Chapter 5: Midnight

Kal was standing in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. Towering overhead was a mixture of modern and historical buildings, all squeezed in together. There was no rhyme or reason to the style of the architecture either. It was like someone's collection of house figurines all displayed together. She wasn't sure that was the strangest part.

"We were just in a closet, right?" She spun around, looking for the way they'd come, but it was nowhere.

It didn't make sense. Kal was tired of things not making sense. They'd been in the bedroom a second ago until Devin slid open the closet door and practically threw her into it, following along behind. And now, here they were. He smiled gently and nodded. He seems to be enjoying my newbie confusion.

Devin took her hand and started to lead her down the street. She followed along, looking at each shop as they passed by. Everything from the human world was here; salons, clothing boutiques, bookstores, and restaurants.

"Where are we going?" She pulled at his hand, trying to get him to slow down.

"To get something to eat." He kept up his pace.

"Hunting?"

"Not quite."

She continued to jog after him as he pulled toward their destination. That is until she saw her reflection in a storefront full of cute clothes. Kal stopped, suddenly embarrassed, standing in the middle of a busy street in an old t-shirt and pajama shorts. She felt everyone staring at her. Judging her. Even though they weren't. Devin tugged on her arm, but she didn't want to move from this spot.

"What?" He asked.

"I can't go out like this." She twisted her fingers in the hem of her shirt and pulled her arms in as tightly as she could. Trying to make herself smaller, invisible, sinking down to the sidewalk in a tiny ball.

"You're serious?" He knelt in front of her.

She nodded.

"You were downtown like this last night." He pulled at the sleeve of her t-shirt.

"Not on purpose." She pushed his hand away gently.

"Fine." He sighed, already heading into the store. "I imagine you don't have any money?"

"No pockets." She raised the sides of her shirt, gesturing to her shorts. "I can pay you back."

"Forget it, just hurry." He replied.

---

A few minutes later, they were back on the sidewalk. Kal spun around in front of the shop, admiring her reflection, her violet skirt flaring as she did so. It was surprising how much more confident she felt, dressed properly instead of in her pajamas.

"Where are we?" Kal took a second to look around before being rushed down the street again. The sky was impossibly dark. There were no stars, no moon, just a dark, inky blackness hanging overhead.

"Midnight. It's like a place between places." He took her hand and resumed leading her down the street.

Every type of creature imaginable crowded the street. Some Kal recognized from movies and others she didn't know. Things with wings, things with tails. Big things, small things. Flying things, slithering things.

"Don't stare," Devin whispered.

"Sorry," She'd been fixated on a small, winged creature with beady black eyes and rows of sharp pointed teeth. She lowered her eyes to the ground and became busy smoothing her skirt. "Who are all these people?"

"Faeries, demons, all the things people no longer believe in."

He was right. Last year Kal wouldn't have hesitated to say these things weren't real. But they were, and so was she. She followed him into a small bar. 

"Why don't you sit here, and I'll bring us some drinks." Devin led the way to a small couch near the back of the room. 

"Okay, thanks." She plopped down on the couch and tried to stare without being noticed. The bar was small and dark; even with perfect night vision, she had difficulty making out the different figures seated around them. They seemed primarily human or human-like.

She couldn't believe it. It was too much, too sudden. An entire city, hidden in darkness, its population made entirely of non-humans. It made her wonder what other things were out there that she didn't know about. Maybe that guy on TV had a point.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted a glass." Devin set down two red cans and a pint glass before sitting beside her on the couch. He picked up one of the cans, popped the top, and took a long drink.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Blood, what else would it be?" He turned the can in his hand, pointing to the label PRB.

"In a can?"

He laughed. It was gentle, like an adult finding humor in a child's questions. He grabbed a can and poured the red liquid into a pint glass.

"Here." He said, handing it over.

Kal took a sip. It's good. Not as good as fresh, but good. She drank a bit too fast and hungrily, unaware of the few eyes on her. When she looked up, he was smiling a bit awkwardly.

"You may want to slow down." He said.

"Oops," She set the glass down. "I'm still kind of getting used to everything. Being in public."

He nodded and waved at a waitress. She dropped off a second round and went back to the bar. Kal picked up the cool can, turning it around in her hands. It seemed unfathomable.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I dunno. Maybe it's a bit too modern, I guess." She played with the tab on the top of the can before opening it.

"Is it so hard to believe we'd have the same modern conveniences as humans after living for centuries?" He leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.

"When you say it like that, no." She took a sip from her drink. "I thought I'd need to hunt. I didn't think it would be this easy."

"It won't always be." He said.

"Where does it come from?" She asked.

"The bar?" He shrugged.

"No, I mean…." She wasn't sure how to word it.

"Donations, I think. I never really looked into it."

She nodded. It made sense. It wasn't something she'd thought about much when she was human either, where her food came from.

Maybe I'm just curious because I was human not too long ago.

Across the room, a slight commotion began as a singer took the stage. Kal leaned back and took a sip of her drink. This was so much better than being locked up.