[Background Music: Major Lazer – Get Free (Cris Cab Cover)]
Many, many months ago
"So, should we record everything we say?" the middle-aged man asked, vexation audible in the tone of his voice, the grimace on his mug a telltale sign that he was hurt in his macho pride.
The man's face turned ugly when revealing his misdirected anger.
Yet, he was not physically ugly. In fact, Marie-Rose's memory attributed tender features to his face. The first time she met him, the friendly smile that adorned it misled her to believe that he was a kind-hearted man. Nothing could be more mistaken than interpreting that initial attitude this way. Even though she was trained as a sorceress, Marie-Rose lacked enough experience for her flair not to fail at times.
Perhaps she thought highly of the man because of the money he handed her the other day as a token of appreciation. Or better yet his amiability in that very moment. One of these must have misled her, she thought.
Recording the discussions.
Nothing new. The org has long before monitored the phone conversations of its members all the while never offering a platform of direct communication with the head masters. The latter preferred ruling through fear just like ordinary dictators rather than leading by example. With time, the informal circle they both belonged to, became oppressive, the liking of a cult.
"Yes, please do so." Marie-Rose replied with utter confidence, her frail frame defiant in its posture, even though she was sitting on a chair in the instant he voiced his conclusion. The resolute tone of her voice, devoid of warmth and filled with resolve, didn't startle the man standing before her eyes the least of a bit, despite his contempt levels being off the chart.
She wondered how could anyone mistake him for the male lead of her novel. His light hair didn't make him exactly a blonde. This was perhaps the description most people would use to refer to him. However, for Marie-Rose, blondes had straw-colored hair, as yellow as the ear of the wheat.
His name was Daniel Boyer, nothing close to her male lead's. Rumors had it that in real life he worked for a security gov agency.
His blue eyes might have been proof that he belonged to the mentioned structures, since most of those working in the domain had blue eyes, especially those in positions tailor-made to intimidate, yet, there was no indication that he was the one behind the org's spying.
Only the methods employed seemed the same. Marie-Rose had no palpable evidence to prove such allegation.
She didn't believe Daniel was involved, nevertheless he might have been involved. Beyond any doubt, his words so far indicated clearly that he was doing his own spying on Marie-Rose. However, his actions were probably triggered by the conflict that emerged within their group.
Unlikely, but for the sake of the excuse, one could infer that it was more likely a professional defect for him than a professional task. If not for the satisfaction he seemed to derive from hinting to her online surfing activity:
"- So, I hear you want to move." Daniel quoted in the middle of the earlier discussion an email she sent from her institutional account, the sneer on his face the evidence that he was indeed spying her and he wanted to show her that he was doing so. Two weeks into their meeting in which their conflict broke.
"Your colleague told us the headquarters belong to us. Why do you want to move? We contributed our money to renovate the place." he said, stupefaction further distorting his face mixed with an air of superiority, as he was looking at her unable to understand her stance, as if she was a stupid three-years old deserving pity.
His expression was crying out loud that he was certain she was having a secret agenda or that she was purposely stubborn, being in a position of power, when in reality the truth was way more simpler than that. He was only projecting his mindset on her actions.
The little apartment was rented by the former team leader, it was not an immobile owned by the org, Daniel was not alluding to actual possession. The org had no possessions in fact. Her colleague simply wanted to make them feel involved in the matters of the circle, so he told them the HQ belonged to them as well. Daniel used this statement as an argument for not moving from the location.
According to the law, the building where the HQ were located was a residential unit and since she wanted to focus more on the training of everyone in the circle, she planned to find a commercial space where they would not create any inconveniences to anyone.
"I can give you the money back." she replied, keeping her calm as much as she could, thanks for her training. "I already apologized for the situation."
This was not an internal announcement, the communication was only between Marie-Rose and the recipient.
How else did Daniel know about it if not by unauthorized access into her accounts?
Marie-Rose kept her composure. It was better not to show any reaction.
He was not satisfied with the answer. He didn't expect to meet resistance tonight. Not from someone deemed to be only a weak woman, an insignificant witch in his eyes. He thought she will be easily convinced by the arguments he started to present to her.
He enjoyed showing off power. The power he could never attain from other sources. The power that compensated his flabbiness. Showcasing power gave him erections, apparently.
Marie-Rose knew Daniel had a disdainful attitude towards women. It came to her ears that on one occasion he almost got two of his female co-workers down of the car, with the intention to leave them on the road side. For the reason that they talked too much. So Marie-Rose kept her mouth close as much as possible. Who knows what he was capable of doing to her if she gave him the lengthy explanation.
No wonder he wasn't married. At least that's what he admitted to when replying to her question. She found the right moment at the end of the argument.
"Are you married, Daniel?" she asked him after carefully inspecting his hands and noticing no engagement ring on the finger, except for one that people in their circle were using in their magic works.
Marie-Rose shook her head inside her mind. What were sorceresses and gov men doing in the same circle? It was hilarious, the least. What kind of nonesense was this? The two types matched as well as a round nut on a straight wall.
"No, I'm not." came his prompt reply, while a smile was raising the corners of his mouth. She wondered whether he had to keep it a secret due to his profession. Then, the discussion changed its topic once again.
"I told a friend of mine about you casting magic spells. But she fell in love right before coming to your classes. The big bad butterfly appeared exactly at that time." he changed the subject, continuing the discussion they had prior to her inquiring about his marital status.
Marie-Rose didn't show off her powers to the public. She never presented herself as a sorceress. Her knowledge was hidden under the veil of tradition. The course taught about the practices of the people of the old times.
For the practice, she taught her students how to prepare enchanted potions for beauty and the young girls participating in the course were thrilled to use them. The spells worked because their minds were clean and their souls pure. Marie-Rose enjoyed working with teenagers. Their youthfulness kept her heart young.
"The old man says that women are prone to fall in love when they're on their period."
She wondered once again, but not at his nonsense, this time she wondered if Daniel had access to her social media accounts when he hinted to this certain person he called the old man.
She had a strong feeling that he was actually interrogating her with all his remarks. What purpose with? In these moments, Marie-Rose had to use her sorceress abilities to the fullest. Trying to decipher Daniel's intentions, his strategy. He seemed to interrogate her so far, besides making fun of her.
At first she thought he used the name to refer to her spiritual guide, but then she soon realized there was someone with this nickname in her list of friends. She thought it belonged to an acquaintance.
But, was it the fake account he was spying her social media with? Or better yet, how could he know some things if not through unauthorized access to her account? Not everything on her profile was publicly accessible.
"Where did you read this in his writings?" she alluded to her spiritual guide. However, she soon realized he was pointing to the novel she was writing. Marie-Rose wrote the heroine was on her period to justify her not getting into bed with the male lead on their first date. Daniel was making fun of this. Yet another a*hole that was thinking a woman should end up in bed with a stranger on their first date. Encounter, that is.
Nevertheless this was not the worse of his actions. Daniel has been at the root of the discontent at the heart of the org, seeding distrust between the leaders and members.
Ever since Marie-Rose took charge of the circle, two months ago, she noticed how he operated in the shadows, scheming behind her back, manipulating the weak-minded people within the org.
Moreover, some days ago the key to the headquarters, where Marie-Rose was staying, had mysteriously disappeared. It resurfaced after three days, hanged in the same place, as if nothing ever happened.
Today, Daniel greeted her with a strange statement:
"You never know when someone enters your home while you are sleeping in your last room." So, he was trying to instill fear upon her.
She maintained an indifferent facade, since she was dealing with a torturer. The mounting evidence suggested his primary skill was instilling fear in his targets.
But he continued his mental absurdities in his attempt to confuse her mentally:
"I dreamed that two monsters were in front of the sanctum last night." he started his plea for her to give a meaning to his dream. The sanctum was the room were she was doing her magic works.
She chose not to interpret his dream, refraining from connecting it with any symbol. Something about his attitude was off and she remained in expectation.
Now that she remembered his remarks, she realized the movie she watched last night was an eastern fantasy about monsters. She smiled at the coincidence.
He showed up with his friend, who had quit attending the gatherings for quite some time.
What stroke Marie-Rose was the clothes his friend was wearing that made him look like a gangster, even though he was a gov worker, too.
The man's weird look, accentuated by the darkness of his pupils, was close to the stare of a psychopath. His pursed lips highlighted the lines of his grimaces. He was a light-haired man with a typical local face for the neighboring region, however deformed by the hatred bubbling inside him. Daniel was no different. In those moments, his appearance was far off the gentle figure he had accustomed the others to.
Shortly after they took a seat, the first one proceeded to attack:
"Why were the girls kicked out?" The girls were two thirty-somethings, close to forty or over, Marie-Rose was not sure. Obviously the two busy bodies alerted everyone in the group.
"They were only asked to take a break."
She had been right about waiting. The recap on their talk today revealed many hidden thoughts of the group.
Then, she answered his final question. His mocking tone matched that of the individual who voiced the complaint, the typical tone of a male Karen with absurd claims. It drew Marie-Rose's attention back to his chattering.
"So, am I also on the list of people that are being kicked out?" His expression was dead serious. So was his voice.
"Yes, Daniel, you are on the list, too." She instantly watched his reaction that lacked any sign of astonishment. He actually already knew he was on that list.
He was pissed off, so pissed off that they were being kicked out of the circle, that his sinister determination to make her regret it was revealed on his face as if a mask fell off.
Yet, she never personally invited him or any of those in his gang out. Marie-Rose only conveyed a message from the head masters.
The conclusion Daniel drew was indirectly addressed at Marie-Rose. The sentence concluded the tumultuous exchange of replies in tonight's gathering:
"Do we need to record everything that we say?"