Blood-Born

Chapter IV - Part 2

He found his friend deep among the shelves where he was in the process of picking up papers that had spilled from a tipped box of folders next to him.

"Charlie, what the hell have you done?" Pennington seethed as the human scarecrow tried to organize the mess.

Partial baldness had certainly done the man no favors with thinned sweat mixed hair splashed across his scalp along with sleeves rolled up on a shirt that was well past desperate need of proper cleaning.

"Zachary now is not a good time," He was sternly reprimanded as the man realized he was missing something and began to grab and look amongst the spilled papers.

"My manuscript, Charlie ... what have you done with it."

Finished with his search, Charlie stood and set the papers carefully into the proper folder.

"No idea what you are talking about, sent that worm ridden papyrus back to you weeks ago with complete markup."

"No ... you most certainly did not." Pennington corrected vehemently.

"Yes ... I ... most ... certainly did, I put it right there in the pile of your basket personally." His friend replied somewhat exasperated.

"Then how is it that I just met a woman who claims to have read it?" Pennington inquired evenly. "You had the only draft that still had my real name clearly printed upon every page."

"What's the big deal, maybe she wants to ... heaven forbid ... finally publish something of yours outside of our growing archives?"

Pennington angrily grabbed Charlie's suspenders as he slammed him hard into the shelf behind him while he worked equally hard to control his anger.

"Do you have any idea how this could hurt me in my new position. It's just one of several reasons that I'm forced to use a pen name."

Charlie brought his hands up and managed to push back roughly.

"I told you that I didn't give your stupid manuscript ... to ... anyone, it was in a plain brown envelope that I left in your basket weeks ago. I can't help it if you lost it on that big expensive desk of yours; Mister Editor almost in chief."

"Charlie, if they find one of their newest editors dabbles in fantasy and science fiction of any sort, I'll be finished before I even get to begin." Pennington seethed at his friend.

When the scarecrow simply shrugged and smiled, Pennington began to lose some of the steam that had built up in his anger.

"If I find that you had ... anything to do with this ..." He waggled an index finger. "I swear ... frat brothers or not ..."

With that warning, Pennington turned and stormed out as his friend simply shrugged off the whole episode.

"And that's why they say the higher the office the pissier the man." Charlie muttered as he knelt to pick up more of the scattered papers.

"Good writer but still a bit pissy if one happened to ask my opinion in the matter."

With a sigh of frustration at the pile that remained at his feet, he turned to look where his friend had left him to deal with it on his own.

"Hey, if they sack you, don't come dragging your sorry arse down here for a job!" He yelled after him, knowing he was far too late to suffer for humor at his friend's expense.

Fortunately Pennington was well out of earshot as he climbed the back stairs to the editorial offices and had just reached his outer office when Miss Pennywinkle, his secretary motioned him over.

"Zachary, the big man wants to see you as soon as you got back."

"Was he ... angry?" He ventured with growing dread.

Somehow the mysterious woman's apparent irritation with him had brought certain doom down upon his budding career. He also realized she still did not have a name or other way for him to know who the hell that she was.

"No, actually he seemed rather chipper for a change." Pennywinkle offered with her usual coyish charm in reply. "I would hope that means good things ahead ... for all of us."

"Probably for you Agnes and not so much for me..." He admitted with resignation as he suddenly realized something about the young woman.

"You've colored your hair ... auburn this time?"

She smiled in mused appreciation of her distracted boss and friend. "I had it cut and styled weeks ago silly but it's alright, you better get a move-on."

Pennington tried to force himself to relax while he hung his hat and coat on the rack before he tugged his suit neat and made sure that his tie was straight.

Once he double checked for any marks or stains, he made his way up the long hallway past the closed doors of yet more senior management.

With his confidence properly gathered as best he could, he made himself smile as he prepared to enter the paper's chief executive editor's office.

"Even a man facing his noose should have some pride." he morosely reminded himself before he softly knocked and reached for the knob.