The sun started to set, and an assortment of colors smeared through the haze hovering over downtown Atlanta. Still, the people below went on their way, pouring onto the sidewalk and pulling out of parking garages. Here in the heart of the city, cars filled the asphalt veins: rushing forward, stopping, shooting off once again toward their proper destination. The people would circulate back to their offices the next morning. It was an endless cycle, a necessary continuation, lest the area whither and die.

None of the people zooming around in compact cars or waiting at the MARTA station noticed the smog which marred an otherwise beautiful sunset. Nor did those passersby notice the long figure perched on the golden dome of the capital building, her legs dangling over the ledge. Not that she minded. Seeing without being seen was part of the job, and she prided herself on her work.

Okay, so maybe she could be a little overzealous at times, but who could blame her? There were so many lost and lonely hearts among these masses. It remained a mystery to her, even after so many years and a massive population boom, how people could feel so isolated among so many. More often than not, all someone had to do was look - over their shoulder on the elevator, or at the corner table in Starbuck’s - and there it would be. But people didn’t look these days. They told themselves they were too busy or too tired or too ugly or too broke... She knew the excuses; she’d heard them all. Some were better than others, and some people really were content on their own, and that was fine.

Then there were the skeptics, the jaded souls who had given up. Worse than that, when an opportunity presented itself, they refused to believe. It saddened her, of course, but when someone lost faith in everyone, she felt it best to let them go. After all, there were plenty of other people who wanted what the skeptics did not.

The sun dipped lower, kissing the rooftops. The side of the building across the street looked like a checkerboard as more windows went dark, and streetlights buzzed to life. The tide of men and women in business suits dwindled as the daylight occupants passed the district’s torch to the new group beginning to arrive.

She preferred the night, when couples tended more to hold hands in public and lovers hid into the shadows like those black specters were trusted friends. But the best thing about the night were those who came out alone. Single nightlife adventurers were courageous, unwilling to settle for solitude. They refused to hide behind apathy like the skeptics. Those were her people, the ones who had faith but needed a helping hand.

She smiled and leaned forward to get a better view. The man walking toward the bus stop looked promising. Yes, he was lonely, but even after a nasty divorce, he was no skeptic. He wanted another chance to share his life with someone. It took less than a second to find a match. As usual, she only had to look as far as the corner. A woman leaned against a car, the doors locked and the keys hanging from the ignition. The middle-aged woman was also a divorcee with two children. The man loved kids, and he could jimmy into a car like hers with a coat hanger in seconds. Perfect.

“Don’t even think about it.”

She flinched, then turned and looked into her mentor’s grim features. He must have been watching her all along, trying to “keep her out of trouble” again.

The man on the street was almost to the bus stop. If he got on the bus, he would miss his chance. “Oh, come on, Sebastian,” she said, offering her cutest pout. “Just look at them. They’d be so happy together.”

“Neither of them are on your list.”

Lists, shmists. “But they’re right there. All I need is two seconds.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.” Sebastian’s silver mustache drooped as he frowned. “You’re in enough trouble as it is. How many times have I told you? You have to stick. To. Your. List. Period, no exceptions.”

“But-”

“And no buts.” His expression became grim, contrasting his silver hair as it danced in the breeze. “After what happened last week, you’re lucky to still be here at all.”

Even though she wanted to argue, she couldn’t. He was right. She knew the rules as well as anyone. She just chose to forget the policy against unsanctioned meddling now and then. And really, that case should have been considered an exception. The woman that time had broken up with yet another gorgeous man who turned out to be a conceited jerk. As she put on her makeup that morning, she’d told herself she would go on a date with the next guy who asked her out, no matter what he looked like. And the two men who showed up at her counter that afternoon were typical. One looked great, the other average. The hottie had the guts to ask any attractive woman out on a date; the other didn’t.

Seeing the inevitable result, she stepped in and gave the underdog a little nudge. What was wrong with that? But again, neither of those people had been assigned to her. Nevermind the fact the one who should have been making it happen was AWOL.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Sebastian said as he walked to her, defying gravity with every step along the slope of the golden dome. He hopped onto the ledge and looked down too, his eyes scanning the crowd. “You’ve always had a gift for this, and no one can argue with your success rate.”

“Thank you.”

“But,” he said, his tone stern, “your enthusiasm gets you into trouble. Which is why we’ve decided to channel it into something worthwhile.”

She perked up. “Really? You brought me a new list?”

He hummed an affirmative, and a slip of paper the size of an ATM receipt appeared in his hand. She grabbed for it, but he yanked it out of reach. “I’m warning you, this is your last chance. If this one isn’t taken care of within three months, you’re finished.”

She rolled her eyes. What did he think she was, a rookie? Like he said, no one matched her success rate. Not even an old pro like Sebastian had topped her. As long as the person wanted it, she could deliver.

She reached for the sheet again, and this time he let her take it from him. “With a list this short, I’ll have it wiped out in no time,” she said, offering him a reassuring wink.

With an if-you-say-so incline of his head, he stood. “Do whatever’s necessary to get it done.” He chuckled and twiddled his fingers. “I look forward to your continued success.”

She muttered, “whatever,” but not to Sebastian. He was already gone, doing whatever it was he did besides annoy and protect her. She turned her attention back to the crowd below. She wanted to watch them a little longer, but she had a job to do. The sooner she completed her task, the sooner she could play the voyeur once again. She allowed herself a final, lingering glance and a wistful sigh. Then she focused on her list.

The so-called list offered only one name. At first glance, she thought Sebastian had made a mistake. Then she read the lone name. After the initial shock wore off, she read it over and over again, and her optimism faded as fast as it had flourished.

Gavin Reynolds. The Gavin Reynolds, King Skeptic, a man who did not content himself with just being a skeptic but spread his cynicism like a disease. A man who had become to her lot both Public Enemy and Priority Number One. He must have been passed off to dozens of her comrades over the past fifteen years. Each attempt proved unsuccessful. So now it was her turn, was it?

She crumpled the paper in her fist, her eyes caressing the multitudes on the ground. She disliked skeptics, but if this was her assignment, so be it. Silently she made a vow to those she watched, those to whom she wanted to return.

No matter what it took, she would succeed where her predecessors had failed. She would make Gavin Reynolds believe, and then she would return to those who truly deserved her help.