Honeysuckles and Wolfsbane

Chapter 3: The Big City

Getting around New York City was no easy feat. I kept getting lost. Distracted by the various smells of pizza and sewage. Sweat and bodegas. I could hear the rats under the ground, but I could also hear the streetside artists playing their hearts out for random onlookers.

There were people dressed as superheroes trying to haggle and scam tourists into taking pictures with them. I made the mistake of stopping but quickly got away as soon as I could. I found myself wandering through Time Square getting enthralled by all the people.

The best part was that no one really noticed me. I bet I could feed midday, and no one would bat an eyelash. I'd already seen weirder things in the past hour I'd been here.

Thank God for GPS. I would have never found Claude's apartment without it.

I expected Claude to live in some bougie Highrise, because we could afford it. But no. I almost missed the building, it just seemed to blend right in. The sun got a little lower in the sky due to it being late afternoon.

I double-checked the apartment number and knocked on the door.

“Tio!" I greeted once I saw Claude peek around the door to make sure the sun wouldn't shine on him.

Once he realized he would be safe in the shadow, he opened the door wide and returned with, “Ori! Get on in here!"

Claude closed the door behind me, and I greeted him with a hug. “Hey! It's good to see you!"

He patted me on the head and pulled away from me, both hands on my shoulders. He had a dark bubbly scar on one corner of his face, but he would never tell me what happened. That's fine. I just assumed that my uncle was a badass.

“It's good to see you too, kid. Happy birthday, by the way."

I beamed. “Thank you, Tio. So, what do you have planned for me tonight? You said we would celebrate."

He nodded. “How about we get you settled in first?" Claude glanced at his watch. “My guest room is down the hall. I'm running a little late to therapy. We'll celebrate when I get back."

“Still? When will you be done with that?" I asked.

“Probably never, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

I sighed but conceded. “Fine. Do you have any food?"

Claude put a jacket on, wrapping his face up in a scarf in preparation for the sun. “No, ragazza. I don't eat."

“Right, I forget."

“But I promise that I will get you something later. The mortals here have a lot of opinions on food," Claude offered, sliding on some gloves and grabbing an umbrella. He put on a pair of sunglasses.

“You look ridiculous, by the way," I commented.

I could not see his expression under all those layers, but I heard him laugh. “New Yorkers have seen weirder things. Anyways, I'll see you in about an hour."

He disappeared out the door after I offered a goodbye wave. “Later!"

The guest room was small but private. Incredibly refreshing to not have people wait on me all the time. For the first time in forever, I didn't feel the prying eyes of servants or reporters. The Romano name was a source of celebrity gossip.

First, apparently, my dad fell in love with my mama. Oh, the scandal! Then my Nona Eva kidnapped her or something. I don't know the details, but it was all very juicy evidently. But it only got worse after they had me.

The first-ever hybrid. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? The only one.

For as long as I can remember, people have been trying to sneak pictures of me. I knew that my parents would pay copious amounts of money to make sure no pictures of me were ever released. Something about my protection.

Whatever.

I made myself at home, unpacking my bag. I even had time to take a shower and thank God that I packed myself some toiletries, because all Claude had was an old ass bottle of 3-in-1 shampoo, body wash, and conditioner. These curls don't cooperate without proper conditioning.

Thank God that my Tia Jessica showed me how to do my hair. I don't see her as much anymore after she had my cousin. Working mom and all. At least she had my Tio James.

When Claude got back from his therapy session, he seemed to be in an even better mood. He announced that he was taking me to an open mic, so I needed to bring my guitar. I loved the stage, but I never got to perform at home, it would put too much attention on me. I couldn't wait!

The bar we went to smelled of musk, filled to the brim of shoulder-to-shoulder patrons swaying to the music. More than musk, bar food, and beer filled the space. A rush buzzed through me and for the first time, I took a breath of fresh air.

“Go break a leg, Ori. I'll be over there. Oh, by the way, I put you under the name Olivia," Claude said, ruffling my hair. I raised my eyebrows at him. How did he know my go-to cover name? That's when he handed back my fake ID with the clear name Olivia on it.

Oh. Yeah. That's right.

“Thanks, Tio," I replied. He brushed past me and went over to an open seat at the bar.

There were a few people on before me. It was all really cool. There was spoken word, four-piece bands, and even some dude playing the bagpipes.

I double-checked the tuning on my acoustic guitar and once it sounded good, it was my turn to take the stage. One good thing came from all my long nights being alone, and I spent all my free time playing my guitar. I could play the piano too, but I preferred stringed instruments.

“Okay…that was great! You gotta bring those bagpipes back next week, man!" the guy announced as the bagpiper got a round of applause. “Next, we have…Olivia. Come on up here!"

The audience applauded and I began to get a little fluttery feeling of excitement. Oh, this was fun! I beamed and walked up on the stage as the announcer set up the microphone for me. I sat down on the stool and propped my guitar on my thigh.

My heightened senses picked up some chatter as a new group of guys walked into the bar. I couldn't help looking when I smelled a familiar scent of sweet oranges and spice. Amber eyes instantly snapped to mine when I recognized Robin.

A small smile pulled at my lips. I didn't expect to see him again. He offered me a friendly wave, just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. I kept his gaze as I leaned into the microphone.

“Hello, everybody. I'm Olivia and I will be performing a song I wrote for you today," I announced, getting some scattered applause from the crowd.

I looked down, my fingertips finding the chords as I plucked my opening chord progression. I expertly picked the strings with my fingernails. I played a twelve-string. I was rewarded with the rich, full sound of every accomplished note. This sound could never be accomplished with a six-string.

The melody quickly progressed into a fast-paced tempo. The rhythm and energy changed as my fingertips travelled down the neck. My voice was almost impossibly low as I started to rumble the first words of my verse.

I enjoyed feeling the momentum of the room change. My octave changed several times throughout the course of my performance. The crowd clapped in tempo with my riff. I was caught up in the energy of the crowd as I stood up, lost in my chorus. I played so roughly that I should have broken a fingernail, but instead, I snapped a string.

It whipped out and slashed across my bicep, but I paid it little mind, finishing my solo. I completed the bridge of my vocals, slowing my fingertip down into the same melody that I started with.

As each cord got quieter, I finished the ballad. Once it was completely quiet, the room erupted with applause. My smile gleamed as I looked back up, seeking those amber eyes again. Robin's eyes were trained on me from across the room.

It wouldn't be a bad thing if I said hi, would it?

“Hey! Fancy seeing you here," I greeted over the noise of chatter.

Robin drank a dark brewed beer that he sipped at before he responded. “What are the odds?"

There were a few other guys with him, all around the same age. Something felt weird around them though. It was almost intimidating. Like an air of thinly veiled aggression. I didn't get that vibe from Robin though.

“You didn't tell us that you knew such a talented musician, Rob. I'm Tanner, by the way," one of the guys teased, ribbing him.

“I don't. We met on the flight this afternoon," Robin replied, finishing his drink. He stood up, easily towering over me. Dude had to be at least 6'5". I couldn't tell his height on the plane. “I'm going to get another drink. Do you want anything?"

“No, I shouldn't. My uncle is waiting for me. I just wanted to say hi," I answered, gesturing vaguely to the insanely busy bar.

“Well, hi. Maybe I'll see you around," Robin said, shrugging past me. I watched him leave, very obviously checking him out. He wore a long-sleeved crew neck, but I could still see little bits of ink peeking out from his wrists. Broad-shouldered, slim at the waist, but he had the sort of frame that was built to be powerful.

“He's spoken for. Don't waste your time," Robin's friend said. I looked over at him. He was slenderer than Robin was, not as tall. Some of the other guys that he came in with eyed me suspiciously too. Suddenly, I smelled something weird. Like dog or something. Faint but there.

“I can look, can't I?" I scoffed. They answered me with silence and several brooding pairs of eyes. “Jeez. Tough crowd. Okay, anyways, nice meeting you." I continued sarcastically, rolling my eyes before leaving to go find my Tio. Maybe I could find him outside.