actually had his siren on, just for me! He apparently took his job way too seriously.
“Hey, where’s the fire?” I called up to the front.
“Be quiet!” He commanded.
“Fine,” I huffed, “but I know my rights! I’ve studied this, for my exam- and I know that as soon as we get to the Department, I’m calling my parents, and I’m going to leave. You can’t keep me here-“
“You know your rights? What about the right to remain silent!”
One Fireman didn’t seem too pleased with his Chief, “Sir, you’ve crossed a line. We aren’t the Police- and she is no criminal! Didn’t she say that the fairy lit the fire? I, for one, believe her. Why would she set her own skirt on fire?”
The Chief turned around, his lips pale and thin, his eyebrows bushy and black. It was a stark contrast against his skin, which looked like it had never seen the light of day. It was just a thin layer, covering up his pulsing, blue and purple veins that bulged out of his neck in vehement fury. What had the kindly Fireman, who had been standing up for me this whole time, done to anger this unreasonable man?
Suddenly, the truck stopped at the side of the road, holding up a line of cars, bicycles, and people with a low flight path. Passengers and drivers alike began to cry out in protest, shaking their fists out the window, and honking, but the Chief just didn’t care.
“Brock, open the door, and get out of the truck. You can walk to the Department, as part of training.” He said, evenly.
“Well?” he asked, “what are you waiting for? I told you to get your lazy self out of the truck, and you will do what I said! Meanwhile, I’ll be enforcing the law, while you take your sweet time, dallying all the way home. Are you the man for the job, or not?”
Well, I thought, he’s better for it than you are, Chief.
Brock peered at him with one, dark eye, incredulous that anyone could be that ridiculous. His chocolate skin, I could see, was burnt all over, and I figured he must have spent many years in the Fire Department. Those were the scars of someone who had spent their life, devoted to ending the fires that had plagued out town for hundreds of years.
He was too good to be treated like garbage!
“I just joined a week ago,” he said, slowly, “and I’ve never been a quitter. But this is stupid. Goodbye, Chief.”
A week ? He’d volunteered for the Department a week ago, and he already had burns? He didn’t even get paid for doing his duty! I couldn’t blame him for leaving- I would have set the Chief on fire, if I were him. Maybe I was biased, because he had told the Chief off for being a total lunatic, and tried to rescue me. But I didn’t think so. He was just another person of virtue, another face that would be seen in the crowd, unseen, unappreciated. I watched as Brock walked away from the truck, out onto the sidewalk, leaving me all alone with the Chief.
He pulled out of his spot, hardly looking back at poor, innocent Brock, who was still trudging, and began to let his clanging sirens whir again, as they raced towards the station. I tried to comfort myself by remembering that he had a bright future, and he definitely had a better fairy than I did.
It took a mere two minutes of total boredom and anxiety to get down to the Fire Department. The Chief routinely shouted me down about how I was a juvenile delinquent, despite the fact that I attempted to tell him that it wasn’t my fault. Not that it would ever come to anything, with a man like him.
After we stopped, I managed to stumble out of the truck, staring in awe at the marble Fire Department, with loads of Anti-Fire Fairies fluttering around, going in and out of the special door. Some were all business, in tiny suits, scribbling down information- but some were in uniform, just like the humans. They worked here, too- it was the perfect job for fairies with that kind of power. It was a hub of activity, with both heart and soul- but the Chief cast a shadow over the whole place, despite the fact that his was particularly short in stature.
“Stop the dawdling ,” he cried, “get into the Department. We’ll keep you there until the law catches up with you.”
I sighed, frowning into my hands, as he escorted me through the door.
“Chief, I really need to stop you now- can I at least call my parents?”
“No time for that now- get in the Department.”
“But-“
“But nothing ! You’re worse than my son,” he said, gruffly.
Finally, I acquiesced, shuffling inside the Department, as he led me until a small room, devoid of anything except for a chair, and a water cooler. I sat down, and he gave me one last glare before he shut the door. I heard a distinct click as he left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. And they weren’t good company.
I can’t believe that Goldenrod got me into this mess? What am I going to tell River, and my amazing brother who became a doctor? That I got arrested because of my fairy, and because of the heinous acts of the Chief.
Why do the worst people sometimes get power over my fate?
And why did it have to be me, the girl who got a dumb Parking Fairy after all the studying I’ve done?
I sprawled myself out across the chair, staring at the clock who’s hands moved ever so slightly ever second.
Tick.
Tick.
I was about to go nuts in here, all alone. I observed all the little details in the walls, the crevices in the wooden door, the floating bubbles that pooled to the top of the water cooler. I tapped my foot against my leg, and a smudge of dirt appeared on my pants. This just got better and better, didn’t it?
And why do I have to be alone? I can’t be alone, in this room- it’s only been five minutes, and the world has become so monotonous. I’m going insane, aren’t I? This is some type of sadistic way to make me think that I did something wrong, and make me confess my guilt- leave it to the Chief to do something like that to a kid.
I heard muffled voices outside of the door, which I couldn’t quite make out. I stood up, and craned my neck over to the door, attempting to eavesdrop, but the wood was just to thick for my ear to infiltrate. However, I did know that one of the voices belonged to none other than the Chief- and the other was a whole lot less raspy. I scrambled back to my seat, as I heard footsteps, coming towards the door, managing to seat myself like I had never moved.
The door suddenly swung open, and I could heard the voices clearly.
“Dad, just give me a chance. Trust me, she isn’t lying,” a boys voice begged.
“One chance. This is your final opportunity,” the Chief warned.
And a boy strode in, and the door shut behind him. He managed to shoot me a half grin, despite the unfortunate circumstances, and I couldn’t help but notice that he was as short as the Chief. His black hair cropped into a buzz cut. He had pale skin, and hazel eyes gave him away immediately- hadn’t the Chief mentioned that he had a disappointing son? She guessed that this was him- even if he wasn’t bald. And if he went against the Chief, on a daily basis, she was already a fan of his.
“Well,” he said, “I’m pretty sure you gave my Dad an ulcer. He’s the Chief, who you’ve...met.”
My lips curled up to match his infectious smile. Then, it was wiped off of my face, when I realised that he could tell anything to his father. I had seen him around school, but I had never really met him.
“Yeah, we had some bonding moments. Why’d you come in here... Chief’s Son.”
“You can call me Marco. And I’ve come here to let you tell me why we should let you go. And I’m a little bit inclined to let you leave. Honestly, you could tell me that you left a candle by a curtain, and I’d still want to let you get off.”
“Okay. Basically, I have the worst fairy, maybe ever . And in a nutshell, she hates me, and burnt my skirt to a crisp.”
He began to chuckle, and poured himself a tall glass of the clear water into a styrofoam cup.
“You got the short end of the stick in the Ceremony? Join the club.”
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