James checked his phone for any text messages again as he waited in the basement garage for his companion for the evening. The last text from Celeste was “She’ll be right down.” In woman code, that could mean anything from ten to thirty minutes. That was something that had certainly never changed over the centuries. The ladies took time to prepare for even the most innocuous event. Tonight was a casual dinner. He had put on a sports coat, and he was ready to go. He checked his watch again and looked up as he heard the elevator doors open into the underground parking garage below the apartment building.
He arched an eyebrow in reaction to what he saw. Paramedic Brynne Garvey cleaned up nice. He’d have to ask how Celeste had been able to make such a transformation in such a short time. She wore form-fitting black leggings with black high heels. Above that she wore a light gray, loose fitting tee-shirt with a dark green fitted blazer. Her silver cross pendant still nestled at the base of her throat. She fingered it absently as she stepped out of the elevator. She looked up at him, and he saw her blush as she caught him watching her. She crossed the garage to where he was standing with his silver Lexus sedan.
“I hope this is suitable?” she asked. “I know that casual dinner attire means different things to different people. Celeste helped me pick out a few things from my selection of outfits. Most of the people I know would have dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt given that description.”
“It’s absolutely perfect,” James said. “You look marvelous. I’ll be proud to have you as my companion for the evening.” He opened the passenger door for her as she walked up. “Shall we go?”
Brynne smiled as she climbed into his car. James sensed her surface mix of emotions and was surprised by the slightest hint of satisfaction at his reaction to her outfit. Some things were universal for humans or Unusuals. It never hurt to compliment a woman on her clothing before a night out on the town.
“I have to say, James, this is the strangest thing I’ve done as part of my job as a paramedic,” she said as he settled into the driver’s seat.
“I talked with Doctor Spirelli about what I wanted to do. He agreed with me that it would require something different. We want you to blend in and meet people on their own terms,” James said. “If you were in uniform, it would be off-putting to some. This way most will see you as a human on a dinner outing with me. Perhaps you are an associate of mine, and that puts you in the realm of someone they can trust. If we do this right, that initial feeling of trust can be parlayed into trust for your work on the ambulance later on.”
“If you say so,” Brynne said. She put on her seat belt and shifted to be more comfortable in her seat. He thought she was a little uncomfortable being this close to him in a confined space. She kept toying with the cross pendant at her throat.
“That’s a pretty necklace you have,” James offered as they drove out of the underground garage and onto the nighttime streets of Elk City. “Did you get that to wear just because of me? I assure you that you are completely safe in my presence, Brynne.”
“My supervisor, Mike Farver, gave it to me when I started working on the Station U paramedic program,” she said dropping her hands to her lap. “He said we all had to have some protection from those who might wish to harm us while on the job. He said, ‘Some medics wear bulletproof vests. We wear crosses.’” She looked over at him. “You are not offended by this, are you?”
“Not at all my dear,” James chuckled. “I’m nearly old enough to remember the early days of Christianity. It’s had its ups and downs but overall has offered much good to the world.” He cast a sideways glance at her as he drove. “What, you’re surprised by a vampire who has something nice to say about religion?”
“Well actually, yes,” Brynne replied. “Does that mean that this holy symbol has no effect on you at all?”
“Oh, no,” James said. “If you held that out in defiance of me, were I to come at you, it would work. I should say, it would work if you believed in the religion behind it, that Jesus Christ is your savior. In that case, I would be forced aside. It has more to do with the strength of your beliefs than mine. Without strong belief, it’s just a piece of jewelry.”
“Interesting,” She said, mulling over the new information. “That wasn’t what we learned. We were told that a cross would fend off some hostile Unusuals in a dangerous situation.”
“It has to do with the individual’s underlying beliefs,” James offered. “It doesn’t have to be a cross. Any religious symbol, blessed by a cleric of that belief system would work. I remember a particularly annoying Rabbi in Barcelona who was turning out silver Stars of David for his Temple congregation that kept my entire coven at bay there back in the 17th Century.”
“So you admit to feeding on people, on humans in your past?” Brynne said, her hand back fiddling with her cross.
“We all have a past, my dear,” James said. “Once upon a time we Unusuals were both hunters and hunted. We were killed on sight merely because we were different. Most of us who had to feed on human blood tried not to kill our prey. Most of us believed in letting our prey live, if only so as to not draw attention to our presence. That has all changed in the last hundred years or so. This is a new age of cooperation between the human and Unusual communities, albeit in secret. It is why you are here with me tonight. We hope to become more integrated into human society than ever before. This project is a step in that direction.”
“I see,” Brynne said.
They rode on in silence for a few minutes before James turned into a street-level parking lot in the Restaurant District of downtown Elk City. Brynne looked around and then at over at James. He paid the attendant and pulled his car into one of the empty slots. Only then did he notice Brynne’s stare. She had a curious look on her face.
“What is it?” James asked.
“I’ve eaten down here many times,” Brynne said. “I don’t remember there being any Unusual establishments here.”
“We don’t advertise our presence, Brynne. You know that. Besides, what should a restaurant that caters to Unusuals look like or advertise?” James asked.
“I don’t know,” Brynne stammered in reply. “I just thought I’d know, you know? Because of my job.”
“Well, that’s why we are here,” James said opening his door. “It’s time to begin your true education on us. Shall we?” He got out of his side of the Lexus and waited for her to emerge.
Brynne nodded and opened her door, climbing out of the car and looking around. James walked around towards her and then gestured to the sidewalk nearby.
“It’s just a block or so down the street.”
The two walked side by side down the street. James inclined his head in recognition from time to time when a fellow Unusual would pass and nod to him in deference. They arrived in front of the restaurant he had chosen. The sign on the front of the building read “Sabatani’s.” Brynne stopped and looked at him.
“You’re kidding,” She said. “Sabatani’s? But, I’ve eaten here several times.”
“What kind of business would it be to turn away paying customers just because they were different?” James said. “Of course they serve humans. The owner of this restaurant is one of the best Italian chefs in the world. He just can’t advertise who he is because he’s supposed to be dead, many times over. That’s the challenge we face in a human world with human lifespans. For those of us who are longer lived, we have to uproot ourselves and move around quite frequently to avoid drawing attention to who we are.” He opened the door and gestured for her to precede him inside.
A well-dressed hostess in a tight black cocktail dress came over as soon as they entered. She had long curly blond hair with an inch-wide streak of bright green dyed into her hair on one side.
“Ah, Mr. Lee,” She said. “We were told by your assistant to expect you.” She picked up two menus and a wine list from the podium in front of her and turned back to them. “If you’ll follow me.” She led them into the restaurant to a booth in the back corner. It offered so
me privacy but gave them a good view of the whole room from its vantage point.
“This is perfect, Shelby,” James said. “Thank you.”
James waited until the hostess had left before speaking again to Brynne. “Any guesses about our hostess?”
Brynne looked up from her menu. “Huh?”
“Our hostess,” James repeated. “Do you have any guesses about her Unusual status or type?”
“Um, no,” Brynne replied. She looked out to the where the hostess was chatting with another patron by the entrance to the restaurant. “I hadn’t thought about it. Is everyone who works here an Unusual?”
“No, probably not,” James said. “But she is. You should start looking at everyone around you and look for clues that might tell you if someone is one of us or not. You could also try to discern what type of Unusual you’re dealing with. In Shelby’s case, she’s a Dryad, a wood nymph. She inhabits a tree in the park not too far from here in sort of a symbiotic relationship. That streak in her hair is not dye but signifies her link to the tree. It’s chlorophyll and in a pinch, without food, she can turn sunlight into sustenance.”
“You’re B.S.ing me,” Brynne said, quirking a smile.
“No, I’m not,” James said. “Brynne, I am very serious about this project, and I will not lie or mislead you about our people. I will answer any question you put to me truthfully if I can, and I will try to educate you about as many kinds of us as I am able in our few, short days together.”
“I’m sorry,” Brynne said, casting her eyes to her plate, away from his. “I am just surprised at what I’m seeing right here in front of me, that’s all.” She looked back up and met James’ gaze. “Please, continue. I’m eager to learn.”
“Excellent!” James said, gesturing to an older, gray-haired gentleman across the restaurant. He was walking towards their table. “Let me introduce you to Kristof Algar, the owner of Sabatani’s, then we’ll order our dinner.”
“James, my old friend, how are you?” The gentleman said as he approached. He was short, only slightly taller than Brynne’s five feet four inches. He was rotund and red-faced as he approached.
“I am very well indeed,” James responded from the booth. “Kristof, I’d like you to meet my companion for the evening, Miss Brynne Garvey. She’s a paramedic with the Elk City Fire Department and part of that little project I’ve been telling you about. She’s the one that saved Rudy’s life a few weeks ago following our car accident.”
“Miss Garvey, it is a pleasure and honor to meet you,” Kristof said, leaning across the table to shake her hand. “Thank you for your service to Elk City and to our little community within it. I hope you will come back when you are on duty some time. We offer discounted meals to public safety personnel like police and fire department members.”
“I’m well aware of your discount policy, Mr. Algar,” Brynne said. “My co-workers and I have eaten here many times. We have always enjoyed the food here.”
“Well the next time you come in, I’m going to make sure we make something extra nice for you and your colleagues.” Kristof looked over his shoulder as more diners entered and were seated. “I have other patrons to greet, but I will stop by later in the meal to check in with you both. Enjoy your dinner.”
“Thank, you Kristof, we will,” James said. He turned to Brynne after the restauranteur walked away. “Any thoughts on Kristoff?”
“There’s something about him, but I wonder if that’s just because you told me already he was an Unusual before we came inside,” Brynne answered. She continued her train of thought. “It’s like he’s bigger than he looks in real life. You know, even though he’s shorter than me? I don’t know. That doesn’t make any sense, either.” She shook her head.
“You’re on the right track,” James said. “He is both bigger and smaller than he seems. It has to do with his unique nature. Kristof is a Djinn.” He watched her for a reaction and when he got none, he continued, clarifying. “He’s a genie as you would say, like from the story of Aladdin and the Lamp.”
“So what, he grants wishes or something?” Brynne asked.
“Yes, he has the power to grant some limited wishes,” James explained. “He is limited by the imagination and the literal meaning in the language of the person asking for the wish. There are no take-backs, and his magic is unpredictable. Usually, he and other Djinns discourage people from using their wish because it never ends up the way they expect it to. Sometimes the true effects of the wishes are horrible, and people blame the Djinn. It’s not their fault, though. They are merely a conduit for wild magic. The interpretation comes from that magic’s interaction with the person making the wish.”
“So the adage ‘be careful what you wish for’ really applies here,” Brynne said. “Should I watch what I say around him, then?”
“First of all, yes, it is quite literally the source of that cliché but the true meaning has been lost over time. But you don’t have to watch your words that carefully,” James said. “To engage the magic, the Djinn must be approached formally, and there must be an exchange of some nominal treasure, usually a small amount of gold, before the Djinn will activate the wish magic. It is something only for the truly desperate.”
“So if I were to say randomly ‘I wish I had a nickel for every time I lost my keys,’ there would not be a sudden pile of change in front of me?” Brynne asked.
“Exactly so,” James clarified. “Let’s order. Then we’ll try our little game of ‘Guess the Unusual’ while we wait for our food.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brynne said as she looked around the room at the patrons and staff of the restaurant.
The two of them spent four hours total in Sabatani’s restaurant that evening. Aside from getting an excellent meal, James thought it would be a good opportunity to show Unusuals in an everyday setting, living and working alongside humans. He was pleased to see that it worked as he had planned. Brynne learned about and observed many different types of Unusual community members. She saw three Lycans of different varieties, two other vampires, a Sybalim or singing angel and a few others. He taught her that all Unusuals manifested their human forms despite their mythical descriptions, which usually just reflected some aspect of the race’s personality rather than a physical attribute. In all, the evening was nearly perfect for what he had intended.
The two of them left the restaurant at about midnight with Brynne assuring Kristof that she would return soon in uniform with her partner. James held the door as they left and walked silently beside her as they headed back to the parking lot and his car. Brynne was walking in silence again, idly fiddling with her cross pendant.
“Penny for your thoughts,” James offered.
“I’m just thinking about all of that back there,” She said. “It’s a lot to take in all at once. I’m wondering how I am supposed to know which type of Unusual I’m dealing with on a call? One of my greatest fears, probably most paramedic’s fears, is to make a mistake treating a patient. It’s not a question of whether or not you’ll someday make a mistake treating a patient. It’s a matter of when.” She looked back over her shoulder at the restaurant briefly. “Those people we saw and met back there deserve from me the best I can be. The problem is, I don’t even know the basics of who they are, let alone what illnesses they might likely have.”
“Most Unusuals are just humans with another aspect to themselves,” James said. “They get the same illnesses that you get and require much the same treatments. If there is something else involved, it’s their job to notify you of their history, just as any patient would. Isn’t this what you expect of your human patients?”
“It is,” Brynne admitted. “But what about the patient who’s unconscious or can’t speak for themselves. How will I know if what I’m doing is the right thing or the wrong thing? There’s just so much I don’t know.”
“You do the best you can with what you know,” James answered. “Don’t worry, Unusuals don’t sue in human courts for things like malpract
ice without consulting with their leadership first. That’s me, and I don’t intend to blame anyone who’s doing the best they can with limited information. Does that ease your concerns at all?”
“I guess so. Like I said, it’s a lot to take in at one time, even knowing that Unusuals exist. It’s just a lot to internalize, that’s all.” They had arrived back at the Lexus and James keyed the unlock button on the key fob and opened her door for her. He felt her stiffen slightly when he placed his hand between her shoulder blades to guide her into the car, and he quickly removed his hand. He shut her door and walked to the other side of the car. This woman was perplexing to him. Her dedication was admirable, and he had not met such an open-minded and curious human in many years. But, she was not automatically deferential to him as he expected from those around him. In some ways, it was annoying and in others it was refreshing. Perhaps it was that lack of automatic respect to him that intrigued him about her. He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
“Shall I take you home or would you like to stay at the apartment I’ve arranged for you at my building?” James asked as they pulled out of the parking lot onto Main Street.
“I think I’ll stay at home tonight. I can pick up my things in the afternoon when I come back,” Brynne said. “I have a lot to process. Is it all right that I leave my car in the garage overnight? I’ll catch the bus back tomorrow.”
“That is not a worry. I’ll send a car for you to come back in the afternoon, say around 3:30?”
“That will be fine if it’s not an inconvenience.”
“No inconvenience at all,” James replied. “I just pay the driver to sit around most days. He’ll probably look forward to having something to do.”
They rode the rest of the way to Brynne’s apartment building in silence. When they arrived, she offered a quick good night and exited the vehicle. James watched her walk through the courtyard to her apartment’s door, insert her key in the lock and go inside with a brief wave over her shoulder. He sat there for some time staring at the empty entryway after she had gone inside before he sighed, put the Lexus in gear and drove on home.
CHAPTER SEVEN