All the Devils are Here

Someone Familiar

Fallon

The music was the first thing to hit me when I stepped into the building. At first, I couldn't remember why it felt so familiar then it hit me. I had been here before. Not for the music or the view. I had been here for a hunt. It's a distant memory somewhere in the back of my mind, an event that happened over two years ago when I was knee-deep in. That person feels almost unrecognizable. Who was the poor soul that we had to kill that night? I can't remember. What I can remember however is that he was one of them - a werewolf.

Once the memories came flooding in, I decided that I needed to get out of here. What if someone recognized me? Well, that was unlikely to happen because I'm pretty sure the only person who saw me that night was my target. My face was the last thing he saw before he died. As a Hunter, when a name shows up on your table, you don't ask questions. You take the hit. At some point, I had stopped reading the briefing on the target because it didn't matter. The less I knew about them, the easier it was to do what had to be done. So I don't even remember why I had to kill this werewolf. I just know I did.

I had headed to the bar for a drink. Just one. Maybe on my way back to my crappy motel, I'd stop at a liquor store and buy myself a bottle to take home. I've never subscribed to the drink to drown your sorrows theory but, I'm willing to give it a try. Hopefully, I'd get drunk enough to have a dreamless night's rest.

At the bar, while ordering my drink, I'm approached by a quite interesting character. I know I've only been here for barely two days but, it occurs to me that this is the first real interaction I'm having with one of the vivacious people in this part of the city.

He looks disturbed. Beautiful, dark, and disturbed. He looks familiar. All the words coming out from his mouth obviously indicate that he's drunk so I don't take anything he's saying too seriously. He's dressed very much like I was earlier today; all black everything.

"What's a sweet little girl like you doing here? In this part of the city. You don't belong here", he says and I take that as my cue to leave. The way he's looking at me, it's a little too invasive and I almost feel like if I stay here any longer he would see right through me and know all the things I have done and all the things I am running from. Maybe it's the way he speaks that's getting under my skin. I can't put my finger on it but, it's somewhere between flirtatious and daring. Is he flirting with me or is he looking for a fight?

"You're right, I don't". I don't belong here. I immediately get up from my stool and start making my way to the exit. Even though I don't belong here I can't deny that there's something in the air in this place that makes you want to stay. Everyone else is so carefree and filled with so much life. I couldn't fake this kind of excitement even if I tried.

The exit doors are opened for me by another security guard and once I'm outside back on the street, I realize that the White Rabbit must be soundproof. All of a sudden the streets which I thought were noisy previously pale in comparison to how loud it was in there. It's like I had been in another world in there. I look around for my car then, I remember I had parked on the other side of the street.

I'm about to cross the street when I hear the exit doors open up again. I reflexively look back to see who it is and I'm not that surprised to see it's the drunk guy from the bar. The faint wind blows his overgrown hair over his eyes as he gingerly walks towards me. I wait for him.

"Are you following me?"

"Worried about your safety actually. You look a little lost". I'm not sure he deliberately means to sound flirtatious with everything he says. Maybe it's because of the raspiness he has in his voice or the potentially dangerous glint in his eyes. A little too devilish.

"I can take care of myself. You should go back inside. Unless it's too tame for you", the words leave my mouth before I process them in my head and now that I used his line on him, it definitely seems like I want this conversation to keep going on.

"As a matter of fact, it is too tame for me. Nothing exciting going on in there. Nothing I haven't seen or done an uncountable number of times", "Except you". He's looking at me in that overly curious way again and I look at his face long enough to admit that I've actually seen this face before.

"You look familiar."

"That's usually the guys' line, sweetheart". I actually chuckle at that but, I quickly cover it up with a follow-up question;

"What's your name?",

"I go by many names. I'm not sure which one you want."

That voice, that boyish charm with a hint of mischief, and, of course, the intentionally overgrown front hair that only intensified how dark his eyes were. Why did it take me so long to remember a face that played a significant role in my tween years?

"Sammy", as I say his name, I can't hide the smile that creeps onto my face. He looks at me with an amused and surprised expression on his face.

"You went to Blackwater high", I add a bit more excitedly than I anticipated.

"s**t. You do know me. I uhm-", he doesn't recognize me. The completely lust filled eyes he had been using to look at me tones down and he actually looks slightly embarrassed now. Because he doesn't recognize me. I'm so glad that he doesn't if not he would know that my name is Fallon and not Hera.

"No, I'm sure you never noticed me. I was a freshman when you were in your senior year". I should really stop talking now, but, it does feel a little nice to see a familiar face that isn't related to the crazy stuff in my life. Just a normal person with a normal life.

"So I was right. You're not from around here. Uptown girl." And just like that I've revealed a piece of information that I was not quite sure I was ready to share yet. It's not that everyone in Uptown is a Hunter. In Fact that is far from the truth but, I'm trying to sepereate myself from my former life and I would have much preferred to lie that I was from somewhere completely out of the city. It's too late to back track now so I might as well just own that single truth - I am an Uptown girl. But there and then I make the decision to never reveal anything more about my past.