Council of Peacocks by M Joseph Murphy

unpredictable.”
    “Unpredictable, not stupid.” Wisdom drank the
rest of his scotch. “She’ll be here just in time.”
    Elaine dropped her
shoulders and scratched her hair. “I don’t know if I’m ready for
this, Wisdom.”
    “ Believe me,”
Wisdom said. “When the time comes, you’ll be
ready.”
    ***
    At 6:58 a.m. there was a knock at David’s
door. He looked away from the mirror where he had been attempting
to straighten his hair. He was about to say “Come in” when Garnet
entered. She was dressed in a tight black pantsuit with a red top
underneath. He started to admire the way she looked but stopped the
thought before it was fully formed. Around here it was hard to tell
who was listening.
    “You’re up? Good. Ready for class?”
    David looked back into the mirror and ran a
palm over the stubble on his chin. “Do you think I need to
shave?”
    She tilted her head to the left and studied
him. “No. You’re good. You know, there’s a whole closet full of
clothes over there. Are you sure you want to wear that?”
    “What’s wrong with this?” David wore a clean
pair of blue jeans and a bright orange Roots shirt. The shirt hung
loosely over his trim body and made his shoulders look bigger than
they truly were.
    “Nothing. If you were going to bingo. People
around here usually dress for class. There are suits in there.
Expensive ones.”
    “I’m not here for my fashion sense. And
speaking of fashion, isn’t that jacket a bit tight?”
    “No, it is exactly tight enough.” David
followed her out into the hallway. “Here, take this.” She passed
him a CIBC bank card and, after David locked his room, she walked
down the hallway toward a set of elevators.
    “You’re not paid like most jobs on a weekly
basis. In addition to your hiring bonus, Wisdom put $10,000 into
this account. The PIN number is 1993, the year you were born,
right? You won’t have many expenses. You pay no rent and food is
included, of course. I’m sure one of the others already told you we
don’t encourage you to go off on your own. There are scheduled
outings, though. Spend away on those. Some of the employees send
money home to their families.”
    “I won’t be doing that.” They stopped at the
elevators and he felt her eyes on him. “So when do I find out what
I do?”
    “Do?”
    “Yes, do. As a job?” The elevator doors
opened and Garnet stepped inside.
    Garnet looked at him sideways and frowned.
“Wisdom will go into that later. For now, just go to class. They’ll
show you all sorts of fun things. Get you ready for your… job.
Don’t worry. As the letter said, Wisdom has a very specific need
for people with your talents. He is willing to pay extremely well
for your services.”
    “It doesn’t involve killing people, does
it?”
    “Focus on your classes, Mr. Ross.” She turned
fully toward him, looked at him from crotch to face. No matter how
cute you are with those bright green eyes and full lips, you’re
still a boy to me. A little boy with a head full of big ideas.”
    “You think I’m cute?”
    Garnet pressed her lips together but said
nothing.
    The elevator doors opened. Once again, David
saw a reception area filled with dozens of people. Wisdom stood
there in a three-button suit. Like yesterday, it was blood red,
however, the cut was completely different. Wisdom shook his head
and looked at the ground.
    “Leave the boy alone, Garnet.” Wisdom handed
a file folder to a woman behind the reception desk and signed
several forms another man placed in front of him. “I need you in
the Communication’s room. Elaine has something for you. Come,
David. I’ll show you around and make some introductions.”
    “Do you own this building?” David walked
side-by-side with Wisdom. “The whole building?”
    Wisdom nodded and laughed. “Kind of hard to
have a few secret floors in a building you don’t own, Mr. Ross.
Yes, I own the building and a few others in this city, as a matter
of fact. I also have