Chương 43: Showtime

Seraphina walked into the conference room with Celestia close on her heels. The large room seemed filled to capacity. Her gaze was met by the stern, curious faces that lined both sides of the polished oak table. She and Celestia stood just inside the doorway, seemingly reading each other's minds as they scanned the many faces sitting at the table that stretched the length of the room. Some she recognized from various departments, OPD, Fairy Security, and Internal Affairs.

Much to her surprise, there were many faces unfamiliar to her, but their manner of dress suggested they were from the upper echelons of not only the organization but government as well. She saw that they had left two strategically open seats, presumably for her and Celestia. This was no longer a debriefing, but an inquisition. Seraphina made her way around the table. The bundle she carried seemed to become heavier with each pair of eyes that looked at it. There was no turning back now.

When she had insisted that they have this meeting, she believed wholeheartedly that she and Celestia would be performing for a couple of officials, not a sold-out house. Her heart raced with anticipation and dread as she carefully sat, cradling the baby's remains in her arms. Celestia followed Seraphina's lead and sat beside her. Seraphina could tell by the look on the young fairy's face that she was terrified at the prospects of recounting their story to so many. Would it hold up to intense scrutiny?

Seraphina brushed Celestia's leg to get her attention. Celestia turned to her, her brows furrowed, her face flushed, tiny beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Seraphina squeezed her leg gently with a reassuring smile and a gentle nod. Jasper walked in and the quiet murmurs of different officials lessened. All eyes were on him. Jasper was used to being in the limelight. It was not his first time standing before high ranking officials in a stressful situation.

The door shut slowly behind him while he confidently strode over to the podium at the head of the table. With his head held high, he returned the stares of the many faces that stood at the opposite end of the room. It was standing room only. Seraphina watched as Jasper laid his briefcase on top of the podium and opened it. He cast her a small smile before pulling out a file. He closed the lid with a click, then placed the case on the floor.

Seraphina didn't know what his plan was, but if anyone could get her and Celestia out of this it was him. Her long friendship with him didn't matter. For Jasper, it wasn't about loyalty, it was about truth. He had always been fair and never warped the facts to suit his agenda. She had not seen Jasper in quite some time. The two of them had simply moved on different paths. Now that he stood merely feet away, Seraphina couldn't help but take in the sight of him. He had always been an attractive man.

Remarkably, even after so many years, he still had the vigor and charm of a man half his age. He was well built, dressed impeccably, and walked with a sense of confidence lesser men only dreamed of. Sure, his hair and beard had begun graying and his face was peppered with wrinkles, but who at this stage of life didn't suffer from the afflictions of age? Seraphina sat transfixed as Jasper began flipping through the pages in the file, wishing she was anywhere but here.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. For those of you unfamiliar, I am Jasper Forebearer, CFO of Fairy Central. Before we begin, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming, despite the late hour. I arranged for my staff to bring in some beverages and snacks as well as some notepads and pens." Jasper clutched the sides of the podium as the murmurs and whispers of the crowd started up once again.

He cast Seraphina and Celestia a slight nod before looking down and flipping pages in the file, preparing for the meeting to begin. The room fell silent when the door suddenly opened and Jasper's staff made their way in. Some were pushing carts, while others began setting up the credenza with an assortment of hot and cold drinks, condiments, baked goods, plates, cups, napkins, and utensils. Others began placing water pitchers, cups, pads, and pens in strategic locations on the conference table.

It reminded Seraphina of a very well-choreographed dance. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Seraphina watched as the staff made their way out of the room as quickly as they had come in. She looked down at the carefully wrapped bundle still in her arms. Her heart grew heavy with personal grief over the loss. It seemed to strike out of nowhere. This was a member of her extended family.

This child should be memorialized for who she was, with a grave her parents could visit, not being offered up to the uncaring men and women surrounding the table. She found herself trying to choke back tears as her mind went over potential pitfalls in their story.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will take a few moments to allow you to help yourself to refreshments before we begin," Jasper said, looking up from the papers. With that, several of the VIPs got up and made themselves drinks and plates. Seraphina's stomach clenched at the thought of trying to consume anything. She looked at Celestia who was sitting stoically, her hands fidgeting in her lap. Feeling Seraphina's eyes on her, she cast a worried smile before looking down at her hands.

Jasper waited patiently for the assembly to get settled, then glanced down at the papers before clearing his throat.

"If there are no objections, I would like to call this meeting to order and proceed," he said firmly. With that, all eyes shifted to Jasper.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to review the details of events that occurred on a routine patrol of the human realm earlier today, and the chain of events that transpired immediately thereafter. We will need to discuss the implications of not only the event itself but also the potential of a security breach of the highest level. This has become a matter of not only Fairy Bureau Security but world security as well," Jasper announced to the room.

"Please feel free to take notes, but I ask that you refrain from all questions until both agents have given their testimony." He paused, then looked around the room.

"Before we begin, for those of you who are not directly acquainted, please let me introduce Junior Agent Celestia Featherstone and her direct supervisor, Seraphina Sterling. Agent Sterling is a highly decorated agent with decades of experience. She has an exemplary record and moved up in rank accordingly. She is an asset to the organization, and I expect her and Junior Agent Featherstone to be treated with the respect they deserve." Jasper watched the assembly begin writing down notes and whispering to one another.

"With that being said, I will provide you all with what little details I have regarding the current crisis, then I will have each agent tell you in their own words the specifics of the events that bring us here today." Jasper moved out from behind the podium and turned to the white board behind him and picked up a marker.

"For your reference, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to write an outline of the events as they were relayed to me." He uncapped the marker and began writing on the board.

"Item number one. Agent Featherstone was on patrol in the human realm," he said, as he wrote.

"Item number two, Agent Featherstone finds an abandoned infant. Item number three, despite protocol, Agent Featherstone returned to Fairy Central with said infant. Item number four, upon discovering the significance of the child, Agent Sterling and Agent Featherstone hid the infant for safekeeping until proper officials could be contacted." Jasper turned to the crowd briefly before turning back to the whiteboard.

"Item number five, upon retrieval of Junior Agent Featherstone and the infant, Agent Sterling's home was inundated with unknown hostile individuals. Item number six, fearing a security breach, Agents Sterling and Featherstone moved the infant to an undisclosed location for not only its protection, but theirs as well. Item number seven, while in Agents Sterling and Agent Featherstone's care, the infant became ill. Item number eight, the infant died due to aforementioned illness.

Item number nine, Agent Sterling and Agent Featherstone returned to Fairy Central with said infant and reported to Agent Sterling's direct supervisor, Simon Bud." Jasper placed the cap back on the marker, then turned to the assembly.

"We will go through the events outlined here one at a time. At the end of any testimony regarding the specifics of the event, I will then open the floor to questions in relation to that line item." The assembly began with hushed whispers as they looked at the line items on the board. Jasper paused and poured himself a glass of water.

"Any questions before we proceed?" The assembly quieted down and looked around the room.

"Okay, we shall continue," Jasper said before taking a drink and returning to the podium.