Page 1 of Dead End

CHAPTER ONE

Becareful what you wish for.

All my life I wanted to belong, to stop hiding and become a contributing member of society. Now I was finally part of a group and living life as my true self, except I wasn’t in Fairhaven with the ones I loved.

I was in Paradise, the headquarters of The Corporation.

I fiddled with the metal collar fastened around my neck. “I know you’re jealous, but this one’s mine,” I told Spedo, the canine companion that served as a part-time statue in the courtyard.

I was a minimalist at the best of times, and the collar was an unwelcome accessory to my wardrobe. Beatrice from Human Resources had left me waiting in a room under the auspices of finding me accommodations. The room then filled with a noxious gas that knocked me out. When I regained consciousness, I was wearing the collar, which was similar to the ones I’d removed from the seven gods Aite had transported to Fairhaven in their animal forms. This collar’s purpose, as I quickly established, was to lock down my powers and prevent me from leaving.

“You understand,” I said to Spedo. “You’re stuck here, too.”

Spedo wagged his tail before turning back to stone. He didn’t seem to mind his predicament. Then again, he hadn’t been tricked into it, unlike me.

A woman’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “I’ve seen you out here every day this week. This must be your favorite spot.”

My head jerked up. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Friendly smile. So petite she was downright dainty. “I’m chatting with my friends.”

“They’re statues.”

I looked at Lucius and his canine companion. “They weren’t a minute ago.” Lucius was a Lar, an Etruscan god of the home. His brother was positioned in the lobby of the main building. They were only permitted to interact for a minute or so at a time, generally to offer a greeting, before returning to stone. I’d assumed it was a form of punishment, but according to Lucius this was their normal existence. Prior to Paradise, he’d been a statue in a royal palace. He’d adopted Spedo for company, which struck me as a bit selfish and unfair to the dog, but nobody asked me.

The woman sat at the base of the statue. “I’m Darago, by the way. You must be Melinoe. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“No doubt. I’m Corporation famous.”

“From what I’ve heard about you, I’m surprised you don’t have an escort.”

“Oh, I do. He’s over there.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. “They suppress my powers with this contraption…” I flicked the collar. “But my power of annoyance cannot be contained.” Ten knock-knock jokes in a row had bought me twenty minutes of semi-solitude from my security detail. Worth it.

Darago laughed. “And here I assumed he was afraid to stand too close.”

“I don’t think Ademir is afraid of anything.” Which was likely the reason he got the job.

“I have to admit, I miss being feared. Now it’s all meetings and memos.”

I observed her petite stature. “You were feared?”

“Oh, yes. I’m a warrior goddess. People were afraid that if they upset me, I’d erupt their volcanoes, so they’d offer human sacrifices to keep the peace.”

I wasn’t familiar with Darago from my childhood lessons with Pops. “You miss human sacrifices?” No wonder she’d aligned herself with The Corporation.

Her gaze darted left to right. “Between you and me, I’d choose to handle things differently now. Live and learn, right?”

It sounded like Darago might be on the same page as my friend, Max, a Chilean cherufe. Max fled his homeland because he didn’t want to cause eruptions that might hurt people. The magma monster now resided in Helheim, the Norse underworld, to honor a bargain I made with the goddess Hel. Max was the best of the best.

“What’s your role here?” I asked. As far as I knew, there were no volcanoes in Paradise.

“I’m the associate director of the avatar training program.” She lowered her voice. “And before you ask, I was not responsible for training your parents. I’m on the administrative end. As I said, meetings and memos.”

“I wasn’t going to ask.” Okay, that was a lie. The question had been teed up on the tip of my tongue. “Do you know who did?”

“Asking Kottavei won’t give you the answers you seek. Training happens early in an avatar’s existence. She won’t have any information beyond her sessions with them.”

My security tagalong emerged from behind a perfectly trimmed hedge in the shape of a starfish. “Time’s up,” Ademir said in his usual gruff manner.

“Suits me. I’m ready for my second breakfast.” I smiled at Darago. “It was nice to meet you.”

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