Eidola Mater: Mother of Idols

CHAPTER 5: MERRICK

Competing thoughts warred in my head as I stared in shock at the woman who had laughingly blown off the idea of us meeting in real life—as if my social status was so far beneath hers that there was no chance of us ever running into each other. I hadn't stopped dreaming about B1rdseye, hadn't stopped hoping I'd see her in ASR. But she had cut the cord between us without a backward glance, and I had to admit that it stung my ego. I didn't usually get so attached.

There were more pressing concerns on the table for me now, however. Despite having turned down Ada Fletcher's initial offer, I had been woken up this morning by a pounding at my door and a very aggressive emissary requesting my attendance at a meeting at the private home of Mrs. Zara Fletcher. No advance warning. No time to renege.

Dressed and dragged halfway across the globe to a private island near Hawaii, I couldn't believe that I was standing in the home of the richest person on the planet. There was something about being unable to exert my natural sovereignty as a human being that was unsettling. It didn't feel like any one person should have that much power. Yet, here we were.

One thing on my mind was that Wren's prediction would have been accurate if the world had been a logical, sane place, but reality didn't work according to the nonsensical social rules we made up. It was much more arbitrary and coincidental.

The other thing I was thinking was that I truly didn't want the job. I was certain whatever dollar amount they tagged to this opportunity would be enough to change my whole life, but Zara Fletcher had made it clear when she reached out to me that this was a temporary offer.

What I had going on in the North Seas was a sure bet, and I couldn't afford to chase pipe dreams, no matter how pretty the wrapping. (My eyes scanned the two women opposing me.) Besides, I couldn't leave Remy to face his first season out alone. As much as I wanted to see him as a young adult, every time I looked at him, I saw the rambunctious kid he had been. I couldn't fathom my nephew going up against the loveless sea without me.

Zara Fletcher's expression went blank when she heard me say I couldn't take the job. She lifted an eyebrow and shrugged. "I'm not the kind of woman you turn down," she said. "Name your price."

A smile cracked my lips. "I'm not the kind of man who can be bought."

"Everybody's got a number," Zara scoffed.

Ada Fletcher huffed and shook her head. "Mother now is not the time or the place. We have a visitor. You remember Wren, don't you?" With a forced, but welcoming smile, she drew attention to the blonde waiting to be acknowledged. I refused to say hello. Wren, was it? She had already put me in my place once, and I wanted to make damn sure she would never get the chance to do that again.

"Hi, Mrs. Fletcher." Wren reached out a hand for a handshake.

I could tell the moment Zara recognized her because she clasped her hands together with a giant grin and rushed forward to hug her. "Wren! Little Wren! Oh my goodness, let me see you! How are you, darling? Ada-Beta, why didn't you tell me she was coming?"

"Well, you've been a bit preoccupied with work matters, and I didn't want to disturb you. Wren and I are going out for dinner." Ada ignored me.

I wanted to go home. I hated the ultra-modern house, the well-dressed, stuck-up servants, the obscenity of wealth on display while half the world scrambled to survive on a dying earth. These people were too comfortable to care what was happening to the rest of us. 'Everybody's got a number' my ass, I thought.

I had a comfortable salary. But I had a family and people I cared about who were still struggling. The thing about class was that it took more than money to go up in the world. I had learned a long time ago that being born into a certain level of financial stability made it difficult to understand what was happening on the other side of the income divide.