by F. L. Jordan
"Of course, sir," the doctor sounded offended. "All medical information is not only confidential, but legally protected by malpractice regulations." Zach found it slightly amusing that the man was informing him of the law.
"My name is Zachariah Hail," before he could finish his statement the doctor cut him off.
"As in Peoples with Disabilities?" Why did the man have to sound excited?
"Yes," Zach sighed, "and I'm... having issues dealing with the event that caused my blindness."
“That’s not uncommon,” the man’s tone instantly became professional. “What type of issues are you struggling with?”
“The general shit, depression and low self esteem,” Zach was going to leave it at that, until Copper nipped his ear, “and some more serious things like... alcohol and substance abuse.”
“You’re headed in the right direction by seeking help, Mr. Hail,” Dr. Tory stated. “Most individuals in your position struggle quietly because they’re afraid of the repercussions, when in reality this just makes their condition worse. I’d like to schedule an emergency session with you tomorrow afternoon so we can get you on the road to better health. Is there a time that works best for you?”
“My shift ends at 6,” Zach wrapped his free arm around his waist, leaning his forehead into the wall. A normal person would be idly looking out the window right now. He knew standing in the corner like this had to make him look as insane as he felt.
“Let’s see... the station is a few blocks away,” Zach could hear the man’s computer mouse clicking. “How about I pencil you in for 6:30?”
“Sounds great,” Zach lied, none of this sounded great. It sounded like he was giving up on himself. Throwing his entire career out the window. He would rather step out in front of oncoming traffic at rush hour than go to this appointment.
“I look forward to meeting you, Mr. Hail,” Dr. Tory’s enthusiasm somehow made Zach even more uncertain.
“Likewise,” He lied again. “Goodbye.” He didn’t wait for the doctor to say goodbye before he ended the call, instantly holding down the home button and raising the phone to his lips once more, “Call Wa Wa.”
Copper hopped excitedly on Zach’s shoulders, Can I get my talons sharpened? Pleeeeaaaasse!
Christ, calm down, Zach smiled as he returned to his desk and sat down. Wea herself picked up and scheduled Zach in for an appointment that evening. He was her favorite customer, probably because he never talked much and left massive tips. After hanging up he made one more call.
“Call Pepe’s,” Zach commanded the phone and Copper snorted.
I thought you wanted Chinese? The little dragon closed the phone book and returned it to its shelf.
I changed my mind, Zach told him as he put in his order; as always, he picked the healthiest option available on the menu.
Copper could care less what the man wanted to eat. He was just happy Zach had kept his promise.
Chapter 3
Natalie’s phone buzzed as she hung her uniform up in her locker for the evening. When she saw who the caller was, she debated whether or not she should even answer. Deciding it was better not to ignore the woman, Natalie sighed and brought the phone to her ear, “What’s up, Cora?”
“What do you mean what’s up?” the woman’s voice crackled through the phone’s speaker. “Happy birthday, bitch! Starra and I are outside, we’re going to pamper the fuck out of you.”
“Outside where?” Natalie slammed her locker door and hefted her purse over her shoulder as she turned to leave.
“The station, duh,” Cora laughed.
“I don’t work there anymore,” Natalie said quietly as she walked.
“Wait, I thought you just transferred, what do you mean you don’t work here anymore,” her friend sounded genuinely worried.
“Huh?” Natalie was confused. “What station are you outside of?”
“The 4th Precinct, Starra told me about the transfer,” Cora was starting to lose her patience. “Now hurry up and get your ass out here! This taxi meter is RUN-ING!”
Natalie groaned and hung up, lightly sprinting towards the exit. The last thing she needed was for her new co-workers to see her get into a taxi with these women. When she pushed open the large glass door she was pleasantly surprised to find Cora dressed in modest clothing. Natalie looked past her and was happy to discover that the other woman in the cab wore the same attire, jeans and a t-shirt with her green hair in a sloppy bun. They looked exactly like her. Normal. Natalie breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Cora before climbing into the cab.
She hugged Starra as she settled into the vehicle, trying to hide her smile, “And here I thought I’d be spending my birthday alone.”
“You only turn thirty once, Babe!” Cora laughed. “I hope you can handle that gun of yours with nails, because we are heading to the best salon in town!”
“Guys, I don’t make the same kind of money as I used to,” Natalie stated hastily.
“What kind of friends would we be if we made you pay for anything on your birthday?” Starra sat up from her seat, twirling a loose lock of green hair as she snapped her gum.
“We’ve been saving up for this night for weeks,” Cora winked at her. “Nails, hair, dinner, and dancing.”
“If you want drinks though you’ll have to charm a few men,” Starra giggled. “We’re not THAT loaded.”
“The last thing I need right now is a hangover,” Natalie laughed. “Thanks, guys.”
They both wrapped her in a hug, laughing and joking as the taxi took them downtown. Once they were deposited at the city’s shopping district Starra paid the driver and the night began. Cora drug them both into the hair salon first. Natalie hadn’t had her hair cut in years. She ended up apologizing at least a thousand times while the beautician combed through her thick tangled curls. The man had simply laughed and offered a relaxer treatment to help her manage the wild mane. She’d declined, happy with her natural pain in the ass hair. He washed, trimed, and straightened it for the evening, assuring her that the curls would come back as soon as she showered.
Starra had her roots touched up and Cora decided to go all out and shave off her afro, bleaching it and dying the remaining hair orange. Starra harassed her about taking forever, but Natalie simply enjoyed her time with them. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten to just be herself. By the time they entered the nail salon she’d forgotten all about the transfer, how much she hated her new job, and how much of a dump her new apartment was.
“Oh my God,” Cora gasped, whispering as she pointed to a nail technician’s table, “look!”
Natalie’s eyes grew wide as she spotted the copper colored dragon. The nail tech had him laying on his back with his little claws in the air as she sharpened his talons. Copper was surrounded by towels with a little black eye mask over his face. His tail and wings drooped lazily over the side of his makeshift bed, twitching slightly as the technician moved to a new talon. He looked positively comfortable and absolutely adorable. Natalie was having a very hard time not laughing at the sight.
“Great,” Starra groaned. “Well that’s one way to ruin a perfect girl’s night. I’m sorry, hun, looks like we’ll have to bail on the nails.”
“Why,” Natalie said sternly. “You’re doing nothing illegal. Besides, this is what I was looking forward to most.”
“Yeah,” Cora stepped up to the counter. “Come on, you chicken.”
“Are you nuts!” Starra hissed at them in a harsh whisper. “If that thing is here, Sergeant Killjoy is too. Let’s go.”
“Mr. Grumpy Gills doesn’t scare me,” Natalie whispered back. “Unless that purse of yours is filled with drugs.”
Starra hugged the bag to her chest defensively. Natalie was about to chew her out for bringing illegal substances to her birthday fun when Cora called them over. She’d get her later, right now she needed to pick out her nail color.
“I’m sorry, ladies, but I don’t have enough tables to seat all of you at
once,” the young woman behind the counter said, looking over her shoulder at the pampered dragon with annoyance.
“If it helps,” Natalie piped up, “I don’t mind sitting next to him. I work in the same building with the little guy.”
The girl looked relieved, “In that case, please ladies, follow me.”
The technician sat Natalie at the open manicure table next to Copper while the others were seated in the back of the salon. It was probably best that Starra and her purse full of illegal goodies were now in the furthest spot away from the creature possible. The dragon was sharp, but he was also off the clock. Even if he did smell what was in that bag, Natalie doubted he’d do anything about it. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to be perfectly distracted at the moment.
Natalie chose to have a basic manicure done with a pretty dark purple polish, handing the bottle over to her technician as she sat. The woman set to work and Natalie found herself staring at the completely relaxed animal on the table beside her. She lost every ounce of composure she had when Copper’s technician brought out a large buffer and began polishing the scales on his belly. The little dragon’s tongue fell out of his mouth and he started gently kicking his hind foot, much like a dog in the middle of a good belly scratch.
Natalie laughed, covering her mouth with the hand the nail tech wasn’t working on. Both technicians found the reaction amusing as well, smiling and talking about it in their own native language. Upon hearing Natalie’s laughter Copper flipped himself over and swatted the mask from his face, ready to hiss at the offending stranger. When his eyes focused on her familiar face his venom vanished instantly.
“I’m sorry to laugh, little one,” she said aloud quietly, “but that was too cute.”
Copper looked her over, snorted a puff of smoke at her, and laid back down. The amazed technician finished polishing his under scales and then tapped the little dragon lightly, letting him know it was time to move onto his side. As the tech moved the buffer over the already glimmering animal, his scales became mirror-like. The creature was so reflective that he was nearly glowing. He glared at Natalie without saying a word, his eyes glinting with curiosity and wonder.
She ignored his gaze, looking around for his owner. Natalie spotted Hail in a pedicure chair on the other side of the room. He looked like he was asleep. He had his eyes closed with his hands folded in his lap, his body moving gently from the chair’s message rollers.
She shook her head and smiled at the dragon, whispering to him in her head, At least you boys know how to take care of yourselves.
What an ironic statement, he whispered back, leaning into the polisher for a good scratch, considering we’re here because Zach can’t trim his own nails.
Natalie looked at the man again, realizing now that he definitely wasn’t asleep. He was carefully inspecting his freshly manicured fingers, gently running each one over the pad of his thumb. He was so independent and cocky that she hadn’t thought about just how hard his life must be. Suddenly the scruff on his face and his unkempt hair made sense. Zach couldn't see to style it or shave. She felt bad for judging his appearance yesterday.
You should talk him into going to the barber next, Natalie whispered as her tech stuck her nails under a UV light.
I’ll see what I can do, Copper yawned as the polisher scrubbed his jaw. He doesn’t trust a lot of people to touch him, and his barber is currently out of town.
Can’t blame him for that, Natalie watched as Zach stood and started putting his shoes on. Every move the man made was calculated, careful, and to the general observer, normal. He was incredibly well adapted to his loss of vision.
Copper, you almost done? she was surprised to hear Zach’s voice so loudly in her head, but then again, he didn’t know she was there.
Yep, Copper responded. She’s finishing my face right now. I should be done by the time you pay.
Ok, Zach stated as he tied his shoes. Natalie was enjoying the insight to how the two of them operated, Anything I’m going to walk into if I follow the same path out?
Nope, Copper stretched as the technician put her tools away. Normally he’d fly directly to Zach, but he wanted to know what Natalie thought of his polished scales. The little dragon stepped out of his towel nest and hopped onto her table, showing off his wings and doing little turns for her as he whispered, What do you think? Am I shiny enough?
You’re positively blinding, she giggled as he continued the antics.
He rubbed his shiny head against her arm and flicked his tongue at her before leaping into the air, See you at work.
Natalie turned to watch the animal land gracefully on his human’s shoulders as he walked out the door. When she turned back to her technician the woman looked completely astounded, but didn’t say anything. She just removed the light from Natalie's nails and walked her over to a pedicure chair. After a few minutes of soaking in the foot bath, Starra was seated next to her.
“How the hell did you do that?” Starra asked as she turned on the chair’s massager.
“Do what?” Natalie asked innocently.
“Don’t play dumb,” Cora sat beside her. “How’d you get Hail’s dragon to like you?”
“A magician never reveals their secrets” Natalie joked, then allowed a serious tone to slip into her voice. “If the two of you would have chosen a different profession, you wouldn’t have to worry about him at all.”
“Not tonight,” Starra begged. “We’re going to have fun tonight.”
“Yes!” Cora exclaimed excitedly. “Dinner and dancing!”
“We’re not really dressed for dancing,” Natalie laughed, hoping they might forget about that part of the night.
“Psh,” Cora grabbed her massive purse from the floor, digging out a small glittery piece of black fabric and a pair of flats. “Did you really think we didn’t come prepared?”
Natalie groaned, sat back, and tried to enjoy what was sure to be the calmest part of her night. To her dismay, she'd had no idea how true that prediction was going to be. After dinner, a simple meal at a family friendly Italian place, Starra had dragged her into the bathroom and forced her to change into the dress Cora had brought. When Natalie emerged from the stall the other two women were wearing similar attire, but with six inch stilettos and massive hoop earrings. Cora offered her a pair and she took them, laughing at how ridiculous she felt.
"You might feel silly," Cora turned Natalie towards the bathroom mirror, "but you look hot."
Natalie inspected herself, frowning as she held out her hand to Starra, "Lipstick, eyeshadow, and mascara. If I'm going to do this, I need a full face of war paint."
"Yes ma'am!" Starra laughed and handed over her entire purse. By the time Natalie was done, she was unrecognizable. Dark smokey eyes, midnight blue lipstick, straight black hair, pale complexion; she looked like a witch. Natalie applied one more layer of lipstick, handed the tube back to Starra and grabbed her purse.
Cora gently grabbed Natalie’s right hand, examining the silver ring on her middle finger, “I’m surprised you still wear this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you do, it’s just, you know.”
“Yeah,” she twisted the little band, “I guess I’m sentimental. Anyway, let’s go con a few guys out of some drinks.” Starra cheered and led the charge out of the restaurant and into the club.
By the time the taxi dropped Natalie off at her apartment she was far too drunk and her feet were killing her. She waved goodbye to the girls and sighed as she watched the taxi drive away. She wasn’t cut out for working a full day and then partying until the early morning hours anymore. She was too old for this shit, but she’d had a lot of fun.
Natalie had almost reached the steps to her apartment building when a ruckus rang out from the alley. She clutched her brass knuckle key ring and headed towards the sound. She’d never been able to shy away from danger. It was like she was drawn to it.
Inside the dimly lit alley a group of teenage boys were kicking a plastic sack around. Natalie could see
the blood from whatever creature was inside it wetting the thin material. This was unfortunately a common practice within the city.
“Alright, punks,” she called out to them, “Move along, before I decide to give you the same treatment.”
“What’d you say to us?” the oldest boy looked up. Natalie recognized the blue star tattooed over his left eye instantly. Great, not only was she drunk and outnumbered five to one, but these boys were members of a magic bearing gang.
Natalie dropped her brass knuckles and pulled the small wooden hair pin from her bun. She was thankful that she’d remembered to get it back from the hairstylist. As her hair fell, she aimed the pin and took a step towards the group, “I said piss off.”
The boy kicked the bag once more before marching towards her, “I think we need to show this chick a good time, boys.” They all laughed and started to follow him. Natalie just rolled her eyes and flicked her wrist. The group slammed into the wall of the building to her right.
“You like picking on defenseless creatures?” Natalie smiled at them sweetly. “Well, I like knocking some sense into boys like you.” She flicked her wrist again, smacking them into the building once more before waving her entire arm to her left. She was satisfied by the sound of their bones crunching against brick, dropping their whimpering forms to the filthy ground. Normally, her magic was difficult to control when she was inebriated, but tonight it came to her with ease.
Natalie calmly approached the group of now cowering youths, “Scram, before I decide to do worse.”
“Let’s get out of here!” The leader took off limping, leaving his friends behind as they struggled to stand.
Natalie watched them leave before she put her hair back up, expertly tucking the pin into place. She’d never had a proper wand. Such things were considered blasphemous during her youth, and now they were just too damn expensive. She rarely used her magic anyway, witches weren’t common in police work. They were deemed a risk. Society didn't trust a witch to keep them safe, why would they? The ancient mages had earned a nasty reputation for magic bearing people by switching sides mid fight. Those with political power now kept the stigma flowing by putting out false reports about gang violence and black market dealings. The outbreak of illegal black magic trading didn't help either. The common person was terrified of anything witch related. If only they knew just how many politicians, doctors, and lawyers were people of magic.