You Might Not Believe In Me

Who: All those who go bump in the night
When: After 10pm
What: The Benefit
Where: The Hidden Door


Planning for an event like this usually took months, if not a year, or two. There were so many details to take into account, to organise. It wasn't something you just did on a whim. So, when the idea had struck her, it would have made more sense to have it pushed back, likely into the new year. However, it had seemed like a brilliant idea to host it at her new club, which was also scheduled to open tonight. In the end, it had made the most sense, the place had security like no other club in the city, and it was hidden away from human eyes. Just what they needed at a time like this. There would be no muggings, bombings, or general harm done to the patrons of this club. That was the goal. Parking was not permitted on the street. The guest were instructed to either have a driver escort them, or to take a taxi. Different times had been placed on the invitations, that way, there wouldn't be an absolute mob of people waiting outside to get in. That wouldn't be difficult to miss, and as little attention needed to be drawn to this event as possible. If word got out, and she suspected that it had, it always did, then this would be just where those human rights groups would want to hit. Imagine, all the supernaturals in the city, gathered in one location. It would be killing a flock of birds with one stone. That was why the place, the block, the street was crawling with weres, all policing the area, making sure that nothing odd was happening any where near the club. Thankfully, the wolves had a nose for trouble.

Benefits were old hat to Vivian, she threw them every so often, to raise money for the politicians the Visigoth owned, or for charity, or to tempt new investors. There was always a reason for one, but this time, it seemed more close to heart, than ever before. With the help of the EVC, the money that was raised tonight, would be the start to a companion for equal rights for all supernaturals. Not just vampires, it wouldn't be right for one race to make demands, and not also provide the others with a voice as well. Tonight was for all of them, which was why no one, aside from human occupants of the city, were excluded from the list. The list was an invisible one. It came down to a pair of weres posted at the front door of the textile factory. They would be able to smell what race was approaching, and all you would need was a nod of approval. However, there were going to be some supernaturals who brought along dates, snacks of the human variety, they would be marked, and carefully watched through out the night. If something happened, the supernatural they accompanied would be held responsible, and from what she heard, the EVC wasn't taking chances anymore.

"Have many guest arrived?" Vivian stood at the mirror of the ladies room, a female were posted at the door, decked out in the usual Visigoth fashion."A hundred, or so, Ms. Roth." The number was going to grow rapidly, and the Retro Mod themed club would begin to fill up. Originally, she hadn't known how to decorate the place, it had to be different from all of her other clubs, it couldn't be of the same design. Thankfully, the decorate that she so often worked with had an idea. The first had been to design in like an old hidden American Speak Easy club from the 1930's, back when it was illegal to serve alcohol in any establishment. It had been a fine idea, but the art deco lines had been too played out, too repeated in other places around Amsterdam. Vivian wanted something fresh, something that you wouldn't expect, or that would surprise you. So, the Mod lounge had been born. It was perfect, and she felt as though Andy Warhol, or James Dean would have been right at home inside the place. The bar was stacked with bottles, and glasses, the dinning area had food from the most lavish restaurants in all of Amsterdam. The dance floor was smooth, and inviting, the little stage set for the band that would be gathering on it in less than an hour. For now, Jaida's favorite demon dj was providing the place with atmospheric music to set the mood.

"It's perfect. Absolutely perfect." Smiling, she linked her arm with Dom's as the two strolled through the club. There old were would be her personal body guard for the night. Staying close to both she, and Jaida. "Are you impressed, Dom?" He gave his head a little nod, the corner of his mouth turned up just so. That was the most praise she was bound to get out of him, and she knew it. Still, it was better than nothing at all.

7:21 pm
October 31,2056

AT&T

Juniper:
Are you busy?

2:35am
October 14,2056

AT&T

Vivian:
Boring night of meetings. Send me naughty pics?

Who: Jaida, Shannon, Callum and Juniper
Where: Briefly the hospital, then onto the mansion
When: Night time/Full Moon
What: Ch-ch-ch-ch changes!


The clock was ticking away for Cal, and there wasn't much time left. Days before, the doctor had called Jun into his office, and told her that he himself had passed Callum over for a transplant, because of his history with drug abuse. Not once, but twice. In his better judgement, he had told her, he couldn't not give the young man a healthy heart, knowing that he would likely just destroy it, when there were others out there who could truly have a new lease on life. As understanding as she would have tried to been had it been anyone else, she had told the doctor he was letting a good person die, and that she hoped he would never be able to forget Cal's face, nor hers. Off of life support, he had no more than a few days to live, if that. On life support, it might be months, but his quality of life would continue to plummet. He would waste away in that bed, on those machines, becoming just a shell of himself. Off of life support, he could leave them much sooner, but she might be able to talk to him again. Honestly, she couldn't decide what would have been a more selfish move... having him hang on, just to be here, or letting him go, and being able to tell him everything she felt still needed to be said. It didn't matter now, there was something else in store for Cal, something that she wasn't exactly thrilled about, but the alternative wasn't something she was ready to face.

Even after spending an entire evening talking to Jaida, and Shannon, she hadn't wanted to commit one way, or another. Then Callum's heart rate began to drop, and they had needed to up his meds more. It looked like those promised months were going to be weeks now. She had to make up her mind. Two days ago, she had signed the papers to have him woken from the coma, which took far longer than she had anticipated, but they had made it clear that they wished to establish that everything was stable enough for him to at least be comfortable. Once they were sure, they had brought her the papers to remove him from life support. Before she signed, she had asked the doctor if it would be possible to have him moved home, so that he could be comfortable when he passed. It took a lot of tears, and sobbing, but he had finally given his consent, and arrangements were made for the transport. "Shannon, I don't care if it's another two hours before sunset, get your ass out of bed, and make sure his room is ready for him. I can only be there until eight, and then I have to... you know." She spoke quietly into her mobile. In all of deciding, it seemed to have slipped her mind that the full moon was this evening. That, and she had expected that they would have been out of here the previous night, but it just hadn't worked out that way. The hospital did take it's time. "Jaida is already up, I talked to her like a half hour ago, because she told me she was sending Dom over." The young weres eyes moved to the old werewolf, as he stood aways down from her in the hallway. "Yes, he's going to help with the move... I'll call you before we head that way, just make sure that everything is ready. He needs to be comfortable... okay, later."

She hung up her phone, before slipping it into the pocket of her jeans. Juniper folded her arms across her chest, just as the door to Callum's room opened. "You can see him now. He's awake, and we're preparing the ambulance for the move." The nurse gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, before stepping out, and away from the door, leaving it cracked just slightly. For a moment, she watched him through the small break, wondering what must have been going through his mind at that moment... the doctor had taken the time to explain to him what had happened, what was going to happen, and that his wife done everything in her power to make things better for him. That was a lot to process, and she couldn't help but feel her heart ache all the more. Then she worried that he was in pain, and whether or not he was even strong enough to transition. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she pushed the door open further, before stepping in, and closing it behind her. "You're probably sick of my voice by now. As much as I've been talking at you." The doctor had reminded her that Callum might remember some of the things she had said while he was out of it. "I'm not gonna stop though... sorry." Giving him a sad smile, she sat down on the edge of his bed, facing him. "We're going to go home soon."

( Text sent to Juniper... )

Who: Viv/J, Eden/Ian, Jun/Cal
What: Everyone has been shook up
Where: Visigoth Headquarters, Outside of a low key supernatural club, Jun's house
When: Night


"Thank you so much for joining us this evening... Pruflas? That is how you wish to be addressed, yes?" "Yes, or Pru, if you like. Thank you for having me, it's a pleasure to be sitting here with such an accomplished, and well respected journalist such as yourself, Mr. Brock." She was silhouetted against the very large flat screen television which took up nearly an entire wall of her office. The remote in hand, as she watched one of the many interviews that the demon Pruflas had given in the days since his announcement. An announcement that was still vibrating unpleasantly through out the supernatural world. The crazy fucking demon had outed them all, made it impossible for them to continue on with life as it had once been, and it wasn't even just a matter of taking even more cautionary steps, it was about trying to make yourself seem all the more human. That was what the humans would want, it would make them more comfortable with the whole transition. Seeming human wasn't going to be possible for all of those races, especially those who hated humankind, and wished to seem nothing like them at all. They would be the ones who hid, who tried to extract themselves more, and more. Then there would be all the others, her kind, demons. They fed off of humans, either directly, or in directly. Even Pru at that moment was feeding off of the people residing in the room with him. Their confusion, and fear was powering to him, was it any wonder why he had kicked up such a huge shit storm, just to combat his own boredom? Vivian didn't think so, not when she actually thought about it, saw it all begin to unfold. As crazy as Pru was, he was actually doing something that so many of the races had wanted to do for centuries, he was providing them the chance to take the upper hand, and in a way that wouldn't be met with much hostility. It was brilliant, and that was why she was actually considering his offer. The distant chime let her know that someone had entered her wing of the building. There were no secretaries around at this hour, only security posted at all the doors. They wouldn't be allowing anyone into the place, unless they were someone she could trust. The little muse was trusted, but, that didn't mean she was a welcomed sight at the moment. The two had been fighting ever since Pru had visited Vivian, and asked her to join the campaign. That wasn't what had struck a chord between the two of them, if had been because Vivian hadn't flat out refused. "Sorry... I left my phone in the car." Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't have checked her messages from the phone in her office, she just decided against it, knowing that returning a call would likely end in another disagreement. Still, this was worse, face to face. Turning her head, she finally looked back to the muse, her shoulder, and body following, before she folded her arms over her chest. "What brings you here?"

Tension was obviously a theme being carried over many miles, not just from the supernaturals, but the humans were feeling it as well. Many were trying to live in a type of denial, demons, vampires, and all that shit, it wasn't real, this was just.... some weird stunt, a big prank that the whole world media was in one. That had been easy enough to believe, until you began to see them out in the open. Winged creatures, people with animal parts, fangs, glowing eyes. Just mixed in with everyone else, it wasn't natural. Amsterdam had been where it all started, that was where that fucking demon had come from, and so, naturally... they had flocked to the place. Crowds of humans, waving signs, and chanting in protest. Standing any where, and every where they could find empty ground. Amsterdam was soon named the hotbed of sin, and as good Christians, it was their duty to let all those who inhabit the place, know just how they were going to burn in hell. That was love in the eyes of the fundamentalist. Instead of turning the other cheek, as Jesus said, they were going to follow that word of a vengeful God, and seek biblical punishment for all those who offend God. Some how they had learned of a few of the safe havens for the creatures of the dark. A club in Los Angeles, often populated by demons had been bombed, leaving only the humans inside either wounded, or dead. Even if it hadn't been a direct below, it had caused everyone to rethink their habits, and their haunts. All those flashy clubs had become near ghost towns, even in Amsterdam. The risk was not worth it to some. Others weren't going to let the change, or the worry stop them from enjoying themselves, just as some of those humans weren't going to stand around, waving signs to make a point. They were looking to do more than protest, as was the group posted outside of the small bar in downtown Amsterdam. it wasn't an obvious location, but with so many supernaturals no longer bothering to hide what they were, it made deciding on a place rather easy. This was the place to be, they simply had to wait for their target to emerge.

Of all the people to shy away from the night life, no one might have expected it to be her. The fire cracker, the first on the dance floor, no, not her! Things change, and boy had they. Life had already been flipped on it's head, and now things were even more topside. They had all been labeled monsters by some of the press, and by some of those humans they encountered on a daily basis, who would have never been the wiser. That was a scary thing to be, when you were young, female, and living alone. Even a were could be caught unaware, over powered by a small mob. That was why she was trying to keep her nose clean. Home, work, and rehearsal, that was her day to day schedule now, and it wasn't often that she squeezed in anything else. It had been keeping her from seeing many of her friends, Callum included. Plans to visit him at work were almost out of the question, even more so when things still remained so unsteady between them. Unlike before, she hadn't completely stopped having anything to do with him. She had called him, brought him lunch a couple of times since their run in at the bar, but the visits were always kept short, likely to save them both more awkward moments of interaction. Ever since Pru outed them all, she had kept even more to herself, having called him only once before, and that had been to ask if things had improved between he, and Shannon. They hadn't. The new vampire seemed to be the only one not dampened by the sudden change in events. Tonight was like any other. After rehearsal, she dressed, loaded her things in the back of her antique baby blue Carmen ghia, and headed off home. Home was a small, but comfortable house, nestled away in a bohemian neighborhood, set back aways from the street. She pulled into the half circle drive, stepped out, and then retrieved her bag from the trunk. It was as she walked up the path, that her nose began to twitch, and her eyes lifted from the ground. A few feet away from her unlit front door, she paused. "Who's there?"

Who: All the kids
When: Evening
Where: Vivian's Mansion
What: A Gala

Jaida hated these fucking things. Hated them, loathed them even. If she didn’t know how important it was for Vivian’s business, she wouldn’t have even given attending a second thought, she would have just gone off to spend her evening in one of their clubs instead. It was a testament to just how much she’d come to care for Vivian once again that she even attended them, let alone went so far as to dress about as close to normal as the little muse could manage. Trying to find something that would pass as acceptable for the guest list for the night was next to impossible, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t at least tone down her normally insane wardrobe choices. She’d had to pause in the middle of her hunt to shoot a quick glance at the clock – if she didn’t pick up the pace, she’d be late to be at Vivian’s side as she greeted those guests of hers for the night and it’d be awhile before she heard the end of that. Ninety percent of the guests coming tonight looked down on the muse already, she didn’t need to give them extra reason – they weren’t that font on Vivian to start with, it didn’t help for her to have shacked with some wild little street rat. Tugging her tights into place, Jaida grabbed the dress she’d chosen for the night and slipped into it, reaching back to do up the zipper quickly. Thankfully she’d perfected this whole ‘getting ready in a hurry’ routine, so it wasn’t long before she pulled open her changing room door, grabbing for her leather jacket. “Vivvy, darling, are you ready?” she purred teasingly, sliding her arms through the sleeves as she went in search of her, “Come and show me what fabulously expensive dress you’ve chosen to knock their socks off in tonight, you fucking hot bitch.” She knew she couldn’t have been that far, it was only a bit earlier that Jaida had heard her rummaging around for an ensemble of her own.

“I can’t fucking tie these things,” Cal huffed for the third time, pushing into the bathroom he shared with his brother, “Do you have any idea how to fucking do up one of these things? It’s like some bloody puzzle that is beyond me.” He looked downright amusing in the most pitiful of ways, standing there in his steely gray suit, dark hair styled in a way that made it look anything but and that tie hanging undone about his neck, his eyes looking over to Shannon beseechingly. There was no way he was going to get it tied on his own, someone was going to have to do it for him. Maybe Juniper knew how? It would be a sorry sight for him to show up to meet her for their evening together at the gala with his outfit for the night still in disarray. He was still working on that winning her over bit, trying to keep impressing her, to not let this positive momentum he’d started the night of their birthday parties drop off. “I’m going to start buying those bloody clip-on ones at the market, then I won’t have to worry about this,” he grumbled, leaning against the doorframe, the thin black scrap of fabric hanging from one hand. “Oi,” he glanced up then, “are you taking Eden tonight?” It seemed the one, if only, downside of the two of them getting their own rooms, it seemed to be that he and Shannon didn’t have the same time to talk with one another as they had before. They each still made sure to lean in on the other when they got the chance, check up and make sure that everything was alright. There might have been fewer of those small moments together day to day, but the bond between the brothers was undoubtedly growing stronger. Each one was truly starting to settle in, to become more and more at home in their new jobs, at the mansion…things were turning out far better than Cal had ever expected. Not that he’d admit it.

October 2, 2055
Who: Jaida, Eden/Shannon and Juniper/Callum
When: Evening
Where: Alexander home - the lift and a bathroom, specifically
What: Jaida's writer's block leads to some in-house entertainment

If there was a downside to being a muse, a being whose sole purpose in being created was to inspire others, was that those fucking amazing powers of yours were useless as far as your own talents were concerned. So when Jaida hit the inevitable bout of writer’s block after working in the in-house studio for weeks on end, it left her in a frustrated huff. What the fuck was she supposed to do now? Vivian had been busy pushing some lucrative deal through at work and that left the petite redhead dangerously unsupervised. Clearly she was going to have to come up with some way to entertain herself, which probably meant someone was going to regret her sudden lack of musical progress… Thankfully, it had only taken a day or two to remember that Vivian had purchased their new little toys precisely for this reason, to provide a bit of a laugh when things were dull around the mansion. And given the way the brothers had been eying the two assistants they employed, it just seemed natural to play a little game of Cupid. It was times like this when she was endlessly thankful that the home she and Vivian shared came equipped with a camera in almost every room – it would be like having her own private soap opera. Oh, she was so excited! She’d just have to recruit a few of the weres to help her out and boom!, something to take her mind off of that mental blockage. This was going to be so much fucking fun!

Given that Eden was her assistant, the little elemental would be the easiest to set up. After all, it was her job to come running when Jaida gave the order. All she had to do was phone the Brit and ask for a meeting that evening, around 8 o’clock, just the time she knew Shannon would be finishing up in the garage, heading back up to the floor that housed he and Callum. She’d trap the two in the lift, stop the door so that they couldn’t get out, crank the heat and see what happened. Easy as pie! As for Juniper and Callum, that would take a little bit more luck, a little more help from those crafty creatures she and Vivian employed. It would be more spur of the moment, less likely to be able to be planned ahead. She knew that she could send for Callum and have him lured nearly anywhere, but she’d have to keep a close eye on Vivian’s assistant to make sure that things went down just the way she wanted to. Jaida assigned one of the werewolves to keep an eye on the fair-haired beauty, to report back her every movement – J wanted to know where she was at all times. And, duh, they weren’t to let Juniper catch on. When the call finally came in that the werecat had gone into one of the private baths to take a quick shower, the muse sprang into action. Knowing that both Shannon and Callum had a bit of a handyman streak in them from all those years of living in dumps across Europe, she called down to the youngest brother and asked if he wouldn’t mind paying a particular bathroom a visit to fix the shower. It just wouldn’t stop running and, gee, it was getting so gosh-darned annoying. He agreed of course, it wasn’t like he had much of a choice, and that helpful little wolf was already to lock the door once Cal arrived. Now that was bound to be a scenario worth watching. Would Vivian blame her if she made sure to record those two particular security cameras this evening? No, she didn’t think so at all.

Kicked back in a chair in front of the wall of security monitors, Jaida’s brightly colored heels rested on the counter in front of her. In her lap, a bowl of freshly-popped popcorn sat, just ready to be munched. No, she didn’t need to eat, but she did enjoy it every now and then. And, really, a good show required a bit of a buttery snack.

Surely enough, just before 8 o’clock, she recognized the sound of a familiar voice near the lift camera. Eden stepped into frame, disconnecting from a call on her cell phone and tucking it back into her purse. She’d just parked her car in the secondary garage, shed her coat and was now on her way up to meet Jaida like a good little employee. Of course, should she get sidetracked along the way, it was a good thing she had such an understanding employer…

Not long after, a walkie-talkie seated beside Jaida on the security counter suddenly crackled to life. “He’s just arrived, ma’am,” came the voice of her ever so helpful little assistant. “Oooh, goodie! Lock the door behind him, will you, Travis? I’d appreciate it oh so much!” Watching on camera, she could see Callum, fresh off his new bartending duty, step into the bathroom Juniper occupied, unknowingly lead there by another were on staff, thinking he was just about to be a helpful little pet. Once he was in, Travis ducked around the corner to quietly flip the lock. “Good boy,” Jaida grinned, settling back in her seat. Oh, this was going to be such a fun night!

September 22, 2055
Who: The whole gang
When: Morning
Where: Alexander home
What: Cal makes a fatal error

As time had drawn on and things didn’t seem to be changing, the brothers gradually seemed to come to terms with this new life of theirs. They discovered after those first few early days of rebellion that the women who now ‘owned’ them could be downright cruel when they wanted to be. Somehow this new manner of discipline just wasn’t as easy to endure as sitting in a jail cell had once been – watching one of them go after Shannon was the worst thing that Callum could imagine and the two women seemed to know just how to each to each of them to cause them the most pain. Even if they didn’t actually do anything, they could put those visions into your head, make you see things… It was all too fucked up for Callum’s liking, but there didn’t seem to be any way out. So he’d given in, buckled down and gone into survival mode, doing whatever he had to to make it through every new day and to make sure that Shannon did as well. It wasn’t easy, Cal still felt a bit like he was in this on his own what with that whole revelation of his brother’s power still fresh in mind. It wasn’t a surprise that the women seemed to have more uses for him than they did for Callum, for the lowly mortal they’d gotten stuck with as well. What could he do, anyway? He didn’t have any supernatural gifts and, even in his normal life, he hadn’t exactly been a productive citizen. Sure he could fix a car or two, he was alright with patching up an electrical toy or two and he was a pretty keen bartender, but what the fuck did these vampires need with any of those skills? He’d figured they were downright useless…until about a month prior.

Vivian had come to he and Shannon to inform them both that she was planning a party of some sort, all of those vampy friends of hers were probably going to swing bye to check out the debauchery. Anyway, apparently he and Shannon were supposed to take up some task, to pitch in to make sure things went off without a hitch. Callum had no idea what the hell they’d decided to have his brother do, but apparently they were going to put his drink slinging skills to work and have him bartend for the crowd; which seemed easy enough, until Vivian informed him that people who weren’t exactly human didn’t exactly take their alcohol the standard way…and so he was introduced to fae dust. Compared to that delicious little substance everything else was child’s play – heroin, coke, it just didn’t touch the same buzz he’d gotten from the tiniest little bit of that dust. He had to try it of course, had to know what he was working with, but taking that first taste had probably been the biggest mistake he’d made. Vivian couldn’t know, probably had no idea just how dangerous it was to give the stuff to a mortal. It wasn’t just physically addictive, it crept into his brain and dug in its claws. His body craved it like nothing else, it got to the point where he wasn’t sure he could function if he didn’t get it. Cal had been addicted to plenty of things before and he’d always managed to kick them when he put his mind to it, but not fae dust, it just refused to be gotten rid of. Thankfully the stuff was pretty easy to come by when you lived in a house full of supernatural freaks.

He tried to keep this new addiction hidden, tried to make sure that no one, especially Shannon, caught on and he thought he was doing a pretty good idea of it. The problem was that every time he used he needed more, need it more often – it was getting to a point where Callum knew that his cover was going to be blown. This morning was just like every other morning, getting things kicked off with a hit of fae dust, a few neat little lines spread out across the back of a mirror the boys had been given. Leaning down, one nostril plugged, Cal went over each one like a pro, inhaling that magical little substance, sucking it right off the glass. The high was almost immediate, the way it sank into your skin, seeped into your blood…it really was like nothing else. With a heavy, satisfied sigh, Cal all but fell back against the wall behind his bed, muscles slowly going lax as the dust took hold. In those first moments, he couldn’t know that he’d used too much, the poor guy had no idea what it would look like to OD on fae dust.

Callum had no clue that he’d just snorted himself right into a whole hell of a lot of trouble…