News With The Neverseen

Episode 30

Gethen's POV

"Gisela!" I backed away from Umber. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Gisela shot back. "This is a workplace!"

"Please, Gislea." Umber put on her most serene smile. "Almost everyone's gone. Don't be a killjoy."

"Ugh. Spare me." Gisela rolled her eyes.

Umber looked at Gisela, waiting. "You can go now." "Fine." Gisela turned on her heels and stormed into the meeting room.

Once she was gone, Umber closed the door again. "So, where did we leave off?"

I shrugged awkwardly and made a show of checking my watch. "I'm sorry, Umber, but I think I have to go."

Umber frowned. "Do you?" I nodded, hoping it didn't look too forced.

"See you tomorrow, then." I hurried out, my thoughts racing. I jogged to the elevator and leaned against the wall. My feelings for Gisela weren't back– were they?

+++

"Hello, and welcome to News with the Neverseen. I am your host, Gethen Ondsinn."

"And I'm Alvar Vacker."

"Today, we're bringing news from a mystery that came up long ago: Cassius Sencen!" Alvar gasped dramatically.

"Mr. Sencen continues to be a mystery we struggle to unravel, but we finally got news of this villain's recent activities." My mom, who was—unfortunately—back, gave me a thumbs up from behind the glass of the broadcasting room.

"That's right!" Alvar agreed. " He was recently spotted by our spies—I mean, helpers— just yesterday. They stated that he was 'suspiciously looking around' and 'taking notes' in Atlantis. Specialists believe that this is where he resides."

"Today," I announced, "we've got one of those specialists on the show! Please welcome the head of the spies, Hulda the dwarf!" [A/N: I had to make this one up, since all the dwarves mentioned in the series are either Team Black Swan or deceased.]

"It's a pleasure to be here," said the dwarf. "I've got lots of information on this mysterious man that I can't wait to share with you all today."

Alvar's face lit up. "Great! To begin, do you know where he lives?"

"I speculate that he is located in Atlantis, since that is where he has been spotted the most. His Registry file specifies that his estate is Candleshade, though we couldn't find where it is located. He may have this in his file to divert us from his actual home."

"Interesting," I commented. "What do you know about his family?"

"We're still looking into that, but evidence suggests that he has a child. However, there are no records of marriage under his name."

"How scandalous."

"What was Cassius Sencen doing when he was last seen?" I asked, getting us back on track.

"Well, he seemed very interested in the statue of the elf and human in Atlantis. He appeared to be drawing something and writing notes. We were unable to see what the images or words were."

"How unfortunate. What do you suspect he was doing?"

"Well, there's a number of possibilities. For one, he could be practicing his handwriting and art skills—though that seems unlikely. Another prospect is that there is a mystery surrounding the statue that Sencen is trying to unveil. We're currently looking into the statue and can find nothing unusual at this time."

I frowned. "How curious. Would you like to recap what we have learned today?"

"Of course!" Hulda grinned. "It has been revealed that Mr. Cassius Sencen might live in Atlantis, have a child, and be looking into a statue in Atlantis. We are still looking into the matter and hope to bring you more news soon."

"Great! Thank you for coming." I waved.

"Thank you for having me."

"There will be more updates to come," I informed the camera. "I'm Gethen Ondsinn, and you're watching News With the Neverseen."

The camera stopped filming, and I leaned back in my chair with a sigh. Even filming episodes was more stressful

+++

"You did wonderfully, sweetheart!" Mom insisted on giving me a large hug.

I squirmed. "Er, thanks."

"Is it always this wonderful?" I frowned. "Don't you watch it? I mean, you write about it in your holiday newsletter every year."

My mom looked uncomfortable. "Uh, yes, of course! I love watching it!"

I squinted at her, slightly hurt. "You don't, do you? Why won't you support us? We need the viewers!"

"Well, I've been busy. You know that my career takes up much of my time–"

"You call that an excuse? You only call me, like, once a year! I only know what you're doing through Facebook posts!"

My mom was about to open her mouth to reply when someone tapped my shoulder. I whirled around to see Fintan.

"So sorry to interrupt," he said, "But I have news."

+++

Fintan led me to his office and showed me to one of the chairs.

"I've got a lead regarding the rumors about you, Gethen." Fintan told me.

"Really?" I asked, leaning forward.

Fintan nodded. "I found out who the source is."