The tin bells hanging above the entryway chime loudly as I yank open the door to Ralph’s Diner. It’s a classic 1950s eatery complete with poodle-skirt wearing waitresses and a jukebox at every table. My eyes quickly scan the room and fall upon Celeste’s nervous ones. I detect a slight sense of relief from her at my arrival. Roman is sitting next to her, every muscle in his body tense as he glares at the guy sitting across from him. Celeste’s friend Natalie is here as well, the brunette I met at the party the other night, and she seems completely oblivious to what is going on.
I speed across the restaurant and approach the group with a friendly smile. They’re sitting in a four-person booth so I pull up a chair on the end in between Roman and the vampire. I conduct a quick assessment of the guy, and it seems that my werewolf friend was right: he couldn’t be more than a few months old– as a vampire, that is. In life he had probably been in his early twenties when killed. He’s got sandy brown hair and an unassuming look. I try to picture him with a baseball cap and compare the mental image in my head, but I can’t be sure he was the same guy that was following us. And yet, he does look somewhat familiar.
“Well good evening all – and you are?” I ask pleasantly as a turn toward the stranger.
“Patrick. You’re Nico right?” the guy says, extending his hand.
“Exactly,” I reply, as a squeeze his hand a little harder than I should, causing him to wince.
The tension at the table is palpable, and I can see Celeste staring at me with a “I hope you can explain this” look. Unfortunately, I can’t so I avoid her glares from across the table and attempt to make idle chit chat. We all have to play along for now, at least until we can get the girls out of here and safely back home.
“So tell us something about yourself,” I say as I settle in.
“Before you two got here I was telling the girls that I just started at the community college,” replies Patrick coolly.
He’s keeping a casual demeanor, but I notice tiny beads of sweat have formed just below his hairline. I also suddenly recognize the brown leather jacket hung over the bright red booth. He was at the container party last night. Could he have been following us the other day too?
I try to focus back in on the conversation. “Interesting, that’s where I go as well, and yet I’ve never seen you. What’s your major?”
“I’m still undecided.”
“And what made you come to Oak Bluffs?” I continue.
“Nico, stop giving him the third degree!” interjects Natalie.
“I’m sorry, I hope I wasn’t rude. I simply wanted to get to know the guy vying for my ladies’ attentions.” And I flash my million-dollar smile making the girls blush prettily.
Celeste starts to fidget in her seat, and makes it obvious she wants out of the tension-filled booth. As she heads to the bathroom alone, Roman tries to get my attention. Imperceptibly, our eyes meet and with a nod he follows her to the restroom. I’m not exactly sure what he’s going to do, but it seems he has a plan. I attempt to carry on the dialogue, switching my focus to Natalie. With Celeste out of sight, it only now dawns on me how attractive Natalie is. I watch her attentively as she chatters on about the prom committee and how busy she is as its head. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Roman and Celeste arguing outside of the restroom. She has her hands on her hips and is glaring obstinately at him. She is quite the challenge for my brother, I think with a smirk.
Finally, they return to the table and Celeste gives a lame excuse about having to leave to study for finals. Roman looks pleased with himself. Natalie’s smile drops as her friend ushers her out of the booth.
“But I was having fun,” she says as Celeste practically drags her away.
The girls wave as they rush out the door and before the final bell jingles, Roman lunges across the table toward Patrick. He knocks over an empty beer mug, and it crashes to the floor.
“Whoa,” I say, holding him back by the arm, “let’s take this outside.” I smile apologetically at the waitress as she bends down to pick up the shards of glass strewn on the black and white checkered tiles. “Sorry,” I mouth silently.
Patrick’s eyes are wide as unmistakable fear tears through him. Now that the girls are gone, he realizes he may be in trouble. Roman and I get on either side of him and forcefully escort him to the alley behind the diner.
“What are you really doing here, Patrick?” I ask under the dim light of a street lamp. I’m suddenly reminded of the good cop/bad cop interrogation so popular on TV shows. One look at Roman’s fiery eyes, and I’m disappointed at the realization that I would be playing the good cop.
“Whoa, guys, I think we got off on the wrong foot here or something. I didn’t know those girls were with you, okay? I just came in here looking for a bite,” he says facetiously. “I’m sure there are plenty of humans to go around, right?”
“That’s not what my brother asked. Now answer us: what are you doing here in Oak Bluffs?” growls Roman as he shoves him up against the outer wall of the diner. A cat jumps out of the adjacent dumpster with a clang, momentarily startling us. Patrick tries to break free from Roman’s grasp, but my brother holds strong. Tightening the grip around his throat, Roman hisses, “Answer me.”
I’m slightly concerned by the venom that laces my brother’s voice, but I guess he’s getting the job done. It worries me when Roman teeters so close to the edge.
The guy finally starts talking. “Nothing, I swear. A couple of weeks ago I was just a normal guy, and then one day I wake up, and I’m a vampire. All I wanted to do was sink my teeth into my little sister, so I freaked out and left town. Oak Bluffs seemed as good a place as any to start my new life so I stopped here,” he explains. “I’m just trying to figure it all out.”
“What were you doing outside of Celeste’s house the other night?” I question. I’m still unconvinced by his story.
“I was out flying around looking for a willing donor, and I saw someone walking by themselves so I stopped for a closer look. Geez, what is it about this girl that has you two so worked up?”
“That’s our business, not yours. This is my suggestion to you Patrick: go home, pack your stuff, leave Oak Bluffs and never come back,” threatens Roman.
He takes a moment to consider his options and then makes the right decision. “Okay, okay, there’s no need to get violent. This place wasn’t that great anyway, I’m outta here.”
Almost in unison, Roman and I let out a sigh of relief. We watch as Patrick trudges to his black Honda Civic and drives off. Hondas are extremely popular cars, I say to myself, but even to me the excuse sounds hollow.
“That was easy,” I say.
“Too easy,” retorts Roman.
“That guy didn’t know anything; he was a new vampire and obviously didn’t have the brains to be behind any sort of plot against Celeste. He probably really was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” I say as I start to walk toward my own car. I think I said it more to assure myself than anyone else.
“I’m not convinced, little brother. It’s all too much of a coincidence. I’m going to keep watch over Celeste tonight just in case. We can’t risk anything happening to her.”
“I can go,” I offer, knowing full well by the look on his face that he’s going to object. “When was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?”
“I’m fine, I can handle it,” responds Roman as he takes off.
Now that my brother has taken on full time protection duty for Celeste, I find myself with some time on my hands. Perhaps I should go find that cute fairy from my dream…
The realm of the Fae isn’t open to just anyone, but luckily I know people. I pull out my phone, shoot off a text, and moments later a small whirling portal opens in the middle of Ralph’s parking lot. I quickly jump through before any late night patrons notice the bright light and swirling vortex. As I’m pulled through, I have the feeling of swimming through a tub of Vaseline, and it’s not altogether pleasant. Finally emerging on the other side with the odd sense that I now know what it feels like to be birthed, I’m greeted by Roxie. She is dressed to the nines and standing in front of a glowing emerald door. It’s the entrance to the fairy club, Faery Tails. She gives me a mischievous grin as the neon light highlights her short hot pink hair and Catwoman-inspired sleek unitard. I pull her into a hug and kiss both of her smooth cheeks.
“Nice to see you too, stranger,” she says. “Where have you been?”
“You know, charming pretty ladies, attending university, saving the world – the usual stuff.”
I haven’t been to the fairy realm in a long time. In addition to trying to keep a low profile, I was also avoiding my ex. She was a good friend of Roxie’s and things got a little awkward as break-ups often do.
“So are we going in?” she asks as she laces her arm through mine.
“After you,” I say gallantly. She actually has to go first, because I wouldn’t be able to open the door. Fairies are extremely secretive, and they like to keep to themselves. It’s very likely I will be the only non-fairy in the club, but that’s exactly what makes it interesting.
As we walk in, we’re assaulted by the pounding bass and neon spotlights circling the immense space. The fairies really know how to party. There’s an enormous disco ball hovering over the center of the dance floor and a few silver cages dangle in mid-air. Inside of the cages, are some of the most beautiful scantily clad women I’ve ever seen. I will admit one thing: of all the supernatural races, fairies definitely have the most attractive women. A tall, muscly guy bumps into me as we make our way through the crowd and sneers at me. He looks like Adonis or one of the other Greek gods. I guess the males of the species aren’t bad looking either.
We finally reach the bar and a cute bartender appears before me. I have to be careful about what I drink tonight; fairy beverages are nothing like human ones. I decide to play it safe and stick with a Corona. As I take a swig, I notice that Roxie is making eyes at me. Uh oh. I hope she doesn’t get the wrong idea. I’m not interested in her like that; I’m just looking for a distracting night out. Before I can make that clear, she drags me onto the dance floor. I hesitate for a moment, but who am I kidding? I love to dance.
The hypnotic beat is thrumming through my body as I move to the rhythm as though in a trance. Roxie’s not a bad dancer either, her petite body moving and twisting seductively to the beat. She’s smiling and throwing her head back in reckless abandon as her pink hair flies in every direction. I pull her hand toward me and spin her out again as she laughs ecstatically. She dances toward me and wraps her arms around my neck, and I take a step back. As I do, I bump into what feels like a stony wall, but I know to be a man. I turn around to apologize, and the guy puts his meaty hand around my neck. Normally, I would break his arm, but since I’m a guest here I decide to try and play it cool instead.
I put my hands up in a peaceful display as Roxie runs up beside me. She’s yelling at the guy, but I can’t make out a single word over the booming music. Two more guys suddenly appear next to him, and before I know it, I’m being forcibly dragged off the dance floor. So much for a fun night out. I’m escorted to a relatively quiet back room, and now my ears are ringing as the roaring music fades out. The three guys force me down on a chair as Roxie glares at them defiantly, arms crossed over her chest.
“Leave him alone, Diesel,” she says at the towering guy who I bumped into.
“What are you thinking, bringing someone of his kind here?” he shouts.
“He’s not doing anything wrong. What do you care?” she retorts.
“You know the rules, Roxie. He is not allowed here.”
I’ve probably been to this club about a hundred times. This was clearly something personal.
“We’re over Diesel. You need to face it and move on. Stop harassing me and my dates,” she says.
Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Of course it’s just my luck to get in the middle of a bad break-up.
I decide to intervene. “Look, it’s Diesel, right? I’m sorry if you misunderstood, but Roxie and I are just friends. I came out to have a good time, that’s it. I’m not looking for any trouble,” I assure him. I’m starting to think this whole night was a mistake, and I should have just gone home after the diner.
“Are you trying to say my Roxie isn’t good enough for you?” he asks.
“No, of course not. She’s amazing, beautiful, and everything I could ever want in a fairy. You’re a lucky man,” I add. She’s blushing now, and I see sparks igniting between the two former lovers.
“Let him go, baby,” says Roxie as she runs her hand down his blond mane.
“Fine,” he growls. “Get out of here and don’t ever come back.”
The bright white light of the portal appears in front of me, and I jump through it without looking back.