Promotion

The day I got my promotion was the day I stopped worrying about what everybody would think of me. It’s a difficult task, deciding to throw away a habitual life-time of pestering and preening, just to be sure that somebody likes you - but I made the jump because I knew that I wouldn’t need to care any more. And, when I say ‘promotion’, I mean nothing more than a lovely little jump up the social ladder. It was an accident, really. That’s what I tell myself. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time.

A morning in early August, cool and bright. I’d been stood idly by one of the great bay windows in my father’s office, listening as he chattered incessantly into his intercom-phone. I’d been waiting for him for a good thirty minutes by this point, and he showed no sign of letting up with the conversation. The worst thing was: he wasn’t even talking business.

“No, Marianne. No, no, not at all! She’s a lovely girl. -What? Yes! Don’t be silly. Of course I’ll let her know. Will you? Really? Of course...” And it went on like this, the same, over and over and over and over- In the end, I just walked up to him and put my finger on the receiver.

“Oh, Wisteria, honey! I was having a conversation with poor Marianne. You know how rude it is to interrupt people when they’re talking. Why couldn’t you wait a little longer?”

“You’ve been talking to ‘poor Marianne’ for half an hour longer than I care to listen to you talk to her. Why did you ask me in here if you’ve nothing to do but chatter away like some half-wit moron?”

Dad always hated it when I talked to him like he was stupid, even if it did seem that this was the case. He lowered his snowy eyebrows into something of a frown, the shimmering skin around his lips growing taught as he held back a nasty response. I would have smiled, but there was a reason he’d called me here, and it wasn’t for this, so I held my tongue of my further comment and folded my hands on my hips impatiently.

“I called you here to discuss a few matters with you regarding those new jobs opening up in the ladder. You know the ones I mean?”

I shook my head. Office grunts like Wisteria West didn’t get to know these special kinds of information. We weren’t important enough, apparently. My dad took a moment to shoot me a funny look, and then changed his tune.

“Well, then I’ve got news for you!” A beaming smile made its way across his face, and he leaned forward to tap my arm genially. Dad and I don’t get on at the best of times, so this contact was disturbing in itself. I shook him off.

“Tell me, then,” I grumbled, folding my arms across my chest. “I’ve not got all day.”

“You have now, daughter of mine,” Dad crowed happily. “They’ve been talking about a new system of government, based on votes-hereditary, which I’m sure you’ll have heard about-” I hadn’t, but I nodded anyway, wanting him to cut to the chase, “And the votes are in!” He paused expectantly.

“What? Are you expecting me to say something witty?” I raised an eyebrow in annoyance. He didn’t seem to mind, simply leaned back in his expensive leather armchair - new? - and tapped his finger on the table in front of him. “Are you going to tell me what’s so exciting?” I asked again, stifling a yawn. If I was here any longer I was pretty sure they’d fire my ass and it’d be all his fault.

“I’ve been chosen from four thousand government employees to be the new face of government for the west of Fane!” The grin on his face expanded, as did my annoyance.

“You?” I scoffed. “Ruler of government?”

“At the end of the current term,” Dad admitted. “I’ll be one of four new rulers of Fane. Doesn’t that sound marvellous? It’s what I’ve been working towards for years! And, now, it’s finally here! Goodness, your mother would be so proud. I wish she were here to see it...”

“It was your obsession that killed her in the first place,” I muttered darkly, pouting. “Well, congratulations, I guess. I don’t suppose there are any perks for a girl like me in this new system of yours?” I asked lightly, highly doubtful. Dad had never much cared about me, or my job. To him I was a disappointment, simply because I was born with the wrong spirit. How could I help it if he’d made a mistake? Being a grounded Changeling was hard enough in the world of business, I didn’t need his pressure too.

“As a matter of fact,” Dad commented drily, “there is something quite interesting about these new positions. I mentioned votes-hereditary, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, I’ve done the voting part, which means that the West family is in power for life! Or, at least as long as we are good for the people. Isn’t that smashing?”

It took me a moment to comprehend what he was saying. Working my jaw to sooth my stomach I shrugged my shoulders.

“What exactly does that mean?”

“Well, if anything were to happen to me, naturally you’d be the new ruler of the west of Fane. It’s hereditary, like those Earth monarchies we used to hear so much about. You know?”

“If anything happened to you...?” I repeated, a nasty feeling broiling in my stomach.

“If I were to die, or become very ill suddenly, you would have to take my place.”

Innocently Dad chuckled to himself and lit up a pipe. Mirroring him, I returned the smile.

Little did he know what I had in store for him.

Silly half-witted moron.