We got into the car and drove to a cluster of warehouses on the north side of the city. Pulling up to a large set of sliding double doors, Sally pressed a hidden button on the console that caused the doors to open. She pulled the car in, through the doors and into a spotless, white, garage. There were an impressive array of tools in the garage. I also noticed that a classic, red, sportscar at the back, a silver luxury SUV parked in the garage as well.

We exited the vehicle and climbed a set of stairs to the second floor. The door at the top was heavy steel and had multiple deadbolt locks that she turned with keys from her purse. I could tell that some of the locks took significant strength to turn. Even Sally was straining.

The lethal woman turned to me before turning the doorknob, “What you are about to see, you will never talk about with anyone else, for as long as you live. I will kill you and anyone you tell in painful ways that even Iris has probably not ever imagined. Are we clear?”

I could not help but smirk as I replied, “I will guard your secrets with Giselle’s life!” Her reply was only a curt nod as she turned the knob and pushed the door open.

I was not ready for the wave of vanilla and cinnamon fragrance that flowed out of a room glowing with pastel light. I could see a dark pink couch through the door. There was a hot pink unicorn with a rainbow horn made of velvet and satin. There were decorative velvet pillows shaped as hearts in maroon. A sweet melody played delicately in the room and spilled out to our waiting ears.

With a stern look, she asked him, “Will you come in, or do you plan to stand there catching flies with that open mouth of yours?”

I silently entered the apartment. The deep, shag carpeting was a creamy white. The walls were pastel tones that faded into each other. Hung with great care, there were sketches and paintings of beautiful flowers and wildlife scenes. There was a breakfast bar to the right of the entryway. The pink couch sat a short distance to the left of the breakfast bar and faced an enormous TV. The coffee table had an infinity mirror with gentle light inside that showed off the flowered vines inside. I could tell that the plants were real. To either side of the entertainment center, were halls leading to other parts of the place. I speculated that the apartment had to be almost as large as the ground floor of the warehouse. Sally watched as I looked around like the new puppy she had brought home. Her knitted brow revealed her growing worry about my reaction.

I locked gazes with Sally. “I see nothing that needs to be shared with anyone. Do all of the ‘Winter Butterflies’ have their own little islands of solitude?” I asked while refusing to look away or smirk.

I was surprised when she looked away first. “I think Giselle and Nannette have a place together, out in Harrisburg. They have been ‘together’ for the last decade or so. They think we don’t know, so don’t ‘out’ them.”

I opened my arms to this little, dark spitfire. Surrounded by pinks and pastels, I told her, “I would never do that. Who a person loves is only their business.” Now, I gave her a smirk, “I mean it’s not like either of them is underage…”

That got me a glower, until it dissolved into a begrudging chuckle. “Yeah. They don’t hide it very well. You should see the mess when they hunt a homophobe together. You might be surprised at how many of our targets are ‘phobes!”

“Not really. People who live on a diet of hate tend to embrace violence.” My expression must have been pretty dark from the look Sally gave me.

“Let’s not focus on the darkness. That road does not go places we want to end up in. That’s why I need this place.”

Looking down into her eyes, her expression was unreadable. “I don’t judge people for things like that. Murdering a man in front of me was a hard thing to get over. But a bit of pastel fluff and a rainbow unicorn seem pretty tame offences.” I said.

She continued to look at me strangely before saying, “The hall to the right leads to the rooms without outside windows. Those are for visitors who can’t take sunlight. The hall to the left leads to the three rooms that have outside windows. The windows are bulletproof one way glass, with UV filters. Pick one of the sunlight rooms and crash. I’ll order you some clothes and some food.”

“How are you expecting to take the delivery?”

“I have a special drop box. No contact and no sunlight. Got any requests or allergies?”

I considered for a moment. “I’m good with anything that doesn’t have beets.”

“I’ll yell when the food is here. Use the shower in the room.”

I picked the middle room of the three. It was neat and clean and, thankfully, decorated in dark shades of blue. Opening the curtains showed me the darkened sky outside. The full disc of the moon shone down brightly. Too bad the warehouse district skyline was not greatly improved by the moonlight. At least the sound of traffic was dulled down to almost inaudible levels.

I closed the midnight blue curtains and got my shower before turning in.

---===+++===---

I woke just after sunset to the scent of chicken egg foo young wafting through the apartment.

As I walked out to the living room, I could hear a mixture of new wave and second British Invasion pop music from the 1980s. I made a point of not being quiet as I moved. There was no point in angering my host as I crept around her lair.  I need not have bothered…

Sally was dancing to the beat with her stuffed unicorn. Her movements were sinuous and graceful in a way I had never seen a human being move. Her pink fluffy slippers were sure and stable as she enjoyed herself. He lacy nightwear was reserved and cute as well as colored in soft pastels. It was like watching a living force of nature express itself through dance. She spared me one glance as she spun through the crescendo at the end of the song.

“Remember what I said about anything you see. That goes for anything you hear as well.” She said with unnecessary intensity. I could not miss that Sally was not out of breath or showing any sign she was tired.

I looked at the food she had ordered as it sat, spread out on the coffee table. This way I couldn’t get into trouble from my unintended expressions. As I sat down, Sally took her seat further down the couch. She sat demurely and watched as I ate. “Do you still eat regular food?” I asked as I noted the fact that there was no food in front of her. The rice and the gravy were piping hot, as was the container of egg drop soup. The steam rose into the air in ribbons of fragrant waves. 

“I can eat. It isn’t the best way for me to get what I need. Blood provides a more concentrated nutrient source.” Her mild smile was incongruous with the brutal nature of her words. “Besides, we provide a service that is vital to human life. Think of it this way: vampires remove destructive people from the world. If we get out of control, Lycans remove the vampire that upsets the balance of the world. If Lycans get out of control, we remove the Lycan who causes the imbalance.”

“What happens if you both get out of control? Do humans just get destroyed in the war?” I asked.

“That is where the Mystics were supposed to step in. The legends say that was their purpose before they changed us all.”

“Do you know why they changed everything? What you describe sounds pretty stable.”

She looked up at me from the fuzzy unicorn in her lap with an unreadable expression. “What I was told was that they wanted more power and less responsibility. There have been some who think they did it for immortality. Both Vampires and Lycans, I’m told, had much more extended lifespans than the Mystics. Mystics used to only live as long as regular humans did. Now, they don’t age. They are also hard to kill.

“Our world badly needs a stabilizing force. She hasn’t said so, but I suspect that is what Iris is trying to provide.” Her look as she said this was troubled. As hard and cold as she tried to be most of the time, I could see a vulnerability as she snuggled the unicorn closer.

“You doubt she can do it.” My words were not a question. They were a statement we both knew was true.

She sighed as she looked away. “I don’t doubt that she wants that. I just don’t think she has much chance of pulling it off. The system has been broken for a long time. The change happened before any of us were born or turned. How would any of us know how to even live in a world of balance?”

“Despair can be a vicious cycle. If you can’t imagine a better world, it’s harder to make one… I’m still going to try though.”

Sally did not break her silence again as I ate my food.