Clarke #2
She had tried to stay positive, and tell herself that her dad was alive. But it wasn’t always easy. At least the vision hadn’t shown his dead body. That had to be a good sign.
Having a clue gave Clarke a sense of purpose. Hannah was right that she had to do this, no matter how crazy and unrealistic it sounded.
“If I’m right and your dad was kidnapped, they won’t just let him walk away,” Hannah said.
Clarke clung to that possibility like a lifeline, although she had no idea who would have kidnapped her dad or why. He was neither a celebrity nor rich. It was feasible though, that her dad could be alive and unable to come home.
“Ok, let’s do this. I’m still not sure how I can pull this off for more than a couple of days, but I will do this for Dad.”
“You can pull it off. We’ll help you,” Hannah said staunchly.
Four hours later, her hair was cut in a short, professional style, and her resume claimed her to be Clark Voudrie.
Deciding to keep this on the down-low as much as possible, Hannah’s mother had cut her hair at the house.
With shaking fingers and a thundering heart, Clarke applied for the position of dormitory monitor.
Hannah was a beacon of positivity, which helped to steady Clarke’s nerves. She was confident Clarke would get the job. “Fate wouldn’t be that cruel,” she said. Clarke fervently hoped that she was right.
The next morning, she had an email from the college requesting a video interview with the assistant dean, and available time slots to choose from. Clarke’s heart was racing as she selected an afternoon appointment.
Clarke texted Hannah with the news, and called her dad’s business partner, saying she needed to meet with him privately. Harry told her he’d be in the workroom, and to come through the back.
Ten minutes later, Clarke was out the door and driving to the store her dad and Harry owned. She had been avoiding Trinkets and Tonics since her dad had gone missing. There were so many memories attached to the shop, and it was too painful.
Harry was like an uncle to her, though. She trusted him implicitly. He was the only person outside Hannah’s family that Clarke would divulge her plans to.
She wanted his advice. Harry would tell her bluntly how he felt about this harebrained scheme. Clarke knew he would worry about her, but he would also help. Harry might even have other ideas about how to search Mars College if he thought this plan wasn’t feasible, or she didn’t get the job.
Clarke parked behind the store, and took a deep breath before getting out of the car.
She used her key to unlock the back door, and walked down the short hall, avoiding looking to the left where her dad’s laboratory was.
She couldn’t handle that right now. Harry’s workroom was to the right, and Clarke found him sitting at a table.
Harry dropped what he was working on at the sight of her, and strode forward to hug her. He held her for a long moment before stepping back.
“Clarke, I’m so glad you came by,” Harry said. “I know it has to be hard, being here with Charlie gone. You cut your hair.” Harry wouldn’t risk hurting her feelings by saying he didn’t like her new look, but Clarke knew that he didn’t.
“The haircut was necessary,” Clarke said. “Uncle Harry, I had a vision yesterday.”
“I knew you could do it, kiddo,” Harry said. “Do you plan to tell me how a vision prompted you to cut your hair? Don’t take this the wrong way, sweetie, but you look like a boy.”
Clarke had to smile at that. “Good. That was the objective.” They sat down facing each other, and she told him everything.
“Damnit! I want to tell you that the police will find Charlie, and there’s no need for you to go into what could be enemy territory to search for clues,” Harry said.
“But your vision is the only lead we have. Getting a job with the faculty as a man would be much less suspicious than one or both of us showing up and asking direct questions. This requires finesse and subterfuge. I agree with Hannah.”
Clarke exhaled in a whoosh. Harry was very forthright, and he wasn’t telling her that it was a stupid plan. All of her dad’s friends would happily search for him, and do this for her if they could. But only one of them had a power, and none of them were qualified. It had to be her.
“Hannah, her parents, and you are the only people I’m including in this plan, and discussing my vision with,” Clarke said. “I feel guilty, not telling Dad’s fishing buddies, but I feel like the fewer people who know, the better.”
“That’s smart, Clarke,” Harry said. “None of them live close by anymore, and there’s nothing they can really do. More people knowing would increase the chances of you being outed.”
“And I might not get the job,” Clarke pointed out.
Harry shook his head vehemently. “You will get the job, and you can do this. You’ve been down on yourself because of the rejection letters.
I suspect the Psionic Institute is overly concerned with flashy powers and bragging rights.
I agree with Charlie that they don’t deserve you.
Mars and Venus Colleges have an excellent reputation.
Quality education and the students are their priority.
You are a very desirable candidate for this position. ”
“Thanks.” That did make her feel better. Clarke hoped Harry was right. “Now I just have to figure out how to act and talk like a guy within a few hours.”
“I thought that was why you came here now,” Harry said. He must have seen the confusion on her face, because he chuckled and shook his head. “Did you never pay attention to the inventory? Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Her dad brewed potions. Harry was a caster who specialized in charms. They both made a wide variety of products. When she helped at the store, Clarke usually ran the cash register. She didn’t pay close attention to everything they sold.
Harry came back with a box in one hand and a large tray in the other. He set the tray on the table in front of her. It held an assortment of bracelets, rings, pendants, cufflinks, and tie clips in masculine designs.
“Charlie and I keep specialty items in the back that generate a lot of our business. I thought you knew about them,” Harry said. “Pick a few things you like off of the tray.”
These had to be charms that Harry had made, but they just looked like normal jewelry. She selected a leather bracelet with beads.
“What does it do?”
“That is an ultra-masculinity charm,” Harry replied. “When you wear any of these, everything you do will seem manly.”
“Seriously? What’s in the box?” Clarke asked.
Harry withdrew a glass bottle with an eyedropper attached to the screw-on top.
Subtle lettering on the bottle read DSV.
“This is the deep sexy voice potion,” Harry said.
“A drop or two of this in water every morning will last about twelve hours. You should try one first, and add a second if you want your voice to be deeper.”
Clarke blinked in surprise as Harry went to get a small cup of water. If these items worked the way he said they did, she really might be able to pull this off for as long as necessary.
“I can’t believe you guys carry this stuff and I didn’t know about it,” Clarke said.
“We try to be discreet in regard to these items since most of our customers who buy the products don’t want it to be common knowledge that they use enhancers.
They are completely legal, though. You’d be amazed how many men, especially unevolved men, aren’t confident in their masculinity,” Harry said.
Nervously, Clarke unscrewed the top, and squeezed one drop of potion into the water, then drank it. Almost immediately, she felt a tingle in her vocal cords.
“It’s already working,” she said, and her voice was deeper. Clarke wasn’t sure she sounded manly yet, but they both decided that she shouldn’t experiment until after the interview since the potion would last all day.
“You probably won’t need a charm for a video interview, but take as many as you want,” Harry said. “The charms do wear off eventually. I’ll stock you up before you leave, and pull the DSV potion off the shelves so we don’t run out.”
Hannah texted that Dale could fit her in before the interview, in case Clarke needed an updated ID immediately. So, Clarke hugged Harry again, took the bag of products he handed her, and drove straight to the registration office.
Clarke was wearing a short-sleeved grey t-shirt that should work for the photo. It was gender neutral rather than feminine. Two hours later, she was home with a new ID stating that she was Clark Voudrie, gender male.
She took Slob for a walk, hoping that would tide him over until after the interview. But she hadn’t thought about clothes. Groaning with frustration, Clarke went into her dad’s room to grab a button-down shirt. It would be large, but hopefully that wouldn’t be glaringly obvious on a video call.
She had to make a good impression. There was no other option.
Having the charm and potion did increase her confidence. Not needing to deliberately deepen her voice or worry about acting manly would make this easier. She could focus on the interview, and answering the assistant dean’s questions.
When the call came in, she had to fight a wave of nerves, but managed to center herself. Clarke felt like it went smoothly. Per the assistant dean’s request, she digitally signed a consent form for a background check. Then Clarke sent a picture of her new ID, glad that was already taken care of.
She reported in to Hannah and Harry immediately afterward, and accepted an invitation to dinner at Hannah’s house. Harry sent a thumbs-up, and told her she had this in the bag. Clarke was trying not to get her hopes up, but Sofia, Dale, and Hannah were also optimistic.
“Clarke, I want to take your measurements,” Sofia said. “There will be a dress code, and as a member of the faculty, you can’t look sloppy. I have ideas on how to disguise your figure.”
“I wore a high-impact sports bra under one of Dad’s shirts for the interview,” Clarke said.