I applied for a data entry position within Quill and Ink shortly afterwards, using a computer in the school library. The process was simple enough, asking for typical job information; however, it noticeably didn’t ask where I lived, or what ancestry I was. It seemed solely merit-based, and the design of the website was sleek and functional, which was to be expected from one of the largest companies in the world. Quill and Ink had somehow predicted the tech boom in the late 00’s, becoming a household name as a way to deliver household necessities using a combination of magic and complicated logistics within a day of purchasing them. They had hands in server management, consulting, and entertainment as well, making them extremely wealthy and powerful as an entity.

  They seemed to treat their workers fairly, from the small investigation I had done, though I didn’t hear anything about their hiring of Folks; typically, companies had to report their demographics to a public government agency’s forum, but Quill and Ink was noticeably absent. From Kall’s recommendation, they seemed to be treating her well, so I was willing to try it out, and see if it was anything worthwhile; if it wasn’t, I would just do my best to take it down from the inside, using my abilities to do espionage and make the world a better place, as a Champion should. I got the email back from them three days later, asking if I was available for an interview in one of their New York buildings next week Thursday, noon thirty sharp. I responded affirmatively, already compiling my list of questions, and thinking of how I would balance work, school, and saving folks, thankful that sleep no longer visited me.

  As I walked to the apothecary that weekend, I wondered about my prospects. Maybe, if this job turned out, I could get a home again? It felt a bit disconcerting to be without one, even though I didn’t really need one too badly. I just felt a weariness in my bones, not having a place of my own to settle down after running around all day and night. This weariness was beyond my work; I could be Silaqui’s Champion forever, and these past few weeks had been great academically. No, this weariness seemed to stem from my own heart, from deep within my soul… I imagined myself often at the bottom of a well, deep and cavernous, with a small dim light as my only orientation. I’d find the walls and try to climb and climb, with a futility and frustration so potent that my fingernails come off in the attempt. But I don’t ever leave the ground. I think back, and realize this feeling has followed me since I was a child, preventing me from doing many things that I wanted to do, that I needed to do. The only thing keeping me going right now was routine.

  “Heya Avery, what’s shakin’?” asked Silaqui, the door making its soft chime as I entered the apothecary. She was wearing a little apron over some loose-fitting dress clothes, her hair tied up in a ponytail. I could feel my heart flutter a little bit.

  “Hey Silaqui,” I responded, “just doing my biweekly check-in. Sorry I didn’t call before, I’ve been really busy with things.”

  “No no, it’s all good,” she responds, grinding ingredients in a mortar and pestle. Beside her, an alembic bubbles a colorful brew. “Anything new? How are you feeling?”

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  “I feel… okay, I guess. Like my insides are filled with tar, but I don’t know what to do about it.” I look uncomfortably at the floor, my hands nervously rapping a beat against my side. “Sorry, I’ve said that the last few times… But I have some good news! I applied for a new job.”

  “Oh, really? Where at? Maybe I know somebody, could pull some strings?” she says slyly, a smile on her lips.

  “That huge company, Quill and Ink. A friend at school recommended them, and–”

  “Stop.” The levity evaporated from the air, Silaqui’s face turned to a mortified sincerity. “Whatever you do, don’t go there. If you sent them any info on yourself, try to retract it. If you have an interview with them, don’t go. Please tell me you haven’t been to their office?”

  “... I don’t think I can take the info back. And no, I haven’t been, but I was going to go there next Thursday. What’s going on, Silaqui? What did they do?” My curiosity peaked; I had never seen her react like this to anything before. What could make the most stable person I’d ever met react with such vitriol?

  “They’re a massive company who have crushed the dreams of millions of people to get where they are, both human and Othersider. They have almost unlimited power, and choose to wield it for personal gain and profit. They are evil, and vile, and they are led by a man whose moral compass is so broken it may as well be a lead weight. There is nothing good from working with or for them, Avery. In fact, if they know about you, and they connect it to me, there is a danger to us both.”

  “Did you do something to them? What the hell happened that they would be hunting you down? Silaqui, please, I don’t understand… Help me understand.” I reached out to her hand, stopping halfway.

  Silaqui raised her own hand, and placed it in mine. “The CEO and owner of Quill and Ink is the one who killed my last Champion.”

  My heart throttled a bit in my chest, and I could feel my pulse rising. “Are you telling me he is the one who made you live in misery, alone, for over a decade?”

  Silaqui didn’t say anything; she simply looked down at our held hands, clasping mine with both of hers. I was furious; Silaqui was someone who deserved to feel love and happiness, and she was denied it for years because of this person. This person, who ran a corporation apparently so villainous that it buried its competition in a grave so deep that cursory research doesn’t find them.

  “How do we take them down?” I asked, looking into Silaqui’s glowing orange eyes.

  “We can’t,” she replied, a softness to her voice. “You aren’t strong enough, and I can’t show myself. We can’t infiltrate, and we can’t trust anyone to do it for us. We are stalemated right now, Avery. And unless we can find a solution to one of these problems, there is nothing we can do to stop them.”