The Spiritguard

 I'm not sure why, but I'm distrusting of people, especially strangers who just show up on my doorstep when nobody is home. If they happen to be a Vitarine Inc. employee, that makes me even more untrusting. Those people seem to have only one care in their lives, and that's money. They'd do all the lying, cheating, stealing, and killing they had to if it meant a pay raise.

 My mom isn't like that, though. She's one of the precious few who went to work at Vitarine just because it made her happy to do it. Of course, she wasn't a 'real' employee there. She wasn't having secret conversations behind closed doors, and she wasn't privy to any insider knowledge. She's a secretary to the Regional Director here, and her job is to be a grunt all day. I figure classified information passes through her hands several times a day, but my mom is a good employee and she never lets her curiosity get the best of her. That's probably the only reason she's still working there - because she's loyal and doesn't snoop.

 "Would you be the young Mr. Felice?" the Vitarine employee asks. I give a distrusting glare at the man in the dark orange jacket.

 "Who wants to know?" I shoot back.

 The man from Vitarine narrows his eyes and looks me over quite well. "I'll assume so," he comments, "But your mother always told me how sweet and nice you are. That's not quite the impression I'm getting, hmm?"

 "What do you want from me?" I say as I reach the front door of my house. I work my way around and place my body defensively between my door and the man.

 "I got off work early today, and your mother asked me to do her a favor. You see, there's a Vitarine Executive from the Capital over at the office today, and your mother is…shall we say…swamped with work?"

 "And?"

 "And we're allowed a fifteen-minute break at any time during the day," the man continues. "And since your mother won't be back until late at night, she wanted to see you during her break and wish you luck. You see, students in the Spiritguard Training Program aren't allowed to leave the premises very often, and they're not allowed to have guests, and your mother wanted to make sure she saw you before you left."

 I nod my head and become a little less defensive. I guess there was nothing too suspicious about this man. He was trying to do a nice favor for my mom. Maybe there are some good people at Vitarine after all.

 "Well, I'll head down then," I say.

 "Certainly. You'll need me with you to get in, of course. She works on the third floor, and you won't have clearance unless you're with someone like me."

 "Let's go," I push and shoo him away from my door.

 "You're not going in that, are you?" he snarls. His eyes drift down to my shirt and shorts. "We have a bit of a dress code at Vitarine, and—"

 "Don't care," I scoff. "Let me just throw this uniform in my house and we'll go right now." I unlock the front door to my house, chuck the uniform somewhere into the living room, and close the door. I didn't want that man entering my house for ANY reason, so that's the best I can do. 

 "Let's go."

 At the beginning of the walk, the man is quiet. It seems that there's always something on his mind. His brow is constantly bunched up and his eyes narrow when he speaks. His mouth rests slightly open on his face as if he is always about to say something important, but the words just don't come through.

 I wonder how exactly this man knows my mother. Are they friends? My mother never tells me anything about her workplace, but I assume she doesn't have friends. After all, she's my mom…

 "So, child, are you looking forward to the Spiritguard training?"

 I roll my eyes. "My name is Sigmund," I say like a brat, "And yes, I am. I've been looking forward to joining the Spiritguard for my whole life."

 "Didn't you ever consider the military?" the man asks. "I hear that's a much better alternative to those who are physically inclined, such as yourself."

 "No," I grumble. "The military makes me sick. I don't like the idea of killing another person. That's…well, it's terrible. Nobody deserves to die just because some government somewhere wants to expand its borders."

 "Perhaps," the man says. "But the military does other things as well. Don't forget, it's the military that keeps the internal peace of the nation as well. Without them, the nation would fall into a state of anarchy, my young friend. Utter chaos and destruction."

 "Anarchy isn't the same thing as chaos," I point out. "Not everyone needs a government to control them to be happy."

 "I agree with you there, my friend," the man smiles. "So what about Vitarine?"

 "What about it?" I wonder where he's going with switching the subject so randomly.

 "Haven't you ever thought of working with us?"

 I shake my head, but since I'm walking slightly behind him he can't see. "No," I clarify, so he knows my feelings about the subject.

 "Ah, I see. Vitarine Inc. isn't for everyone, that's for sure. It takes a certain…drive. A deep-seated feeling of adventure and curiosity that overcomes all else."

 "You're really talking it up, but considering you work in an office, I don't see where you're getting all the adventure from."

 The man stops walking and turns to me abruptly. "Sigmund, you have no idea! The glories of the company far exceed anything you could possibly fathom. Even I don't know the full extent of Vitarine! Ah, but it certainly is wondrous to think about. I hope one day I advance far enough in the company to know simply everything about it! Not like that's possible, of course. Not even the great President of Vitarine Inc. knows everything, I suppose." On those words, he begins walking again.

 I don't reply, because I'm not entirely interested in hearing someone blather about Vitarine. They make a good product, and it's changed the world. That's about the extent to which I care about them.

 "Do you know why Vitarine has one of its main offices of operation here in Arcona Village, my young friend?" he starts on again.

 I think about that for a moment. He certainly brought up an interesting point there. While Arcona Village has the only Spiritguard Training Program in the northwest, it is one of the smallest villages in the nation. A population of a few hundred, and nothing else. Most other villages and towns are far larger, or more industrialized, and the big ones all have either railroad access or are located along the sea, allowing for trade.

 In Arcona Village, there is no railway, and we are not close to the sea…at least, not close enough to trade. A few miles' journey will bring you to the sea, but since Arcona Village is on a large plateau, there's no way to get down. All we have in Arcona Village is a big old lake, and while it's huge, there are no other settlements located along it, so the capacity to trade is quite low.

 "I'm curious, why?" I ask, now that I've given it some proper thought. A company like Vitarine Inc. really shouldn't have any reason to be in Arcona Village, not when bigger towns with more access to customers exist.

 "Not many people are aware of this, but…" he starts. I tune my ears in. "but…we're here for the lake. You see, the water here is freshest in all the land! So we're able to make the highest quality Vitarine elixirs with it."

 I sigh deeply. Here I was, thinking there was some deep, secret reason for Vitarine to be located in my village. There's no conspiracy. They're just here for the water.

 ...

 But…does that even make sense? There are plenty of villages with railroads and lakes. Why isn't Vitarine getting their water from there? Plus, how are they even moving the water out of the village in bulk? Certainly Vitarine's water supply can't be entirely dependent on horses and buggies.

 I decide not to pry - it probably isn't my business. That's the explanation he gave me, and for some reason I doubt he'd tell me otherwise. And before I realize it, lost in thought as I am, we have arrived at our destination. Vitarine, Inc.