The Veil of Shadows

Chapter One

         Reaghan stormed out of her boss’s office slamming the door behind her.  His secretary, Mary jumped at the sound, looking up but quickly glanced away again at the sight of Reaghan’s face.  She’d never been so angry.  How dare he!  She’d spent the last two years kissing his ass and working extra hours in hopes of getting promoted and this is how he repaid her?
         She was still fuming when she entered the carriers‘ room.  Comfort had not been of the highest priority when furnishing their “lounge”.  Everything about it looked identical to a gym’s locker room, from the rows of lockers lined up in the middle of the carpetless room to the individual showers located on the far side of the room, where the only privacy came from white opaque plastic curtains hanging from each shower stall.  Reaghan went to her assigned locker and began throwing her belongings into her carrier pack. Her friend Suzie was doing the same thing four lockers down.
         “Did he lay you off too?” Reaghan asked.
         Suzie paused, looked over at her and nodded.  There were black lines down her face where her mascara had run.  “ He said that business was slowing down and he had to make some cuts.”
         “Business is slowing, my ass,” Reaghan scoffed.  “I don’t know about you but I’ve been working double shifts trying to keep up with all the deliveries.”
         Suzie nodded in agreement.  She opened her mouth to reply then stopped when she saw a small group storm into the locker room.  They were all fellow carriers Reaghan worked with daily. She was friendly with them during work hours but had never felt any strong desire to hang out outside of work.  They were all carrying overstuffed packs on their back and Reaghan had only to guess by their sullen faces that they’d been in to see the boss today too.  Leading the group was a tall young woman with an athletic build and light brown hair cut in the latest pageboy style. Reaghan assumed she’d styled it in that fashion to accent her high cheekbones and light green eyes.  It had worked.  The woman glanced at the open lockers and quickly guessed their situation.
         “You too, huh?” Jessica didn’t wait for Reaghan to acknowledge the question but continued speaking.  “Big man Kawaski laid off about twenty of us today.”
         “What story did he give you?” Reaghan asked.
         “Same bulls*** he told everyone.  ’I’m sorry Jessica.  You’re one of my best employees but I just can’t afford to keep you right now.  Business is slow and I have to make these cuts.‘  But you know what’s strange?” Jessica paused here and dropped her voice down to a conspiratial whisper. She looked around before continuing, as if she was worried she’d be overheard.  “Two days ago Johnny walked in on Kawaski and saw him with about five Abarimons.  Kawaski was acting real strange and pushed Johnny out of the office as quickly as he could, but not before he saw the Abarimons filling out W2’s.”
         “I thought Rimmers were having trouble crossing through.  Something about our air not being pure enough for them,” Reaghan replied.
         “Yeah, well the ACLU stepped in and demanded the government create breathing purifiers for them,” growled a low voice from the back of the group.  Her name was Samantha though Reaghan figured she’d pummel anyone who made the mistake of using her given name.  Reaghan did her best to steer clear without actually looking like she was avoiding her.  It just wasn’t a good idea to get on Sam’s bad side. “Claimed they had a genetic disability and it was discrimination to refuse citizenship to a race just because they couldn’t breathe our air.  Ask me, if our air isn’t good enough for them maybe they should just stay in their own land!” The other women murmured and nodded in agreement and Reaghan found herself nodding along.  Next to her, Suzie looked away before turning back to her locker to continue packing.  Jessica didn’t notice and started talking to Reaghan again.
         “Listen, Sam’s uncle owns a bar a few blocks away.  You wanna join us for a few drinks?” Reaghan looked at Suzie who just shrugged. 
         “Yeah, sure. Give us a minute to finish here and we’ll be ready.”
             Twenty minutes later Reaghan squeezed into the back of a rundown cab with Suzie, Jessica, and Sam.  She scooted as close to Suzie as possible before closing the door, but it still slammed against her hip bone.  Well at least I’ll know where that bruise came from, she thought.
         “I could move up to the front seat if you need more room,” Suzie volunteered.
         “No, that’s okay.  We wouldn’t subject you to that.”  Sam nodded her head toward the driver who stiffened at the remark while Suzie reddened.  Reaghan glanced over at the driver and didn’t immediately notice anything different about him from any other cabbie she’d gotten a ride from before.  It wasn’t until she leaned in closer that she saw he wasn’t human.  His head and upper body were that of a handsome man in his early thirties, with short brown hair hidden under a White Sox cap, blue eyes and a muscular upper body that even his loose, button down shirt couldn’t disguise.  That was where the similarity to a human ended.  Below his waist were brown furred goat legs that ended in cloven hooves.  The cabbie caught her staring at him in his rear-view mirror and she quickly looked away blushing. 
         Another ten minutes went by before anyone broke the uncomfortable silence.  “I think it would have been faster if we’d walked,” Jessica grumbled.
         “Well you can’t expect anything different from New York traffic,” Sam said.  “We should be there in another five or so.”
Reaghan’s legs were falling asleep by the time they pulled in front of the bar fifteen minutes later.  She’d passed this bar dozens of times on her way to Suzie’s apartment but had never ventured inside.  There was a rusted metal sign hanging outside the door creaking in the slight breeze.  The thick layer of rust and grime covering it made it barely visible but she was able to make out “James’s Place”.  Sadly, the weather-beaten sign was still probably the newest thing on the two story brick building.  It was easily a hundred years old with wooden trim around the edges that looked to be in serious need of termite treatment.  With her stomach sinking, Reaghan began climbing the concrete steps with the rest of her group.  Suzie mumbled something about leaving her phone in the cab and turned back.  Reaghan caught a glance of her before the bar door closed and saw Suzie leaning through the open cab window.
         She’d been expecting the inside to echo what she’d seen outside but was pleasantly surprised.  Not a hint of dilapidation was attached to the place.  A medium sized stage was located at the very back of the room.  It was empty at the moment except for an employee setting up the band’s equipment for that night’s entertainment.  The banner hanging down from the stage read, “Playing tonight, Homo Sapiens!”  In front of the stage were dozens of tables, with room for at least fifty people, plus there were also booths lined up against both sides of the wall.  Sam’s uncle had compensated for the ancient wooden crossbeams and brick walls by dimming the lights and placing candles on each table.  The low illumination cast from the candles hid the age of the bar while creating a welcoming atmosphere. 
         Reaghan followed the other women to three tables pushed together that was only a few feet from the stage.  There were already several other carriers sitting at the tables.  Reaghan smiled at Johnny as she sat down.  They’d always shared an easy camaraderie while working together and she was glad to see him here.  A man in his mid-fifties approached their table once everyone was seated.  “Good afternoon friends.  What can I start you with today?”
         “Something a lot stronger than beer, Uncle James.  We all just got canned,” Sam said.
         James looked around at the large group in astonishment.  “All of you?  What’d you do, ask for more money or something?”
         Johnny snorted.  “Nah, we just can’t work as cheap as Rimmers.”
         James’s face reddened as  spat on the ground.  “Damn Cankers!  It’s been nothin‘ but trouble since they came here.  They’re taking our jobs, over-running our schools, and no doubt will be taking our homes in no time.  They’re nothin’ but a bunch of leaches, all of them!!”
         Several people at the table nodded vigorously in agreement, shouting “Here, here!”. Reaghan squirmed in her chair. Yeah, she was pissed she’d lost her job to a bunch of Rimmers, but her table’s hostility was a bit overwhelming.  She looked across the table and saw a horrified expression on Suzie’s face. So did Sam.  She leaned up next to Suzie and whispered, “What’s your problem Suz? You don’t look like you’re having much fun.”  Suzie jumped and leaned as far from Sam as her chair allowed, shooting Sam a disgusted look. Her voice was soft when she replied.
         “I just don’t think they’re all bad. Many of them have no where else to go and this place is their last hope. We can’t turn them away to their death.”
         “What do you think they would do to us if we crossed over into their land? Welcome us with open arms? Offer us their land, their jobs, hell their very livelihood?” James asked.  He clearly felt the question was rhetorical as he didn’t wait for Suzie’s reply before continuing.  “No. They’d slit our throats and send our bodies back across as an example. Those are the kind of creatures they are. No concept of morality or dignity, and really how could they have any. They’re not human.”
         James bowed as the group at the table clapped and cheered him on.  Reaghan doubted, or at least hoped, that not every person there actually agreed with James’s speech, but only Suzie had the courage to refrain from clapping and look disgusted.  Good for you Suz, Reaghan thought, even as she weakly clapped along with the group. I wish I had your guts. The best she could come up with was a bored expression on her face. She hoped this was enough to convince everyone that she just didn’t give a rat’s ass about the topic and to leave her the hell out of it. 
         Suzie continued to argue her point. “I’ve never heard one story on the news about violence against humans near the border. Our ambassadors have made several trips to their land and no harm has come to them.”
         James laughed good-naturedly and smiled at Suzie. Ah, you poor naive little girl, that smile said.  “Of course we haven’t heard anything. The media isn’t allowed to report the truth. All we hear every night are those sappy little immigrant sob stories. Poor little Rimmers that can’t breathe our air because it isn’t pure enough for them so the government spends your hard earned tax dollars to invent an air purifier so they can live here and steal your jobs. Or poor little Brownies who can’t get a fair break at home.  What those damn news anchors don’t tell you is that ‘those poor little’ Brownies are despised in their own land because they’re sneaky, filthy and cause havoc wherever they go.  So we get stuck with their sorry little asses over here, dirtying up our streets and exposing our children to their filth at school. So, no sweetie, you’re not going to hear about the crime that increased in our streets or the human families made homeless to accommodate a Canker that needed a home.  And the reason is simple.  The government doesn’t want us to know the truth because if we did know how we’re being screwed out of our rights every single day we might do something about it. We’d stop putting up with this bulls*** and start sending these invaders back where they belong!”
         “Hell Jimmy, maybe we outta just start doing that now,” Johnny said.  Reaghan glanced over at him in surprise and drew in her breath at the sight of him.  They had worked together for a year before he switched to nights making his shift start an hour before her’s ended. The person she’d known wasn’t sitting at this table tonight.  The Johnny she knew greeted everyone with the same easy, lopsided grin, didn’t speak harshly to any other employee, and never, ever jumped to conclusions. The guy she was looking at at that moment was a stranger. There was nothing friendly or good-natured in his face. His grin was gone and his eyes glowed with a fervor that sent shivers down Reaghan’s back.  She knew Johnny wasn’t just thinking of sending them back across the veil with a backpack of food and a “sorry you can’t live here anymore” speech. He was thinking of making a few examples of his own before tossing their bodies back through.  What the hell is happening? she thought.
         James grinned back at Johnny.  “I like your way of thinking son.  I have a few friends that you might be interested in talking to. They’re just as sick and tired of being run over and abused by these intruders and they have some pretty good ideas on how to stop it.  Gonna start in Washington and make those damn politicians stop playing golf for ten minutes and pass some laws to protect us humans.”
         “And what if Washington doesn’t listen?” Jessica asked.  “We’ll be right back here at the same spot.”
         “My friends are pretty resourceful.  If Washington ignores us, we’ll just have to take a few matters into our own hands. Nothing illegal of course,” he added hastily with a conspiratorial wink at the group.  “We are law abiding citizens, after all.”
         By now, Suzie was visibly fuming and Reaghan wondered how much longer it would take before her normally passive friend blew up at James and the rest of the group.  Considering the current atmosphere surrounding them, Reaghan doubted they’d be open to any of Suzie’s arguments and would more likely be the opposite. She tried to catch Suzie’s eye and give her the “let’s go” nod when a flash of light off to her left caught her eye.  Her eyes had quickly grown accustomed to the dark atmosphere of the bar, so it took a moment for them to focus on the light’s origination.  She thought her eyes must be playing tricks on her for what she saw made no sense.  The bar was lightly lit, yes, but it didn’t explain why she couldn’t focus on the figure sitting alone at the booth up against the left wall.  She tried focusing on it twice but found her eyes couldn’t stay focused on the booth but instead kept shifting to the couple in the next booth.  Once again, she tried to focus and get a glimpse of the figure and again found herself staring at the couple instead. 
         Next to her, Sam made a comment and the group at the table laughed but Reaghan no longer even pretended to pay attention.  Her full concentration was on that booth.  She decided to try a new tactic. Instead of concentrating on the mysterious figure, she stared at the couple, merely glancing out of the corner of her eye at the shadow.  This seemed to break the spell because suddenly Reaghan was able to see the figure much more clearly.  Any identifying details were still obscured as he was shrouded in a shadowy mist that flowed around and through his body.  But he was male; that much Reaghan could tell.  She was able to make out the outline of a long, sinewy body through the cloak that covered him from the top of his deerskin boots to his hidden face.  Even from this distance, Reaghan felt immense energy flowing from him, seductive in both its purity and complexity.  She fought the sudden urge to go to him, take his face in her hands and lose herself in his perfection.  At that moment she’d no doubt that with one whispered request, she’d follow him anywhere.  With an effort, Reaghan broke her eyes free of the man and breathed deeply.  I may not be the smartest girl around, she thought, but I’d have to be a complete idiot to not recognize Grandmother’s description of a Sidhe.  What the hell is he doing in this place?
         Whatever it was, Reaghan had no interest in being around when the others discovered a Sidhe was in their Homo Sapain only bar.  Given the current atmosphere of the place, she doubted this fool would make it out of here in one piece. He’d be lucky to make it out in two. 
         “Reaghan.  Reaghan!”  Jessica’s voice shouted in her ear, snapping her attention back to her table.  Jessica was staring at her.
         “Hmm?”
         “Well?” Jessica’s eyes narrowed as Reaghan continued to stare back at her blankly. “Yes or no?”
         She looked around the table at her prior co-workers.  Like Jessica, they all stared at her, their faces a combination of expectancy and suspicion.  She had no idea what direction their conversation had taken while in those few moments, but it was obvious by the quiet expectation at the table there was only one right answer.  Problem was, she didn’t know what it was.  “Oh, sorry.  Umm...Yes?”
         Jessica grinned and gave Sam a satisfied look.  “See, I told you she’d be with us.  She was screwed over today just like the rest of us.”
         Reaghan gave what she hoped was a convincing smile to Jessica and Sam.  It felt fake and frozen on her face but it must have been enough to satisfy them as Sam gave her an approving nod before turning to Suzie.
         “And you Suz?  Are you ready to make our cities human again?”
         Suzie gave Reaghan a frantic look, her brown eyes wide and scared.  She resembled a doe staring at the bright doom of headlights more than the girl she’d been that morning.  Reaghan’s face stayed neutral while they locked eyes.  Go along Suz. Tell them what they want to hear, her eyes said. Suzie gave a small jump looking at Reaghan in surprise.  Her face relaxed and she smiled.  Timid as the smile was, Reaghan saw more determination and willfulness in it then she’d ever felt in her entire life.
         Suzie turned back to Sam.  Her voice was soft, but strong as she shook her head and said, “No.” 
         The group stirred, clearly taken aback.  No matter how much she’d disagreed with them earlier, they had still expected her to go along with them in the end.  Sam started to rise but Jessica’s hand on her arm stopped her.
         “Suzie, I know you feel sorry for these creatures but can’t you see that they are destroying everything important to us?  If something isn’t done to reverse this, five years from now we’re going to be the refugees.”
         “That veil was created for a reason,” another member at the table named Andrew said.  “The monks knew what a danger these creatures posed to humans.  If you don’t believe me, just read the stories of men lost for a hundred years in the fairies‘ kingdom, coming out to find their entire family was long dead.  Or all the maidens that had to be sacrificed to the dragons just so their kingdom would be spared the flame.  We grew up believing these were fairy tales and myths but we all learned how wrong we were when the first dragon flew over New York.  Do you really want to go back to that kind of barbarism?”  Andrew asked looking at Sue.
         She blushed but didn’t break his gaze.  “You speak of only negative things from stories in the past.  What of the great contributions these species have already made?” Her voice gained momentum as she continued her argument.  “Those same dragons have offered their own curative blood to the hospitals.  Organ rejection in transplant patients has gone down fifty percent by combining their blood with that of the patient.  That alone is a huge contribution to our race.”
         Sam spat on the ground and gave Suzie a disgusted look.  “I’d rather die than contaminate my blood with that filth.”  Sam rose from her seat and glowered at Suzie while her voice rose loudly enough to carry to the other patrons of the bar.  “I’m surprised at you Suzie. You lost your job today to a bunch of Rimmers just like the rest of us, yet you sit here defending these Cankers when you should be helping us figure out how to rid ourselves of these vermin!”
         Suzie flinched under Sam’s vehement glare but held her gaze as she rose from her seat.  “That’s the way I feel and I’m sorry you don’t agree with me.  I don’t think I should stay here any longer.”  She picked up her backpack and turned back to the group.  “Good luck in your future.  I hope you all realize how valuable these immigrants can be to us.”
         Reaghan watched her friend walk away and wished she were with her.  The conversation at the table was taking an even uglier turn.  “She heard part of our plan.  What if she tells the cops?”  Johnny asked.
         “She better not be stupid enough to talk to anybody about this,” James said.  “But, still maybe.....,”  he left the sentence hanging as he looked around the table.  Reaghan’s stomach dropped as she realized what he meant.
         “Reaghan, you’ve been friends with her for a while.  Do you think she would say anything?” Jessica asked.
         Reaghan saw her opportunity to escape and pounced.  “Nah, I’m sure she’ll be fine.  But still, I think I should go talk to her.  I think I could get her to see our side of things.” Reaghan gave everyone a conspiratorial smile as she emphasized her words.  I just hope they buy it, she thought.
         It seemed to work and several people at the table nodded.  “Yeah Reaghan, why don’t you go talk to her,” Jessica said.  “See if you can get her to see reason.”
         Reaghan jumped up from the table and grabbed her pack.  She gave her best effort to make her voice calm and casual as she said, “You got it.  I’ll let you know.”  She had no intention of ever returning to this place or talking to any of these people again, but there was no way in hell she’d say that to their faces.  Right now all she wanted to get out of this place in one piece.  She gave another fake smile as she left the table.  As she approached the booth that held the Sidhe, she kept her eyes looking straight ahead and only flicked them in his direction as she passed.  The mist still surrounded him and she couldn’t see any more details but swore as she walked by she smelled honeysuckle and jasmine, and felt the moist cushion of grass under her feet.  Shaking her head to clear it, she hurried through the door.