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The girl seemed invisible in the shadows of the rain swept sidewalks, and only the sharp click-click-click of her heels against the concrete revealed she was there at all. The silken raven hair and ass-tugging black skirt transformed her into the night?s sister as she sought the storefront shadows and the comfort offered there. Others were out tonight who dressed as she did, but their bodies belonged to the men who could afford to purchase them. She was not like these women.
With movements barely suggesting motion she drew nearer the neon sign that flashed ?Ambrosia? in pulsating crimson light while bleeding its color upon the rain-slicked sidewalk. Torn by forces that raged within the remnant of what used to be her soul, the girl moved in terse stop/starts toward the neon like a starving animal that has discovered a feast in the den of its enemy. But her thirst had become a hot bile in her throat, and she suffered an even stronger hunger. Thirst she could easily satisfy. The hunger was another matter.
Music pulsated below the street from the basement cavern, a throbbing yet beautiful riot of dissonance that seemed to invite the night?s shadows to enter and feel welcome. She needed the embrace of the darkness within this subterranean world, to lose herself in its symphony of chaos. And she needed to satisfy the aching hunger of a creature so utterly alone.
The girl descended the winding staircase into a blackness of which the only indication of light were the velvet shadows that danced upon the walls like phantoms. They undulated and embraced in silhouettes, washed over by a tidal wave of noise that seemed to come from inside her head. She wanted more than anything to melt into the darkness among the dancing apparitions, to be part of them, to belong.
The young woman felt the music, not with her ears, but with her flesh. Standing alone among the dark figures she swayed with the sounds of violins gone mad, lost in a swirling whirlpool of full volume sensation and warm desire. She hugged herself, in her blood feeling her body enveloped in the arms of a phantom lover as dark as the wall shadows, a lover who desired her and promised to protect her forever.
In that moment she felt an emotion that was more thoroughly alien than anything she had experienced in many months. She touched her long fingers to her lips to be certain it was there.
?You?re smiling,? a soft voice whispered close enough to her ear that she could feel a cold breath. ?That must be good, of course. But you are smiling alone, and that must be bad.?
The stranger startled her, and she turned to see who had spoken, surprised to find that her eyes had adjusted so quickly to the darkness that she could see him almost clearly. Tall and pale with eyes of coal, handsome in a way not entirely masculine, he took her hand into his as if it were bone china. Although his touch was cold, she felt no desire to pull away.
?I don?t know why I was smiling,? she admitted. ?I suppose I just like this kind of music, although I?ve never really heard anything like it before.?
?Sometimes it is best to follow one?s instincts,? he explained, and placed his arm around her waist.
The girl silently agreed. She followed her instincts - and the stranger - from the cluster of gyrating bodies as if she had fully understood this was what the man had expected of her. He led her to a small table still holding her hand, and despite the coldness of his touch she felt a flush of warmth, the same dizzying sensation she had felt upon first hearing the music. The man said nothing for several minutes, as if he were content just to stare at her. In a room filled with such ruckus, she heard only his silence.
?I?m Luna,? she finally said.
He smiled. ?Luna. Yes, I like that. It reminds me of the moon.? In some better lit place such words might have sounded ridiculous. Perhaps tomorrow they would. But this was tonight and she did not care about the words because he was with her now and she was not alone
?It isn?t my real name,? she added. ?I chose it recently because it seemed ... well, a whole lot more appropriate than Caroline. Tomorrow I may be someone else.?
?Names are unimportant. But should names be required, you may call me Andreas. Tomorrow I shall still be Andreas.?
The girl smiled. ?It?s difficult to explain, but I feel like I no longer know who I am ... or what I may become.?
?Then you are going through some sort of change??
?Yes.?
?I see.?
He asked nothing more, as though there were no need for questions, only explanations. ?We each have our secrets, Luna. And our secrets always find the darkness, just as you have found this place. But you have shared a secret with me, so may I share one with you? Do you see that woman?s portrait on the wall above the bar??
Excepting the shadow people on the wall, the darkness on the far side of the room did not make it easy to see very much of anything. But the girl had no difficulty making out the portrait because it was so familiar. The woman in the painting was dressed in black, and she stared at the patrons of Ambrosia wearing the smile that had beguiled her admirers for centuries.
?The Mona Lisa,? the girl replied. ?Yes, I was wondering about that. It isn?t the sort of thing you usually find in a place like this, is it?? This time she reached for his hand and held his fingers to her lips, surprised at her own sudden forwardness. ?So tell me, Andreas. What is this secret you would like to share with me??
He moved closer to her so that their faces almost touched, and clasping both her hands together inside his, whispered, ?That painting is real, Luna. The one in the Louvre is a fake, switched with the one you see here many years ago. And, I am among the few men who know what is the secret behind that famous and beautiful smile, just as I know what is behind yours.?
The girl felt her mouth twitch into a smile at his seriousness. His statement was absurd, of course, and he could not have intended her to take him seriously. And yet his eyes were those of a man who knew a great many secrets.
?Thank you, Andreas,? she said, allowing her lips to curl into the full bloom of a smile without laughter. ?It has been some time since a smile has come to my face, but you have managed to coax it out.?
?You have a beautiful smile,? he said. ?Yet you keep it hidden.?
?I find few reasons to display it, Andreas. As you have said, there have been changes in me, and there are secrets I have preferred to keep. The Mona Lisa?s smile is probably a whole lot less complicated than mine.?
?Perhaps we can discover this for ourselves,? he suggested.
He shifted in his seat and studied the girl?s delicate face from varying angles as if he were examining the brush strokes and soft shadings detailed upon a canvas. Touching the girl?s cheekbone he leaned back, satisfied with his assessment.
?A woman?s smile reveals very little about her joy, yet so much about her sorrow. In yours I see the loneliness of a woman forced to walk the streets by night alone and afraid. I see a hunger for love that cannot be satisfied. And I see thirst that only blood might quench... ?
Andreas? words struck her as if he had given the girl a cold slap. He had torn the girl?s mask from her face and she felt naked before him, grateful for the darkness that concealed her from his stare, yet realizing the darkness did not matter because he could see through it just as he had seen through the smile that had exposed her. She might have cried, but she was as incapable of tears as she had been of laughter.
Andreas? dark eyes refused to release hers, and his words now came in fierce stabs that pierced her heart. ?Luna, long ago I also walked those streets. I know what it is like to quench my thirst with stray dogs and cats, or a random derelict whose blood tastes like piss. I have slept in the sewers by day so that I might feed by night. I too have experienced the agony of the lost lover whose kiss had condemned me to hell. And, like you, I once believed that the immortality of the undead was merely the exchange of one grave for another.?
The girl did not know whether to flee from the man in that same instant - to run screaming as she pushed her way through the dark lumps of couples inside this place and to disappear among the shadows of the street lamps - or to follow the pale stranger in worshipful silence wherever he led her into eternity.
?You see very much in a woman?s face,? she said.
?All women have the Mona Lisa in their smiles, Luna.?
?Then tell me, Andreas. Do all women have the vampire in their smiles as well??
He held her face in his hands and lightly kissed her mouth.
?Only the most beautiful women. Let me show you.? He took her hand and walked with her to where the painting hung in its dark corner.
?Some say the wife of Francesco del Gioconda, the Mona Lisa, is the most beautiful woman in the world, Luna. If you will allow me to share another secret with you, I think you will see that we have much in common, and there is no need to play at foolish games. You see, I was alive when Leonardo da Vinci painted La Gioconda in 1505. The woman you see in this painting was my first lover, my only lover, ... that is, while I lived. Look at the painting, Luna, look closely at the real Mona Lisa, examine her smile, and tell me what you see.?
The girl studied the painting carefully but saw nothing different about the woman seated before the mountainous landscape of Florence. She wanted so much to believe the words Andreas had spoken, to see something - anything - in the heavily shaded portrait. But the Mona Lisa?s hands still lay folded upon her lap, her lips remained shut just as they had always been for almost five centuries. And her secrets remained sealed behind the same mysterious enigmatic smile.
?I?m sorry, Andreas. But I don?t see any--?
?Look more closely, damn you!? Andreas shouted. ?See her with the eyes of the person you have become, Luna! See the woman?s smile through the same eyes that have seen into the darkness of the night!?
For a moment it seemed the woman?s eyes in the portrait shifted toward her, as if imploring the girl to see. Luna moved closer to the painting and examined the smiling face, studying every brushstroke of the lines of the aloof yet seductive mouth that curved so delicately where the beautiful Florentine woman?s lips met ...
... and suddenly she did see. She saw the woman?s lips part. She saw the mouth slowly open while the smile remained. And she saw the secret of centuries past that lay hidden behind the most mysterious smile in the history of the world.
... She saw fangs !
The music had stopped and the silence of a grave spread over the room. It seemed that every person in the place was looking at her. They had stepped close to the bar behind her to watch. She turned to them and spoke.
?I see ... I do see ... !?
Andreas was the first to applaud, and in the next moment the room filled with the thunderous sounds of hands clapping in approval.
Luna turned to Andreas and smiled, a smile punctuated by the curved teeth that had slowly elongated in each corner of her mouth and protruded over her lower lip.
?You are one of us now,? he said as he took the girl into his arms, whispering to her so that only she could hear ?... and you will never again have to smile alone,?
In the darkness of the night and surrounded by the applauding coterie of others like herself, the girl held fast to her new lover. Her smiling young face looked remarkably like the face of the beautiful woman whose portrait hung veiled in the shadows ?
Linda clicked the switch, turning off all the lights behind her. The emergency lights illuminating the shelves lining each wall, their contents lined up side by side like so many soldiers.
?I?ll see you all in the morning. Behave yourselves.? She said, her own brand of humor bringing a smile to her face. She glanced at all the books one last time before the glass door closed and she slid the key home clicking it confidently as she closed up for the night.
Her headlights lit up the library briefly before she backed out of her space and drove away. As the car lights cleared out and the first sign of moonlight filtered through the windows a faint blue glow sprung up in the corner of a bookshelf. If you were there to witness such a sight you would notice a slight tingling sound echo around you as they woke up from their daily slumber.
?Alright, up and at em!? Chief said as he stretched his aura around him, feeling out the books nearby. ?We have plenty to do before morning, so let's get cracking.?
?Sounds good boss,? a pink sprite said off to his right. ?I?ll get started on Locating books.?
?And I?ll clean!? Said a teal light bouncing up and down.
?You don?t need to announce what each of you are doing,? Chief replied, ?I know you know what needs to be done. Off we go!? He shot off into the library whizzing between shelves getting stock of what was here and what had been checked out today.
A teal light bobbed along picking up dust and debris from today, tucking it away into the space where sprites hide during the day, a small tinkle accompanying the dirt as it disappears. It floated past the kids reading area, stopping to jump on the bean bag chairs and have some fun for a while. The quiet clicking of a zipper stopped it mid bounce as it watched the bean bag chair it was jumping on slowly open at the seams.
?Shadow! There?s a shadow attacking!? The teal sprite shot away like a gunshot to go warn the others.
The sprites gathered at the cry of warning to face down the threat to their domain, but arrival at the reading area was met with confusion and worry. ?Where is the shadow?? A red sprite asked angrily rounding on his teal companion.
?Settle down,? Chief said, bobbling up to the two sprites. ?You know they wouldn?t have raised the alarm if there was no cause for concern.?
?I know, sorry Chief.?
?It?s alright, my child. We are all worried about another shadow attack with so few of us to defend.?
A clatter of books caused the sprites to scatter in alarm as they looked behind them. A small child stood there, mouth agape staring at the floating lights.
?What are you??
Chief floated up to the child, ?You can see us??
?Of course I can see you, you?re floating balls of light in a dark library.?
Chief chuckled, the sound like snowfall around the child, ?Of course. Not many humans can see us, only children who haven?t lost their spark. That is a rare thing indeed, these days.?
?My name is Tim,? the child said, reaching out a hand.
?And I?m Chief, these are my sprites. We are the caretakers of this library.?
?I thought the librarians took care of the library?? Tim asked, looking around.
?They take care of the physical space it inhabits, but we make sure the incorporeal space is kept safe.? Chief explained.
?Incorporeal? What does that mean??
?Incorporeal means the space that is next to the physical, it?s the space that gives libraries that safe, welcoming feeling to those who need it. A lot of people also call the incorporeal side the spiritual side.?
?Oh, like religion??
?Kind of like that, yes.? Chief said, pride tingeing his voice at Tim?s curiosity. ?What are you doing here so late Tim??
?I had to get away, my mom got really angry again so I wanted to leave before she started throwing more stuff at me, I?ve always liked it here so I thought I would be safe.?
Chief?s light dimmed at Tim?s words, his spirit feeling the pain that was radiating off Tim. ?It?s OK Tim. You can stay with us at least until morning, but then you should talk with the librarian. She can get you some help. OK??
?Are you sure? Mom always said that I can?t go to anyone, no one would believe me if I did since she is so important.?
?I?m positive. Linda is a kind soul and would be more than happy to help you. I tell you what, you help my sprites tonight to keep busy. It will be morning before you know it!?
?OK!? Tim said gripping the pick backpack that was slung over his shoulder. ?What can I help with??
Chief said, ?You can help Locate the books.?
The pink sprite slipped past the others and said, ?that?s with me! Come along Tim! It?s probably one of the most important jobs we have here.?
The sprites slowly dispersed each going their own way to continue their vital tasks. Tim followed the pink sprite as they picked up book after book and slid them into different spots of the shelves.
?What are we doing?? Tim asked, taking out one of the newly placed books and glancing at it.
?We are Locating books. We make sure each book goes to where it needs to be to find the person it?s supposed to find.?
?But this book doesn?t go here, the organization sticker says it?s non-fiction, why is it in the science fiction section??
?That?s because the person who needs to read this will find it here rather than over there. Sometimes a book knows who needs it the most, so they ask us to move them to where they will be found,? the pink sprite responded, hefting another book from the shelf.
?Wow, that?s amazing.? Tim said, placing the book back in its spot. He saw one of the books glow a faint pink light on a lower shelf and picked it up. 1000 Leagues Under the Sea. ?Wow, my dad used to read this to me before he had to go.? A tear slid from Tim?s eye. ?I miss him.?
?Where did he have to go?? the pink sprite asked, shelving its book in another row.
?I?m not sure, I just woke up one morning and Mom said he left us in the night.? Tim wiped his tear away and dried his hand on his jacket. ?How do you know which book needs to go where??
The pink sprite floated back through the shelf of books weaving back and forth, ?well, it?s kind of my superpower I can just see when a book is out of place and can help it get where it needs to be. Like the book you?re holding.?
Tim glanced down at the book again noticing a faint pink line floating away across the library from the book. ?Oh wow, I think I can see it!? He raced over to the shelf and slid the book home. A feeling of satisfaction washed over his soul and he swore he could hear a whispered ?thanks?.
He looked around at the library and at the sprites flitting about moving books from one area to the next. As he peered into the darkness he saw faint flickers of pink highlight more and more books on the shelves.
?Wow, there are a lot that need moving How do you guys do them all in one night?? Tim asked excitedly, moving to the next glow closest to him.
Pink sighed sadly, ?We can?t. There just aren?t enough sprites left in the world to do what we need to. Libraries are slowly dying out we think. There are less and less kids coming in with the spark of creativity to keep us going.?
?What do you mean? Can?t you just make more of you??
?We don?t know how,? the pink sprite responded slowly, picking up another book. ?We have been here since the library was opened, but we have far less sprites now then we did than.?
Tim sat down against the wall, ?that?s really sad. How do sprites die??
The pink sprite responded, ?We feed off of that curiosity and wonderment that all children possess. The more that come in here with that the stronger we are. Sadly it seems like not many kids come in here any more.?
Tim felt the hairs on his neck stand on end and he looked around again, ?I?m sorry. Maybe when I leave in the morning I can help with that!?
The sprite lit a little brighter, ?That would be wonderful!? The sprite turned back to Tim just in time to notice a dark smudge race across the wall he was sitting against. ?Look out!? The sprite pushed Tim away just as a dark claw sliced through where he would have been, catching the pink sprite along its edge. ?Shadow!?
Tim turned and grabbed the sprite as he watched a dark creature rise up off the floor. The saw streaks of light as the other sprites raced to his location and battered themselves against the thing.
?What is going on?? Tim cried, holding his friend close to his chest.
Chief stopped near Tim, ?That is a shadow. It?s partly to blame for the loss of thirst for knowledge we are seeing this day Tim. How are they?? He floated to Tim?s hands and gently pulled them apart, the faint pink glow slowly getting dimmer.
Tim looked down and saw his friend laying there. He looked closer and saw a black streak making its way over the bright sphere. ?Are they going to be ok??
?I?m not sure,? Chief said, bobbing about. ?Did they get his by the Shadow??
?I think so, I think they got scratched when they shoved me out of the way,? Tim?s tears where flowing again, his heart breaking for his new friend.
He looked up at the other sprites shoving into the Shadow, each hit making it shrink more and more. Its claws flashed out trying to catch the elusive sprites but seeming to just miss each time. Tim gasped as a red sprite seemed to just barely maneuver around another claw slash and bounce off the things head. It finally shrank to a small mound of darkness rather than the intimidating force it had been earlier and as it winked out of existence, Time felt a weight disappear from his hands.
He looked down at his friend and couldn?t see anything but a few pinkish twinkles in his palm. He looked to Chief, ?Where did they go??
?They passed on. But don?t fret Tim, they gave their being living up to the foremost code of the sprites. ?To protect all wonder and inquisitiveness?. I could not be more proud of their sacrifice.?
The other sprites gathered around Chief and Tim and a slow powerful tune rang out from the walls of the library. The notes striking Tim and seeming to penetrate to his very soul, filling him with pride, love, and sorrow. He also felt hope stir there, sparking along the very edges of his being. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he felt his friend, just beyond the veil. He bent down and grabbed his backpack and noticed the first rays of sunlight peeking through the windows. The crunch of tires on asphalt let him know the librarians had returned and he looked around. Chief and the others had already disappeared to their homes, awaiting the next night to continue their mission. He walked to the front door to talk with the librarian and to go home.
Suns set and suns rose, each day bringing more posters and pamphlets from Tim to the library. The children began to flood in each day finding books just in the right spot for their curious eyes, their love of learning never seeming to wane.
Chief floated behind Linda one night while she stared at the newspaper. ?That poor little soul,? she said wiping her eyes. ?I hope they find who did this.?
Chief followed her to the door as she closed up for the night. He returned to the stacks and announced ?Alright everyone, let?s get to it!?
A new pink sprite came into view, ?I?ll start Locating the books!? They zoomed off to help the next day?s children explore vast new worlds.
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Detective Timothy O'Carter
?Move to a smaller city?, they said ?There's still interesting cases, but no gang wars, and you'll get promoted faster?, they promised. ?They? were right. But what they failed to mention was that in this smaller city, interesting didn't begin to describe some of the cases that we dealt with. Most of them, actually, now that I think of it.
My first case in this town had been a mass baby napping. If someone, somehow, stealing the entire preemie ward hadn't been strange enough; it got even weirder once we caught the guy. Babies were totally fine, mostly asleep, not a scratch on them. The perpetrator, though. He never made it to his bail hearing, even. He wasted away in his cell overnight, the autopsy showing iron based heavy metal poisoning. Luckily, he didn't seem to have any family so no one had sued the city for it Most of our strange cases weren't so large and showy, though.
Like today's fiasco. I worked my way up from a beat cop to Major Crimes. I was an actual goddamn detective. So why was I being sent to deal with noise complaints from a frat party?
?Priska,? I ask my supposed partner ?Whose cheerios did you piss in this time??
?I don't know what you're talking about.? He replies, trying to look innocent before going back to the mountain of paperwork on his desk.
?I'm talking about this,? I put the file for this party disaster on his desk. ?It's nice that there aren't any homicides to deal with today, but this??
?A noise complaint?? He looks perplexed. ?How is there a whole file on a ?? He gets deadly quiet for a few long moments, flipping through the file. I just take the time to finish off my coffee. ?Did you read this??
?What's to read?? I start to get up to find more coffee. ?A frat party has somehow lasted more than one day, is louder than usual, and my partner has pissed off the chief enough - again - that we get to deal with it.?
?What's to read,? he answers me, ?is that it's lasted FOUR days now. And the 12 beat cops who went to shut them down over the last four days aren't back.?
?If we've got officers down, why isn't swat going in? With EMTs?? Now I'm alarmed. This city is strange but they're usually better organized than this.
?Not down,? he clarifies, ?just not back. The last ones to be sent reported seeing at least several of the others trough binoculars before heading in.?
?So? hostage negotiators?? This still isn't our job.
?They saw them dancing, Tim.? He shakes his head. ?They aren't being held hostage; the party is contagious.?
This is our job, and as much as I hate to admit it right now, we're going to need backup.
Vivian May, PI
It was a fairly boring week at my little agency. Nothing much had crossed my desk, just a missing jewelry case that I passed off to my best friend Richard. A werecoyote's enhanced sense of smell is often enough to break that sort of case, but Richard's low level psychic powers shine with this sort of thing, and he's been bored (and broke) too. The big money in my line of work was in missing teenagers. Local cops don't have the budget to look for kids who will probably wander sheepishly home in the morning, anyway, until they've been gone over night. Parents don't usually want to hear that, so a friend on the force usually points them in my direction.
The other sort of big money case I normally handle isn't as exciting, but it is why my usual source of upset parents has dried up. Insurance fraud. It's not flashy, and all kinds of people who normally wouldn't commit crimes think it's a great idea. People like Detective Timothy's soon to be ex brother-in-law, for example. Which is why his sister is staying in his guest room, and his partner (and my good friend) Detective Priska hasn't sent me any leads lately.
When Priska calls me with something so weird that even Timothy is willing to deal with me, my ears perk up. Today might be an interesting day, after all. I talk them into meeting me at the local diner. If I can't get involved enough to warrant a consulting fee, I at least want some free lunch. Shapeshifter metabolisms are no joke, even broke werecoyotes need to eat.
Timothy
I don't like working with Vivian. First of all, even in a town this frigging weird, it's irregular for cops to be working with a PI. If she's so good at sorting out this strangeness, why doesn't she just join the force? Ok, I guess that could be overlooked just because some of our cases were strange enough that we might not sort the out following the rules. But I've got a personal problem with her as well. My damned brother-in-law, well, ex-brother-in-law now? He'd been pulling some sort of insurance scam. My sister wasn't in on it, which is why she ended up in my guest room after the insurance company hired Vivian. I know it's not actually her fault. But, no grown man wants his older sister moving in with him.
Also, she eats our entire petty cash budget every time we take her to lunch. I swear this gal has a hollow leg She's not an amazon at 5'9?, and athletic as opposed to slim but not over muscled. She eats like an ultra-marathon runner carb loading before a big race, though, seemingly every day. I just chalk it up to one more weird thing in this crazy town when she's beat us to the diner, and ordered two huge club sandwiches with salads and fries. At least she already got coffee for all of us.
Vivian
I ought to stop eating like this in front of these guys. They're like most of the normal people in this town, they wouldn't recognize the supranatural unless it bit them. Hell, they might even tell themselves it was a dream or an art student's prank if it did. A normal woman my size wouldn't have my appetite, but using my enhanced werecoyote senses to solve cases without shifting to a coyote in the middle of the city - and getting animal control called on me (again) - took a lot of energy.
Whatever, too late now. I finished my first sandwich and picked up the file they'd brought with them.
?So, what strange nonsense do you have for me today?? I'm making light of it, because often it's horrible.
?Strange nonsense is the only way to put it,? Priska replies. ?We have a frat party that's been going on for four days now,? he raises one eyebrow, ?that has somehow sucked in 12 beat cops who went to try to shut them down.?
?Wait, what?? I put down my 2nd sandwich and pay attention. ?That's strange even for us.?
Unfortunately, there isn't much more in the file to go by. The first few sets of officers didn't even take any notes, just went charging in. By the fourth set, someone assumed it was some sort of sonic attack and wore earplugs, at least. Not that it helped them. The sixth set got an eye on all the rest with their binoculars, and made note of the fact that they just seemed to be dancing, and went to try to talk sense into them. The three of us decide to just stay far enough away to be safe and carefully check it out.
We're still half a mile out when my nose tells me exactly what the problem is. It's a Satyr. Yes, they're real too, try to keep up. Ridiculous goat smelling, party loving, jerks. He'd play DJ for a week if no one stopped him, using his pheromones to pull more and more people in and feeding off their energy as they literally danced themselves to death. Fortunately, strong or not, they're still herbivores. It shouldn't take much for me to send him on his way. I'm turning to tell the guys that I'll handle it when I realize it's too late.
Timothy
For the life of me, I still can't tell you why I went in there. I don't want to dance; I hate to dance. I'm not here to party, I'm here to break it up. I feel possessed. It has to be drugs, that's what we put on the report after so that has to be true, right? There's no other rational explanation. Some aerosol version of a new party drug.
Why it didn't affect Vivian I'll never know, but I'm glad it didn't. I'm trying to keep an eye on her as I dance along with the crowd, just catching snippets of her silhouette between the strobe lights and the fog machine. Those can't have been fangs I saw in her smile when she strode up to talk to the DJ. I must have been seeing things because of the drug. Whatever she said to him, though, worked. He turned as white as a ghost, and suddenly the music stopped.
Someone turned on a normal light, and we were just looking at wreckage. People were collapsing where they stood, having danced for days. My partner and I got our wits back faster than the beat cops. We started calling EMTs, firemen, everyone really. There was something like 200 exhausted kids to deal with and no real answers. Maybe when I finished all this paperwork I'd put in a transfer back to the city, this town gets weirder by the day.
A new carnival approached the city. My friends and I decided we were going to meet there by the Ferris wheel tomorrow. John said he would have to take care of his sister since his parents had dinner night, so I decided I would help him pay the babysitter. He texted his parents that agreed, but he would have to leave with them since they didn't want him doing anything funny with her. Barely did they know. So we agreed that John and I would be the first to go there.
John and I were at the carnival at 5 pm to meet with a few of our friends, when he got a text and said he was sorry, but he had to go back because the babysitter had to leave his little sister but he would try to get back. I was kinda bummed, but okay. Our friends wouldn't come for a few hours.
I started walking toward the rollercoaster. They had built this extremely quickly, so I didn't know if it was safe, but whatever. I entered the line. I was looking at the lake near and blinked. It was night. Weird. I thought nothing of this, not until I noticed that there was no lake. There was snow on the floor, and I had never seen the clothes I was wearing. I went to a guy near me that appeared to work here and approached him.
?Hey man, I know it's your day off, but you still need to wait in the line? What happened to your head?? After he said that, he started calling a guy named John on his walkie-talkie. I put my left hand on my head and when I noticed I was bleeding. I also had a ring. Weird.
?Honey, are you okay?? Wait, John? I turned my head too fast and passed out. When I woke up, I was in a hospital, with just a late-20s guy looking at me.
?Hey, you woke up!? He came and hugged me. He looked and sounded like John, but he was older, so it couldn't be him.
?Who are you? Where am I? Where are my parents?? I started pushing him away when I noticed he was wearing a similar wedding ring. I freaked out. When I was about to scream, the doctor came in.
?Hi, you have a concussion, but your ECT hasn't come back yet, so maybe the damage can be greater. We talked to your employer, and she said that you will stay in town for 5 more days, so we will keep you overnight for observation.? He then turned to the guy and said. ?Your husband was lucky that he had you as a healer. Your magic stopped a more severe loss of blood.?
?Wait, what do you mean by employer and husband? I'm only 18. And what is this nonsense about magic?? I tried to sit up, but I felt dizzy and fell. The doctor then approached me, grabbed a small lantern, and shined my eyes.
?What is the last thing you remember?? The doctor was looking worried at me,
?I was in the line for the roller coaster after my boyfriend John left, waiting for my school friends to come, I blinked, and was in a different place, but in the line for the roller coaster.? I didn't understand their reactions, but the guy was getting freaked out.
?That was 10 years ago, Matt. A lot has happened. Like, a lot.? He came over and hugged me again. Yeah, that was John, with his black curly hair, his dark skin tone, and those lips?
?If this memory loss lasts for over 24 hours, which I think it will, you probably will have a permanent memory loss.? The doctor left just me and John alone
He then talked to me about what happened. His parents had figured it out and planned the thing to confront him and try to get him to conversion therapy, but he ran out back to the carnival to meet me. We found the owner and got jobs there. My parents went along with this, so I still talked to them. We got married 6 years ago.
He also told me we discovered we were witches when we escaped with the carnival. He was a healer, and I was a technopath. So that explains how I always made my cell work. 2 years ago a vampire appeared and revealed the existence of vampires, werewolves, witches, and Furcifers, which are guys who can hide in plain sight, disappearing even from the best trackers.
My parents got here in Albany from the Keys, where they had moved 3 years ago, the next day. It was weird, to say the least. For me, it was like I had talked to them in person yesterday, but it was last Thanksgiving, which was over a year ago.
The next day I was feeling better, so I got discharged. My parents went with me and John since they would leave that day. We got to the carnival and my parents stayed with us for a while and then John drove them to the airport.
I knew I was to be inside the trailer all the time, but I peeked around. I went around and found this weird girl in miniskirts and a crop top. She was pale with black hair. She didn't look anywhere over 23, but because she wasn't purple with the cold, I assume she was a vampire. How she was in the middle of the sun, I didn't know. Her phone rang, and she answered. I kept moving.
I went in the direction of the carnival that was closed due to it still being midday, and some people who were setting up started waving at me. Weird. but I have been living here for a decade.
I took a left turn and saw myself lost. I kept walking and the buzz that I was feeling stopped. And then it got back. I looked in that direction. There was nothing. What was the name of the guys who could disappear? Furcifers, right? I approached, looking in that direction. The buzz went quickly to the right. It was probably his phone. So I can feel peoples' phones? Neat.
I turned back to try to go back when I saw a weird building. I entered, and it was a house of mirrors. I saw myself with my black hair a little bit longer, and the blue eyes looked deeper The skin was still pale. I had dark circles all over my eyes.
I hated these things since I always got lost on them. I kept moving, with an arm in front of me to avoid collisions. I got into an area where I was surrounded by mirrors and a woman with olive skin, channel straight hair, a one-shoulder red dress, and a huge gold necklace.
"Did the bitch curse you too, Matthew? You never get lost here." She looked kinda behind me while she talked. Then I noticed that her reflections were kind of fuzzy. Another vampire?
"No, I have amnesia. What did you do to get cursed?" I was curious but scared at the same time. She then proceeded to come closer and put her hands at my temples and locked eye contact with me.
"Not a spell, but a hard physical impact. Unless you find a really good healer, you will remain like this, hell, even if you find one. And to answer your question, I killed three werewolves, and almost caused a war inside here. I regret it, not because I got trapped here, but because what I did was wrong." She removed her hand and made a sign for me to follow her. I did and she took me to the entrance. There, an old lady dressed in maroon was waiting.
"Matthew, you should've been in your trailer resting. In 3 days we will be parting to Magique. Mehi, I set you free. We will need your help in the future." The old lady said, and the vampire got mad because it was still daytime, but the old lady dismissed her.
"There was a buzz randomly somewhere here. I think it was one of those people who can hide. Also, there was a girl on a crop top and miniskirt looking around. And how did you find me?" She was impressed by me noticing these things, and an almost grieving look took her face for a few seconds.
"You would be a great asset in the war to come, but your recovery is more important. And the buzzing was the phone of one of our helpers who warned me. The girl I have no idea, but she has access to a witch to be walking in daylight. She may not be a foe in this instant, but it raises some concern." We kept walking and got to the trailer area.
"War against who? And where is Magique? And how can that vampire walk when it's in the middle of the day?" She looks at me happy with these questions.
"War against the United States of America. They are planning on passing laws that would make our lives extremely hard. Because a witch enchanted a memento of her life as a human and it is always connected with her. Mehi is almost 3,000 years old, so anything like that would probably deteriorate, or because of time, she would lose the emotional connection." We got to mine and John's trailer and entered. She started and started making coffee.
"About Magique, is a place in Oregon where 5 packs of werewolves decided to create a nation. So a few vampires and covens decided to move there and a few furcifers too. They took their companies there and it caused a huge influx of our people moving there. The last straw was when a nationwide coven called The Witches of Revolution went there, in October last year. Now we are in January and the new laws are about to get voted, and we need to pass the borders before." She said all of that, drank a mug of coffee and then opened the door. She turned to me:
"Get some rest. Tomorrow grab your grimoire and study it. We need all hands on deck." And left.
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The girl seemed invisible in the shadows of the rain swept sidewalks, and only the sharp click-click-click of her heels against the concrete revealed she was there at all. The silken raven hair and ass-tugging black skirt transformed her into the night?s sister as she sought the storefront shadows and the comfort offered there. Others were out tonight who dressed as she did, but their bodies belonged to the men who could afford to purchase them. She was not like these women.
With movements barely suggesting motion she drew nearer the neon sign that flashed ?Ambrosia? in pulsating crimson light while bleeding its color upon the rain-slicked sidewalk. Torn by forces that raged within the remnant of what used to be her soul, the girl moved in terse stop/starts toward the neon like a starving animal that has discovered a feast in the den of its enemy. But her thirst had become a hot bile in her throat, and she suffered an even stronger hunger. Thirst she could easily satisfy. The hunger was another matter.
Music pulsated below the street from the basement cavern, a throbbing yet beautiful riot of dissonance that seemed to invite the night?s shadows to enter and feel welcome. She needed the embrace of the darkness within this subterranean world, to lose herself in its symphony of chaos. And she needed to satisfy the aching hunger of a creature so utterly alone.
The girl descended the winding staircase into a blackness of which the only indication of light were the velvet shadows that danced upon the walls like phantoms. They undulated and embraced in silhouettes, washed over by a tidal wave of noise that seemed to come from inside her head. She wanted more than anything to melt into the darkness among the dancing apparitions, to be part of them, to belong.
The young woman felt the music, not with her ears, but with her flesh. Standing alone among the dark figures she swayed with the sounds of violins gone mad, lost in a swirling whirlpool of full volume sensation and warm desire. She hugged herself, in her blood feeling her body enveloped in the arms of a phantom lover as dark as the wall shadows, a lover who desired her and promised to protect her forever.
In that moment she felt an emotion that was more thoroughly alien than anything she had experienced in many months. She touched her long fingers to her lips to be certain it was there.
?You?re smiling,? a soft voice whispered close enough to her ear that she could feel a cold breath. ?That must be good, of course. But you are smiling alone, and that must be bad.?
The stranger startled her, and she turned to see who had spoken, surprised to find that her eyes had adjusted so quickly to the darkness that she could see him almost clearly. Tall and pale with eyes of coal, handsome in a way not entirely masculine, he took her hand into his as if it were bone china. Although his touch was cold, she felt no desire to pull away.
?I don?t know why I was smiling,? she admitted. ?I suppose I just like this kind of music, although I?ve never really heard anything like it before.?
?Sometimes it is best to follow one?s instincts,? he explained, and placed his arm around her waist.
The girl silently agreed. She followed her instincts - and the stranger - from the cluster of gyrating bodies as if she had fully understood this was what the man had expected of her. He led her to a small table still holding her hand, and despite the coldness of his touch she felt a flush of warmth, the same dizzying sensation she had felt upon first hearing the music. The man said nothing for several minutes, as if he were content just to stare at her. In a room filled with such ruckus, she heard only his silence.
?I?m Luna,? she finally said.
He smiled. ?Luna. Yes, I like that. It reminds me of the moon.? In some better lit place such words might have sounded ridiculous. Perhaps tomorrow they would. But this was tonight and she did not care about the words because he was with her now and she was not alone
?It isn?t my real name,? she added. ?I chose it recently because it seemed ... well, a whole lot more appropriate than Caroline. Tomorrow I may be someone else.?
?Names are unimportant. But should names be required, you may call me Andreas. Tomorrow I shall still be Andreas.?
The girl smiled. ?It?s difficult to explain, but I feel like I no longer know who I am ... or what I may become.?
?Then you are going through some sort of change??
?Yes.?
?I see.?
He asked nothing more, as though there were no need for questions, only explanations. ?We each have our secrets, Luna. And our secrets always find the darkness, just as you have found this place. But you have shared a secret with me, so may I share one with you? Do you see that woman?s portrait on the wall above the bar??
Excepting the shadow people on the wall, the darkness on the far side of the room did not make it easy to see very much of anything. But the girl had no difficulty making out the portrait because it was so familiar. The woman in the painting was dressed in black, and she stared at the patrons of Ambrosia wearing the smile that had beguiled her admirers for centuries.
?The Mona Lisa,? the girl replied. ?Yes, I was wondering about that. It isn?t the sort of thing you usually find in a place like this, is it?? This time she reached for his hand and held his fingers to her lips, surprised at her own sudden forwardness. ?So tell me, Andreas. What is this secret you would like to share with me??
He moved closer to her so that their faces almost touched, and clasping both her hands together inside his, whispered, ?That painting is real, Luna. The one in the Louvre is a fake, switched with the one you see here many years ago. And, I am among the few men who know what is the secret behind that famous and beautiful smile, just as I know what is behind yours.?
The girl felt her mouth twitch into a smile at his seriousness. His statement was absurd, of course, and he could not have intended her to take him seriously. And yet his eyes were those of a man who knew a great many secrets.
?Thank you, Andreas,? she said, allowing her lips to curl into the full bloom of a smile without laughter. ?It has been some time since a smile has come to my face, but you have managed to coax it out.?
?You have a beautiful smile,? he said. ?Yet you keep it hidden.?
?I find few reasons to display it, Andreas. As you have said, there have been changes in me, and there are secrets I have preferred to keep. The Mona Lisa?s smile is probably a whole lot less complicated than mine.?
?Perhaps we can discover this for ourselves,? he suggested.
He shifted in his seat and studied the girl?s delicate face from varying angles as if he were examining the brush strokes and soft shadings detailed upon a canvas. Touching the girl?s cheekbone he leaned back, satisfied with his assessment.
?A woman?s smile reveals very little about her joy, yet so much about her sorrow. In yours I see the loneliness of a woman forced to walk the streets by night alone and afraid. I see a hunger for love that cannot be satisfied. And I see thirst that only blood might quench... ?
Andreas? words struck her as if he had given the girl a cold slap. He had torn the girl?s mask from her face and she felt naked before him, grateful for the darkness that concealed her from his stare, yet realizing the darkness did not matter because he could see through it just as he had seen through the smile that had exposed her. She might have cried, but she was as incapable of tears as she had been of laughter.
Andreas? dark eyes refused to release hers, and his words now came in fierce stabs that pierced her heart. ?Luna, long ago I also walked those streets. I know what it is like to quench my thirst with stray dogs and cats, or a random derelict whose blood tastes like piss. I have slept in the sewers by day so that I might feed by night. I too have experienced the agony of the lost lover whose kiss had condemned me to hell. And, like you, I once believed that the immortality of the undead was merely the exchange of one grave for another.?
The girl did not know whether to flee from the man in that same instant - to run screaming as she pushed her way through the dark lumps of couples inside this place and to disappear among the shadows of the street lamps - or to follow the pale stranger in worshipful silence wherever he led her into eternity.
?You see very much in a woman?s face,? she said.
?All women have the Mona Lisa in their smiles, Luna.?
?Then tell me, Andreas. Do all women have the vampire in their smiles as well??
He held her face in his hands and lightly kissed her mouth.
?Only the most beautiful women. Let me show you.? He took her hand and walked with her to where the painting hung in its dark corner.
?Some say the wife of Francesco del Gioconda, the Mona Lisa, is the most beautiful woman in the world, Luna. If you will allow me to share another secret with you, I think you will see that we have much in common, and there is no need to play at foolish games. You see, I was alive when Leonardo da Vinci painted La Gioconda in 1505. The woman you see in this painting was my first lover, my only lover, ... that is, while I lived. Look at the painting, Luna, look closely at the real Mona Lisa, examine her smile, and tell me what you see.?
The girl studied the painting carefully but saw nothing different about the woman seated before the mountainous landscape of Florence. She wanted so much to believe the words Andreas had spoken, to see something - anything - in the heavily shaded portrait. But the Mona Lisa?s hands still lay folded upon her lap, her lips remained shut just as they had always been for almost five centuries. And her secrets remained sealed behind the same mysterious enigmatic smile.
?I?m sorry, Andreas. But I don?t see any--?
?Look more closely, damn you!? Andreas shouted. ?See her with the eyes of the person you have become, Luna! See the woman?s smile through the same eyes that have seen into the darkness of the night!?
For a moment it seemed the woman?s eyes in the portrait shifted toward her, as if imploring the girl to see. Luna moved closer to the painting and examined the smiling face, studying every brushstroke of the lines of the aloof yet seductive mouth that curved so delicately where the beautiful Florentine woman?s lips met ...
... and suddenly she did see. She saw the woman?s lips part. She saw the mouth slowly open while the smile remained. And she saw the secret of centuries past that lay hidden behind the most mysterious smile in the history of the world.
... She saw fangs !
The music had stopped and the silence of a grave spread over the room. It seemed that every person in the place was looking at her. They had stepped close to the bar behind her to watch. She turned to them and spoke.
?I see ... I do see ... !?
Andreas was the first to applaud, and in the next moment the room filled with the thunderous sounds of hands clapping in approval.
Luna turned to Andreas and smiled, a smile punctuated by the curved teeth that had slowly elongated in each corner of her mouth and protruded over her lower lip.
?You are one of us now,? he said as he took the girl into his arms, whispering to her so that only she could hear ?... and you will never again have to smile alone,?
In the darkness of the night and surrounded by the applauding coterie of others like herself, the girl held fast to her new lover. Her smiling young face looked remarkably like the face of the beautiful woman whose portrait hung veiled in the shadows ?
Linda clicked the switch, turning off all the lights behind her. The emergency lights illuminating the shelves lining each wall, their contents lined up side by side like so many soldiers.
?I?ll see you all in the morning. Behave yourselves.? She said, her own brand of humor bringing a smile to her face. She glanced at all the books one last time before the glass door closed and she slid the key home clicking it confidently as she closed up for the night.
Her headlights lit up the library briefly before she backed out of her space and drove away. As the car lights cleared out and the first sign of moonlight filtered through the windows a faint blue glow sprung up in the corner of a bookshelf. If you were there to witness such a sight you would notice a slight tingling sound echo around you as they woke up from their daily slumber.
?Alright, up and at em!? Chief said as he stretched his aura around him, feeling out the books nearby. ?We have plenty to do before morning, so let's get cracking.?
?Sounds good boss,? a pink sprite said off to his right. ?I?ll get started on Locating books.?
?And I?ll clean!? Said a teal light bouncing up and down.
?You don?t need to announce what each of you are doing,? Chief replied, ?I know you know what needs to be done. Off we go!? He shot off into the library whizzing between shelves getting stock of what was here and what had been checked out today.
A teal light bobbed along picking up dust and debris from today, tucking it away into the space where sprites hide during the day, a small tinkle accompanying the dirt as it disappears. It floated past the kids reading area, stopping to jump on the bean bag chairs and have some fun for a while. The quiet clicking of a zipper stopped it mid bounce as it watched the bean bag chair it was jumping on slowly open at the seams.
?Shadow! There?s a shadow attacking!? The teal sprite shot away like a gunshot to go warn the others.
The sprites gathered at the cry of warning to face down the threat to their domain, but arrival at the reading area was met with confusion and worry. ?Where is the shadow?? A red sprite asked angrily rounding on his teal companion.
?Settle down,? Chief said, bobbling up to the two sprites. ?You know they wouldn?t have raised the alarm if there was no cause for concern.?
?I know, sorry Chief.?
?It?s alright, my child. We are all worried about another shadow attack with so few of us to defend.?
A clatter of books caused the sprites to scatter in alarm as they looked behind them. A small child stood there, mouth agape staring at the floating lights.
?What are you??
Chief floated up to the child, ?You can see us??
?Of course I can see you, you?re floating balls of light in a dark library.?
Chief chuckled, the sound like snowfall around the child, ?Of course. Not many humans can see us, only children who haven?t lost their spark. That is a rare thing indeed, these days.?
?My name is Tim,? the child said, reaching out a hand.
?And I?m Chief, these are my sprites. We are the caretakers of this library.?
?I thought the librarians took care of the library?? Tim asked, looking around.
?They take care of the physical space it inhabits, but we make sure the incorporeal space is kept safe.? Chief explained.
?Incorporeal? What does that mean??
?Incorporeal means the space that is next to the physical, it?s the space that gives libraries that safe, welcoming feeling to those who need it. A lot of people also call the incorporeal side the spiritual side.?
?Oh, like religion??
?Kind of like that, yes.? Chief said, pride tingeing his voice at Tim?s curiosity. ?What are you doing here so late Tim??
?I had to get away, my mom got really angry again so I wanted to leave before she started throwing more stuff at me, I?ve always liked it here so I thought I would be safe.?
Chief?s light dimmed at Tim?s words, his spirit feeling the pain that was radiating off Tim. ?It?s OK Tim. You can stay with us at least until morning, but then you should talk with the librarian. She can get you some help. OK??
?Are you sure? Mom always said that I can?t go to anyone, no one would believe me if I did since she is so important.?
?I?m positive. Linda is a kind soul and would be more than happy to help you. I tell you what, you help my sprites tonight to keep busy. It will be morning before you know it!?
?OK!? Tim said gripping the pick backpack that was slung over his shoulder. ?What can I help with??
Chief said, ?You can help Locate the books.?
The pink sprite slipped past the others and said, ?that?s with me! Come along Tim! It?s probably one of the most important jobs we have here.?
The sprites slowly dispersed each going their own way to continue their vital tasks. Tim followed the pink sprite as they picked up book after book and slid them into different spots of the shelves.
?What are we doing?? Tim asked, taking out one of the newly placed books and glancing at it.
?We are Locating books. We make sure each book goes to where it needs to be to find the person it?s supposed to find.?
?But this book doesn?t go here, the organization sticker says it?s non-fiction, why is it in the science fiction section??
?That?s because the person who needs to read this will find it here rather than over there. Sometimes a book knows who needs it the most, so they ask us to move them to where they will be found,? the pink sprite responded, hefting another book from the shelf.
?Wow, that?s amazing.? Tim said, placing the book back in its spot. He saw one of the books glow a faint pink light on a lower shelf and picked it up. 1000 Leagues Under the Sea. ?Wow, my dad used to read this to me before he had to go.? A tear slid from Tim?s eye. ?I miss him.?
?Where did he have to go?? the pink sprite asked, shelving its book in another row.
?I?m not sure, I just woke up one morning and Mom said he left us in the night.? Tim wiped his tear away and dried his hand on his jacket. ?How do you know which book needs to go where??
The pink sprite floated back through the shelf of books weaving back and forth, ?well, it?s kind of my superpower I can just see when a book is out of place and can help it get where it needs to be. Like the book you?re holding.?
Tim glanced down at the book again noticing a faint pink line floating away across the library from the book. ?Oh wow, I think I can see it!? He raced over to the shelf and slid the book home. A feeling of satisfaction washed over his soul and he swore he could hear a whispered ?thanks?.
He looked around at the library and at the sprites flitting about moving books from one area to the next. As he peered into the darkness he saw faint flickers of pink highlight more and more books on the shelves.
?Wow, there are a lot that need moving How do you guys do them all in one night?? Tim asked excitedly, moving to the next glow closest to him.
Pink sighed sadly, ?We can?t. There just aren?t enough sprites left in the world to do what we need to. Libraries are slowly dying out we think. There are less and less kids coming in with the spark of creativity to keep us going.?
?What do you mean? Can?t you just make more of you??
?We don?t know how,? the pink sprite responded slowly, picking up another book. ?We have been here since the library was opened, but we have far less sprites now then we did than.?
Tim sat down against the wall, ?that?s really sad. How do sprites die??
The pink sprite responded, ?We feed off of that curiosity and wonderment that all children possess. The more that come in here with that the stronger we are. Sadly it seems like not many kids come in here any more.?
Tim felt the hairs on his neck stand on end and he looked around again, ?I?m sorry. Maybe when I leave in the morning I can help with that!?
The sprite lit a little brighter, ?That would be wonderful!? The sprite turned back to Tim just in time to notice a dark smudge race across the wall he was sitting against. ?Look out!? The sprite pushed Tim away just as a dark claw sliced through where he would have been, catching the pink sprite along its edge. ?Shadow!?
Tim turned and grabbed the sprite as he watched a dark creature rise up off the floor. The saw streaks of light as the other sprites raced to his location and battered themselves against the thing.
?What is going on?? Tim cried, holding his friend close to his chest.
Chief stopped near Tim, ?That is a shadow. It?s partly to blame for the loss of thirst for knowledge we are seeing this day Tim. How are they?? He floated to Tim?s hands and gently pulled them apart, the faint pink glow slowly getting dimmer.
Tim looked down and saw his friend laying there. He looked closer and saw a black streak making its way over the bright sphere. ?Are they going to be ok??
?I?m not sure,? Chief said, bobbing about. ?Did they get his by the Shadow??
?I think so, I think they got scratched when they shoved me out of the way,? Tim?s tears where flowing again, his heart breaking for his new friend.
He looked up at the other sprites shoving into the Shadow, each hit making it shrink more and more. Its claws flashed out trying to catch the elusive sprites but seeming to just miss each time. Tim gasped as a red sprite seemed to just barely maneuver around another claw slash and bounce off the things head. It finally shrank to a small mound of darkness rather than the intimidating force it had been earlier and as it winked out of existence, Time felt a weight disappear from his hands.
He looked down at his friend and couldn?t see anything but a few pinkish twinkles in his palm. He looked to Chief, ?Where did they go??
?They passed on. But don?t fret Tim, they gave their being living up to the foremost code of the sprites. ?To protect all wonder and inquisitiveness?. I could not be more proud of their sacrifice.?
The other sprites gathered around Chief and Tim and a slow powerful tune rang out from the walls of the library. The notes striking Tim and seeming to penetrate to his very soul, filling him with pride, love, and sorrow. He also felt hope stir there, sparking along the very edges of his being. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he felt his friend, just beyond the veil. He bent down and grabbed his backpack and noticed the first rays of sunlight peeking through the windows. The crunch of tires on asphalt let him know the librarians had returned and he looked around. Chief and the others had already disappeared to their homes, awaiting the next night to continue their mission. He walked to the front door to talk with the librarian and to go home.
Suns set and suns rose, each day bringing more posters and pamphlets from Tim to the library. The children began to flood in each day finding books just in the right spot for their curious eyes, their love of learning never seeming to wane.
Chief floated behind Linda one night while she stared at the newspaper. ?That poor little soul,? she said wiping her eyes. ?I hope they find who did this.?
Chief followed her to the door as she closed up for the night. He returned to the stacks and announced ?Alright everyone, let?s get to it!?
A new pink sprite came into view, ?I?ll start Locating the books!? They zoomed off to help the next day?s children explore vast new worlds.
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Detective Timothy O'Carter
?Move to a smaller city?, they said ?There's still interesting cases, but no gang wars, and you'll get promoted faster?, they promised. ?They? were right. But what they failed to mention was that in this smaller city, interesting didn't begin to describe some of the cases that we dealt with. Most of them, actually, now that I think of it.
My first case in this town had been a mass baby napping. If someone, somehow, stealing the entire preemie ward hadn't been strange enough; it got even weirder once we caught the guy. Babies were totally fine, mostly asleep, not a scratch on them. The perpetrator, though. He never made it to his bail hearing, even. He wasted away in his cell overnight, the autopsy showing iron based heavy metal poisoning. Luckily, he didn't seem to have any family so no one had sued the city for it Most of our strange cases weren't so large and showy, though.
Like today's fiasco. I worked my way up from a beat cop to Major Crimes. I was an actual goddamn detective. So why was I being sent to deal with noise complaints from a frat party?
?Priska,? I ask my supposed partner ?Whose cheerios did you piss in this time??
?I don't know what you're talking about.? He replies, trying to look innocent before going back to the mountain of paperwork on his desk.
?I'm talking about this,? I put the file for this party disaster on his desk. ?It's nice that there aren't any homicides to deal with today, but this??
?A noise complaint?? He looks perplexed. ?How is there a whole file on a ?? He gets deadly quiet for a few long moments, flipping through the file. I just take the time to finish off my coffee. ?Did you read this??
?What's to read?? I start to get up to find more coffee. ?A frat party has somehow lasted more than one day, is louder than usual, and my partner has pissed off the chief enough - again - that we get to deal with it.?
?What's to read,? he answers me, ?is that it's lasted FOUR days now. And the 12 beat cops who went to shut them down over the last four days aren't back.?
?If we've got officers down, why isn't swat going in? With EMTs?? Now I'm alarmed. This city is strange but they're usually better organized than this.
?Not down,? he clarifies, ?just not back. The last ones to be sent reported seeing at least several of the others trough binoculars before heading in.?
?So? hostage negotiators?? This still isn't our job.
?They saw them dancing, Tim.? He shakes his head. ?They aren't being held hostage; the party is contagious.?
This is our job, and as much as I hate to admit it right now, we're going to need backup.
Vivian May, PI
It was a fairly boring week at my little agency. Nothing much had crossed my desk, just a missing jewelry case that I passed off to my best friend Richard. A werecoyote's enhanced sense of smell is often enough to break that sort of case, but Richard's low level psychic powers shine with this sort of thing, and he's been bored (and broke) too. The big money in my line of work was in missing teenagers. Local cops don't have the budget to look for kids who will probably wander sheepishly home in the morning, anyway, until they've been gone over night. Parents don't usually want to hear that, so a friend on the force usually points them in my direction.
The other sort of big money case I normally handle isn't as exciting, but it is why my usual source of upset parents has dried up. Insurance fraud. It's not flashy, and all kinds of people who normally wouldn't commit crimes think it's a great idea. People like Detective Timothy's soon to be ex brother-in-law, for example. Which is why his sister is staying in his guest room, and his partner (and my good friend) Detective Priska hasn't sent me any leads lately.
When Priska calls me with something so weird that even Timothy is willing to deal with me, my ears perk up. Today might be an interesting day, after all. I talk them into meeting me at the local diner. If I can't get involved enough to warrant a consulting fee, I at least want some free lunch. Shapeshifter metabolisms are no joke, even broke werecoyotes need to eat.
Timothy
I don't like working with Vivian. First of all, even in a town this frigging weird, it's irregular for cops to be working with a PI. If she's so good at sorting out this strangeness, why doesn't she just join the force? Ok, I guess that could be overlooked just because some of our cases were strange enough that we might not sort the out following the rules. But I've got a personal problem with her as well. My damned brother-in-law, well, ex-brother-in-law now? He'd been pulling some sort of insurance scam. My sister wasn't in on it, which is why she ended up in my guest room after the insurance company hired Vivian. I know it's not actually her fault. But, no grown man wants his older sister moving in with him.
Also, she eats our entire petty cash budget every time we take her to lunch. I swear this gal has a hollow leg She's not an amazon at 5'9?, and athletic as opposed to slim but not over muscled. She eats like an ultra-marathon runner carb loading before a big race, though, seemingly every day. I just chalk it up to one more weird thing in this crazy town when she's beat us to the diner, and ordered two huge club sandwiches with salads and fries. At least she already got coffee for all of us.
Vivian
I ought to stop eating like this in front of these guys. They're like most of the normal people in this town, they wouldn't recognize the supranatural unless it bit them. Hell, they might even tell themselves it was a dream or an art student's prank if it did. A normal woman my size wouldn't have my appetite, but using my enhanced werecoyote senses to solve cases without shifting to a coyote in the middle of the city - and getting animal control called on me (again) - took a lot of energy.
Whatever, too late now. I finished my first sandwich and picked up the file they'd brought with them.
?So, what strange nonsense do you have for me today?? I'm making light of it, because often it's horrible.
?Strange nonsense is the only way to put it,? Priska replies. ?We have a frat party that's been going on for four days now,? he raises one eyebrow, ?that has somehow sucked in 12 beat cops who went to try to shut them down.?
?Wait, what?? I put down my 2nd sandwich and pay attention. ?That's strange even for us.?
Unfortunately, there isn't much more in the file to go by. The first few sets of officers didn't even take any notes, just went charging in. By the fourth set, someone assumed it was some sort of sonic attack and wore earplugs, at least. Not that it helped them. The sixth set got an eye on all the rest with their binoculars, and made note of the fact that they just seemed to be dancing, and went to try to talk sense into them. The three of us decide to just stay far enough away to be safe and carefully check it out.
We're still half a mile out when my nose tells me exactly what the problem is. It's a Satyr. Yes, they're real too, try to keep up. Ridiculous goat smelling, party loving, jerks. He'd play DJ for a week if no one stopped him, using his pheromones to pull more and more people in and feeding off their energy as they literally danced themselves to death. Fortunately, strong or not, they're still herbivores. It shouldn't take much for me to send him on his way. I'm turning to tell the guys that I'll handle it when I realize it's too late.
Timothy
For the life of me, I still can't tell you why I went in there. I don't want to dance; I hate to dance. I'm not here to party, I'm here to break it up. I feel possessed. It has to be drugs, that's what we put on the report after so that has to be true, right? There's no other rational explanation. Some aerosol version of a new party drug.
Why it didn't affect Vivian I'll never know, but I'm glad it didn't. I'm trying to keep an eye on her as I dance along with the crowd, just catching snippets of her silhouette between the strobe lights and the fog machine. Those can't have been fangs I saw in her smile when she strode up to talk to the DJ. I must have been seeing things because of the drug. Whatever she said to him, though, worked. He turned as white as a ghost, and suddenly the music stopped.
Someone turned on a normal light, and we were just looking at wreckage. People were collapsing where they stood, having danced for days. My partner and I got our wits back faster than the beat cops. We started calling EMTs, firemen, everyone really. There was something like 200 exhausted kids to deal with and no real answers. Maybe when I finished all this paperwork I'd put in a transfer back to the city, this town gets weirder by the day.
A new carnival approached the city. My friends and I decided we were going to meet there by the Ferris wheel tomorrow. John said he would have to take care of his sister since his parents had dinner night, so I decided I would help him pay the babysitter. He texted his parents that agreed, but he would have to leave with them since they didn't want him doing anything funny with her. Barely did they know. So we agreed that John and I would be the first to go there.
John and I were at the carnival at 5 pm to meet with a few of our friends, when he got a text and said he was sorry, but he had to go back because the babysitter had to leave his little sister but he would try to get back. I was kinda bummed, but okay. Our friends wouldn't come for a few hours.
I started walking toward the rollercoaster. They had built this extremely quickly, so I didn't know if it was safe, but whatever. I entered the line. I was looking at the lake near and blinked. It was night. Weird. I thought nothing of this, not until I noticed that there was no lake. There was snow on the floor, and I had never seen the clothes I was wearing. I went to a guy near me that appeared to work here and approached him.
?Hey man, I know it's your day off, but you still need to wait in the line? What happened to your head?? After he said that, he started calling a guy named John on his walkie-talkie. I put my left hand on my head and when I noticed I was bleeding. I also had a ring. Weird.
?Honey, are you okay?? Wait, John? I turned my head too fast and passed out. When I woke up, I was in a hospital, with just a late-20s guy looking at me.
?Hey, you woke up!? He came and hugged me. He looked and sounded like John, but he was older, so it couldn't be him.
?Who are you? Where am I? Where are my parents?? I started pushing him away when I noticed he was wearing a similar wedding ring. I freaked out. When I was about to scream, the doctor came in.
?Hi, you have a concussion, but your ECT hasn't come back yet, so maybe the damage can be greater. We talked to your employer, and she said that you will stay in town for 5 more days, so we will keep you overnight for observation.? He then turned to the guy and said. ?Your husband was lucky that he had you as a healer. Your magic stopped a more severe loss of blood.?
?Wait, what do you mean by employer and husband? I'm only 18. And what is this nonsense about magic?? I tried to sit up, but I felt dizzy and fell. The doctor then approached me, grabbed a small lantern, and shined my eyes.
?What is the last thing you remember?? The doctor was looking worried at me,
?I was in the line for the roller coaster after my boyfriend John left, waiting for my school friends to come, I blinked, and was in a different place, but in the line for the roller coaster.? I didn't understand their reactions, but the guy was getting freaked out.
?That was 10 years ago, Matt. A lot has happened. Like, a lot.? He came over and hugged me again. Yeah, that was John, with his black curly hair, his dark skin tone, and those lips?
?If this memory loss lasts for over 24 hours, which I think it will, you probably will have a permanent memory loss.? The doctor left just me and John alone
He then talked to me about what happened. His parents had figured it out and planned the thing to confront him and try to get him to conversion therapy, but he ran out back to the carnival to meet me. We found the owner and got jobs there. My parents went along with this, so I still talked to them. We got married 6 years ago.
He also told me we discovered we were witches when we escaped with the carnival. He was a healer, and I was a technopath. So that explains how I always made my cell work. 2 years ago a vampire appeared and revealed the existence of vampires, werewolves, witches, and Furcifers, which are guys who can hide in plain sight, disappearing even from the best trackers.
My parents got here in Albany from the Keys, where they had moved 3 years ago, the next day. It was weird, to say the least. For me, it was like I had talked to them in person yesterday, but it was last Thanksgiving, which was over a year ago.
The next day I was feeling better, so I got discharged. My parents went with me and John since they would leave that day. We got to the carnival and my parents stayed with us for a while and then John drove them to the airport.
I knew I was to be inside the trailer all the time, but I peeked around. I went around and found this weird girl in miniskirts and a crop top. She was pale with black hair. She didn't look anywhere over 23, but because she wasn't purple with the cold, I assume she was a vampire. How she was in the middle of the sun, I didn't know. Her phone rang, and she answered. I kept moving.
I went in the direction of the carnival that was closed due to it still being midday, and some people who were setting up started waving at me. Weird. but I have been living here for a decade.
I took a left turn and saw myself lost. I kept walking and the buzz that I was feeling stopped. And then it got back. I looked in that direction. There was nothing. What was the name of the guys who could disappear? Furcifers, right? I approached, looking in that direction. The buzz went quickly to the right. It was probably his phone. So I can feel peoples' phones? Neat.
I turned back to try to go back when I saw a weird building. I entered, and it was a house of mirrors. I saw myself with my black hair a little bit longer, and the blue eyes looked deeper The skin was still pale. I had dark circles all over my eyes.
I hated these things since I always got lost on them. I kept moving, with an arm in front of me to avoid collisions. I got into an area where I was surrounded by mirrors and a woman with olive skin, channel straight hair, a one-shoulder red dress, and a huge gold necklace.
"Did the bitch curse you too, Matthew? You never get lost here." She looked kinda behind me while she talked. Then I noticed that her reflections were kind of fuzzy. Another vampire?
"No, I have amnesia. What did you do to get cursed?" I was curious but scared at the same time. She then proceeded to come closer and put her hands at my temples and locked eye contact with me.
"Not a spell, but a hard physical impact. Unless you find a really good healer, you will remain like this, hell, even if you find one. And to answer your question, I killed three werewolves, and almost caused a war inside here. I regret it, not because I got trapped here, but because what I did was wrong." She removed her hand and made a sign for me to follow her. I did and she took me to the entrance. There, an old lady dressed in maroon was waiting.
"Matthew, you should've been in your trailer resting. In 3 days we will be parting to Magique. Mehi, I set you free. We will need your help in the future." The old lady said, and the vampire got mad because it was still daytime, but the old lady dismissed her.
"There was a buzz randomly somewhere here. I think it was one of those people who can hide. Also, there was a girl on a crop top and miniskirt looking around. And how did you find me?" She was impressed by me noticing these things, and an almost grieving look took her face for a few seconds.
"You would be a great asset in the war to come, but your recovery is more important. And the buzzing was the phone of one of our helpers who warned me. The girl I have no idea, but she has access to a witch to be walking in daylight. She may not be a foe in this instant, but it raises some concern." We kept walking and got to the trailer area.
"War against who? And where is Magique? And how can that vampire walk when it's in the middle of the day?" She looks at me happy with these questions.
"War against the United States of America. They are planning on passing laws that would make our lives extremely hard. Because a witch enchanted a memento of her life as a human and it is always connected with her. Mehi is almost 3,000 years old, so anything like that would probably deteriorate, or because of time, she would lose the emotional connection." We got to mine and John's trailer and entered. She started and started making coffee.
"About Magique, is a place in Oregon where 5 packs of werewolves decided to create a nation. So a few vampires and covens decided to move there and a few furcifers too. They took their companies there and it caused a huge influx of our people moving there. The last straw was when a nationwide coven called The Witches of Revolution went there, in October last year. Now we are in January and the new laws are about to get voted, and we need to pass the borders before." She said all of that, drank a mug of coffee and then opened the door. She turned to me:
"Get some rest. Tomorrow grab your grimoire and study it. We need all hands on deck." And left.
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