Nigel left early Saturday morning. His mother was off that day and liked to sleep in, so he left her a note.

Mom,

I'm going to be at a study group today. Please don't text, as we will need the day for intense study. Should be back before dinner.

Love,

Nigel

----------------------------------------

Nigel waited at a local coffee shop for the car that was to pick him up and take him to the orientation. Around 7:31 a.m., the car finally came. He had been waiting for over thirty minutes! The car was a black sedan with tinted windows. He could not see inside but had a feeling that he wasn't alone. The driver's side window opened revealing a rather burly-looking man in a black suit.

“Are you Nigel Watson?” the man asked.

“Yeah! What's your name?”

The man looked puzzled. “You can call me Rocky.”

Rocky got out of the car and opened the back passenger door. Natasha was sitting in the back seat. Nigel stared for a long moment, until Natasha patted the seat with her hand.

“Have a seat, Nigel.”

“I wasn't expecting you to pick me up,” Nigel said.

“You've shown much potential. I wanted to make sure you had some time to ask any questions,” Natasha said.

“Oh, that's cool,” was the only thing that Nigel could think to say.

“You must have questions, Nigel,” Natasha said as she rested her hand on Nigel's left knee. Nigel felt all the breath leave his lungs and pulled away reflexively.

“Sure, I have questions,” Nigel finally said. “Why did you choose me? I mean, you must have had more qualified candidates.”

“You did extremely well under pressure and scored in the 98th percentile of similar candidates. I wanted to tell you personally,” Natasha said.

“Oh, that’s nice!”

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Nigel was disappointed by his lame answers, but his mind was working at half speed since she put her hand on his knee.

“You will have a chance to meet other student members as well as helpful staff that will help you with your new role. If you do well with your assignments, we may offer you a permanent position at Collective Systems. Consider this an internship.”

“Can't wait!” Nigel said nervously.

A few minutes later, they pulled up to a very large estate. Nigel caught a glimpse of a stone sign which read “Tage Manor.”

“Is this Eldon Tage's house?” Nigel asked.

“Yes, Mr. Tage is Collective Systems’ largest shareholder. He likes to meet with all new recruits.”

Nigel was treated to a spectacular view of the Tage Manor grounds as the sedan drove past the gate. Many kids approximately his age were getting out of various cars—none as nice as the sedan he was currently riding in. Instead of pulling behind the dozen or so cars that were unloading, the car veered to a side road.

“Mr. Tage is going to meet us at a private entrance,” Natasha said.

Nigel was speechless. He was going to be meeting the richest and most influential person in the greater Milford area. Mr. Tage was a legend in Milford; he was descended from the original founders of the town. He was either a multimillionaire or billionaire, Nigel couldn't remember which.

The sedan stopped at a back entrance to the mansion, no less grandiose than the front.

Nigel stepped out of the sedan. Natasha was just behind him.

“This way,” Natasha said as she led Nigel up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, two men in butler uniforms opened two double doors in unison. Their timing was impeccable, as both doors were opened with mechanical precision. Nigel and Natasha entered a rather large room that appeared to be a study. Several heavily padded chairs and coffee tables were in the center of the room. Bookcases lined all other walls. Near the fireplace, two chairs were set at an angle so that people in either chair could see the fireplace and each other with little effort. An older man was sitting in a chair on the right side.

“He is waiting for you,” Natasha said.

Before Nigel could say anything, Natasha was gone.

Nigel hesitantly walked up and stood directly in front of the man in the chair.

“Have a seat, Son. My name is Eldon Tage. Welcome to Tage Manor.”

Mr. Tage pointed to the empty chair next to his.

“Can I get you a refreshment?”

“No, ahh...no thanks, Sir,” Nigel said as he sat down.

“You are probably wondering why you are here and not with the others that arrived out front.”

“Yes, Sir. I don't feel like I deserve such treatment,” Nigel said with a nervous smile.

“Nonsense!” Mr. Tage said in a commanding voice.

Nigel immediately straightened in his seat, like he was being scolded.

“Listen here, young man, my time is important. If I called you to my private study, it was for a reason. You will do well to remember that.”

Mr. Tage’s friendly expression changed to something that frightened Nigel.

“You have scored higher than any candidate that I have seen in a very long time. You should know that I have personally met with only one other candidate with your potential. Your ability to reason and put together sequences of numbers is impressive. I'm looking forward to reviewing your work. If you are up to it, I would also like to set you to work on special projects for Collective Systems. You would be paid well.”

“Of course, I’d love to!”

“Excellent. I look forward to our continued collaboration. You will report directly to Natasha. She is the only operative—I mean, employee—assigned to work with you.”

“Thanks for your time, Sir.”

“No, thank you, my boy!” Mr. Tage said as he stared at the flames.