UNUM

Let the maneuvering begin

A wry smile emerged on Jake’s face. “Well Ingrid, that’s for me to know.” Silence alerted him to the absence of children in the hall, so with piqued curiosity he slowly approached an open door. There in the center of the previously rambunctious group of kids sat Beth. She had turned this gaggle into an audience and she used a self-illustrated book to freestyle a story that mesmerized the kids. She noticed Jake watching from across the room and shot him a wink and a smile.

For a moment Jake forgot about the political struggle he was having with the old suits in DC, he was lost in another thought. He could feel Ingrid staring at his profile waiting for him to finish their conversation. “She’s the best of us, isn’t she”, he said, gesturing to Beth. “If I could send her to Unum, I’d gladly do it.”

“Yeah, okay, Jake, but what are you going to do about DC, really?”

“I’ll tell you what I’m not going to do Ingrid, I’m not going to sit around talking to them about it.”

“Have you noticed anything weird with the surveillance and increasingly frequent alerts we’ve been getting along our perimeter?”

“Not really, I’ve been a little busy Ingrid… what is it?”

“Well, I don’t think DC wants to talk about it either…they’re coming to make sure the future fits the version they’ve drafted up on their official documents and blood contracts. Are you sure this is a fight we want to have?”

“ I don’t want to have it, but I will. This never would have happened if Claire was still alive. What’s our timeline, you think?”

“I couldn’t say, but probably not long,”

“Alright I need some time to think, can you let Xavier know that I’d like the four of us: him, Beth, me, and you, to meet up later, say around 9, in the study? We’ve got to talk about this.”

“Okay, but why so late?” Ingrid asked as she stared down the hall in the other direction. When Jake didn’t answer she turned back, and he was already gone. She pulled out her phone and texted Beth. Your husband is planning some cloak and dagger nonsense for later, he said at 9 pm, in the study I would have told you in person, but you’re busy entertaining the rugrats.

Xavier was the first one in the study, what the hell has Jake been doing in here, he thought as he toured the room like he was a first time visitor. The door creaked open and he turned to watch Ingrid stroll in, she carried with her the energy of annoyance.

“What’s with you Ingrid?” Xavier asked

“I’m not sure what you mean”, Ingrid replied, then continued, “anyway, what’s going on with this room, it looks like some medieval replica of a castle’s bedchamber. These bookshelves are amazing though.”

“You know where all of these books came from, right? Like kids, Jake started ‘adopting’ them after the quake…though, I can’t imagine he has the time to read much.” Xavier’s back was to the door, he was preoccupied with a snowglobe. It was empty save for the words, ‘my favorite memory’.

“No matter what pleasant thought you’re thinking about when you’re in this room it’s safely trapped in that glass sphere until you replace it with a different one, it’s a good memory depository.”

The globe shot into the air, Jake’s face turned pale, and his mouth was aghast as time slowed. Jake’s eyes shot from the airborne globe to Xavier’s outstretched hands. Fear gripped his body, he couldn’t move; it felt similar to dreams where the dreamer is plagued by paralysis. Just before this object of affection shattered into oblivion and released every good memory he’d ever stored inside its safe walls Xavier’s hands cupped the glass.

“Jesus, Jake, you scared the life out of me!” Xavier howled.

“Not as bad as you just scared me Xavier, can you please put that down?” Jake said as the blood slowly returned to his face.

“What’s the matter with you two?” Ingrid asked, perturbed by the outburst of jolting noise.

“Hey guys”, Beth’s soft voice projected into the now quiet room.

“Great, everyone is here, grab a seat.” Jake said, as he pulled out a chair.