Free The Doorknob Society (The Doorknob Society Saga) by MJ Fletcher

walked over to me, his hand outstretched.
    I took it and shook it firmly like my dad had taught me to do.
    “And a firm handshake, you’re my kind of lady. I take it you two are here for supplies?” Judd asked as he grabbed Edgar and me each by the shoulder and steered us toward the school supply department.
    Emory followed behind us. He placed what looked like a large ear bud in his ear and then tapped it. It opened up and slowly constructed what looked like an antenna and a microphone for him to speak into. I could barely make out what he was saying since Judd was talking to us about jobs at the Arrowhead.
    “I’m always looking for young talent, anyone willing to take on a gremlin in my store can have a job here whenever they like. What do you think?”
    My question was direct. “How much do you pay?”
    “I’ll give you a dollar over minimum wage and a discount on everything in the store except for the backroom. Sound fair?” Judd asked as he walked behind one of the counters and started placing objects wrapped in cloth on it.
    “Seems fair to me,” I said smiling at the prospect of having my own money.
    “Then you’re hired. Now let’s get down to business. Just what supplies will you two need for school?” Judd unwrapped the items; a doorknob, a skeleton key, a map parchment and quills, something that looked like a cross between a wrench and a screwdriver and a badge similar to Detective Inspector Emory’s, except it was bronze.
    “I need a new set of quill’s and inks for my maps,” Edgar said eagerly.
    “And you?” Judd asked with a smile.
    Without thinking I moved my hand toward the doorknob and suddenly felt nauseous. All the objects on the counter began to glow an array of colors: the doorknob shimmered blue, the skeleton key red, the map hummed and gold lettering began appearing above it, the tool twisted and turned changing its shape over and over and the badge began to shine. My body began to tremble, like when I had fought the gremlin, I squeezed my hands together trying to calm myself. Judd tossed a cloth over the items covering them when he saw my reaction and DI Emory wrapped his arm around me and held me steady.
    “Chloe, are you okay?” I heard Edgar but he seemed at a distance. I saw Judd remove everything from the counter and the uneasy feeling quickly passed.
    “Sorry, all the excitement must have upset my stomach.”
    “No, Chloe, you activated all the vessels, you’re undeclared.” Edgar said excited.
    “Interesting,” Detective Inspector Emory said.
    “What’s undeclared?” I asked trying to regain my focus.
    “That’s what we call a student who has shown ability but has yet to follow one path at the Paladin Academy. You could be a member of Doorknob or the Mapmakers or any of them really,” Judd explained staring at me with what I could swear was admiration.
    “But every Masters is a member of the Doorknob Society, why wouldn’t I be?” I asked annoyed that I might be the first in my family to not follow in the footsteps before me and upset my dad.
    “True, every Masters is a Society member. But that doesn’t mean you declare right away. It might take time before your powers select the path you’ll travel, that’s all.” Judd stopped as if he was about to add something else but thought better of it.
    “I’ll tell you what,” Judd reached underneath the counter and produced a small yet simple brass doorknob. “This is a training knob. Use it to start focusing your power. It’s a good sturdy vessel and will help you learn.”
    I reached out and took it. The power inside the knob connected with me immediately and I grasped it tightly... it felt just right.
    “Thank you.”
    “No problem, I’ll just deduct it from your first paycheck.” He said with a wink. “You two better get going. I need to clean this place up anyway.”
    We thanked Judd and Detective Inspector Emory again and headed for the door when I chanced one last look and saw Emory and Judd