Chapter 40, Vanishing Act!
"It was a dark and stormy night… What kind of shit is this?!" Edwards screamed after he took the cigar out of his mouth. He angrily rose from his chair and it rolled back and hit the wall behind him.
He marched around his desk and threw the print copy in to the face of the still burbling Johnny. As Edwards continued to march out of his office Johnny followed after him. In a meek voice he said, "But it's for a book review. That's how the book starts out." He pushed his glasses up further on his face.
Edwards turned and pointed his finger at him. "It's still a piece of shit." Then he turned to Cillia, his chief assistant, and told her, "Take the shitty review and put it on page twelve." Then he put his cigar back in to his mouth and continued to march through the rows of desks towards the main door to the editing department.
"But that's where the full page ad for the opening of the new general goods store, Kopper's is going," she replied as she looked down at her notepad and tried to keep up with him; all at the same time. The she muttered "Ow" to herself as she banged her thigh in to the corner of a desk.
Edwards turned to look back at her. He took the cigar out of his mouth and with exasperation told her, "Then keep the ad for Kopper's and put that piece of crap further back. I don't care where you stick it as long as it's not in that front section." Then he continued his tirade towards the other staffers about their other articles.
Cillia rolled her eyes and wrote it down in her notebook. Johnny had caught up with her and started to whine. "Why do my reviews always go in the back section? It's not fair…" She looked up at him and while cocking her head, told him, "Not now, Johnny." She looked back down at her notebook. Up at the top she had written in big letters, "KEEP FRONT PAGE OPEN FOR HUGE STORY".
Johnny was still muttering about how much his life sucked as she looked down at her watch. It was getting late. If they did not get the print copy of the huge story in ten minutes the morning paper was going to be late.
As though he was reading her thoughts, she heard Edwards bellow, "IT'S ABOUT GOD DAMN TIME!" She looked up and saw Cameron come flying through the aisle between the rows of desks.
She stopped and Edwards practically grabbed the print copy from her hand. Cillia half ran to where they were at and on tippy-toes looked over Edwards shoulder. Her eyes grew large as she quickly read Cameron's article. By the gods, I can't believe it. The O.Z. won't stand for it.
Cameron smirked as she observed Cillia's face. "At the rate I'm going, I'll be a shoe in for journalist of the year. First it was my coverage of the terror attacks. Now this." She pointed at her article.
Edwards took the cigar out of his mouth and told Cameron, "Good job kiddo." Then he roughly handed the print copy to Cillia. "Front page."
After Cillia took the print copy he looked at the ceiling as deep in thought. He raised his hands up as though he was calling upon the heavens to grant him divine power.
Then with his hands still slightly raised, he looked at Cillia and said, "Make the headline, Vanishing Act! " Pleased with himself he took a puff of his cigar and continued on his way out of the department.
Cillia rolled her eyes once more as she watched Cameron nearly stumble in her heels trying to catch up with Edwards.
She looked down at Cameron's article to read it one more time before sending it to print. Even the second time around she had a hard time believing it. The article began with a description about the appropriations act for the farmers. It was to help them recover for field damage stemming from the witch's abuse of the land. However tied to the appropriations act was a rider that outlawed nearly every form of magic except for the healing arts. As she read the article the reason was flimsy at best. New technological advances were occurring every day. The use of magic could affect the new technology in an unforeseen manner. Therefore its use was to be restricted so that the development of new technology could continue.
Cillia started to walk down the aisle leading out of the editing department. She realized that the House of Lords was in a winless situation. To vote against the appropriations act would not only result in a public outcry but it could lead to actual food shortages. The farmlands had been slow to recover. It was better for the House of Lords to accept the appropriations act with the rider and risk short term anger about not being able to use magic than to have hordes of the hungry on their doorstep.
She slowly opened the door and started down the hallway. She glanced one more time at the article and then started to walk briskly down the hallway.