’t real Anya.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that? And why do we have to do interviews anyway? I already know about being a spy.”
“I know what you mean,” Ewen commented from behind them. “That’s why I haven’t been able to do a report on being a cosmonaut.”
“Who are you interviewing this time Bossman?” Emile asked.
“Huh? Oh, Mr. Henderson.” Damien replied.
“Really?” said Becky. “You already have the highest history score. No need to be an apple polisher too.”
“I’m not doing it to improve my grade. I figure I’ll study history in university before I go into politics, and he might have some advice on that.
Anya slumped down in her seat. University? Papa would probably want her to go there too. She was going to be stuck going to school forever, wasn’t she? She didn’t pay much attention when the teacher started talking but perked up a little when class ended.
As she was leaving the room she heard “Psst, Anya.” Anya looked around to see George beckoning her from a corner. Curious she walked over. He looked around carefully and then whispered, “I know how to get in touch with a spy.”
Yor wasn’t sure this was a good idea. What kind of professional would want to meet in a parking garage? The Glooman’s butler had insisted on coming along with them for protection, but he was so old and frail himself he wouldn’t be any help in a fight. Next to her Anya fidgeted impatiently and on her other side the butler checked his watch. Yor sensed someone approaching.
A man somersaulted out from between cars, executed several forward rolls, and bounced up in front of her. “Are you the young lady who wants to interview me?” He grabbed her hand and raised it toward his face.
Was he going to k-kiss it? Yor jerked her hand back and glared at him. “I am a married woman.”
“I’m the young lady.” Anya said.
The spy looked down at her. “You write for the newspaper?”
“I’m writing a school paper.”
“Man, I really need to start listening when people talk to me. Oh well, I guess the legend of Daybreak has to start somewhere.”
Anya pulled out her notebook. “What is an average day like?”
“Oh, it can be anything. Mostly I’m trying to get my name out there. Last week I went undercover as a busboy at Cordon Roure to figure out their secret dessert recipe.”
“What happened?”
“I got fired for breaking too many plates.”
“How do you disarm bombs?”
“Whoa, bombs?” the spy recoiled. “I stay as far away from those as possible; those are dangerous.”
Anya looked unimpressed. “But what about helping people?”
“I help out my employers. Speaking of which, duty calls. I need to scope out a mattress store and see if the sales associates are sleeping on the job.” He bounded away.
“Weren’t you supposed to shadow him?” Yor asked. If they hurried thy could catch up.
“I don’t want to.” Anya shook her head. “He was nothing like. . . Bondman.”
Yor waved goodbye to the butler and guided her daughter out of the parking garage. “I’m sorry he was disappointing. How about we take Bond to the dog park before dinner, and I’ll show you how to do forward rolls.”
“Like his?”
“Better.”
Twilight opened the apartment door. The smell of Yor’s southern stew made him regret grabbing that sandwich on the train back to Berlint. Anya looked up from her dinner.
“Papa’s home. And he brought cake!” Why did she sound more excited about the second part?
“Baumkuchen from Münk. When you finish your stew, we can have some.”
Anya bolted down the last of her stew. Yor made tea, and he cut the cake and served them all slices.
“Did you have a good trip?” Yor asked.
Twilight had successfully impersonated an Ostantian millionaire to access a secured safety deposit box at the bank of Bayan, and he’d also managed to make it to enough conference sessions that his hospital colleagues wouldn’t be suspicious. “Very good, Munk is a lovely city, and I went to fascinating session on post-traumatic stress disorder that gave me new ideas for my research. I hope Anya didn’t give you too much trouble while I was gone.”
“No trouble at all. She went to bed on time and did her homework. We even interviewed a spy for her career paper.”
His mug slipped through his fingers and fell to the table with a thunk sloshing out some of the tea.
“Sorry, I’m a bit tired, I stayed out late with my colleagues. Did you say she interviewed a spy?”
“He wasn’t even a good spy.” Anya complained. “Bondman is a hero; he’s more like a giant tattletale.”
“A good spy wouldn’t have let you interview him. Remember when Bondman was protecting the movie star and they had to keep dodging reporters?”
“That episode had too much mushy stuff.”
Yor interrupted. “Anya, Spy Wars is about to start.” Anya raced off to on the television.
Bond scratched at his ear. That better not be a flea.
Yor refilled his tea. Quietly she said, “I’m not sure he even was a spy. He might have been a party entertainer.”
“Really?” That could explain how a six-year-old found him.
Yor nodded. “He was so showy. Besides what kind of a name is Daybreak?”
Twilight almost dropped his mug again.
After breakfast on Saturday Anya dawdled on the couch. Mama was getting laundry together and Papa was cleaning up breakfast. Normally she’d color or try to get her homework out of the way. But Anya did not want to write her Career report. Fortunately, Papa didn’t want her to write it either. She could hear his thoughts as he washed the dishes. Could she interview Yor? It would be nice to get Anya interested in a safe, office job. How about Franky? He works weekends. But what would Eden College think of child hanging out at a tobacco stand? She can’t write about a spy. What if someone gets suspicious and decides to investigate the Forgers?
Anya hadn’t even thought of that.
Bond scratched his ear and whimpered.
“Here boy let me see that.” Papa dried his hands and walked over to Bond. When Papa touched the ear Bond had been scratching the big dog flinched. Hurts
“I think we need to take you to the vet.”
Bond promptly pulled away from Papa and hid his head under the coffee table.
Papa tried to reassure him. “Just to check your ear, you won’t need a shot this time.” I hope.
The dog wedged himself further under the coffee table and started shivering.
Poor Bond. “I’ll go with you to help you be brave,” Anya volunteered.
On the ride to the vet Anya tried to distract Bond by singing songs to him. Once at the office she was the one who was distracted by the other animals in the waiting room. Bond stayed huddled by Papa’s chair, pushing against his legs.
Soon the vet called them into the examining room. Papa said, “I hope you don’t mind Anya coming along, she calms Bond down.”
The vet was a kind looking middle aged woman who introduced herself as Doctor Bernard. She said she didn’t mind at all and began examining bond’s paws.
“It’s his ear that hurts.” Anya told her.
“Since animals can’t talk, I like to check them all over in case something else is wrong too,” Dr Bernard said. “Besides if I start with areas that don’t hurt Bond will trust me to be gentle by the time I get to his ears.”
The vet continued examining Bond. She explained everything out loud to Anya as if she thought the girl might be scared too.
Suddenly Anya had an idea. “Papa! Do you have any paper?”
He handed her a notebook from his pocket. “Do you want to draw?” he asked.
Anya flipped to a blank page. “Dr. Bernard, can I ask you some questions?”
Yor sat attentively on the couch. Loid had insisted that Anya practice her career report for them before she gave it at school. Anya enthusiastically went on about how Dr. Bernard had diagnosed Bond, what kind of pets she treated and what veterinary college was like. “She said sometimes her job is sad, and sometimes the animals accidentally bite or scratch her but it’s worth it to be able to help animals like Bond feel better.”
Yor clapped enthusiastically. Besides her Loid said, “very good” and turned to check on Bond. They’d already started treating the dog with drops for his ear infection and he was resting peacefully in the corner.
Anya came and sat down between them. “Do you think you’ll want to be a vet when you grow up?” Yor asked her.
Anya scrunched up her forehead while she thought about it. “Not really. I like animals but I don’t like them that much. Besides, I want to do something for world peace.”
“It wouldn’t be much of a peace if there was no fighting but there was still lots of suffering. Vets help make the world a better place too.” Loid said.
Anya took a sip of her hot chocolate. “Maybe. But I want my job to be exciting.”
Yor smiled at her. “There are all sorts of job out there. I didn’t even know my job existed when I was your age. I just knew I wanted to do something to help people. Besides, if you really want to do something for world peace, you can interview Yuri next time. He works at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs”
Loid’s coffee mug clattered on the table. Poor man, he must still be tired from his trip.