Finding Sage (Young Adult)

Thirty-One: One Month Later

Sage

Angela sits behind her large wooden desk looking nervous. It's a strange sight. She does not do nervous well, she's twitching and scratching. The more she scratches the more nervous I become. My face itches too.

What does she want? I think, scratching my neck.

I clear my throat, hoping it will start our meeting.

"Sage, Finley Robinson shared an interesting short story with me today," she says looking at me through her reading glasses.

"Oh, that's good. Are you going to use it as his short story?" I ask.

"Well, it's a great story, a really great story. He says the whole thing is completely true, but the names have been changed.  Since he is walking around on crutches and you took a week off sick at the same time, I made the connection that you are the women he portrayed, or maybe I should say the heroine of the story?" she says, examining my face.

I pop forward in my chair, realizing what she is saying. Finley's short story is based on his kidnapping. He told me he was writing it...but he gave it to Angela to be printed, in Whisper?

My eyes wander around my head as I lean forward. I ponder what to say and wonder what he wrote. I'm dumbfounded.

"You're reaction is speaking volumes, Sage," she says with a smirk in her voice. I look up at her and see her smiling, which is surprisingly soothing.

"Well, I knew he was writing a story, but I did not expect him to give to you to print," I say and feel the heat rising in my neck. It feels like I'm sitting in front of Angela completely naked.

"Well, he did. And I want to print it. I mean, we have to print it. I'm not asking your permission to print it," she says and she throws a pad of paper across her desk. I've noticed this is something she does when she wants to be intimidating. "He does not use your name in the story, he calls you Jade but I would like to change that. I want him to use real names, except for maybe the kidnapper, he can call him Angelo, it's fine. I don't think he deserves any press time. I want you and him to be on the cover of the magazine together. In exchange, I'll pay you the same that I am paying him for the story. In return I want you to continue with Ask Sage, but readers will know who you are."

"You'll pay me the same as Finley even though he wrote the story?" I ask, trying to hear everything she is saying and glad she is not talking as fast as she does most of the time.

"Yes, but you have to be on the cover and there will be photos of you in the story," she says. "Gillian can write the article. You know she'll do well by you."

I nod and look down, thinking. "Can I read the story before I decide?" My hands twist in my lap.

"Of course." She picks up her phone and dials. "Monica, make me a copy of Finley Robinson's story and get it to Sage Walker within the hour."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Sage, this is going to benefit Whisper greatly. I'm paying you the same as Finley because you are putting a lot at stake. It will put you in the spotlight and everything will come into the light. So, think about that," she says and I see her hands still shaking and I don't understand why she looks like she is sitting in front of me naked.

"Yes. I'll think about all of it," I say. "Anything else?"

Angela squirms in her chair and takes a deep breath, "One more thing."

"Yes?"

"I know what you went through. I was in a horrible relationship for many years and it took me a lot longer to find the strength to get out of it, years longer than you. I really wished I had not hidden from my past, but I just wanted to crawl under a rock and forget it. It's kind of fucked up every part of my life and made me a bitter bitch. My husband has to put up with a lot, and I mean a lot, of anger. God bless him.