POV: Rachel (Lunar Hare)
Recap: Rachel made an … impression on Maria’s group, to say the least, and promised Zoe that she’d handle it. Rachel wasn’t sure she’d be able to come back during the night but assured Zoe that she’d come back to help her and that she had a plan.
Elena’s mother asked Rachel to help bring her inside, and she learned there was a bit more to the gangster teenage girl than she first suspected. Poor mother … she’s had her hands full with Elena!
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Rachel winked at Zoe as she backed up toward the sidewalk. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
Before Zoe could respond, Rachel turned and dashed into the street, running toward Downtown Miami as the moonlight filled her. The wind whistled past her long ears, air pressure pressing her clothes tight against her body. Scarlet soon caught up, and Rachel noticed the grin on her black lips.
I’m not the only one that’s excited about this conflict, but Scarlet seems pretty easy to entertain; she just wants to socialize. What I should be focused on is how long I can keep this tension confined before I snap? Probably not long.
Cars flew behind her as they entered more active parts of Little Havana, forcing her to use buildings as launch pads when needed to bypass crowded areas. She held back to not buckle her shoes but was still fast enough to zip by the vehicles holding to the speed limit, and more than one person noticed her high-speed race through the packed Miami roads.
Fragmented sentences reached her ears through the gusts and sound of traffic; her abilities automatically dulled it, but from what she could hear, people were more than interested in the white-haired girl that more than doubled the cars’ speed on the streets.
Her sharp turns and quick recovery only gave some people a glimpse before she darted down the next street, giving them the impression of a ghost flying through the city, and more than one face pressed to the glass inside vehicles to get a better look.
At the pace she ran, bypassing traffic by jumping over intersections, it didn’t take them long to make it a street before the cafe. She slowed to a stop, and Scarlet soon appeared several meters ahead of her, between two tourist groups; she wore a pleasant smile, hands held behind her back while she waited for her to catch up.
Rachel took a few deep breaths to calm her heart while coming to a stop. “I just took hundreds of steps, but you haven’t moved one,” she chuckled, shaking her head while managing her hair and glancing around. She caught every eye that locked onto her, which wasn’t surprising since she stood out by literally glowing.
“There’s no way I could keep up with you on foot,” Scarlet shot back. “So, umm … why are we stopping here?” She asked, vampiric eyes fading back to blue as they drew more attention, but the frightening vision quickly returned. “Oh, look, look!” She squealed, pointing behind her.
Rachel’s brow creased. “What’s … wait, that’s a Fairy … and a boy?”
“Hmm? It is a boy! Fiona’s not alone; I should text her a picture.” She licked her lips with anticipation, pulling her phone out. “Give me just a minute; I’ll just be two seconds.”
Before Rachel could protest, shadows enveloped her; the next moment, she heard Scarlet behind a pillar to the group’s back. Rachel sighed with slight humor as the tourists around her gave each other shocked glances while searching where the long-eared girl had gone.
I doubt he’s a Mythickin, but it’s not impossible. It would be better to go make sure, and it shouldn’t take that long. I mean, it was only a matter of time until we would come across some type of Fairy or little-person.
She jogged across the street, easily dodging between traffic with her ears raised high in the air. There was more than one whispers about a glowing bunny-girl and vanishing black-haired girl, but she filtered past them, focusing on the group with the Fairy-boy, and she almost wanted to face-palm when she saw where Scarlet should have been, enshrouded by shadows beside a building; she could hear her fiddling with her phone in the darkness.
She’s straight stalker mode right now!
Slowing to a casual walk, she approached the group with a pleasant tone. “Hey, could I talk to you for a second?”
Two teenage girls, a blonde and brunette, a brown-haired boy in his early twenties, and the Fairy turned to give her a confused smile.
“Umm, what’s up?” The blonde-haired girl asked, looking up at her before glancing over at the Fairy as he floated to her eye level.
“Do we know you?” He asked, voice rather masculine for his size.
Rachel hid her inner thoughts while addressing him, scanning his physique with a careful eye. Strong build, and his wings seem a lot more attached than Fiona’s; they’re fluttering like a dragonfly. He’s also at least half an inch taller than her, which is actually a pretty significant amount when she’s three inches tall.
That being said … he’s got a pretty neatly trimmed goatee, and his black hair is well-shaped. Chiseled enough to make Scarlet blush. He could be a young Pedro Pascal, and his taste in Ken-doll clothes isn’t horrible. He probably didn’t have many options like Fiona.
She had to restrain an amused smirk while holding out her hand to the blonde-haired girl; the crowd casually moved around them. “Hi, my name’s Rachel.”
“Hi?” The girl asked, hesitantly taking her hand before quickly retreating. She looked to the man in his early twenties as he cut in.
“Eh, what do you want?” He folded his arms, doing a quick sweep of her body.
Now that she’d gotten their attention, Rachel stepped back to give them space, and moved to a shy smile, pulling back a loose lock of her long hair. “So, umm, I’m just wondering if you could tell me what type of Demi you are?”
They all gave each other a quick look, but the expression shared between the teens Rachel couldn’t help but catch, and before both men could recover, the brunette jumped in, gesturing to the brown-haired man beside her. “Hi! Um, my brother’s a Demi, even though he doesn’t look like it. He can do wind spells, real magic! Oh, his name’s Tony, and he’s single.”
“Yo, Roy…” Tony groaned, rubbing the back of his neck before giving her an apprehensive smile; he wasn’t bad looking, but nowhere near Anthony’s looks.
Rachel quickly redirected the conversation. “Oh, no,” she held up her hands with a short giggle. “I’m asking for a friend, and, umm … sorry,” she winced, glancing at the man, “but I’m wondering if your friend is a Fairy?”
She could hear Scarlet biting her lips, and pictured her bouncing on her toes with excitement as she took several shots, hidden in the shadows not four feet away. “How do you do it?” She whispered so softly that she wasn’t sure even Maria could hear her, and it sounded like she wanted snack blood-bags to watch the scene unfold.
Ignoring the audience, Rachel continued. “Are you perhaps … a Faekin?” She asked, tone saying she didn’t want to offend him.
“Oh, eh,” the Fairy-guy chuckled before sucking in through his teeth, giving his buddy an apologetic grin, and the blonde-haired girl hid a smirk from the other teen. “I am a Faekin, and I’m flattered, but I’ve already got a girlfriend.”
“Is that so?” Rachel sighed with disappointment. “Thanks, I just wanted to confirm some things. She just thought she was the only Fairy in the world; she’ll be ecstatic to learn she’s at least not alone.”
“Oh, yeah, no, I’ve seen one or two others,” he said with a warm smile. “We don’t seem to be all that rare, but, umm … I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere?”
“Mhm!” Roy stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth for a moment while digging around her back pocket for her phone. “Yeah, she’s all over Instagram trending, right now! Check it out … it’s on Tempest’s page; your name’s Rachel, right? Some people are saying you’re a Mythickin!”
Rachel didn’t have to fake a forced smile. “Oh? I … did do a little modeling after changing. I didn’t know I’d become that famous, though. What a surprise…”
“Totally famous!” Roy piped, flipping through shots, and Rachel could feel the predator vibes flowing off her flushed face. “So, umm, yeah, you don’t have a boyfriend, right? I mean, you’re also friends with that Unicorn and Vampire-girl, too, right? If you’re not free, maybe they…”
“Roy,” Tony growled, moving to usher her off, ears beat-red. “Don’t harass her.”
“C’mon, Bro! She’s totally free; I can tell,” she groaned.
“Is there anything else?” The blonde-haired girl asked with a bright smile.
“No,” Rachel replied while giving her a shy chuckle. “That’s all I wanted to know. Your friend is pretty forward, huh?”
“She means well,” the Fairy sighed, glancing back at the clearly unhappy pair as an embarrassed Tony guided his sister into a store. “My name’s Jase, and this is my sister Kayla.”
“Poor guy,” Kayla released a soft sigh, but she was grinning. “He can’t get a date to save his life. You sure we can’t get your number?” She asked with an innocent smile. “He’s the bashful type, but he’s cool once you get to know him.”
“I don’t want to lead him on,” Rachel frowned with concern. “I’m afraid he’s just not my type.”
She shrugged. “I can tell her I tried.”
“Although,” Rachel folded her arms, pausing for a moment to give them time to question her addition. “My friend might like to meet you to see what else she can learn. She just hasn’t met anyone her size in over a week.”
Jase floated down a bit. “I don’t have a problem with it, but like I said, I have a girlfriend.”
“Yeah, no problem,” Rachel assured.
He nodded at his sister. “Go ahead. Heh, as you can tell, I can’t really use a phone like this.”
“I’ve had to do like … everything for him,” Kayla rolled her eyes while messing with her phone. “Mom seems to think he’ll break if I’m not with him.”
“I ain’t that weak. C’mon,” Jase huffed.
“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Macho,” she teased. “Okay, umm, just put in your number, and I’ll text my contact info.”
Rachel took the offered phone, fingers blurring as she inputted her number. “Alright, I’ll send mine back to you.”
“Thanks … snap, wish I could text that fast,” she mumbled, accepting her phone back as Rachel saved the contact and sent her own info.
Taking a step back, Rachel waved at them. “Well, it was my pleasure, Kayla, Jase, and I’ll give this to my friend when I get a chance.”
They waved back, and once they left, Scarlet appeared beside her with a sly smile, nudging her side. “Huh? Shy Rachel is so cute!”
Rachel’s mask melted, and she gave her a smirk. “Not as cute as bashful Scarlet; you could give your name a run for its money.”
“Oh, I don’t get that red,” Scarlet huffed, rubbing her neck before tossing back her black hair. “Still, too bad about him having a girlfriend. He seems like a decent guy, but he was attracted to you, but I mean, most of the guys around us think you’re attractive … even one or two girls are checking you out.”
Rachel hummed thoughtfully while glancing back at the Fairy and his sister. “Yeah, we’ll see how that holds, and,” she nudged Scarlet back, “are you sure they’re not checking you out?”
“Eh? What’s that mean?” Scarlet asked blue irises darting between the crowds moving around them. “No way! You’re the one that’s glowing.”
“Who would want a nightlight in bed?” Rachel winked. “Now, a timid Vampire-girl that’s way too easy to embarrass? Gold.”
“Can I ever win?” Scarlet groaned, stepping back into the shadows to hide. “Okay, no more daggers; I’m curious, what did you discover about Jase? Oh, c’mon!” Scarlet huffed as Rachel turned and walked toward the end of the street. “You keep leaving me hanging tonight!”
Rachel glanced back, and as expected, Scarlet left the shadows to follow her, clearly a little irritated, and she chuckled. “With all the side quests done, let’s get to business. This car up here; the black one.”
Scarlet’s brow creased as her vision changed again. “Those two guys? What’s so … oh. Mhh … are you sure?”
“Just follow my lead,” Rachel replied. “I’m shocked you didn’t figure it out sooner.”
“Well, to be fair, I didn’t think you’d want the police involved.”
Scarlet followed Rachel as she opened the back seat of the car before scooting in, pulling their hair over their shoulders; the two men jumped, twisting around to glare at them.
“Hey, yo, this ain’t an Uber…”
“Hello, Terrance, Ronnie, Miami Police Department,” Rachel said with a bright tone, and Scarlet shut the door as she finished settling in.
Both men’s jaw went slack for a moment; they glanced at each other before their features hardened, but Rachel didn’t give them a chance to pose the question.
“My name is Rachel, a Mythcikin Lunar Hare, and beside me is Scarlet, a Mythickin Vampire.” As expected, they tensed at the information, hands sliding into their jackets. “I know that you’ve been staking out Deodato Vomele’s cafe and that he’s a human trafficking scout for Calístrato Ballesteros. How has your investigation gone?”
“Mmh, Rachel … eh,” Scarlet chuckled nervously before smiling at them, “you should mention we’re not the bad guys.”
Terrance took a deep breath before sniffing sharply. “You’ve got our attention.”
“The FBI has been in contact with us for a number of different things, and we’re a little concerned about what’s happening inside.”
“You’re with the feds?” Ronnie asked, obviously doubting the story.
Rachel nodded without hesitation. “Why don’t you call your supervisor and ask for confirmation from Assistant Director of Demi Affairs, David Ross. Tell them that Rachel, the Lunar Hare, is with you.”
Terrance puffed out a long breath before giving Ronnie a look. “Assistant Director … that’s quite the source. If this doesn’t pan out, then we’ll be taking you both down to the station.”
Scarlet cleared her throat. “We have Top Secret Military Security Clearance.”
Ronnie lifted an eyebrow. “Weird flex … but okay; I’ll make the call.” He pulled out his phone, calling his supervising officer.
Scarlet’s mouth dropped open, head snapping to Rachel. “Weird flex? Rachel … did he just … he’s like thirty-eight; a boomer!”
Rachel just smiled, giving her a weak shrug.
“Weird flex…” She stared down at her lap, clearly still in disbelief.
Shockingly, it didn’t take long for the response to come; his Sergeant put him on hold while he made the call, and not three uncomfortable minutes later, he was back. Ronnie’s forehead creased further as he responded.
“Ronnie … the Assistant Director wishes to speak to Rachel.”
A lump dropped down Ronnie’s throat as Rachel’s ears twitched inside the tight headspace, and she held out her hand with an innocent smile.
“Here,” he grunted.
Rachel lowered the volume and held the phone in her lap. “Assistant Director Ross. Oh, congratulations, by the way!”
“Cut the bull,” David sighed. “What are you doing, barging into a Police stakeout? I have no information on whatever you’re wrapped up in, which apparently, I’m supposed to.”
“Oh, Sir, one moment,” Rachel’s smile turned apologetic. “Sorry, give me a minute to talk to my superior.”
“Superior?” David hummed. “Are you planning on taking my offer? No,” he sucked in a sharp breath, “You’re after something. Keep in mind; this line isn’t encrypted.”
Rachel opened the door, waiting a moment for a car to pass before stepping out of the vehicle, leaving Scarlet to moan uncomfortably. The moon had moved behind clouds; shutting the door, she walked around the car to lean against the back and putting the phone close to her mouth to be heard past the loud traffic and crowds.
“I’ve got really good hearing, as you know, and the Police suspect there’s demi and human trafficking happening here, which is correct. I wouldn’t be involved at all unless one of my friends so happened to get tangled up in the mess.”
He groaned, cursing softly. “Not a week in, and there’s already Demi Traffickers. How bad is it?”
“Not worried about warrants?” Rachel asked with a playful tone while flipping around a lock of hair.
David’s tone was brisk. “I’m a very busy man, Rachel. No games. What’s the info?”
“An upcoming gangster that wants to take over some of the gaps left after we dismantled Terrell’s network. So, cartel-related, or at least this guy named Calístrato Ballesteros is trying to get a shoo-in. He has a few scouts; they pack their victims up in crates and ship them out while drugged under this cafe I’m beside.
“There are about fifteen thugs in the back; it’s a pretty big place for just a cafe business. There’s nine Demi and three girls below, and … from some of the conversations, one might be an undercover cop that turned into a Demi. Huh … seems the MPD moved pretty quick to utilize those that changed. They’re drugged right now, though.”
“Crap … well, you’re the type to have a plan. You wouldn’t be contacting me unless you needed something.”
“Authorization,” Rachel mused, scanning the crowd with a small smile. “I’m not stupid enough to think we could get away with it in secret. We’ve been spotted too often around the area, and you know enough about us that we’d need to kill everyone that saw us, and even then, I doubt we’d be that lucky to escape all investigation. I don’t know how well it works in reality, but I’ve seen a few movies where the Police can go in if there’s a disturbance or a crime is happening.”
David leaned back in his chair. “I’m happy you’re coming to me with this instead of doing it on your own. I suppose I didn’t give you any good way to contact me … kind of a strange direction, but what kind of crime are we talking about?”
“Scarlet and I will willingly let ourselves be captured, and then we break out. We’ll make a big enough bang; they can’t miss the signal.”
“Scarlet’s there…” Rachel patiently waited while David sucked on his lower lip before breathing out a long sigh. “You’re lucky I was still in the office this late. I’ll send Agents Bailey and Hughes to pick you up; it’ll be over by the time they arrive, I have no doubt.”
“Oh?” Rachel giggled, licking her lips, stomach tightening as fire flooded her veins. “I won’t lie to you, David, I’m not gentle; I won’t kill them, but they might wish I did. You don’t have an issue with us rampaging?”
David’s tone turned cold. “If it’s self-defense, then I won’t assume anything. They’re kidnapping people and trafficking them. You need to do what you need to do when in that situation. That’s all I need to know; we’ll talk when you get back to HQ. By the way, I’ve gotten a report that Anthony’s been asking about you.”
Rachel’s left hand tightened around her abdomen; her ears and tail were twitching as he hung up. Anthony, huh? What’s he asking around about me for? Things might get interesting.
She swallowed a lump in her throat, glowing red eyes burning while the moon came back into view, clouds moving across the sky. She licked her full lips, tasting salt. “That’s some confidence he has in us.” She whispered. Has he gotten the rest of our reports? More than likely, he has and more. This tells me a lot about the conclusion. He no longer sees us as defenseless citizens, but useful allies.
Rachel knocked on Ronnie’s window; it lowered shortly after, and he took the phone as she handed it to him. “Your Sergeant will get confirmation. Be prepared to move in when we give the signal.”
“Wait,” Ronnie grunted, “We have an officer inside.”
“Officer Morrow? Yes, she’s in trouble, but don’t worry, we’re here to help.”
Scarlet appeared beside her from shadows, glaring across the street at the brightly lit cafe. “It’s a pretty popular place. Are we going through the front?”
“That’s right,” Rachel grinned, tapping the top of the car. “You won’t need a warrant with what’s about to happen.” They blustered a few words of protest but quickly quieted as their phone rang, and Rachel nudged Scarlet, nodding toward the cafe. “Let’s go get a cup of Green Tea.” I’m gonna have to call Mom and leave a message after this. She’s not going to be happy I’m back at the FBI.
“I heard about the Anthony thing,” She mused before her lips fell. “And honestly, I don’t really like tea,” Scarlet mumbled. “No blood and all.”
Rachel just chuckled while walking across the street, bypassing her comment. “Burned by a boomer, huh?”
“Oh, shut-up,” Scarlet huffed, smoothing her hair behind her ears. “Please … don’t tell Fiona; she’ll never let me live it down! Rachel, promise me…” She groaned while following her across the busy street.
Rachel let a few people move ahead of her before following them into the shop. It was bright on the ordering side of the room while dim and cozy on the other, giving the customers the option to sit in whichever environment they wished.
Stairs lead up to a second story where soft jazz music was being played. Rachel rolled her eyes. Ironic, the jazz and bar vibe with the mob, only replaced with tea.
“Oh, this place is pretty nice,” Scarlet mumbled, glancing around at the open space. “Hmm … do they have a real jazz band playing upstairs? So classy…”
“You’re into this stuff?” Rachel asked, getting in line behind several customers.
“Of course,” Scarlet’s smile brightened as her voice softened. “Look at the clean design and the wood floors with bamboo furnishing and wall coverings. The speckled white paint on the walls with the backlit glow. It’s so soothing … and the smell.”
Rachel shrugged. “Meh, I’ve seen better in Bukchon Hanok Village.”
Scarlet’s face went blank. “Huh?”
“In South Korea.”
“Pfft,” Scarlet shook her head with disbelief. “That’s Korea; of course, it’s going to be better! Flippin’ I’ve never been to Korea…” She grumbled, crossing her arms.
“Hmm,” Rachel gave her a smirk. “You seem more like a Japanese fan-girl over South Korea.”
“Eh,” Scarlet’s lips pursed as they scooted up in line. “Okay … yeah, true, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to go to South Korea, too.”
Rachel just shook her head with a wry smile. “The Japanese fans…”
“Oh, umm … do you not like the Japanese?” Scarlet asked tentatively.
She shrugged. “Eh, the Japanese are fine, but I just hate how many things get attributed to Japan over South Korea, and everyone in the U.S. is crazy about Japan. It just gets a little old.”
“Maybe from a South Korean’s perspective,” Scarlet said with a forced chuckle. “I don’t know … I just kind of like the whole Japanese vibes, and the Samurai thing, you know.”
Rachel just rolled her eyes as they came to the front of the line. “Hey, so, uh, I heard that you guys had some maid jobs for Beastkin. I’m really short on cash and was looking for some work … like as soon as possible.” She laughed, gesturing to Scarlet. “Me and my friend, that is.”
“Umm,” the girl behind the counter glanced back at the employee doors. “I can go get the manager, but I haven’t heard much about something like that.”
“That would be awesome!” Scarlet cut in, hopping forward. “We really need the money … like a lot. I’ve got this bracelet I want…”
“Bracelet?” Rachel asked, lifting an eyebrow. “More like all the manga you want to buy. Weeb.”
Scarlet’s mouth dropped open, showing her fangs. “Wha … Rachel, rude … that’s such a mean term. How do you even know that word?”
The girl giggled as Rachel turned to stare at her. “You’re both funny! Okay, okay, give me a second.”
Rachel just laughed at Scarlet’s rosy cheeks, noticing a few smirks from customers behind them. She’s just too easy to tease…
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