A Farewell to Charms by Lindsey Leavitt Page A

nothing about. But all that money put into makeup?” Ferdinand shrugged. “Makeup isn’t life altering. I would wager to guess Façade could create world peace if they tried.”
    I nearly leaned over the desk and kissed Ferdinand on the cheek. Finally, someone who understood! “Exactly! Ferdinand, think of how much possibility is in this room.”
    “Not possibility, just the past—battles, forgotten kingdoms, greed. All by-products of power.” Ferdinand clicked onto his computer and read through something on the screen. “Here’s one bit of advice. At a place like this, don’t be a chief. It’s best to stay out of the way, keep your head down, and do your job.”
    “But—”
    He glanced up at me, his eyes twinkling. “That way no one suspects it’s you when something happens.”
    I widened my eyes. Did Ferdinand have any idea what I really was asking? Did I even know what I asking, what I hoped to accomplish? “Oh. Yeah. Okay.”
    “And now, Miss Bascomb, I’ve quite enjoyed our talk, but I must return to my duties and you to yours. Best of luck subbing for Princess Vanna.”
    “Princess Vanna? How do you know who I’m subbing for?” I asked.
    He peered up at me. “Because I do .”
    Could I adopt him? Is that possible? Hide Ferdinand in the guest bedroom and feed him peanut butter sandwiches while we devise a grand scheme to equalize Façade? Is there a non-psycho way to ask him that?
    I didn’t have time to find out, because Meredith bustled into the lobby. “Ready?”
    “Sure. Thanks, Ferdinand. Keep it real.”
    “I shall try.”
    Ferdinand confirmed that not everyone here was drinking the crazy punch. Some people saw flaws, and maybe he was also trying to make changes, in his own quiet way. Maybe change wasn’t as impossible as I’d thought.
    Meredith wordlessly pointed her remote at a space between the reception desk and the sitting area. Ferdinand didn’t even blink when a sunny yellow bubble dripped into the air. I involuntarily took a step toward the cute little orb of wonder—I couldn’t explain how, but I knew this belonged to me.
    “Go on. Take a look,” Meredith said.
    I’d been inside Meredith’s luxurious office/bubble and two rickety emergency bubbles. This was somewhere in between. Although not fancy, there was a calm cheerfulness about the space, inspired mostly by the funky daisy rug. Pushed under the control panel was a red faux-fur-lined swivel chair, and on the wall was a movie poster of Audrey Hepburn, the one from Breakfast at Tiffany’s . It’s like someone jumped into my brain, took notes, and then Desied the place up.
    “I am in love.” I placed my hand over my heart. I had my own bubble. I still wouldn’t be able to drive a car for over a year. But I could go anywhere in the world in this thing. I sat down in the chair and twirled. “I have my own bubbblllllle!!!”
    Meredith grabbed the sides of the chair and looked me in the eye. “This is a company bubble. You don’t own it. You’re only allowed to use it for work purposes.”
    “What if I need to research castles? Can I go to Buckingham Palace?”
    Meredith shrugged. “Sure. If you get your homework done first.”
    “I’ll have the queen help me with my algebra.” I ran my hands over the panel screen. The words destination: kamigano was already inputted. Just type in a location and I could go there. This was magical.
    Oh. This was magical.
    I drew my hands away like they’d been burned. “How does this bubble move?”
    “It’s obviously our economy-size model, so not as quickly as mine, but far smoother than an emergency clunker—”
    “No, I mean…” I lowered my voice. “Is this bubble run by magic?”
    “No, we have an antigravitational chamber in here. Of course it’s magic.”
    “Stolen?”
    “How would I know? Magic is accessed from many sources, you know. This one might be juiced by a cuddly kitten.”
    “If they can just use kittens, then why mess with