by Giger, S. L.
“And what is it you need?” her husband piped up. Now all the voices were introduced, and yet we only saw everybody’s lanterns on the dark, smooth table and empty chairs around it.
“We have human friends and family,” Melissa explained. “Their bunkers are not good enough to spend months in them. We were hoping that magicians could create a room like the mirror room, but with better amenities for humans.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” the woman said. “To be honest, something like this was tried in Paris and the magic triggered robot guns. There were shootings and explosions all over town. The media later wrote about it as if it were a street fight of people who robbed the drug stores to get medicine against the night flu. Whoever this terror is coming from is a very powerful person with many people on his side.”
“Oh, no,” I said, with a sinking feeling in my heart. “I didn’t know so many magical creatures had died already,” I said quietly.
“If anything supernatural is spotted, the virus or bombs and guns will hit right afterward,” the guy said. “It’s nice of you to want to help your human friends, but it’s better for them if we leave them alone.”
I took a deep breath. “But someone from the magical side has to do something about it.” Unfortunately, that someone was me and my Siren family. “If it comes down to it, we will fight. My family and I are working on a plan. But I was hoping we wouldn’t have to fight alone.” I exhaled in despair.
“I think it’s an advantage for you, that you haven’t belonged to the magical world that long and don’t know all the rules and customs. You seem to have a fresh approach, and perhaps that’s what will save us. But I’m afraid the only thing we could help you with is this.” Four small whistles appeared on the table in front of where the father sat.
“What are they?” I asked.
“Our emergency whistles,” the man said. “If you blow them, a thin protective force field will form around you for two minutes. Dragon racers use them if they fall off their dragons in the air, but they also protect you from bomb detonations.”
Melissa laughed. “That’s a good start. Do you have more of these?”
“No, we only had one each. But my wife and I are able to beam us to other places and take our girls with us. Thus, we don’t need them for the moment. You can have them.”
“Thank you so much,” I said, and pulled them to myself. I took a closer look. They were small metal whistles, and I couldn’t detect anything magical about them. “How many times can you use them?” I asked.
“Only once,” the woman said. “Plus, the person inside the force field will see what is happening – ergo, you can’t give it to anyone who doesn’t have the slightest idea of magic, or they probably won’t understand the world anymore. Or they might waste the whistle in the wrong moment.”
“Hmm, that’s a disadvantage. But it would be possible to get more of these if needed?” I asked.
“Dragon-keepers sell them. But now with the war, they might be rare.”
“I really appreciate that you’re giving them to us,” I thanked them again.
“We feel bad enough for hiding down here,” the man said. “This is the least we can do.”
“What exactly is your plan if I may ask?” the woman asked.
I hesitated and Melissa didn’t say anything, either. “We’ll create an army of Sirens. We’re faster than bullets and bomb detonations, and except for not having a heartbeat, we have neither a magical aura nor any magical weaknesses. But getting a big enough group together will take a while.”
“Please, keep trying,” the woman said with desperate urgency. “Whoever we are up against is doing a better job than any dark wizard before him. Moreover, the seed of the fear of the unknown has been planted inside the humans. Fable creatures like unicorns live off the energy from the people who believe in them. If the humans start hating the supernatural world, all these poor creatures will die.”
“Is this what happened to Beast?” one of the girls asked.
“Maybe,” the woman said. “Beast was our two-headed cat. She was still young, but a few months ago, she stopped eating and had this sad look in her eyes.”
“I’m sorry,” Melissa said. “We’ll give our best. And I guess there’s no use in asking other wizards? We’ll receive the same answer anywhere?”
“I couldn’t imagine that anybody would risk their lives and their powers now. Because with the ban, if you use your powers, the ministry might take them away from you.”
“Are your ministers real people you could talk to?” I asked, wondering whether they were also our Orbiters.
“Yes, we elect them, why?” the man replied.
“I was just trying to understand how your world works.” I sighed. “You’ve done a lot for us, but can I ask another favor?”
“Um, what?” the man asked.
“Could I have the address of this Siren at your girl’s school? I assume the bigger our network, the better for us.”
There was a short silence.
“We don’t want to endanger her,” the woman replied.
“That’s the last thing we want,” I said, pressing my lips together and hoping for a positive answer.
“All right,” the mother said. “I can give you the keeper’s phone number. She can decide herself how to react if you contact her.”
I was amazed when a smartphone appeared in the air and hovered above the table on the opposite side from me. My mouth was still open when the phone floated toward my head in midair.
“Here, this is her number,” the woman said, and held the screen toward my invisible face.
“Thank you so much.” I took out my phone, and now we had two visible phones hovering in the air.
“We wish you the best of luck,” the woman said.
“Thank you – you, too,” Melissa said. Chairs were moved and we all got up. Downstairs our paths separated.
Once I thought Melissa and I were alone, I couldn’t restrain myself. “Oh, my God, I didn’t know what to expect of wizards before that, but they have schools and two-headed cats and dragon races.”
“I’d never have thought that they’d be so open,” Melissa whispered. “Will you give Alex one of the whistles?”
“Of course. He’s the only one who really is in danger, working among supernatural creatures.” And for the other three, I also had an idea who I’d give them to. Even if they weren’t targeted, I didn’t want to take any chances that anybody I loved would be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When we exited The Library, a thought was firmly fixed in my mind. I’d warn my family in Switzerland, as well, no matter what Melissa or the Orbiters had to say against it. If they wanted me to work for them, I would also claim some benefits for myself.
Chapter 15
Finally, Claire Skyped us with news. Again, Melissa and I assembled in front of the laptop in the living room on Cape Cod.
“Did you find him?” I asked Melissa’s creator. It was already the middle of the night in Ireland, and dark shadows fell across Claire’s face, since the lightbulb only shone from one side.
“Yes, at least I think I did,” she replied. “I had to be careful in how to broach the subject to the magical community. If I mentioned his name, they would be afraid that someone might overhear us talking and it would mean trouble for us. A Siren friend from Edinburgh even got angry and wondered why I would endanger her. Hence, I needed a different tactic.” She sighed. “Did you know that Dr. Palmer’s underground group has meetings?”
I frowned. I’d assumed that was true, but so far, I hadn’t considered how they’d meet and what they’d do there.
“My neighbor was kind enough to watch my dogs for a week and I went to London. I went to the markets and eavesdropped on people’s conversations. That was actually kind of fun.” Claire wet her lips. “Anyway, whenever I heard people praise Dr. Palmer, I listened a bit more closely. Eventually, I found out where they met and asked whether I could come to a meeting, as well.” Sh
e laughed briefly. “Guess what I learned at the first meeting?”
“What?” Melissa asked.
“To recognize the signs that someone has supernatural abilities and is an Alternative.”
Melissa rubbed her eyes. “What kind of people go to these meetings?”
“From teenagers to single men and women, worried parents, and even a few seniors who I think were just glad to be part of a group. I didn’t discover all the others’ motivations, but from the amount of slang used at the meeting, I concluded that they aren’t the most educated people.”
“Could they be dangerous?” I asked.
“Some were just there to listen and see what it was about, sort of like I was. But a few had such hate toward the Alternatives because they were convinced that they are responsible for the night flu.” Claire shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “If they had a leader who told them what to do, they would do it.”
I pressed my lips together. “Is the government doing anything against these meetings?”
“They keep a watchful eye on the groups they know about, but as long as they don’t overtly plan an attack, they have the freedom of assembly and speech.”
“This lunacy has to stop,” Melissa said. “But you found Dr. Palmer? How?”
“I asked the group manager whether it was possible to learn from Dr. Palmer directly, and he said that there were enough videos and texts to learn through his words.” She snorted. “Then, I raved about Dr. Palmer and said I would interview him for Irish radio, and the manager gave me the name of another guy who was Dr. Palmer’s agent. Now, I can attend a press conference with him in ten days, but I have neither questions I could ask him, nor a recorder. So, would anyone of you please come over and take it from here?” She grimaced.
Melissa and I looked at each other.
“That’s great, Claire,” I said. “I didn’t think we’d get to him so easily. We’ll figure something out.” I chewed my lower lip.
“I can’t possibly get away from the hospital now.” Melissa furrowed her brows and looked at me. “We have such a shortage of staff; you have to go alone.”
I lowered my gaze to the laptop’s keyboard while I considered that. “I’ll come up with something, but I’d feel better if you could come with me.” I faced Claire via the screen. “After all, they scheduled the interview with you.”
“Okay, but you will do the talking. Anyway, I’m curious to see this guy up close – someone who can have such an influence over masses of people all over the world.”
Thus, that was settled. Claire told me where to be and when, and I said that I’d arrange to bring equipment to make us look like a radio crew.
When we disconnected the call, Melissa stared ahead pensively.
“What are you thinking?” I asked. “Isn’t it fantastic that Claire actually found him?”
“Hmm, yes, but I hope they let you speak to the real Dr. Palmer and not one of his middlemen. Plus, how do you face a man who is responsible for the death of hundreds of magical creatures and several humans?” She turned to me with a serious expression. “What kinds of questions do you ask? I mean, if I really wanted to come, I could have taken off work somehow.” She swallowed. “But I don’t know if I could pull myself together around him. He needs to be stopped, but obviously, I couldn’t just kill him in front of his team.”
I drew my head back in surprise. “Melissa, you are peace in human form. I’d never have expected to hear anything like this out of your mouth.”
She pressed her lips together. “If he is the enemy the Orbiters want us to fight, he is also the reason why all of our lives were turned upside down.”
I puffed my cheeks. “Yes, if you look at it like that. But if we kill him, that doesn’t mean his message is dead and the people will stop. It would be good to find out more about how he’s leading the whole organization.”
“You’re right,” Melissa concluded, “and that’s why it’s better that you go.”
I pressed my lips together. I would be walking into the lion’s den. This guy’s organization had detected hundreds of magical beings. How could Claire and I face him without being discovered? I dropped back onto the couch and covered my face with my hands, trying to come up with a good plan.
Chapter 16
After the conversation with Claire, Alex arrived at the Cape to finally get a firsthand record of how Melissa and Luke got to know each other and how his transformation occurred. Although Melissa had once told it to me out on the deck on a clear summer night, I would gladly listen to it again.
“Do you have the whistle with you?” I asked Alex when I met him in the driveway.
“Yes, Ma’am. Always in my pocket nowadays. I want to try it, simply to see what it does.”
“Don’t,” I warned him, and held up my index finger. “You never know if you might need it one day. You’ll just have to be extremely quick, then.”
When we were all seated around the dining room table, Alex had a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and took out a pen and a paper.
“I’d like to take notes if that’s okay, in case I find something important later.”
One thing Cathy and Luke still disagreed about was what influence the relationship between the male Siren and his creator had on the outcome of the transformation.
“Um, okay. I feel like I’m at a police interview.” Melissa chuckled. Luke shrugged and nodded.
“So, how did you guys meet?”
Melissa began. “Luke used to work for the NYPD. One day, we met at a crime scene.” She shot her husband a tender look. “I waited around for the ambulance to arrive. Usually, I leave before anyone sees me, but this time I thought I should give out some information.” She wrinkled her nose. “Because this time, it wasn’t about a human mistake that resulted in an accident – it was a disgusting and sickly planned rape.” She shook her head, and Alex jotted something down and turned his gaze back on her.
“In the meantime, other curious passersby had come to the taped area and were waiting. I watched the police officers take notes and pictures and carry other stuff in and out of the car. After a while, a police officer in his early thirties walked over to me and introduced himself as Detective Sasha Morris.” Melissa smiled and tilted her head toward Luke. “He asked whether I was the one who called the ambulance.” Then, she turned to Luke and asked hesitantly in a slightly different voice, as if she was performing a play, “Yes, how did you know?”
“You were standing here from the beginning. It was either you, that elderly lady or that chatty couple over there.” Luke pointed to a few invisible people. “But you seemed like the most likely bet. If it hadn’t been for you, this woman would have been dead by the time somebody found her. It will be a long way to recovery, especially mentally, but she will make it.”
Melissa faced me and Alex again. “At that point, I went over my story again in my head and wasn’t convinced he’d buy it, but I wanted to give it a shot.” She turned back to Luke.
“I think I know who did it.” She winked at us. “That really seemed to catch the officer’s interest.” Then, she explained to Detective Morris, “I saw someone coming around the corner of this building, and the way he was walking seemed odd as if he was pulling his pants up. I thought, ‘Gross, he went back there to take a leak.’ And then I thought I had seen him somewhere before. It bothered me that I couldn’t place him right away, but a little later I saw him clearly in front of me. He sells coffee from a trolley on Broadway. I always thought he looked somewhat filthy. Suddenly, I heard someone moan and came back here to have a look. That’s when I found her. It had to be him.” She turned to us again. “At that point, I was holding my breath because I was sure that he wouldn’t believe me.”
Luke continued the story. “Thank you, we will have a look at that. Could you wait here for a moment, please, Miss...?”
“Parker.” Melissa filled the gap. “I could have hit myself for telling my correct name. Usually, I wasn’t that careless. But his
smile was so lovely.” She sighed and laughed. “Mr. Morris talked to his colleagues, they spoke into their walkie-talkies, and he came back with another man in tow.”
“Miss Parker, could you please describe the man in a bit more detail to Detective Lockwood? He will draw a composite sketch on the computer,” Luke said, making himself sound important.
“Then, I described the man who really sold coffee on Broadway to Mr. Lockwood, and with that and the help of forensics, the rapist was arrested the next day.”
I nodded, shuddering to think that people like that were walking around on the streets.
“And the next day, my phone rang,” Melissa said, and picked up an imaginary phone. “Hello, Melissa speaking.”
“Hello, Miss Parker, this is Detective Sasha Morris,” Luke said into his own imaginary device. “You’ve done a great job and had it exactly right. Thanks to you, this fellow won’t be selling coffee again anytime soon.” He made a short pause, but it was too short for Melissa to say anything. “Speaking of which, would it be possible for me to buy you a cup of coffee? Not from a trolley, in a real coffee shop.” Luke made a face as if he were holding his breath.
Melissa put her hand down and spoke to Alex again. “I was so perplexed that he called and somehow got my number that I couldn’t answer right away.”
Luke went on. “Not work-related, either, more like a... Well, I’d like to see you again, if that’s possible.”
“Okay,” Melissa breathed into her invisible phone.
“Okay?” Luke probed again.
“Yes, I’d like that.” Melissa turned back to us. “I was surprised by my answer, myself.” She took a breath. “Well, that’s how our relationship started. We only had to go through some more name changes.”
I applauded. “You should bring this to a real stage.”
“Well, we have told it so many times – it’s less boring this way.” Melissa shrugged.
“Yeah, and you know, when I saw her standing there, I knew I had to talk to her. She was a goddess,” Luke raved. “You can’t imagine how nervous I was when I walked toward her – the whole time I wanted to turn around, but my legs somehow made their way over there.” Luke pretended to wipe sweat off his forehead.
