Page 40 of A Light in the Dark

FORTY

I’ll allow it.

It wasn’t until my mother showed me the contract and the account that I understood the importance of my brother’s death and the significance of the research done on his body.

Joel had mentioned millions of lives as having been saved, but the numbers didn’t lie.

My parents had over a billion dollars in their account, and they received several hundred million a year as their share of the medication’s profits. According to the statistics sheet the research hospital in Mirage had provided regarding my brother’s autopsy, Mirage had invested five hundred million into the new drug. As I questioned how five hundred a dose had translated to the twenty I’d paid, I did some more reading, realizing that my brother’s death had forced the pharmaceutical companies to limit the cost of the drugs.

Each company had been required to pay the full five hundred million back at the five hundred a dose rate, plus fifty dollars in profit, plus the ten dollar cut owed to my parents per dose. The excess money went to funding more research that companies could purchase. My parents’ rate would remain ten dollars a dose, and the pharmaceutical company was limited to charging no more than five dollars a dose thereafter.

The drug cost, on average, five dollars to produce.

Insurance covered everything except the pharmacy’s actual profits, resulting in most people paying five dollars a dose for the life-saving drug.

The economics behind it staggered me.

At current, there were sixty companies around the universe who had paid Mirage for the rights to produce the medication.

I chewed on the math while gnawing on the bone of my steak, marveling at the entirety of the situation.

“Are you mad at us?” my father asked.

“I’m not angry. This is incredible. Joel’s right. You should use this money. Buy a good property here, build your dream house, have Joel shore it, and do whatever makes you happy. If you really want to use the money in a way Zac would like, we can look into charities throughout the city-state, and you can help fund Mirage’s research efforts.”

“Mirage doesn’t need research funding,” Joel informed me, and he pointed at my mother’s phone. “They paid five hundred million for the research using Zac’s body, and they’ve received thirty billion dollars from pharmaceutical companies to continue their research. If your parents want to use the funds for charity, they can, but Zac has already left a legacy, and it’s one that the entire universe will notice for decades to come.”

That would take a lot of getting used to. I considered my parents. “If you want to do something good with the money, buy up empty lots in Stonecreek, repair and shore them, and then sell them for a pittance to families in need of housing. You could buy up every property in the city-state, repair everything, and then set people up for a good lifestyle. You can take the pittance you make and invest it into buying more properties and helping more people. There are a lot you can do with the money that’ll help others.”

“And if you’re buying the properties and selling below value, you’ll bring the housing marketing hikes to a crashing halt, which benefits everybody. But perhaps ignore Valerie’s comments about shoring. I would benefit personally from such a scheme—and I’d benefit significantly.”

“That’s because you own and operate the premier shoring business in Stonecreek,” my father muttered.

“I do. And my work is the best in the city-state, and while it costs more, what I shore stays shored.”

“I’m still trying to figure out how you met him,” my mother admitted.

“He’s my neighbor. And then I decided I liked my neighbor before finding out what his job is. Once I decided I liked him, I settled in for a life of crime, opting for kidnapping and coercion as my first two offenses.”

“I’m not pressing charges for either, and I enjoy my status as kidnapped,” Joel informed my mother in a solemn tone. “We take turns holding the other hostage. When she dares to enter my domain, she becomes the hostage. I will be holding her hostage for a while after your visit is done—or if I feel she needs to recover and shouldn’t be working. I’ll fight the city-state for her, and I have zero intention of losing.”

My father waved his hand. “I’ll allow it. ”

I laughed. “Thanks, Dad. Please just do me a favor. If my neighbors offer you cobbler, ask if it’s poisoned, how sick you’ll get if you eat it, and how often they recommend eating it.”

My father heaved a pained sigh. “Ronald told us about the poisonings. Then to find out it’s one of the reasons you survived that bastard’s attack? I was going to ask if we could try a small piece.”

“I’m sure Elenora would love to feed you some Death Cobbler. Just ask her to help identify the toxic berries sensibly. Anyway, after we finish eating, we need to head back to Stonecreek.” I regarded my mother, who had an entire basket of luna moth larvae beside her. “Joel has an aquarium with larvae you can visit at his home, but you can’t steal their larvae.”

“I’ll put those ones aside for you so you can love them when you get back,” Joel’s mother promised. “They wouldn’t appreciate the car ride, and they’ll be happiest here. We try to do all their transportation while they’re still in their eggs. That makes it easiest on the little ones. Joel, how is your food supply for yours?”

“There’s a store that sells food for them near my work, so I’m good. They know it’s feeding season, so they made certain they have everything my babies need.”

“Any idea if you got any color morphs?”

“I have five that might be candidates,” he announced with pride.

The woman waggled her finger at her son. “When you get home, show them your color morph collection, Valerie’s moth, and your larvae. They’ll enjoy it. And as you have been in close proximity with Valerie, you are barred from rose sniffing until she’s cleared and you’ve been blood tested.”

Joel sighed. “Damn it.”

“There will be no ruined silk on my watch, boy.”

“Ruined silk?” my mother asked.

“Darling?” Joel’s mother asked.

Joel’s father stood, chuckled, and nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Well, that would solve that problem nicely. While waiting for Joel’s father to reveal their secret, I polished off my steak and helped his mother clean up the dishes.

My mother bowed her head, and it impressed me that she refrained from sighing. “I’m so confused.”

Joel pulled out his phone and showed me the screen, revealing someone had captured a picture of me as a glowing luna moth lounging on Coraline’s head while she’d been a wolf. I giggled at the phone, taking it and swiping through to discover there were numerous photos of my stint as a luna moth, including when I’d gotten positively skunked on a bouquet of roses. Handing the phone back, I shook my head. “We have a little secret.”

“You have, from a young age, been a little too good at keeping your secrets, so that’s something I can believe. What have you been up to?” my mother asked, narrowing her eyes.

Joel’s mother went to the back door of the house and opened it, letting Joel’s father out, and he winged his way to us. As I was shameless, I held out my hands so he could come visit me. To my delight, he did, and I settled into the serious business of petting him. “You wanted to see a glowing luna moth. Here you go. This is Joel’s father. That’s why this town doesn’t like our town all that much. If they find out they’re a bunch of glowing luna moths…” I paused, glanced at Joel, and added, “I’m one, too. I just had my first shift, and I’m banned from shifting again until after I’m better from the bacterial infection. The bacteria ruins silk. I’m obsessed with luna moth silk.”

“We all are,” Joel’s mother replied, smiling as she rejoined us. “You’re probably luna moth shifters as well; Valerie hasn’t had enough time with Joel to transfer the genetics, and she’s a color morph luna moth. Nobody in town is a color morph. We’re not sure if she picked up her color from her first exposure to a color morph luna moth, though. A mundane one, that is. But I suspect she was born as a color morph.”

“Color morph?” my father asked, and his brows furrowed.

Joel handed over his phone. “This is Valerie while shifted.”

My parents spent a long time staring at the device.

“You’re beautiful,” my father whispered.

“It’s how I could promise that you would get to see a glowing luna moth. If I couldn’t convince any of the other luna moths to show up, I would show up. But I can’t show up because my silk will be ruined , and we can’t have that. I need that silk.”

“With your obsession with fiber? I can believe that,” my mother said, and she stole the phone from my father. “Can I text these to us, Joel?”

“Absolutely. So, you’ll have plenty of luna moths to visit with you while we’re in Stonecreek. Valerie loves having members of the flutter get skunked on her roses, and she feeds them snacks before they sleep it off and head home. I’ll start you small with five or ten of them for you to watch in her garden tonight.” Joel smiled, waited until he had his phone back, and sent some texts. “But we should hit the road so Valerie can get her work at City Hall done. And Valerie? No more than five hours today, and I’m expecting three tomorrow to make up for it.”

“I’ll make sure to rest properly.”

“Good.”

I left my parents with Joel in the lobby of City Hall, went to my new office, and went on a rampage the entire city-state wouldn’t forget anytime soon. Every sheet of paper in the office either went to the police to join the charge list, to accounting to be paid, or to human resources to somehow address. Once I finished that, which took two hours thanks to my usage of piles, I began ambushing random employees from the various departments, demanding their department’s wishlist. I asked each victim selected to serve as my contact for the department, gave them orders to leave their contact information in my newly cleaned office, and then hunted for someone in the tech department. I made certain the city-state was aware that my laptop was mine, signed papers agreeing that all data on the laptop could be copied and evaluated in case of any issues, and that if the city-state opted to confiscate any of my personal equipment, they were responsible for replacing it with the modern equivalent.

With that done, I got my chosen victim, a nice older man named Erik, to get me set up on the network and teach me how to access my work from home. Then, as I was ready to truly conquer the former mayor, I gained access to his email address so I could begin exposing the rest of his crimes.

On my way out the door, with thirty minutes to spare, a pack of reporters caught me in the lobby.

“Madam Mayor,” a reporter from the city-state’s major television station, River TV, greeted. He had become a favorite due to his friendly demeanor, good looks, and tendency to act like a regular person when needed.

It took me a moment to remember his name. “Mr. Mortain, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, call me Valerie.”

We shook hands and smiled at each other while a flock of cameras recorded our every move.

“Robert or Robby,” the reporter replied. “Do you have a moment for a few questions?”

I made a show of checking the time on my phone. “You can have thirty minutes worth of moments, after which I’m off the clock for the day. Doctor’s orders.”

“Doctor’s orders?” he asked, his eyes widening.

“I contracted a bacterial infection while on my unexpected trip to Moonriver. I was cleared to work five hours today, and I’ll be allowed to do three hours tomorrow. After that, it’ll be day by day. As I’m not allowed to work much until I’m cleared, I’ll be entertaining my family at my home when I’m not here.”

“I hope you feel better soon, Valerie.”

“Thank you. Please, do ask your questions. If I can answer, I will. If I can’t, at least I’ll be honest about not being able to answer them. Some questions I can’t answer due to the trial against the former mayor.”

“We understand; the police have already briefed us on what we can’t ask due to the trial’s integrity. Is it true that you have been working to help provide evidence for the trial?”

As I couldn’t see any problems with answering that question, I nodded. “It is. It’s a top priority for me, because Stonecreek deserves better. Every last one of that man’s sins will be exposed, and every realistic charge will be pursued in court. I am also working on making certain that our refugees are safeguarded along with those like me, who were raised outside of the city-state and moved here later in life.”

As I’d given them the opening, the reporters spent ten minutes asking about me, where I’d lived before moving to Stonecreek, and what I did when I wasn’t working. I appreciated that the conversation remained just that—a conversation, albeit one they recorded.

Then, with ten minutes left to go, Robert cleared his throat before asking, “Valerie, how do you feel about having been elected?”

“Honestly, it baffles me, but now that I’m here, I can understand how someone with my skills can do this job. Right now, I’m organizing things—and organization is what I do at my actual job.” I winced. “I’m on sick leave from that one, but it’s fine. I had plenty of paid sick leave available, so I’m taking it. That’s what it’s there for. At first, I genuinely didn’t understand why someone like me would be elected to be the mayor. It’s a very important job. But then a few friends explained it to me. Stonecreek doesn’t need someone who knows how to be a mayor. Stonecreek needs someone with empathy and compassion. I have those things. Stonecreek needs someone who can mediate disputes between stubborn people.” I crossed my eyes. “I love my neighbors dearly, but they’re the definition of stubborn. Living on my street is often a battle. But I learned how to compromise between different people without anyone being too upset or getting too good of a deal. Those skills translate well to being a mayor. Allasandro Stephans is going to help as needed, too.” I dug my phone out and waved it around. “I can call him whenever I need to, but so far? I haven’t needed to. I’m sure I’m going to need to as soon as I begin putting serious work into ferreting out and eliminating the corruption in the government. I don’t want Stonecreek’s legacy to be a memory of death and betrayal. In ten years, I want Stonecreek to be thought of as a humanitarian leader. We start that through our refugee efforts. We start that at home, making sure everyone can find work and nobody lives in fear of what their government might do.”

For a rather long moment, the reporters blinked at me while they digested my words. I smiled, and as I wanted to go home, I said, “I’m not a perfect person, I’ll never be a perfect person, and I’ll definitely be trying to rig things so I have to do as little work as possible five days a week. My next step is to go over the entirety of the government employee base, eradicate injustice in how we’re employing people, and fix that. Once that’s fixed, I’ll target spending. Honestly, with the charges against the former mayor and the return of stolen funds, Stonecreek is fiscally stable. Owed pay is being issued, and I’ve already spread word among the city-state’s employees to report to me if there’s anything that needs to be addressed quickly. So far, the payment issue is the biggest of the problems, and that will be resolved by Friday. I expect this process will take at least six months. Then I’ll have to look into the election process for Stonecreek, make certain what has happened previously can never happen again, and that every future mayor of our city-state must fill the office here in City Hall with dignity, pride, and strong ethics. Never again is my motto, and never again will we have someone like that man running this city-state, not if I have anything to do with it. Everyone in Stonecreek deserves better. And next year, when the floods come, as many people will be kept safe as possible. We will not be dredging out bodies from the flood plains if I have anything to do with it. The people come first.”

Robert Mortain offered his most charming smile. “Thank you very much, Valerie. We really appreciate that you took the time to talk with us, especially as you’re ill. Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Actually, yes. Can you please run a segment teaching everyone in the city-state how to identify poisonous berries and other plants? We have many refugees who are not aware of the dangers in our city-state, and if the television outlets and radio stations are educating people, that will be one worry off my chest. I’d also like pamphlets available for grocery stores to hand out or put on display, especially in the fresh produce sections. That’ll be on my to-do list as soon as I get a few moments.”

“That’s something we can handle,” he promised. “And if we can’t make arrangements for educational pamphlets, I’ll make certain a reminder makes it to your desk.”

“You’re a gem, Robby. Thank you very much.” As I was aware a good political leader took the time to shake hands with everyone, I did just that, and I even managed to remember many of their names. The ones I hadn’t met or seen before introduced themselves before I had a chance to embarrass myself, making my life easier. While I went over a few minutes, Joel and my parents observed from nearby.

Robert nudged everyone about my time limit, wished me well, and set me free.

I headed for the elevator at a dignified stroll, and my parents and Joel joined me. I pressed the button, reminding myself not to heave any relieved sighs until after inside and the doors closed in case anyone still recorded me. Once inside and safe from prying eyes, I released my breath in a huff. “I didn’t die, but I was concerned I might.”

“You did fabulously well,” my neighbor informed me with a grin. “We showed up right before that reporter asked you about your feelings on being elected. I thought your mom was going to dive in to try to rescue you, but then she was shocked to discover you are a self-rescuing princess. The reporters played softball with you, though.”

“They were really kind, and I told them I was ill at the start of the session.”

“Ah. That would do it, especially if you told them you were ill because of that bastard.”

I nodded.

“Good move. The people are going to see you working despite being ill, and that’s going to win a lot over. Well done.” Joel pressed the button for our floor of the garage. “However, if you’re going to dodge the next election, you need to stop doing things people will like.”

“I’m going to find someone who likes to talk to reporters to speak to the reporters so everyone is happy unless I absolutely must , and then I’m going to seek out reporters I like, including that Robby fellow. Robby did not try to grind my bones to make his bread, and he remembered the time limit and watched it. If they respect me, I’ll respect them back, and they all managed to do that today.”

“I’m sure you’ll have some warfare with reporters eventually, but the fact they played softball with you today is a good sign. Good call on throwing Allasandro under the bus. He deserves it.”

“He’s the reason she was elected, isn’t he?” my father asked.

“Yes, he is. She’s the only candidate he endorsed—and he convinced a few other city-state leaders to throw their weight behind her, too. Mirage is included,” Joel warned. “They saw your pre-college records, evaluated what you’d done with your grant, and have been praising your common sense and diligence appropriately. They’ve also made it public record you’ll be attending at least two of their universities remotely.”

“I’m probably a little crazy for that.” I shrugged, and when the elevator opened, I discovered a straggler reporter with a cameraman, and judging from the situation, the camera had broken, resulting in the poor woman having lost her chance with me.

She looked ready to cry, and I couldn’t blame her.

The cameraman looked ready to break down as well, which left me with a few options. I dealt with the first of my problems, and he raised a brow at the sight. “Please forgive me for the next ten or twenty minutes I lose of my life to a work thing.”

“Sure.”

“Also, get your phone out and play nice with the poor people. You can record on that thing and send them the video, right? ”

Joel smiled, set down his backpack, and pulled out his fancy camera. “Even better. I brought my baby with me.”

With that taken care of, I tapped the reporter on the shoulder to get her attention. “You missed the shindig upstairs, but I can spare you a few minutes so you get a turn,” I told her. “In exchange, you have to call me Valerie when we’re talking, and you have to play softball. My neighbor has a fancy camera, and he can record since yours seems to be broken.”

The cameraman stared at Joel’s camera, and he licked his lips. “That camera will film just fine for our needs, Mary.”

Mary stared at me, stared at Joel, who was already at work recording us, and blinked. “You mean it, ma’am?”

“I absolutely do. Life’s not fair most of the time, and while I’m supposed to be off work, if a few minutes makes your life a little more fair, then I can spare the few minutes. Just apologize to the reporters upstairs. I’m sick and I shouldn’t be working, but this is a good reason for an exception. Please beg for them to have mercy on me later.”

“Thank you, Valerie. Are you willing to talk to me about the cobbler your neighbor made for you?”

I smiled. “Her name is Elenora, and she was worried something would happen because everywhere else in the city-state lacks our flood plains’ unique botany. She’s a bit of a prankster at heart, and she also nailed Joel with it. He’s my neighbor who lives up the street from me, and he’s driving me around when I’ve got a headache and don’t feel safe behind the wheel.” I took a moment to introduce my parents, explaining that they lived in a small town several hours away. “I’ve taken to calling it Death Cobbler, and I’ll be asking her—and all the other friendly bakers in our city—to try to warn their targets of the side effects of their culinary misadventures. But, because she was worried, I’m alive, and I’m grateful for that. And yes, I knew she was using toxic berries after the first serving. I was never bothered she did it, and I think she’s sweet she did something like that for my sake. The amount of effort she put in making certain accidental exposure to a variety of toxic berries is admirable. I’m hoping that through education and awareness campaigns, our kind neighbors won’t have to resort to making such cobblers in the future, although I think it’s a brilliant way to make certain if there is a mistake, well, it won’t be a fatal one. And considering Stonecreek’s recent history with the misuse of those berries, education and awareness are going to be critical.”

“Is it true that Mr. Oustenhaus was intending to use such berries in a grocery store mass poisoning?”

I sighed. “I can’t say much about the ongoing investigation, but I have asked your fellow reporters to help spread the word about the types of berries that are toxic, what they look like, and how to avoid them in the grocery stores to make certain that there’s no possibility of this happening. That said, the situation is being investigated by law enforcement, and any and all evidence against Mr. Oustenhaus should be submitted to the police. If you are concerned that someone was a victim of his scheming, bring it up to law enforcement along with your reasoning for suspicion. While pursing charges can’t bring back the victims of his machinations, justice can be served—and it should be served.”

“Thank you, Valerie. What are your plans for Stonecreek after you handle the consequences of Mr. Oustenhaus’s actions? ”

In a way, I appreciated Mary’s courage, as she asked the one question I suspected the other reporters wanted to ask but hadn’t, likely in an attempt to be kind. “Purging the systemic corruption plaguing Stonecreek is near the top of the list. I’ll also be making certain no mayor can eliminate their competition and prevent the people from having an appropriate say in who manages our city-state. I’ll definitely be working to prevent the mayor from gaining any fiscal benefits from being in the position. It’s a job and a responsibility, yes, but positions of power need checks so they aren’t abused, and I view my job as making certain whomever takes over Stonecreek after me is incapable of walking in his footsteps. After that, assuming there is time before the next election, I will be working at improving public services, encouraging events like the recent job fair, and working to bolster our general economy so that unemployment and homelessness rates drop. I will also be making certain that our programs are present to help rather than drive away good people.”

Or kill them, but I allowed my expression to harden and hoped anyone watching might read between the lines.

I allowed myself a sigh. “Mostly, I expect to do the work that Mr. Oustenhaus failed to do, as he was more concerned about exploiting the population than helping. Ideally, when I am finished, the mayor will only have to do a few hours a day of work while the excellent men and women at City Hall and the other city-state employment venues continue handling their jobs with grace and dignity. Once those who are directly responsible for the murders of our refugees have been dealt with, things should improve for everyone. Rebuilding our reputation will take time, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to start work on that task so that whoever is elected next has a strong foundation to work with. Does that answer your question, Mary?”

“It does, Valerie. Thank you so much. Will you be taking any time off to recover from your illness?”

I shook my head. “I’ll be limited in how many hours I work per my doctor’s orders, but I’m afraid the good people of Stonecreek will be forced to put up with me daily until the critical matters are resolved.”

Mary smiled at that. “Thank you, Madam Mayor. I appreciate the time you’ve spent answering my questions.”

I understood her usage of my title, and I smiled for her, aware she tried her best to support my tainted position’s limited authority. “You’re welcome, Mary.”

Joel lowered his camera and flashed a grin. “Do you have a business card, Mary? I’ll send the file over to you as soon as I’m able to get home and to my computer. I didn’t bring a spare memory chip with me.”

The cameraman reached into his pocket, pulled out a chip case, and held it up. “Will this work?”

Joel took the case, popped it open, and pulled out a chip. “Valerie, does your laptop have a card reader?”

I crouched, dug through the briefcase I’d selected for myself, and pulled out my laptop, handing it over. Upon discovery my machine had a chip reader, Joel had me boot it up before copying over the files and giving it to the cameraman. Once I had everything put away, I waved a farewell to the pair, went to my new car, and claimed the passenger seat for myself. “Your turn, Joel. I’m too tired to drive at this stage.”

He claimed my keys, grinned, and got behind Blaze’s wheel. “After that? I would be too. I just feel I should warn you that if the reporters didn’t adore you already, they do now. You have no idea who you just bailed out, do you?”

My parents got into my car, buckled in, and joined me staring at Joel. “I haven’t the foggiest what you’re talking about?”

“That young woman is Mary Margaret Quincelle, and she’s the youngest daughter of an interplanetary business mogul. She came here as part of an education trade when we had to import and export people during the Earth crisis. She’s reporting for several interstellar news agencies. The cameraman is one of her brothers, and they have a contract with all major news outlets on world and many of them abroad. The reporters upstairs were mostly local, although their broadcast will be spread across the planet eventually. Mary’s broadcast is going to be the important one. She’s a tough reporter, and that was about as gentle as she gets. Most importantly, having backing from a member of the Quincelle family means if we need interstellar assistance, we can access it. That the Quincelle family is in Stonecreek means that the interstellar community has heard about Oustenhaus’s actions and seek coverage—and they’re witnessing that his polar opposite is currently in office. That woman has sway, and she will use it however she sees fit. You just bailed her out for no reason other than you could, and she knows it. She knows you had no clue in hell who she is, and you helped her anyway.”

“Does she know you know who she is?”

“She does; one of her little brothers is in our flutter, although they haven’t seen each other for a while. I will be making sure her little brother knows they’re here so they can see each other.”

“I thought we didn’t get imports like this because of our tech restrictions.”

“The Quincelle family is appropriately trained to handle visiting and living on preservation planets. I expect Mary and her older brother will return to space in the next few weeks once the situation here settles down.”

“And her little brother?”

“He loves everything about Stonecreek, so I doubt he’d leave. He lives to fly, and I don’t mean among the stars.”

That I understood, although I hadn’t been allowed to stretch my wings yet. I huffed, lifted my chin, and refused to look at him.

Joel laughed at me and started the engine. “You’ll be flying—and getting skunked on your roses—soon enough, Valerie.”

Good things were to come, and I fully meant to enjoy my future days of peace.