"You've been working at the gift shop for five years, right? Maybe it's finally time for you to move on," said Nikki. "If you'd been working here instead, you would have been promoted, like, four times by now. They just moved me up to a full analyst. Did I tell you that?"

"Yes, you told me," replied Karen, rolling her eyes. "And I'm happy for you, but... I dunno. I'm not sure if this is for me. All this psychic stuff is just-"

"Look. It's just like any other job. C'mon. I'll show you my office. I work right next to this really cute guy named Alex. I'm pretty sure he has a crush on me. He's tall. And he's smart. He has a marketing degree. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually look forward to coming to work now."

After what Rex had told her about the Chosen Ones, Karen was imagining something a little more... well... overtly creepy. Like, some kind of dungeon or evil laboratory where a bunch of maniacs in prison jumpsuits kept kids in cages. But she had to admit: it didn't look like a bad place to work at all. It was bright. Airy. Spacious.

The lobby of the Tower of the Chosen held a help desk where people could ask a pretty young girl for directions, a lovely collection of leather couches and chairs, and a small fountain flanked by bronze angels holding up ornate gold candlesticks. It was all quite beautiful, really.

But the whole place was crawling with psychics. Karen could see their auras as plain as day. Dozens and dozens of colorful rays of light coming in and out of the elevators and walking up and down the main staircase and the various side staircases. Some psychics wearing sinister black robes, some in business attire or dirty streetwear, yelling into cell phones, drinking coffee, carrying heavy briefcases, or simply milling around aimlessly, staring blankly at nothing in particular. There were almost too many to count, and their auras melded together into an ambiguous rainbow of fluttering shapes.

Karen felt very out of place.

She didn't even have the faintest idea how to act like she belonged here. She didn't know what this place was. Maybe Rex was right and they were all just criminals. Or maybe... there was something else going on. Something even he hadn't noticed.

"Is this like, a church or something?" Karen whispered under her breath, squinting into the dark hallway that led to the security offices in the back. "What's with all those people in black robes?"

"It's a spiritual center. Don't be so judgmental," replied Nikki. "They do corporate meditation classes here, you know, to make people feel all connected and peaceful and all those good vibes."

"Huh."

"I know, I know. It's all very exciting," said Nikki with a dismissive wave of the hand. "But seriously. Come on... this place is way more interesting than that stupid gift shop."

Nikki guided her friend through the Tower up to the fourteenth floor and passed through the plush, cream-colored lounge area and on towards the analyst's offices, which were right at the end of the hall. A few women sitting in black leather chairs with glasses of water in front of them stared as they walked by.

"That's Tracy and Hanna," whispered Nikki. "They're morons. Just ignore them. This is where I work, right here."

Nikki pushed a thin metal door open and waved her best friend in. Nikki obviously hadn't had the office long, but she'd already managed to inject herself into its aesthetic quite thoroughly. An impressive mahogany desk sat at the far wall opposite two matching office chairs with soft green frog-themed cushiony pads on the seats and backs. Tiny printed signs hung from strings on the furniture with cute phrases on them in cartoony fonts. 'No Talkie until I've Had My Coffee,' 'My Work Is Never Done', 'Yes, I Read Your E-Mail,' 'Work Smarter, Not Harder'.

"What do you think?" asked the blonde owner of the office, a proud smile on her face. "Pretty sweet, right?"
"Hmm. Yeah. This is bigger than my bedroom. And it smells really good in here," replied Karen.

"Doesn't it, though? It's orange peels! All-natural!"
"Wait. Don't those get moldy if you leave them out?"

"No, stupid. Not if you dry them. I ground them up and baked them in the oven with spices... then, I put them inside these little aromatherapy bags to keep my office smelling good. See? This is why they promoted me. Because I have tons of good ideas like that."

"Sheesh. Okay, okay, you got me."

"And you want to know the best part? My job is actually easier than yours. All I have to do is come up with little suggestions, little ways to make money or save it, then turn them into slideshow presentations and send them over to my boss for her to look at. You have to argue with customers, stock the shelves, handle the money... honestly, I couldn't stand working there. If I were you, I'd quit in a heartbeat."

Karen kind of lied about why she wanted Nikki to give her a tour. She wasn't actually interested in joining the Chosen Ones. Her only reason for coming here today had to do with a guy who'd been bothering her over something she thought was stupid, and she wanted to get his craziness out of her system once and for all, pronto. And so here she was, having a casual little chat in her psychic best friend's office, when a weird feeling overtook her like nothing she'd ever felt before in her entire life.

How were the Chosen Ones this rich and powerful? They were some kind of mafia organization that was using people's powers for criminal activity, that was what was happening here, wasn’t it? And Nikki was right in the middle of it all, helping to run the whole show like some kind of evil puppet master.

The Chosen Ones were just like the Pit Kings. They had to be. It was the only way any of this made sense. The only difference was that the Chosen Ones had way more money, way more influence, and, well, they were much better at hiding what they did and were therefore much, much, better at getting away with it.

"You wanted the tour, right? While you’re here... how about I introduce you to my manager?" said Nikki with a sly grin. "Miss Planner, that's what everyone calls her. She's a pretty amazing woman, in fact. Don't know if I've ever mentioned her to you before, but she's a great friend of mine, and I think the two of you would really hit it off. And if anyone can get you a job here, it's her! What do you say?"