by CC Solomon
I looked past the living area to the balcony, which ran the length of the room. A man stood on the balcony. There was a small, circular patio set to his right. He rested his hands on the railing, back to me. He was dressed in tailored black slacks, and a pale-blue collared shirt was tucked in his pants. He was around six feet and of average build, although I could see definition in his arms under the fabric of his shirt. His wavy black hair was cut into a low fade, and his skin was the color of caramel. Although I couldn’t see his face, I already knew who he was.
I quickly walked through the room and slid open the balcony doors. “Phillip?” I asked, sliding the doors closed behind me. My heart thudded loudly in my ears, and my nerves rattled, threatening to make my knees give out.
The man turned around, and I caught my breath, frozen. It was him.
“Amina,” He whispered. His honey-colored eyes seemed to glow, and he grinned a toothy smile. Phillip walked over to me, shaking his head. He then wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace, and it seemed we stood like that for minutes. We didn’t say a word.
Finally, he stood back and looked at me from arm’s length, his eyes intense. I had never had a man look at me that way. Like I was the best thing he’d ever seen. It was amazing and scary at the same time. “Damn, you’re beautiful,” he whispered.
“Thank you. You too!” I placed my hands on my cheeks. “I can’t believe it’s you. I didn’t know if it was really going to happen,” I said. “There are so many things I want to ask you.”
“And I want to talk to you too, but if I don’t do this first, I won’t be any good,” he said in a quiet tone before leaning in and kissing me.
It was soft at first, then deep. He kissed me slowly as if he had all the time in the world. I dropped my hands, and he gently touched the sides of my face and pressed his lips harder on mine. My stomach did backflips. He explored my mouth with his tongue and flicked my upper lip, sending mini-explosions through me. He moved a hand to the small of my back, and I was thankful for that support because I was feeling unsteady.
I pressed further into him and wrapped my arms around his neck, wanting more as he moved me to the patio glass door. My back now against the cool glass, I let out a whimpering moan, tasting more of him. His lips were so soft and warm. He moved his hand under my shirt, his soft fingers brushing my skin. I shivered in response.
How he made me feel like this was beyond me. It was primal. His lips alone stirred things low in me. I wanted to rip our clothes off and press us closer together.
I think I would have, except I did have a tiny bit of my faculties left, and having sex on a balcony in bright daylight with a virtual stranger wasn’t my thing. I was no exhibitionist. More importantly, although lust was running the show, my heart was not. I thought of Erik. There was something between us, and I wasn’t ready to chuck it all, just because Phillip had been helpful to me. There were other ways to show my gratitude.
I cursed my indecisive hormones. What was going on with me? I didn’t behave this way.
I moved sideways, away from Phillip, hands up in surrender, and eyes wide.
He looked at me with similar shock, his hands still out, as if holding me in an invisible embrace.
We stayed like that, in our confused stand-off, for several seconds. I was pretty sure by now that he was feeling as out of sorts as I was. Neither of us could have expected to have that kind of reaction to just touching each other for the first time. It was more than instant attraction and lust. There was a connection that seemed to defy logic. Had we known each other in the Pre-world and simply forgotten? Like Felix? Did I have some memory blocks since becoming something new? It was certainly possible.
“What was that?” Phillip finally asked, lowering his hands. He sounded a bit breathless, and I understood because my heart was still beating loudly in my ears. “I feel like I’ve known you for years. But I don’t remember you from before. Just from our dreams.”
I scrunched my face in thought. “Perhaps we’ve been communicating in our dreams longer than we think, and subconsciously, we just reacted off of that?” I offered.
He nodded, his eyes slightly glazed. I imagined mine weren’t that different. “I’d buy that. Maybe we had a whole relationship in our dreams.” He chuckled.
“That would be freaky.”
He gave me a lopsided smile that I recalled seeing in my dreams. “We might have a lot to make up for in real life, then.” He stepped closer to me.
I backed up. “I don’t think that would be very productive. I have friends waiting outside, and my brother is across the hall.” Plus, I didn’t want to kiss him again. I couldn’t. He confused me. There was a man outside professing to knock down doors to get to me who gave me butterflies. I couldn’t forget or ignore that.
Phillip paused and nodded. “Would you like to sit? Anything to drink or eat?” He offered.
“Let’s sit out here. And nothing now, thanks.” I walked over to the table and sat down.
Phillip sat across from me. He reached out a hand, palm up, on the table. “Now that you’re here, I don’t want to let you go.”
I looked at his hand, debating whether I could trust myself to touch him.
“I won’t bite,” he stated.
I looked up to his face, and he gave me soft, kind eyes. I put my hand in his. “So, you run this town? Why didn’t you ever tell me that before?”
“I didn’t even think to mention it. It only recently happened. Our last leader died. Heart attack.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. So, is that why I hadn’t heard from you in a while? Busy?”
He frowned. “Uh, yeah. I’m sorry to have left you hanging. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, sort of. First, I want to thank you again for helping me escape. And then supporting me in that pharmacy. I don’t know why I keep doubting myself.”
“No need.”
“My brother and I made friends.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And they all decided to follow you here?”
“Something like that. We were in a government town who agreed to accompany us back to the prison to free the others. But the prison moved.”
“So, you can’t find them. Maybe I can help.”
“I don’t want to put you out. I mean, you’ve done so much already. But if there is anything I can do to repay you for setting me free, I will.”
“It’s not a problem. I want to help you find the others. I only ask that you consider staying here. Are all your friends paranormals?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s great. Part of what makes this town so successful is that we all have gifts.”
“You don’t want to be part of the government?”
He smiled. “We’re doing pretty well here.”
“I see.”
“Look, why don’t you and your friends relax, get freshened up, and meet me and some others for dinner? You can see how we live here.”
I nodded. “I look forward to it.”
The ponytail guard, who I learned was named Mitch, led us to rooms in another apartment about a quarter of a mile from Phillip’s apartment building. We got three apartments on the same floor to relax in and were informed that if we wanted to explore to call a specific number, they gave us, and someone would come to escort us around.
We all crowded into Charles and my apartment, gathering around the living room to regroup. We were surrounded by beige walls and carpets and deep-brown furniture. The barebones apartment was the total opposite of Phillip’s fully-decorated place.
“What are we doing here?” Erik asked, pacing the room. “If your friend says he can help us, then we should get right on it.”
“Well, he’s trying a locater spell, but those things aren’t always automatic. They can take time. I gave him a shirt I found in the prison, but it’s still work. He says he’s putting his best people on it. Until then, there isn’t anything I can do but help with location,” I explained, sitting on the arm of the cou
ch.
“We can head back to Hagerstown. We don’t have to stick around here to do this,” Charles stated, looking out of the balcony sliding doors.
“I still need to meet Annie Mae,” Lisa said. “And this town seems cool, I’d like to explore it.”
“I’d like to meet some of the people I dreamed of as well,” Felix concurred. “We can at least stay one night. Maybe we’ll find out that we want to stay longer.”
“Well, you guys may want to stay here, but I have a good thing going back in Hagerstown,” Faith said, crossing her arms.
“You’re a bartender,” Felix stated, scrunching up his face.
Faith cut her eyes at him. “Yes, so? I like doing that. The only thing good about going to a new town is seeing new fa—” Her eyes widened. “—ces. New paranormal faces with lots of energy to share. You know, maybe we can stay here for a while.”
“Please don’t go around draining the locals,” Felix implored, eyes filled with concern.
Faith gave a slight shrug. “They’ll bounce back. They’re all paranormal.”
“When we were driving through the town, some of it didn’t smell right,” Erik stated, face in a grimace. “Like a musky locker room. Means there are some deceptive people here. Possible evil magic too.”
“Maybe we can help root that out for Phillip,” I stated. “We have to do something to pay him back. Well, maybe you guys don’t, but Charles and I do.”
“We’re all in this together,” Lisa replied.
“She’s right,” Felix said cheerfully. “If this guy helps free your people, then we gotta find some way to pay him back, even if it means staying and helping the town for a while. What else do we have to do?”
Chapter 16
Her name was Grace Sarin. She was about 5’7, with a toned and curvy build. She had long, waist-length, wavy, brown hair and dark-brown, almost-black eyes. Grace was a deep tan color, highlighting her East Indian descent. She was beautiful, and her smile seemed genuine and inviting. In another life, she could have been a Miss Universe pageant contestant. I was envious, but I liked her from the moment I saw her. She seemed so comfortable as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
She wore a bright-yellow sundress under a jean jacket. I rarely got an opportunity to dress so carefree. I was always ready to run. It made me wonder if this town had offered so much security that people could really relax.
“You called for a tour?” she said in a deep voice, almost singing it. I felt like a bird should have flown down and perched on her finger. She was a Disney princess and was smiling so hard I could barely see her irises.
Faith, who had opened the door for her, turned and looked back at us with wide, confused eyes. “Are you part of the welcome committee?” She asked, turning back to Grace, a smirk on her face.
“I guess you could call me that.” Grace walked into the apartment towards the living room. “This everybody?”
Faith closed the door behind her and headed back to us. “Yeah, the gang’s all here.”
Felix stood up as soon as he saw her. “Grace,” he stated.
The woman tilted her head and gave Felix a curious smile. “How do you know my name?”
He walked towards her. “You’re the woman of my dreams.”
Grace chuckled. “Well, that’s always fun to hear.”
Lisa slapped her forehead.
Faith crossed her arms and chuckled. “I don’t think he meant it quite like that, sweetheart,” she stated.
Felix’s eyes widened in confusion. “I saw you and a lot of people from this town in my dreams. That’s what led me here.”
Grace nodded slowly, a slight look of confusion on her face. She looked around at everyone else. “So, what brings the rest of you beautiful people here?”
“We heard of the town and wanted to be a part of it,” Erik stated, nonchalantly, hands in his pockets.
Grace widened her eyes. “We don’t advertise. Except for our steel surrounding.”
“How many people do you have here?”
Grace’s smile widened if that were possible, and she tsked. “How ‘bout you tell me some truths, and I’ll give you some answers.” Hmm, the girl was smarter than she looked.
“Phillip and I dreamed of each other. Specifically, we were able to communicate through dreams and telepathy, and that’s how I found this place,” I said.
She squinted her eyes at me, smile still in place. “And how does sweetie pie over there know my name?” She titled her head towards Felix, hands on her hips.
“She thinks I’m cute,” Felix whispered to Charles, who was standing beside him.
“I didn’t hear her say that,” Charles whispered back.
“He has a gift,” I answered.
“All of you have gifts, right? What are they?”
“Answer our question first,” Erik demanded.
She looked to him, the smile never leaving. “Over one thousand gifted humans here.”
“How large is this town, size-wise?”
“Around six square miles. And we’ve been around for a little over four years. We get bigger over time. There, I gave you two for the price of one.” She giggled. “Your turn now. Answer my question,” she sang.
“We all have powers. I’m a werejackal. Charles is a tech mage. Amina is a witch. Faith is a succubus. Lisa is a fairy, and Felix…well, we don’t know what he is, but he has powers.”
I eyed Erik curiously. I hadn’t expected him to be so forthcoming. Looks like Snow White was getting Grumpy to follow her. He seemed just as surprised by his sharing because he lowered his head and shook it, eyes confused.
“You won’t tell anyone what Lisa is, will you?” I asked Grace.
She gave me a knowing smile. “Of course not. This is a town full of paranormals, but Fae are non-existent. I can imagine why you would want to keep it quiet, and I’ll be mum until I can’t be.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, I guess we’ll have to accept that.”
“How’d you get me to talk?” Erik asked, avoiding her eyes.
Grace looked to him. “I’m special. What’s your next question?”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but he narrowed his eyes and continued on. “How did your former leader die?” Erik asked.
I turned to Erik. “He had a heart attack. I told you that,” I stated. Erik didn’t look at me.
“Who told you that?” Grace asked me, a look of concern on her face.
I looked to her. “Phillip.”
She cocked an eyebrow and looked away. “Well, that’s what happened then.”
This time, I narrowed my eyes at her. “That doesn’t sound like a reassuring answer.”
She looked back at me with smiling eyes. “Why would Phillip lie to you? He seems to like you all, and we don’t get many visitors.” She clapped her hands excitedly. “So, what are you all interested in seeing?”
She was hiding something which made me uneasy. However, I promised Charles I wouldn’t get off track of our first mission, which was to find the others, so I would have to put that mystery on pause. I looked over at Erik who was staring at me. I gave him a questioning look, and he gave me a quick shake of the head and turned away. Well, that wasn’t good.
Turns out, Grace was actually a good tour guide. In our exploration of the small town, we discovered there was also a duckpin alley, which made Felix randomly excited, and a burlesque club run by a vampire group, which made Faith unsurprisingly excited.
Grace explained that she was one of the first to become a part of the town and that they only recently completed building the steel wall with a bit of magic and actual construction. They had a plan in place regarding how to expand as well and move the wall back as they grew in numbers. The town was always looking for more people, but they were set on it being a fully paranormal town. And the steel wall was an extra precaution against monsters and other threats if the ward didn’t hold.
The town started as a refuge for those with gifts who were hun
ted by humans, scared of them or humans imprisoning them. For this reason, she had no doubt that Phillip was honest about helping us free the others. Not that I had any question of that.
“We also have a library, a police station, and a building we use as a hospital, which is headed by the best medicine mage you will ever meet,” Grace added as we continued our tour of the town on foot.
“What’s your job here?” Erik asked, standing beside her.
“You mean besides tour guide? I run the library and teach. Someone’s subbing for me right now. Our school is headed by Ms. Annie Mae. She’s like the town mother of everyone,” Grace explained.
Lisa perked up. “Annie Mae? Can we meet her?”
“Taking you to her now,” Grace said. “You’ll love her. She makes the best desserts. I’m trying to learn her recipes.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that,” Felix stated, patting his stomach.
Annie Mae Jenkins lived on the first floor of garden-style apartments overlooking a beautiful, flower-and-vegetable-garden-filled courtyard. When we arrived, she was sitting in the courtyard at a large picnic table with two pitchers of what I assumed was fresh lemonade, some glasses, plates, utensils, and a large carrot cake and apple pie. I loved her already.
She was whispering something to a small bluebird perched on her index finger. Okay, clearly, she was the real Disney princess here.
Annie Mae was short with cocoa-colored skin and tightly curled, short, black hair. She wore a red, brightly-printed maxi wrap dress and a chunky yellow necklace. She was in good shape for a woman who appeared to be in her mid-50s, although something told me she was ten years older than that. She looked over at us, at me, I thought and smiled. I smiled back without thinking.
“I’ll catch you all later. You have my number,” Grace stated and backed away through the gates of the courtyard.
I was still amazed they had a local phone system.