by CC Solomon
We moved through the entrance of the courtyard in awe of Annie Mae and the surroundings. The courtyard consisted of a black stone walkway, mini vegetable gardens, trees, some fruit-bearing, and flowers. Seating areas were scattered about, and there was a mini fountain filled with koi fish in the middle of the space. Surrounding the courtyard were white brick and mortar apartments going up three levels. I swear I heard soothing ‘40s era jazz coming through some unseen speakers.
A sense of calm fell over me that I had only felt when visiting a spa before the world went to crap. The smell of flowers and pie filled my nostrils, and I felt like skipping over to her.
“Don’t just stand there, y’all, come on over,” Annie Mae called, watching the bird fly away.
“How’d she know we were coming?” Erik asked as we headed over.
“That’s Annie Mae, and she’s a seer or psychic,” Lisa answered. “She told me in a dream.”
“I hope you all have a sweet tooth. I made this, all from scratch, no magic,” Annie Mae added. “As easy as it can be, nothing beats old-fashioned cooking.”
“You telling me,” Felix said, eyeing the spread.
“Well, eat up, honey. I didn’t bake this just for it to be seen, chile’,” she said, getting up from her chair. “Where’s my girl Lisa?”
Lisa, who was behind us all called out. “I’m here!” She quickly walked over to Annie Mae, and they embraced in a tight hug. I felt a twinge of jealousy. We’d all lost mothers, and seeing what appeared to be that relationship in front of us did affect me a bit.
Annie Mae let go of Lisa, who looked a little dejected. “This is a safe space for you all. We can talk freely here.”
“We couldn’t before?” Erik asked arms crossed again.
Annie Mae shrugged. “In a town full of magic, you never know who is listening to your conversation. Lot of nosey people around. But you can talk here.” She clapped her hands together. “I am just so happy to finally see you all.”
“Were you expecting us?” Erik questioned, face still in a suspicious scowl. Clearly, he was not buying the good vibrations Annie Mae was selling us.
The older woman smiled at him. “Yes, I was, Erik.” She walked over to grumpy bear, reached up, and patted his shoulder.
“Can you be a little nicer, Erik?” I whispered to him.
“I don’t mind the questions. You are a born leader, Erik. I can tell. You don’t want to be anymore, I know, but you can’t help it. It’s who you are. You won’t be happy with life if you don’t stand up. And you have a lot of life left. I am looking forward to watching you make this world better.”
Erik softened his face, but he did not say a word. Annie Mae patted his shoulder again.
I smiled and walked over to cut a piece of cake—it was calling me—as Annie Mae moved back to Lisa.
“Lisa, doll. We’ve talked before, but you know I think the world of you. You are not the lost child you think you are. Your world is about to become much larger. Filled with friends, love, and a strength you’ve been afraid to find. You are more than what you were.”
Lisa gave her a thousand-watt smile.
Annie Mae next moved on to Faith and grabbed her hands. “Faith. You are more than meets the eye. You embody what our future will become in so many ways. Don’t be afraid to show all that you are.” Annie Mae looked down at Faith’s hands and arms. “Love the tattoos.”
None of us knew what Annie Mae was talking about, but the look on Faith’s face—enlightenment—showed that she did.
Judging by the reactions so far, it was like Annie Mae was more than a seer. It was like she was a blanket of peace. I couldn’t wait until she made it over to me. I sat down, ate my cake, and continued to watch the show as Annie Mae walked over to Charles.
“Charles. Aren’t you a ball of fun? Don’t you ever lose that spirit. I know you’ve been through heartache, and I wish I could tell you it’s all good times from here. But what makes you a survivor is your resolve to be who you always were, even when the world around you isn’t. It’s admirable, and it’s why you are so lovable. No matter what happens to you, don’t ever change who you are at your core.” Annie Mae gave him a light pinch of the cheeks, and Charles gave her a self-appreciating smile before she moved on to Felix.
Felix stood up and put his pie filled plate down. “Hello, ma’am,” he greeted her. “Can I give you a hug?”
Annie Mae laughed. “I was hoping you would.” Felix quickly wrapped her in a bear hug, and she chuckled in delight. “You are wiser than people give you credit for. You have heart and intelligence,” Annie began, pulling away from Felix. “When these people around you forget about why we are all here still, why God or whatever great power you all believe in has us still living, you remind them. You are the glue.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I can’t tell you what you really want to know. What you are, at least not yet, but the truth will come. The things you’ve lost will return. And with that realization, you must remain the good person you are now. Don’t let the truth make you hide from who you are. Embrace it and be better for it.” She patted his shoulder.
Annie Mae moved on to me, and I jumped up. She opened her arms and gave me a hug just like I’d hoped she would. My eyes started to water, and again, it made me miss my own mother something fierce. I was going to hold in the tears now, but tonight I’d have a full-on, ugly cry for sure.
“Amina, you have so much work to do.” She pulled away and laid her hands on my shoulders. “I hate telling you that because it doesn’t sound all warm and fuzzy. But you’re a smart woman, and you’re used to hard work. And if you remain strong, I really believe that things will work out. You felt alone before, but now you never will be. This new world was made for you. You are going to shine like you never thought you could before. You really are a blessing.”
“Wow,” I whispered. My heart somehow felt ten times fuller. I wasn’t scared by her words. I was going to make myself strong enough to live up to them.
“That was a good one,” I heard Felix murmur.
Annie Mae looked at the group of us. “I bet you’re wondering what that was about. You must know by now that you were not brought together by coincidence. The six of you are connected by spirit and magic, and it is through you that this world will be able to survive. If you stay strong and united. It sounds easy now, but it won’t be. I can’t tell you why you were chosen. I honestly don’t know. But the stronger you become individually, the more powerful you will become as a unit. You will be able to do things no one else can.”
Annie Mae turned to me. “Your ability to dream of Phillip was a showcase of that power.”
“Is he part of this too?” I asked.
She tilted her head from side to side. “To a degree. You and Phillip have dreamed of each other for at least a year. He started coming to me often, and he would tell me about a dream he had of you. Each time he never remembered that he had already dreamed of you before; only I knew. Sometimes people come to me to help interpret their dreams. I can even sometimes enter dreams as I did with Lisa. But you, Amina, you seemed to have a profound effect on him. Why he couldn’t remember you from his dreams, I didn’t understand.”
“What kind of dreams?” Charles asked. I gave him a side-eye, which he annoyingly avoided.
I prayed to God Annie Mae wouldn’t spill my secrets.
Annie Mae looked to him. “Now that, my dear, is confidential. Although,” Annie Mae looked to me. “Maybe we can talk some time about the dreams.”
“Then what about the six of us? You said it’s not a coincidence we all met?” Erik asked, arms crossed.
Mae looked to him and nodded. “Yes, there is a purpose. I’ve seen all of you in visions, engaged in battles. You were fighting something very dreadful, but I have yet to see the face of your enemies. I just know that they aren’t anything good for humanity. I believe you six were sent here from God to stop whatever is to come. Sadly, I cannot tell you more. My visions aren’t
always so specific. But if I come to know more, I will share it with you.” She suddenly inhaled and clapped her hands together again. “Now eat up, sweeties. I put my foot in this cake.”
Evidently, she was done talking about this subject. And here I thought she was comforting.
Chapter 17
Phillip’s little dinner turned out to be bigger than we expected. There were maybe thirty people in the building. He closed down one of the restaurants, a dark and sexy Japanese restaurant and lounge named Tezuka in its former life. The guests already present were dressed like they were going out to be seen at the club. There was a mix of leather pants, tailored suits, short dresses, and high heels.
My group was a mixture of jeans, cargo pants, tennis, and flat boots. When we packed to go on this little trip, fun wasn’t in our mindset. I had on a white T-shirt, jeans with “fashionable” holes in them, and brown hiking boots. I hadn’t worn heels in years, which was quite unlike my life before. I lived in dresses and pumps and happy hours then.
We slowly entered the space like a tentative posse ready to fight anyone about to pounce. The inside of the restaurant held black leather couches and chairs in one area, and sleek, black dining furniture in a separate area. Rap music from the early 1990s blared from the speakers. The walls were a deep gray, with black stenciled flowers on top under bright red lighting around the perimeter. Behind the bar was a gigantic fish tank against the wall. With actual fish! Clearly, this community was doing well because between those fish and the ones in the courtyard pond at Annie Mae’s, I could have had a fish fry.
“Welcome!” Phillip called with open arms, standing at the bar near the other guests. He was dressed in jeans, a fitted, dark-gray vest over a blue button-down shirt and gray, tailored blazer. He looked amazingly, dapper.
A bartender was busy mixing cocktails, and I looked to my left at the dining space set for a large party. Appetizers were spread out in the center of many of the circular tables, which had been pushed together. This was a real shindig.
“I’m ready for a drink,” Charles said as we headed to the bar.
Lisa leaned into me. “I’m so livid right now. We look like we’re ready to go hiking in the woods, and they look ready for a photoshoot. I can glamour the six of us and make us look just as hot,” she muttered.
I shrugged. “We’re fine. We aren’t here to impress,” I replied.
“But aren’t we, though?”
From the corner of the bar and lounge area to my right, I spotted Grace sitting on a couch. She gave me a wave with an ear to ear grin. I waved back and returned her smile.
“Amina, what do you want to drink? Anything at all,” Phillip asked. He leaned in and hugged me, kissing me on the cheek. A tinge of welcomed electricity passed between us, and I pulled away quickly. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t go all crazy on him again but I didn’t trust myself that much anymore.
“I’ll have an Old Fashioned if you have the fixings,” I replied. I didn’t expect him too. Nowadays, access to alcohol was pretty much whoever scored liquor in their scavenging or bartering. Some people made liquor, wine, and beer, but they were few and harder to encounter.
Phillip cocked an eyebrow. “My kind of woman.” He turned slightly to the bartender, a guy with orange, spiky hair. “Old Fashioned for the lady and take care of her friends as well.”
I supposed I wasn’t surprised he was able to accommodate me. Although the rest of the places I’d been were relegated to simple alcoholic drinks, this town seemed to be prosperous. In a place full of paranormals, I was sure there would be people magically mixing up alcoholic concoctions.
I looked around for the others. Felix was sitting on the couch next to Grace, and Charles and Faith were talking to some other faces in the crowd. Erik was at the other end of the bar, talking to a tall black man appearing to be in his early 30s with a shaved head and deep-brown complexion.
I looked back to Phillip and his people. It was like he was surrounded by an entourage. A woman came up to Phillip, her hand possessively on his arm. She was fair, with almost porcelain white skin, her hair was whitish blond and cut into a bob that was longer in the front than the back. She was about 5’5, and a body-hugging black dress that stopped at the knees covered her slender frame.
“Hi,” I said, reaching out to greet her with a shake. “I’m Amina.”
“Blake Devlin,” she stated, a tinge of a smile piercing her lips, her steel gray eyes looking at me with intrigue.
Phillip moved slightly away from Blake and passed my drink to me. “Blake is the leader of the vampires here,” Phillip said.
Ugh, vampires. They were a difficult bunch. They weren’t a one-size-fits-all type. Some were pure animals or what we now named blood-lust vampires, having given in fully to the need for blood and losing all control, emotion, and intelligence.
On the other end, were vampires who looked like regular humans and maintained intelligence. Some would still rip your throat out. Others held their humanity and compassion and would ask for a donation of blood, instead of taking it without permission. And still, others would just go for animals and leave us non-vampires alone totally.
The one thing all vampires had in common was that they were not friends of the sun. The stronger they were, the less the sun harmed them and instead just gave them a sunburn at the worst. They were also fast and super strong. Holy water, crosses, and garlic were ineffective, and they did not have to wait to be invited inside your house. But you could still kill them by destroying their hearts or chopping off their heads.
Blake wasn’t blood-lust, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a threat.
“Are you the one who owns the strip club?” Lisa asked with a knowing smile.
“Burlesque Bar,” Blake corrected her, eyes neutral.
“I see,” Lisa said with a quick shrug. “Well, I’m Lisa.”
“You smell...different,” said a man to our right. He looked like the type of guy who would be called Biff or Cal or some football-player-type name. He was an almost 6-foot, muscular white man with short, copper-colored hair and blue eyes.
Lisa moved closer to me.
“This is Seth McIntire, the leader of our weres here,” Phillip explained.
“I’m a weretiger,” Seth added, eyeing Lisa like she was a steak dinner.
Gold star for you, I wanted to say but kept my mouth shut.
Felix walked over to us, standing between Lisa and Seth, the tiger. Good timing.
“What are you?” Seth asked Lisa, peeking beyond Felix.
Uh-oh. Please don’t let this be another were who likes to eat fairies.
“She is not the droid you’re looking for,” Felix said in his poor imitation of Obi-Wan Kenobi from the old Star Wars movie.
“I don’t think you have mind control ability,” I said in a low voice to him, behind Lisa’s back.
Lisa opened her mouth and shrugged, unsure how to answer.
“Throw some magic on the situation,” I whispered to Lisa, slightly covering my lips. She was a fairy. One of her strengths was to cause confusion in people.
“Fairy, right?” Phillip asked grinning.
I could kill him. I looked at him with wide eyes and a tight smile, but he didn’t catch my face. Had he guessed, or had Grace spilled the beans after all?
“No, I’m an elemental mage,” Lisa said, batting her eyelashes.
Phillip nodded slowly, looking slightly…confused.
Lisa turned and winked at me, and I nodded my head in approval.
“Hey, you’re a were?” Felix stated, looking to Seth. “My friend Erik over there is a werejackal.”
Upon hearing his name, Erik walked over with a woman I had not seen him talking to before. A twinge of jealousy hit me for some irrational reason. I had no right to feel anyway with Phillip being here.
But the woman was pretty, dang it. She was Latina, with collarbone-length, golden-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. She was the same height as me but more athletic in build. She, too,
had awesome eyebrows with a perfect arch. Who was doing eyebrows in this town? I used to think I was cute, but I was feeling really subpar compared to these women.
Erik, having assessed the situation, stood near Felix, blocking Lisa as well.
“Yeah, I’m a were. Are you the alpha here?” Erik asked Seth.
Seth gave him a curt nod, briefly looking away from Lisa.
“I was just talking to your second.” Erik tilted his head towards the tall black man who seemed to be the only were in the room, not eyeing Lisa. He joined us with a greeting.
Seth gave a toothy smile that came out less than friendly. “Yeah, good ole Carter Banks,” he slapped the man’s back. “He’s not really a were, but he was strong enough to fight his way to second.”
“What are you?” I asked. “Sorry, I’m Amina, witch.” I offered my hand to him.
Carter looked to me and shook my hand. “I’m a shapeshifter. Basically, I can turn into any living thing.”
I dropped my mouth open. “Oh, wow. I don’t think I’ve ever met a shapeshifter.”
He smiled at me, and it seemed genuine. “That you know of.”
I tapped my head with my index finger and then pointed at Carter.
“Hi, I’m Raya Ortiz,” said the woman standing near Erik. We shook hands, and she gave me the slightest smile. It was one of those smiles that could be mistaken for grimaces. Like when you smiled to be polite to someone you really didn’t care for. What the hell had I done to her?
I looked to Erik, feeling his hand on the small of my back. I looked back to her, sizing me up like the competition. Well, guess that question was answered. In fact, as I looked around the room, I noticed a few other women not so discreetly staring at Erik. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. He was a sexy, unmated, were. I was not in friendly territory.
We all eventually moved to the dining area to eat, and I met a few other inner circle people. They all seemed pleasant enough but not the warm and fuzzy people that Annie Mae and Grace seemed to be. There was something very pretentious about them all. Money wasn’t much of anything anymore, and no one cared about your degrees or career now, but if you were a powerful paranormal, you were at the top. This town had an unspoken hierarchy, and all the cool and powerful kids were at this shindig. Thing was, I wasn’t so sure the cool kids were who I liked being around. At least not anymore.