It would mean more work for me. I would have to split my time between “teaching” and helping run the town. But I was eager for it.
I drove from the college through our town, leaving behind the school. We soon entered the heart of Rainier, our small community on the east side of Lake Washington. Mount Rainier, our namesake, loomed to the southeast, a white pinnacle thrust over the rest of the Cascade Mountains. The local businesses that I would protect passed by: Kern’s hardware, Rainier Cafe, George’s Cafe, Bullseye Gun Shop, The Ink Quill, The Green Thumb. There were the corporate locations, too, the Starbucks, the McDonalds, the Chipotle, and more. They were vital to the town’s economy.
I had to guide it all. I smiled as I drove past the citizens. They were all my responsibility. I had to improve their lives. I had to make Rainier an even better town. I felt the weight of my new position pressing on me as I neared City Hall.
I was eager for it. I had used my powers selfishly enough. It was time to give back.
I arrived at City Hall. I’d been here a handful of times. The last time was the disastrous announcement from Mayor Wright when I realized just how badly I messed up editing him. I parked behind the building and headed around the sidewalk with my wife to the main doors. They were glass, the city seal in gold on the door.
My hand tingled as I opened it, my wife clinging to my arm.
“Mr. Davies?” a young woman said. She was a little on the plump side, cute in a curvy way. She had her hair dyed purple and buzzed short on the right side. The tattoo of a purple butterfly adorned her throat, peeking out of the lilac blouse she wore, a pair of tight pants clinging to her thighs. Black plugs swelled her earlobes, spreading her normal earring piercings wider than my thumb. “Hi, I’m Imogene. We spoke on the phone.”
“Yes, hi,” I said, smiling at her and thrusting my hand out. “Nice to meet you. And you can call me Steve.”
“Hi, Steve,” she said, taking it, shaking with a clammy hand. Imogene would be my secretary here, her smile polite.
“This is my wife, Linda,” I said, releasing it.
“How nice to meet you,” Imogene said.
“Yes,” my wife said, her voice tight. It was subtle, but I knew her. She did not approve of Imogene.
“Well,” Imogene said, “let’s get the tour started.”
My wife pulled a legal pad out of her purse and began writing down notes on it. Imogene blinked but she just kept smiling. The plump girl turned and marched across the lobby, crossing the polished marble floor with the city seal set into it.
Imogene led us through the public areas, the small courtroom, the various offices that the citizens could come to for information or to get a variety of permits, then she led us up to the upper levels where the offices were. My wife kept writing the entire time, her pen rasping on the pad. Imogene would stop at office doors and knock. On some, no one answered, but on others, they did. I met Semyon Markov, our chief of police. He was a tall Russian with a crushing handshake and a big grin.
He clapped my shoulder, “We need to get together to talk about my department budget.”
“Of course,” I told him. “I have some ideas to make the police a friendlier department.”
His smile slipped a little.
I checked my phone of Chief Markov and blinked as I opened up his Relationship Sub-Menu. His daughter was at the top of the list. He had the sort of “inappropriate” desires for her that I could understand. It would be useful to have this man on my side.
To make him happy.
Then I met Kalie Fairclough, the city manager. She ran the day-to-day decisions of the town, hired for her skills instead of being elected. She was an attractive woman in her late thirties, her auburn hair spilling about her face. I smiled appreciatively at her breasts swelling the ruffled, green blouse she wore, her black pencil skirt hugging her curves.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Davies,” she said, a bright smile on her lips.
“Oh, yes, it is,” said Linda, nodding her head in approval. She wrote down something on her list. “Just a delight. I know the three of us are going to be working so close.”
Kalie blinked. “Um, well, are you going to be spending time here, Mrs. Davies?”
“Of course,” my wife said, writing more. “I’m his adviser. Right, honey.”
I grinned at my wife. “If I said no, I’d be making my own dinners for a week and sleeping on the couch.”
Kalie laughed, a polite sound while Imogene giggled, her plump jowls jiggling. “Well, I’ll leave you to your tour, Mr. Davies. I have a meeting with the budget committee.” Her face tightened. “We have to find the money for the Christmas celebration.”
I nodded. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“It’ll be even more of a pleasure to get to know you,” my wife purred, her eyes smoky.
Imogene continued our tour. We met the city attorney, the man I’d edited to trigger the recall election. He was in his office, reclined back. I couldn’t edit him at all, so I hoped we would get along normally. He seemed like a pleasant man.
We were on our way to my office when we ran into Mayor Wright. The grandfatherly man scowled at the sight of me. He held a box in his hands, holding his personal effects. He shifted as he stared at me, his cheeks growing a little red.
“So you’re him,” he grunted.
“Yeah, Steve Davies,” I said, shifting. It was all my fault that he lost his position. Not that I ever approved of his actions, but… Guilt still boiled through me. “Um… well… Good luck, Mr. Preston.”
“Yeah,” the mayor said. “You’re just going to be like I used to be. A spineless eel not willing to take chances. To mold this town.” There was a fever in the man’s eyes. “I tried, and look what happened. Small minds, Mr. Davies. Everyone has small minds. They don’t see the truth that this is all just bullshit.”
“Okay,” I said, shifting.
“Bullshit. You’re going to repeal my tax, aren’t you? First thing. You’re going to undo the one good thing I ever did.”
“You went too far,” I said, this awkward strain warping the air around us. There was nothing I could do to fix this. Mayor Wright was proof of why I had to think of everything before acting. I couldn’t afford to fuck-up again.
“I didn’t go far enough,” he said. He sighed. “Just remember that. You’re serving the people. You need to make their lives better. Everyone. I didn’t realize that at first.” He shook his head. “Too late now.”
“I will,” I said, feeling sober.
Mayor Wright stalked away.
Imogene shifted. “Well… uh… that was…” She swallowed. “Um, this way, Steve. Your office is right this way.”
I nodded my head, ideas already percolating in my mind. The door still had Mayor Wright’s name in gold letters on the frosted window. Imogene opened it, her desk just to the side. The room was larger than the rest of the offices, a wide window looking out onto the front of the city hall and the bustling Founder Street running out front. The desk was sparse, a computer monitor resting on it. The desk looked old, like it had been here since the town’s founding over a hundred years ago. There were several oil paintings on the wall of men, probably the first few mayors.