"I'm setting up a tape recorder so you can tell me your story about how you came to be. I will save you some writing, and I'll admit I'm more than a little curious," he said reassuringly.
"No problem. I can multitask," I responded.
So it went for the better part of three hours. I told him of my early years living with my aunt, but never giving her name. He seemed to respect my privacy and didn't try to pry it out of me while I focused on writing my statements. I told of how I had fully matured by the time I reached the ripe old age of seven and how I spent my nights wandering through the neighborhood, how I fed every other night off my aunt who could have been a witch but chose modern medicine, and how lonely it felt never venturing out into the real world and spending most of my time with books, computers, and television. When I came to the part about watching the newscast of my aunt’s fatal car crash, I heard my voice crack. I had never grieved for the only human I had ever loved, and I couldn't hold back the tears as I wrote on with watery eyes.
I heard a drawer open and I saw a hand holding a tissue in front of my face. I didn't look up, just took it and dried my eyes and kept writing and telling my brief tale. Lady luck finally smiled down me. The rest of the story he already knew, and I had finished with my second and final statement. I pushed the documents forward and refused to make eye contact with the only person who had ever seen me cry. Not even my aunt had had to deal with childish tears. When you are as tough as the toughest vampire, it naturally became hard to skin a knee or get a boo-boo. Even on those rare occasions I had caused enough damage to pierce my skin, why cry when the damage healed before my eyes. Sometimes it is cool being a freak.
Agent Reese hit the stop button on the digital recorder on the desk and placed it in the main drawer directly in front of him. "I'll save your story to a memory disk and place it in your file. We will be the only agency with a record of you and I promise you as long as you stay out of trouble, I will keep it with us and not pass it around for general knowledge."
I nodded my thanks at my mysterious benefactor and watched him stand up and walk back over to his filing cabinet. He placed my statements in the second drawer and reached up to the small surround sound system perched atop the cabinet. I have never been a fan of opera, but apparently he liked it because a screeching aria permeated the room as he sat back down. I must have looked puzzled about the music until he continued our conversation.
"Pardon the music Ash, but I wanted to talk to you about your plans. The only drawback to having a glass office is soundproofing. They gave me double paned glass, but even someone hard of hearing could eavesdrop if they wanted to. I have found opera, with its greater fluctuations, pretty much fills the gaps. I just wish I could stand listening to the shit."
"I feel the same way. If I understand television correctly, most girls my age listen to pop music, but if there is one thing I hate more than opera, it's pop, and rap, and country. Okay, maybe all I like is rock and alternative, but hey whatever."
He smiled at me again and I found it a little less predatory, and a lot more conspiratorial. He shifted in his seat and folded his hands. "What are your plans now? Are you going to go back to your hotel until your money runs out? Are you going to get a job and buy a small house in the suburbs? Maybe you could find a nice vampire to go work for at one of their fancy clubs? Have you thought about the future at all?"
He had me. I had been planning on lying low for quite a while. I hadn't even begun to tap into the ten thousand cash my aunt had left me. It would hole me up in my cheap hotel for quite a while. My greatest concern would be finding a stable food source. I couldn't exactly run around the city feeding off every vampire I met. Maybe my fairy god mother would poof up a magic boyfriend I could munch on every night.
"Agent Reese, my future is a very dark vision in my mind. I have some cash hoarded from my aunt and that would keep me comfortable in a hotel for a while. My problem is food. I fed off one vampire and you see the trouble I got into. Either I pay for some kind of blood prostitute or I'm going to be knocking a lot of vamps over the head to get what I need. When my hunger gets too strong, it takes over."
"Come work for us," he said without even taking a breath. "Be a Federal Agent. Your salary would cover all your living expenses, and we'll figure something out about keeping you fed. I have already called the Deputy Director and told him about you, and he agrees you pose quite an opportunity."
He seemed very excited. My chin was on the floor. Sure I may be a freak, but why would he possibly want me as an Agent of the FBI? I had no high school diploma, nor a college degree. Hell, I didn't even know how to drive a car! "Why?"
"When things get out of control in the vampire community, it's our responsibility to police it. It's up to us to take into custody or remove the source of the problem. We are comprised of humans, and mages, and a large number of wereanimals such as wolves and lions, but there is not one vampire on the payroll of the FBI. We have a lot of tools to help us deal with the problem, but a lot of the time we get our asses handed to us. You could even up the playing field immensely."
"Why don't you hire actual vampires?” I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
"Because Ash, whenever a vampire is created, he is bound to the will of his maker. You can't have someone at your back with double loyalties. We found that out the hard way. Back in the early fifties, we wanted a vampire on the payroll. We forced a common vampire in custody to turn a volunteer agent. He did it, and then had the agent release him from our custody. Agents caught both of them trying to escape. The master ended up dead and when he died, we lost our agent. He just died for no apparent reason. With you, we won't have that problem. You have no master but yourself. Frankly, we need you. Vampires don't trust human authorities, and we don't trust them. We know for a fact, every vampire you have met thinks you are a vampire. Help us please."
I thought about all he said, and I wanted to say yes. I would finally have a purpose in my unusual life. I had some nagging doubts I just couldn't shake though. What if they expected me to do things I thought wrong? Being forced to do something I didn't want to truly bothered me. What if I ended up working for someone who would just use me? The list kept getting bigger the more I thought about it. Then I thought of the good I could do. I saw myself saving innocent people and rescuing people from certain death and the wave of doubts ebbed.
"Agent Reese, what guarantee would I have, if things don't work out, that I wouldn't be stuck working for the FBI for the rest of my life?"
"Agents are allowed to quit at any time, Ashlyn. We are an employer, not slave owners. You do understand there is a lot of training involved as well. I don't want you to think I am going to hand you a badge and magically make you a field agent. We're talking school and combat training, and weapons training, and I could go on and on about all the things you would have to learn before you became an agent. I couldn't even tell you what office you would be working out of. I would love to have you here, but most likely you're going to end up in DC. I want you to understand what coming to work for us would mean, and pardon the expression, I don't want to blow smoke up your ass. It will be a lot of hard work."
"I understand. If I say yes, what would happen next?"
"You would head to Virginia, Quantico to be exact. The FBI Academy is there. Is this a yes, Ashlyn?"
"I think so Agent Reese, just some nagging doubts. Does the Academy have night courses?" I meant it as a joke, but I really had concerns.
"Yes, some of our supes prefer to train at night."
"What's a supe?"
"Supe is slang for supernatural entities, our classification of agents with extraordinary physical manifestations. They include, but are not limited to, wereanimals, any of the classifications of the fey, mages, etc, etc. You yourself are a supe. You'll probably meet some people at Quantico who'll make you feel a little more ordinary. Twenty-five years ago, when I trained there, I had instructors you wouldn't believe. I think you'll enjoy your training immensely. So Miss Ashlyn Nolastname, Do we have a deal?" He rose and extended his hand, and I timidly took it and shook on it. I had sealed the deal. I just hope I hadn't sealed my fate.
* * *
Reese shut off the music and made his way to the door. He motioned me to remain seated and left the room. I slunk down in my chair and kept muttering to myself about what I had just done. I found myself in midbabble when Reese came in with one of my guards. At least he brought Mr. Senseofhumor.
"Ashlyn this is Agent Michaels. Normally we would just put you on a plane to Virginia, but we're going to arrange special transport for you. He will make sure you get there okay. Just to be clear, I'm not doing this because I don't trust you. I'm doing this because I know how new you are to the real world. So far your education has been from computers and television, and I'm sure they left out how a few things really work, especially airports."
"Agent Michaels, pleasure to meet you." I shook his hand and got another one of his smiles.
"Ashlyn is going to be joining the Bureau. I want you to escort her back to her hotel where she can collect her things and then double time it back here to catch a flight to Quantico. I'll have your itinerary and everything else ready for the two of you when you return." Reese spoke with the calm collectiveness I had grown accustomed to.
"Come on kid; let's go get your things," Michaels said to me. I didn't care for the "kid", but at least he didn't ruffle my hair. I would have had to hurt him.
We left Reese's office and made our way down to the parking garage. As we exited the elevator Michaels pulled a key ring from his jacket pocket and pushed a button on a key fob. I heard a telltale "honk" from my right and I looked up to see the yellow running lights blink merrily announcing our transportation, a big black Suburban complete with tinted windows.
Michaels made for the driver's side and climbed on in, so I did the same on the passenger's side. My vehicle experience so far had consisted of the back of a cargo van, so I found this to be much nicer. I couldn't believe the size of it. I could easily have curled up into a ball on the floorboards and still have room.
"You like music?" Michaels broke the silence first.
"Some," I replied and watched him punch a few buttons on the stereo. Led Zeppelin wasn't too bad. I could live with Robert Plant.
"So, I hope you know what you're getting into. You always wanted to be an FBI agent when you grew up?"
"I'll let you know if I ever grow up," I replied jokingly. I assumed he knew I wasn't a normal human, but his quizzical look made me think twice. If I had to spend time with Agent Michaels, I might as well fill him in. "You do know I'm not normal right?"
"You look normal to me."
I held out my hand and showed him my talons. I usually spend my entire day with my fists clenched, so they aren't noticeable. I have never been around people, so it had to be a self conscious way of hiding what I considered a deformity. "Not normal," I told him.
He looked at my hands and then at my face. He had shaken my hand earlier in Reese's office and not noticed them. I didn't want to scare him, but I didn't want secrets from anyone anymore, so I showed him my teeth. To his credit, he didn't drive off the road and crash.
"You're a supe? Cool," he said and made an appraising gesture with his mouth and nodded his head up and down. "You spend too much time in your wereform? I had heard some parts can get stuck."
"No Michaels. I'm not a wereanimal. I'm kind of like a vampire, but a little different. I have no idea exactly what I am," I answered honestly.
"Are you strong like a vampire? You don't look dead to me."
"Yes I am strong, very strong and very fast. Vampires aren't dead you know. They don't have a heart beat per se, but it still pumps the blood throughout their system in a fluid motion rather than a spasm. Mine's the same way. See, I have no pulse," I said and held out my wrist to him.
He took one hand off the steering wheel and placed his index and middle fingers on my wrist. "Creepy," he said, but with a smile. "So you have fangs and super strength and super speed and no pulse, so why don't you think you're a vamp?"
"I have never been human."
"Oh, this I got to hear. Do tell lady friend," he said with a smile. I figured we had about forty-five minutes till we got to the motel, so for the second time in one day I told my story from start to finish. I figured I might as well get used to telling, because I had a feeling once I reached the training facility in Virginia, I would be telling it quite often.
By the time we had reached the motel I finished my tale. He didn't stop me to ask questions, and I paused only to give him directions. He said nothing until we pulled into the parking lot. Finally he placed his hand on my arm and gave me a warm smile.
"I'm glad we found you. Welcome to the FBI. Now all you have to do is make it through the academy. Come on, let's go get your stuff, and since you're so strong you can carry the heavy stuff. You might be vampiric, but you're still a girl, so I'm expecting at least twelve suitcases."
I laughed and led the way to my room. I saw the shock on his face when I packed all my clothes into one backpack and then I saw his shock go to disbelief when I emptied the room safe of all my cash. I placed my small fortune into the backpack, and in minutes I was ready to go.
I palmed my fake identification card and stuffed it into my front jeans pocket when he wasn't looking. I gave up my old life and I had to destroy the last link. I would have to burn it later when I could do it with a modicum of privacy. Maybe I should have a little ceremony. I walked with Michaels to the front desk and checked out. The clerk deftly brought up my room charges and I paid them in cash. Michaels spun and led the way to the automatic door. I gave a resigned smile and followed him towards my new life.