Daemons in the Mist

Chapter 15 - Please Tell Me You're Joking

15

Please Tell Me You’re Joking

Wednesday, January 18th

NUALLA

                        

I had been avoiding this too long already. I should have gone in on Monday; Tuesday was pushing it, but if I didn’t go today I would be screwed. Tylia had intercepted the message, but that didn’t mean it was a closed matter.

I took a deep breath and walked up the steps leading to the main West Coast branch of Kalodaemon Embassy. The main entrance was swarming with people, their steps echoing on the marble floor. I passed by them quickly and rode the elevator to the third floor running through the past week in my head.

I was so lost in thought I didn’t even notice he was there until he bumped gently into me. “And what brings you here today?”

I turned to see the smiling face of The Embassy’s resident tech genius looking down at me. “Travis!”

“You seem surprised to see me,” he said with a crooked smile.

“I am.” I was, to be perfectly honest. He was about the last person I had thought I would run into today.

Travis had been one of my best friends for a long time now. He was about three years older than me, and I had always thought he was pretty damn cute. Like Shawn, he was much taller than me now, but he hadn’t always been that way. When we were younger he had actually gotten picked on a lot for being shorter than the other kids his age. But when he hit puberty and shot up a good foot and a half everyone had stopped wondering which of his parents he would take after. Now it seemed the only thing he had inherited from his Japanese mother were her eyes; almond shaped and a surprisingly brilliant shade of black-blue.

“So I ask you again, what are you up to today? Your dad’s office is way on the other end of the building so you can’t be going there.”

“You’re right, I’m actually heading to the Department of Records.”

“Really?” he said, his smile broadening. “Me too.”

“What for?” I asked, immediately suspicious.

“To register some new tech,” he answered as he held up the device he was carrying.

“Cool, what does it do?” I asked quickly. If I could get him talking about it, he might forget to ask specifics about why I was there. Explaining my current fuck up was really low on my list of things I ever wanted to have a conversation with Travis about.

“It’s a device that—hey wait, you’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

Busted.

“No I’m not!” I said, feigning disgust at his accusation.

“You can’t lie to me Nualla, I’ve known you far too long.”

“How did you know?” I asked as I crossed my arms and looked down in defeat.

“You have a tell.”

My head shot back up. “Really, what is it? Tell me.”

“No way! If I told you, then you would change it. Now you’re caught, so tell me why you’re here. It must be juicy, or you wouldn’t have lied. So spit it out,” Travis said, smirking.

“I need to register something,” I said as I looked away embarrassed.

“Well duh, but doesn’t your dad’s office normally do that stuff for you?”