Conform or Suffer: The Darkness of Beauty

Chapter 28 Dear Yoleta

Same Day Workhouse Board Member's Headquarters, 2:45 p.m.

*

Yoleta nudged an unconscious human male under her desk, hiding him.

Her watch flickered on, and she stood inside the Kill Home, watching herself, but no one saw her. Everyone within the room was a frozen mannequin version of themselves. Copies of herself popped into the room, walking around the still forms. Doppelgängers held documents in their hands.

"Vex fooled us, and he plans to expand his Kill Home spree," her copy said.

Yoleta took the papers and found herself in a pink-walled room with Sean-Mack, Rodrick, Vex, and Trent. She slipped the file into the stack.

"Rodrick, I understand you're angry at me for defying your orders, but the law requires a second signer," Trent said.

Vex smacked Trent across the face. "Your contract will be flagged because Yoleta suspects he is younger than you. She won't do the background check if he doesn't sign." He slid out a knife. "Why did you attack Quig? Isn't he one of your other children? Junior is furious and made it impossible for us to toss Quig inside a workhouse."

Trent said nothing.

"Borrow my pen." Rodrick slid out a fountain pen that resembled a knife. "Stanton might co-sign."

*

Yoleta's temporal watch turned on, and she was back at her desk. "Rodrick signed, didn't he?" She sipped mint tea and answered Quig's texts in code, but then called him.

"My personal shopper dropped off everything that could be saved, including the additional tea set you ordered. I have to go. One of Vex's low-level assassins attempted to kill me. He is in my office right now, and we're having a polite conversation over purple dragon mint tea."

The man's hand fell from under her desk, and Madd-Ox squealed.

"He isn't dead." Yoleta handed Madd-Ox a postcard. "My boss, Lana, knew she was going to be killed."

On the back of the postcard was a child's drawing of sunshine. Madd-Ox turned over the card and began reading.

*

Dear Yoleta,

Don't worry, I have had help.

Lana

*

"Flirty, there was infighting, and four board members ended up dead because my supervisor's postcards exposed their thieving and murdering, and I didn't have to maim any of them."

He nodded, 'yes.' "Ma'am, could you cancel me in the press? I plan to marry my girlfriend."

Same Day at 5:15 p.m.

*

Quig walked past the brown pillars on the porch and knocked on Karen's door with his quivering hands. The pink carnations he saw his sister string together earlier decorated the entryway.

He chatted with his editor, Hempstead, while they waited. "I didn't think you could attend based on a text invite."

"My uncle is in charge of the village while I'm gone." Her tail swished behind as she chatted.

Grew-Ella opened the door and adjusted the strap of her muted green jumper.

Rodrick waved at them but didn't speak. He directed Hempstead to her chair, and they chatted about their plans for Christmas.

Grew-Ella tried to speak to Rodrick, but Junior ran past her and Quig from a guest bedroom, almost knocking into them as he yelled over his phone. "Not another word."

"I'm your adopted father, and I saved you," Sean-Mack said over the phone.

"Junior has our lives in his hands," Grew-Ella said to Quig.

Junior spoke to his father. "Dad, I'm not stopping this wedding. They replaced the money."

His father's voice screeched. "I'll arrest her for violating our agreement."

Grew-Ella trembled. Quig partially hugged her with his broken wing.

Junior stared at Grew-Ella and Quig when he spoke. "You lied to me. Grew-Ella didn't steal the funds, but she and Quig were willing to cover those losses. You're on speakerphone, but the media isn't here yet."

"They make stuff up. I'll cancel them all," Sean-Mack said.

"I examined the unredacted parts of your NDA. Quig qualifies, and you'll have to show me the full contract to prove that he doesn't." Junior smiled at Quig.

"Son, I can't do that." Sean-Mack's voice cracked over the phone. "Vex tried to give reject status to Quig over a month ago. Yoleta shredded the paperwork."

Grew-Ella flinched at their conversation.

"No, I shredded the papers. Quig is off-limits. Vex thinks he's in control, but he's not." Junior muted the phone, laughed, and unmuted it.

"If you lower Trent's status to broken elite, he could marry Grew-Ella. I'd rather kill her," Sean-Mack said.

Grew-Ella's face scrunched up, and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"I'm with Grew-Ella right now, and she is disgusted," Junior said jokingly. 

"I'll turn you into Vex if you don't help me. She doesn't have a choice." Sean-Mack's voice wavered over the phone.

"Yes, she does. I'll lower you to reject status if you try. Does anyone realize that's the reason you had Lana killed?" Junior asked.

"But we're family," Sean-Mack said.

"I'm the boss now. Avery-Joy exposed Zill as a liar, and it has bumped me ten points in the polls overnight because Zill despises me. You may not hope I win, but the lackeys you begged to run are dead last. Dad, I'm your last hope. At least I won't execute you." Junior hung up and sat in his assigned seat.

Grew-Ella's fidgety hands tapped on a glass table, decorated with glitter-filled snow globes, as a fashion doll-sized merry-go-round rotated and played a soft melody. Her lips trembled, but she finally spoke. "Quig, my father wishes to talk to you."