Lilac Valley

Secretary Wilkinson

Con sits in the Amethyst Café.

Amber orders a green tea to go.

"Look who's here," Con says.

"I can't right now," Amber says. "I have a meeting."

"With Carter's dad?" Con asks.

"Secretary Wilkinson," Amber says.

"Secretary Wilkinson?" Con asks. "Talking to some human town board member?"

"I'm not some human," Amber says.

"I know," Con lowers his voice. "You used to be half-witch." Amber thanks the cashier and heads on her way.

~

Secretary Wilkinson is thirty-five years old and African American.

He meets Amber in a Starbucks in Manhattan.

"What are you doing outside of D.C.?" Amber asks.

"Keeping my eye on things," he answers.

"Then why has this been going on for almost a year?" Amber asks. "What have you done?"

"Excuse me, but I didn't sign up for this," he explains. "I was happy being the mayor of Obsidian Forest. I was nominated. I said yes. It looks good on a resume."

"People are dead," Amber says. "You have to do something."

"I know who you are," Secretary Wilkinson says.

"I'm a town board member in Lilac Valley," Amber states. "Columbia Law School, Dartmouth undergrad."

"No," Secretary Wilkinson says. "Your mother is a Spider. Your father is a Magic Catcher. He thought he could drain the leader's daughter. She thought she could infiltrate the Anti-Magic Group."

"That happened when you were in elementary school," Amber points out.

"It's in the files," Mayor Wilkinson explains. "What you get when you're Secretary of Magic. I think you have split loyalties."

"I want everyone to get along," Amber says.

"That's so naïve," Mayor Wilkinson says. "Humans are never going to accept magical people and magical people either want to assimilate or kill humans."

"Some want peace," Amber tells him. "I want peace."

"We'll keep the shields up and I'll arrange something at the White House," Mayor Wilkinson says.