Drew

That was unexpected. He had no idea she could sing. Or play an acoustic guitar! Of course, how could he have known? He’d only dated her and had his heart ripped out after what…two days? And he had barely even bothered to get to know any part of her other than her body and her blood.

Alice, his amazing girl, took the stage at the end of the night. Everyone in the room was more or less plowed, but they all got quiet. As she sang, she locked eyes with Drew and he felt it all over again. Her blood was calling his name like a box of Little Debbie snack cakes calls out to a pot head. His whole being ached for her. He was a junkie and she had the good shit. She was singing a song about light and darkness, the triumph of love over evil. The basic lighthearted kind of number that ended with nary a dry eye in the place.

To Drew’s mind, there was only one way to end this night and send everybody home on a high note. It was time to roll the dice.

Alice brushed past him as he made his way up to the stage. She was clearly feeling emotional and was going to busy herself with some chores and whatnot so she didn’t have to look at him.

He scanned the audience. They all looked a little too emotional and, if he was honest, kind of lethargic. He took that as free license to say what he needed to say.

“I have a poem I’d like to recite. It doesn’t rhyme. You will probably hate it. Here goes…” His mind raced and finally he said,

“It doesn’t matter what the books say, Alice.

You can’t hurt me and I can’t hurt you

Any more than we already have hurt each other.

Unless you’re into that kind of thing.

Which I think you are, and it’s pretty hot.

We can choose our own adventure.

So let’s do that, and you can come live in my palace.

What do you say … Alice?

Side note, I do not own a palace, but I thought of a rhyme at the last minute.”

Alice was behind the counter, arms folded, shaking her head.

“Well?” he said into the mic, watching her. “What do you think?”

“I think that was the worst poem I’ve ever heard,” she replied.

“Yeah, well, we’re all drunk from Birdie’s hippie juice or whatever, so I don’t think it matters if it’s good poetry. Did it work?”

Then Birdie, who had been off chatting with the other Sisters, shouted, “Listen. I don’t know what you dummies are talking about. These are not my smoothies! Somebody dumped some bathtub gin up in there, that’s what I think.”

Magda, now feeling fairly funky, came forward to the foot of the small stage and put her hand out. “Give me your hand, old man.” Drew had no choice but to listen.

Then Magda turned to Alice. “Young lady, come up here, please.”

Of course, Alice obeyed.

Magda then put their hands together.

“Do you feel that?” Magda asked.

“Yes,” said Drew and Alice in unison.

Drew didn’t know what Alice felt, but what he felt was the warmth of his true love’s skin that he’d been stewing over for the last month and a half. His mated female, whom he never thought he’d have the privilege to touch again. He started to shake. He looked up. Alice’s lip was quivering. Drew wished everyone else would disappear and leave them be.

Magda said to them, “Don’t be stupid. He’s right. You choose your own destiny. Time means nothing. Our past lives don’t matter. Legends and visions are wide open and not set in stone. The infinite universe is chaos. It sounds scary, but deal with it. Shit happens. And sometimes nothing happens. It’s OK. Because we’re all just dust clouds bumping into each other. Maybe that’s what it means. But don’t let it scare you. Or just choose what scares you. Choose love. Always choose love. Visions are not what they seem. OK, I’m done here. You kids be good and stop whining. Goddess almighty, you two think too much.”

As they stepped off the stage and the crowd started carousing again, Drew watched Alice’s face change as if she was having an epiphany. Then she said something weird. “The stag in the woods.”

“What, love?” he asked.

“It reminded me, right before you came to me that night. We’re all the same. Vampires, witches, normals. None of it means anything because we’re all made of the same stuff.”

“Does that mean you forgive me?”

“That depends. Do you forgive me?”

Drew scooped her up and landed a huge kiss on her mouth. They kissed so hard and so deep that Drew did not feel Magda tapping his arm. Finally, he and Alice broke apart long enough to listen to the priestess.

“Except that one vision was pretty specific, vampire. That wasn’t you killing her. That was someone else.”

Before he could process that thought, Jordan the barista hopped up on stage, grabbed the mic and said, “OK, boys. Lock the doors.”

And then the lights went out.