The Last Dragon’s Baby

7. A Life without magic?

Alma

With Burbus on my lap and a mug of coffee in my hand, to keep me going, I was awake until 2 am. I was roaming around the internet trying to find a human job position that would fit someone with little experience like me. I have been applying for all kinds of jobs from promoter, waitress, to children’s party entertainer for the past two weeks, but I wasn’t even getting a reply from almost any of them. I think those things take time.

I was in Niki’s house for two weeks already. The fact that My parents weren’t in town was actually convenient since I didn’t really want to face them. Not at all.

They were in an international potion shop conference in Bordeaux, where they went every second year. They were very proud of their shop, it was the source of their joy rather than their clumsy daughter. Well, at least they had their shop to be proud of even if it was to such an extent that even though my mom wanted to retire together with dad, he convinced her to keep working there for a few more years. 

Well, they expected me to slowly take over the business once I finished potion school. They still didn’t know that it wouldn’t ever happen. 

“Apply for this one, you will make a great hula dancer,” Niki said pointing at one of the job opportunities.

“I think I’ll skip it,” I chuckled.

“How about that one?” Niki pointed to another offer. I looked at it again, it read Executive Secretary for Arcane LLC. 

I’ve heard about this company, it was a fine and huge jewellery manufacturing firm. 

“No way they would hire me. My only human job experience is in theory an all year long-open Halloween shop, where the most sold product is obviously the crazy drunk horse costume,” I laughed, mentioning the cover that my parents’ shop used to hide their real shop from humans 

“It’s always worth trying,” she shuddered and even Burbus mewed his confirmation.

I filled the forms and attached my curriculum to their platform. Now all I could do was help for the best! 

~*~

To my surprise, two days later I got a reply from Arcane LLC  inviting me to an interview. I was getting ready for it, suiting up and all.

I wanted to look serious, responsible, and competent. If only I felt the same way.

I sighed at that thought and took Burbus in my arms, he was making a mess in Niki’s sofa once again. Dang it!

“Burbus, this way she will lose the tiny bit of her patience that’s left and feed you a potion to make you become a frog!” I complained to him, but the cunning feline brushed his head against my arm, making me lose my grave tone and go mushy! He knew how to play me well! But how could I resist those kitten eyes?

I had to find another place, mine and Burbus’ own place. We couldn’t keep being a burden to poor Niki! Going back to my parents' house wasn’t an option. I lived there during my vacations from the academy and helped them with the shop. I only cleaned the floor, they didn’t allow me to manipulate the potions and even talk to clients before I became an official potionologist. I guess I would have to clean the shop’s floor forever and they would have to make lots of endurance potions to delay their retirement to, well... forever. There was nothing wrong with cleaning, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do for my whole life.

With that in mind, I decided to find a job, find a new way in life.

“Hey, are you ready?” Niki asked, making me snap off my thoughts.

“Almost,” I replied.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with a human job. Maybe you will like it better than you liked potion school,” my friend reassured me. 

It would be easy. Potion school didn’t like me, but I also didn’t like it that much. Actually more like at all, there were as many times you could explode concoctions on your face before one grew to not like Potion School.

“Probably, low standards help,” I chuckled.

“Come on, Alma! Raise that mood! Shake it off! And this job position seems interesting, the secretary of the vice-president of a company. Maybe you can meet more human hotties!” She winked.

I didn’t even know why they accepted my application, in theory, my only work experience was my parents ‘Halloween Shop’. Maybe I was their charity case.

“Or maybe then I can afford my own place and fend for my small family,” I replied looking at the orange cat in my arms, my family!

“You can always stay! But having a job is good, taking the reins of your life in your hands.”

“Yes, you are absolutely right,” I said, placing Burbus on the floor and filling his bowl with food. He ran to it like a starving tiger.

“I will do it for me and for Burbus! Change our lives. There is nothing wrong with living as a human,” I smiled.

I was half anxious and half excited about this new direction my life was taking.

I didn’t know exactly what to do, but I was taking my chances and I knew well that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life cleaning the potion shop and getting looks of disappointment. I was quite sure I could be better as a human than as a witch, again low standards.

~*~

Unknown point of view

“Are you looking for a secretary again? What happened to the last one?” I looked at my friend and vice-president,questionly.

“She was too grumpy and she didn’t like coffee or tea? Who doesn’t like either coffee or tea? A psychopath?”

“That’s ridiculous! You are doing it out of boredom!” I grumbled.

“Maybe,” he shuddered.

I could relate to him. We were leading a boring life! A life that wasn’t really ours, hiding by being in the public eye.

“I’ll have the first three interviews today in the later afternoon,” he told me. My eyes screened at the curriculum of the candidates, focusing on their age and experience.

“Why are you interviewing only young women who barely have any experience,”

“My last one was older and full of experience and it didn’t work, I might as well try something new,” he smiled. I didn’t know how he could always keep his cool in our current crisis situation.

I exhaled sharply. 

It didn’t matter, I shouldn’t worry about it. None of this mattered

~*~

Alma

Niki and I took the bus to Penscroft Gardens. I told her many times that I could go by myself, but my friend was the best and too supportive to let me go to my first ever interview on my own. It was great because having her with me made me much calmer.

We went down the bus and had to walk the rest of the way, the winter sun was already setting and shades of orange coloured the sky.

We went to a narrow street and I felt a strange sensation, my heart started beating faster and a shiver danced down my spine.

Here I was trying to have a life without magic, but magic found its way back to me, I could feel the sparkles and I knew that what was to come wasn’t good. 

I looked around wary and my bad feeling came true, when a giant winged reptile came out of the shadows, bringing the night with it.