Chapter 6
Wyatt was on his feet and walking towards the door when Kristy entered. As he reached out his hand to shake hands, he told her, "Welcome, Dr. Cain."
"Thanks for agreeing to see me," Kristy replied while accepting the handshake offer.
As the handshake ended, Wyatt gestured towards a minibar and a small refrigerator and asked, "May I offer you a drink? So you can wash that taste from your mouth."
"No offense, but I won't be accepting any drinks from you or anyone here again. Besides, I'm still on duty at the hospital," Kristy replied.
Wyatt amusingly grinned before saying, "I assure you that those two drops on your tongue was a one-time thing. Everything else that will be offered to you while you are here will be normal drinks or food. And the non-alcoholic drinks I have are Coke, Diet Coke, lemonade, tea and water; although, lemonade is the best to get the taste out of your mouth."
Kristy nodded before saying, "Okay, fine. I'll take lemonade."
"Excellent," Wyatt replied before moving towards the refrigerator.
"So what is that liquid that was dropped on my tongue?" Kristy asked.
"Before I answer that I would like to know what brings you here," Wyatt replied.
"Well, as I told the guy at the door…" Kristy was only able to get out.
"Ronny," Wyatt supplied as he opened the refrigerator.
"I'm sorry?" Kristy replied curiously.
"The guy's name is Ronny," Wyatt replied while pulling out can lemonade and shutting the door.
"Well, anyway, as I told Ronny, I learned about your group from one of my patients, and after learning about it, I felt the need to check out this facility," Kristy replied.
"Being a psychiatrist, why did you feel the need to check us out?" Wyatt asked as he was carrying the lemonade to Kristy.
"People, in a large enough group to form a support group, are seeing human-to-beast shapeshifters," Kristy replied. Wyatt stared into Kristy's face as he held out the lemonade for her to take. As Kristy was taking the lemonade, she continued to say, "I need to find out if it's environmental that is causing people to see what they are seeing. Or is it chemical and it's being accidently added to something that we all digest."
"Or perhaps you are here to find out if it's actually true," Wyatt replied, only to test Kristy's reaction.
"True? No it can't be true," Kristy replied with a tell that suggested that she wasn't completely certain of what she was saying was true. "Human-to-beast shapeshifters… or even human-to-demon shapeshifters can't be real."
"Why can't they be?" Wyatt asked as Kristy opened her can.
"If they exist then everyone would know about them," Kristy replied.
"Why do you think that?" Wyatt asked.
"Being shapeshifters, they wouldn't be able to hold their human form forever," Kristy replied.
Wyatt nodded in an understanding manner before saying, "You're making the false assumption that their human side is a disguise, when in fact, their human side is their dominate side."
"So you're telling me that these shapeshifters—if they in fact exist—are more human than beast?" Kristy questioned.
"They exist," Wyatt replied with a slight grin. "And for most of them they are more human than beast, but there are some out there that will embrace their beast side. Oh, and to straighten out the terms, the shapeshifters are actually called Wesen, and Wesen is spelled with a 'W', not a 'V'. And when they do shapeshift into their beast side, they are considered to be Woged, and that is also spelled with a 'W', not a 'V'.
"Okay," Kristy skeptically replied. "It's safe to say that you truly believe in what you say is true, but when did you start believing in this?"
Wyatt took a breath before saying, "Me and John Quincy—my best friend since first grade—did everything together for over fifteen years. We went to the same schools, we attended the same classes and we both became a chemist. We even got hired at the same company after getting our degrees. However, his job at the company was to develop the next flavored drink that was to take the world by storm. After about a year while working there, I walked in on him as he was taste testing his formulas. There were about five samples that he was taste testing and the third one that he tested had caused an overwhelming emotional response and he morphed into a humanoid rabbit before my eyes."
"Are you sure that you weren't the one who was taste testing the samples?" Kristy questioned before taking a drink of her lemonade.
Wyatt grinned before saying, "My best friend was Wesen; in fact, he was Willahara, which is a species of Wesen—Wesen is the genus… or possibly the family within Wesen's hierarchy of life. Regardless of which it is, I didn't know a thing about Willahara or Wesen when I first saw him change. I quickly grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher so I could bash his head in, but before I could face him again with the fire extinguisher in my hands, he had changed back into looking like a human.
"By him looking like a human didn't stop me from threatening him though, and as I cautiously move closer so I could put an end to him, he spouted out facts about what he was. His entire family was Willahara. I knew him and his entire family since I was six. I had slept in his house on several occasions. John's dad had worked in janitorial at our elementary school when we went there. My best friend was a Wesen and I didn't know it, and I wouldn't have known it if it wasn't for that foul concoction that he mixed up and drank."
"The two drops of liquid that Ronny had placed on my tongue, was that the same stuff that John created?" Kristy asked.
"The liquid that Ronny used on you was something I created," Wyatt began. "My liquid will always expose a Wesen for what they truly are when John's foul creation didn't work on certain Wesen."
"You test everyone that comes to the door at the door, don't you?" Kristy asked.
"We do," Wyatt replied.
"Then you have videos of Wesen when they change," Kristy replied.
"I do not," Wyatt quickly said. "Photos of the Wesen in human form are taken and passed to my security personnel, and then I delete those videos."
"Those videos would be proof that Wesen actually exist, so I don't understand why you would delete them," Kristy replied.
"As with all Kehrseites…" Wyatt was only able to get out.
"Wait," Kristy quickly requested. "What are Kehrseites?"
"A Kehrseite is what a Wesen would call a person who isn't Wesen," Wyatt said with a slight grin. "You and I and everyone who is allowed to step into my house are Kehrseite. Anyway, as with all Kehrseites, Wesen could be a saint or the devil incarnate or anywhere in between. And in most cases, they just want to live their lives as normal as possible. So I'm not going to allow someone's life to be turn upside down just because they are Wesen. Therefore, I will destroy any and all evidence of a Wesen being Wesen."
"Okay, I'm a bit confused," Kristy replied. "You created a Haven for… for Kehrseites to segregate Kehrseites from Wesen, but yet you seem not to be judgmental towards Wesen."
Wyatt pursed his lips before saying, "When a Kehrseite sees a Wesen woging for the first time, it can be very unsettling; especially when the Wesen is something more terrifying than a Willahara. So this Haven I created is only meant to be a temporary refuge until a person can be educated about the Wesen community and come to terms with what he or she saw."
"How long does it take for someone to come to terms with what he or she saw?" Kristy asked.
"Most people take about seven to ten days to feel courageous enough to leave my refuge, but there have been people who have moved to a gated Beast-free community that is located a hundred and ten miles from here," Wyatt replied. "However, that option is never brought to a person's attention until he or she has been living here for twenty-eight days and I can't coax the person into leaving. Although, if there was a psychiatrist or a therapist here to speak with the people seeking refuge, I think more people would find the courage to coexist with the Wesen community."
"Did you just drop a hint that you want to hire me?" Kristy quickly asked.
"I did, but now I'm going to ask it outright," Wyatt replied. "How much will it take for me to steal you away from Treeview Hospital and come work for me?"
"I have at least two reasons why I can't work for you," Kristy replied.
"And what are they?" Wyatt questioned.
"The first reason, and it's a biggy, is that I'm not yet convinced that Wesen actually exist and that the people who have seen Wesen are not being influence by some hallucinogenic substance due to the environmental condition or some food additive," Kristy replied.
Wyatt slightly grinned before saying, "You might not be totally convinced that Wesen actually exist, but I can tell that your mind is open to the possibility that they do exist. You just need to witness a Wesen woging firsthand. Unfortunately, I no longer personally know any living Wesen or otherwise I would take you on a field-trip, so you could see one firsthand."
"Your friend John is dead?" Kristy quickly asked.
"Twenty years ago—about five years after he had inadvertently come out to me as a Wesen—he and his entire family were killed in a home invasion," Wyatt replied. "The culprit or culprits were butchers. John's foot—his left foot, I believe—was cut off, and so was the left foot to each of his family members. They each bled to death after his or her foot was severed off."
"I'm sorry to hear about your friend and his family," Kristy replied in a tone as if she didn't know what else to say.
Wyatt nodded with a polite grin before asking, "Anyway, what is the second reason why you can't work for me?"
"I was hired on at Treeview Hospital yesterday and today is my first day working there," Kristy replied. "Quitting them now, after working there for only a few hours would tarnish my reputation… and my dad's reputation. My dad is also a psychiatrist and he's the one who pulled strings to get me hired on at Treeview Hospital."
"Okay, I can respect your reasons for not wanting to quit the hospital," Wyatt replied. "Out of curiosity, where were you working before Treeview Hospital?"
"I shared a practice with three others in Twin Falls, Idaho," Kristy began. "Last Sunday, my two teenage kids and I moved to Portland from Twins Falls."
"What about your husband?" When Kristy pursed her lips, Wyatt told her, "I noticed the ring on your finger."
Kristy became misty eyed as she replied, "My husband— Detective Daniel Cain—was killed in an arson fire while trying to apprehend the arsonist eighteen days ago."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Wyatt quickly replied.
"Thanks," Kristy replied. "Anyway, thanks for the job offer, but I'm going to pass."
"Hold on," Wyatt quickly told her. "What is the hospital policy on moonlighting or volunteering your services?"
"I honestly don't know," Kristy replied. "It would be something I would have to look into."
"Will you please look into it, because I could really use you," Wyatt requested.
"There are other psychiatrists and therapists to choose from, so you don't need me per se," Kristy replied.
"You, Dr. Cain, are the only psychiatrist or even therapist who doesn't look at me as if I had lost touch with reality while talking about Wesen," Wyatt told her. "You have an open mind about this and that is the type of psychiatrist I need on my staff."
"Okay, well, I will look into hospital policy on moonlighting and volunteering my time," Kristy replied. "So until I have the answer for you, good day, Wyatt."
"Good day, Dr. Cain," Wyatt replied.
"Since you are not one of my patients, I'm okay if you called me Kristy," she told him.
"Okay, Kristy," Wyatt said with a slight grin. "Until next time."
"Until next time," Kristy echoed before having a thought. "Oh, um before I leave, about how many people come to your door a week while seeking refuge?"
"It varies greatly," Wyatt replied. "Although currently I have twelve guests and I think two of them are about courageous enough to leave."
"Okay," Kristy replied with a nod. "Anyway, take care."
"Take care," Wyatt echoed.
Kristy slightly waved before turning toward the door with her lemonade and walking away.
Minutes later, once Kristy was in her SUV with her seatbelt on and the motor running, she hesitated to shift into reverse as she considered her options.
After taking a breath, shifting into reverse and backing up, she called out, "Alexa, call Joni."
Kristy stopped backing up and put the shifter into drive.
As Kristy drove away at a slow speed, Joni answered with, "Treeview Hospital, psychiatrics, this is Joni. How can I help you?"
"Joni, it's me, Dr. Cain," she began. "I'm out running personal errands during my lunch and I should return on time, but if I don't, I shouldn't be too late getting back."
"I'll let Dr. Simpson know, but I'm sure it will be fine," Joni replied.
"Okay," Kristy replied. "See you when I get back."
"Bye," Joni replied.
"Alexa, hang up," Kristy replied as she came to the edge of the driveway and stopped.
Once Kristy saw her chance to merge into traffic, she took it.
Kristy drove from Wyatt's mansion to Exotic Spice & Tea Shop and parked in the closest available parking space to the shop.
Without hesitation, Kristy got out of her SUV and walked towards the shop. As she was about six steps from the door, Rosalee's only customer within the last fifteen minutes was leaving.
Kristy and the customer exchanged pleasantries as they walked by each other.
As Kristy stepped into the shop Rosalee stepped closer to her and greeted her with, "Welcome back, Dr. Cain. How can I help you?"
Kristy looked around the shop, and when she didn't see anyone else, she asked, "Is your husband here?"
"No. He's home watching our kids and most likely trying to find the time to repair a Black Forest cuckoo clock; he's a clock repair man," Rosalee replied. Kristy slightly grinned and nodded. "Anyway, how can I help you?" When Kristy pursed her lips and stared at Rosalee as if considering something, Rosalee shot her a curious look. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Kristy claimed. "I came here to speak with your husband about something in particular; however, I have a feeling that you will be just as helpful."
"Okay," Rosalee replied in a cautious tone. "What do you want to discuss?"
"Are you and Monroe Wesen?" Kristy boldly asked. "And if so, I want to see you woge."
"Okay," Rosalee replied in an awkward tone. "Obviously Olivia has told you about last Monday."
"Wait, what about Olivia and last Monday?" Kristy quickly asked.
"That she was here last Monday and learned about Wesen from Nick, Monroe and Erica," Rosalee replied.
"Hold on," Kristy quickly requested. "I'm a bit confused. Who are Nick and Erica?"
"Nick Burthardt and Erica Espinosa are the two detectives who caught Olivia outside my shop with her camera; however, the two didn't drive Olivia home right away as you were told," Rosalee began. "The two brought Olivia in here to meet Monroe and me and to explain what she was actually dreaming about. I guess Olivia left a lot out when she told you about Wesen."
"I didn't learn about Wesen from Olivia," Kristy informed.
Rosalee cringed before saying, "Oh boy, I just assumed."
"I want to know what all got said to Olivia when she was here, but first, I want to see you woge," Kristy replied.
"Seeing a Wesen woge could be frightening," Rosalee warned. "If you're not ready for it…"
"I'm ready for it," Kristy quickly replied. "I need to know if this is real or if all of those people at Beast-free Haven are hallucinating this."
"Beast-free Haven?" Rosalee echoed curiously. "What's that?"
"It's a place… a support group for people… for Kehrseites to go when they are having a hard time dealing with witnessing a Wesen woge," Kristy informed.
"Wow, I didn't know a place like that existed," Rosalee replied.
"Yes, well, I just came from there, and I went there after hearing about that place from a patient," Kristy replied. "Anyway, I want to see you woge."
Rosalee pursed her lips before saying, "Okay. Keep in mind though that I'm not going to harm you."
"The man who runs Beast-free Haven told me that in most cases, Wesen just want to live their lives as normal as possible," Kristy informed.
Rosalee grinned before saying, "That's true. Anyway, brace yourself."
Kristy gave Rosalee a quick nod and stared intently at her as she changed into a Fuchsbau.
After stopping herself from taking a step back, Kristy replied in a tone as if she was looking at an apparition, "Oh my God. You look kind of like a red fox."
"Yes, I am a fox-like Wesen," Rosalee replied as she changed back into her human form. "In fact, I'm a Fuchsbau."
"Olivia had a vision of Monroe being a wolfman, so I expected you to be a wolf-like Wesen," Kristy replied. "So is Monroe a…"
"He's a Blutbad and Blutbad is one of many wolf-like Wesen," Rosalee replied.
"Is it normal for two different type of Wesen to date and get married?" Before Rosalee had a chance to respond, Kristy quickly continued with, "And after asking that out loud, I heard how racist that sounded. So…"
"You're fine, Dr. Cain," Rosalee assured her. "And traditionally, a Wesen would remain with his or her own kind. Happily, Monroe and I don't follow the old tradition. And Monroe and I are very fortunate that Nick doesn't follow the old tradition."
"Nick is one of the two detectives that drove Olivia home?" Kristy questioned. Rosalee simply nodded. "What kind of Wesen is he?"
"Nick isn't a Wesen; he's a Grimm," Rosalee replied.
"And what's a Grimm?" Kristy asked.
"Before I tell you what a Grimm is, you need to know that there are two types of woge," Rosalee began. "The woge you saw was the more intense type of the two. Everyone can see me as a Fuchsbau when I'm woged like that. The second type of woge is less intense and it usually comes over us when we get emotional in some way for whatever reason. Kehrseite can't see us as Wesen in the second type of woge, but other Wesen and Grimms can. So a Grimm is someone who can see a Wesen for what we truly are even when we don't want to be seen, and traditionally, Grimms' mission is to hunt down all Wesen and kill us. However, Nick is different. Even though Nick has killed his fair share of unruly Wesen, he does his best to avoid doing so. In fact, he prefers arresting unruly Wesen and putting them in prison when doing so doesn't make matters worse."
"Okay," Kristy replied with a slight head nod. "Anyway, when Olivia was here last Monday, what all was said to her?"
Rosalee took a breath before saying, "Well, I do know that when Nick and Erica learned that Olivia was dreaming about the Wesen community and having visions of Wesen woging when she would bump into one, Nick explained to her of what she was actually dreaming about and having visions of. After Nick and Erica had brought Olivia into the shop and Monroe and I found out about Olivia's dreams, Monroe recognized Olivia for what she is."
"What do you mean for what she is?" Kristy quickly asked.
"Dr. Cain, your daughter is a witness, and I'm not talking about an innocent bystander who happens to be in the right place at the right time to see something happen," Rosalee replied.
"What other types of witnesses are there?" Kristy quickly asked.
"I'm going to try to repeat what Monroe had said," Rosalee replied before closing her eyes and concentrated on remembering. After a brief moment of silence, Rosalee opened her eyes and continued with, "Witnesses are psychics who dream about the Wesen community, and after waking up from their dreams, they are compelled to write out the details of their dreams. A witness will even get irritable if he or she is unable to write about his or her dream; although, yesterday, Nick and Erica learned that witnesses are not natural psychics. Normal witnesses are accidently created by a male Faye with the flu while irregular witnesses are created by a Faye/Wesen hybrid of either gender with the flu."
"Wait, you are telling me that a male Faye or a Faye/Wesen hybrid had accidently turned my daughter into a witness?" Kristy questioned.
"Yes, and given Olivia's unique abilities we know for a fact that Olivia is an irregular witness and not a normal witness," Rosalee replied.
"Okay," Kristy began in a skeptical tone. "Not that I doubt you, but what is the difference between a normal witness and an irregular witness?"
"A normal witness dreams of events within the Wesen community as the events happen, but Olivia dreams of events within the Wesen community before the events happen," Rosalee began. "Also Olivia had shared that she had turned fifteen on March 24th and then started her dream journal on the morning of March 25th…"
"Yes, that's correct," Kristy replied.
"Okay well, for a normal witness to be created, the witness had to have been exposed to the male Faye with the flu within the first seven days of a newborn's life, and the minimum gestation period for a normal witness to become a witness is no less than fifteen years and two weeks," Rosalee informed. "And I'm certain that the rules on how an irregular witness is created won't vary too far from the norm."
"Okay, wait. You're telling me that my daughter was turned into an irregular witness within the first seven days of her life?" Kristy asked.
"Correct," Rosalee replied.
"Okay, back then I personally knew everyone—including the hospital staff—who came into contact with Olivia for those seven days," Kristy began. "So one of my friends or former friends is a Faye/Wesen hybrid."
"If this helps for you to figure out which of your friends is a Faye/Wesen hybrid, Faye/Wesen hybrids are always born sterile," Rosalee replied.
Sudden awareness came over Kristy just before replying, "Oh my God. I think I know which one of my friends is the Faye/Wesen hybrid. But if I remember correctly, she didn't have the flu. In fact, I had known her since we were freshman in college, and I have never seen her sick with the flu."
"About that," Rosalee began before telling Kristy everything she knew about Faye. Rosalee also shared the fact that Athena, Helen and Phoebe were Woodland Faye.
After sharing everything she knew about Faye and warning her that no one else needed to know about Olivia's ability, Rosalee locked the door and placed a 'back in ten minutes' sign on the door. She then led Kristy to the Grimm books.
As Kristy was flipping through one of the books, she flipped to the page that showed a Damonfeuer.
"This drawing of a Damonfeuer is how Olivia had described the demon that had killed my husband," Kristy announced.
Rosalee glanced at the book before saying, "Yes. Olivia had told us about how her dad died and we do believe that he was killed by a Damonfeuer."
"And the Twin Falls Police Department is out looking for a normal arsonist," Kristy said bitterly. "They don't even know to look for a Damonfeuer."
"The police don't, but Trubel does once she gets to Twin Falls," Rosalee replied.
"Please tell me that Trouble isn't her actual name," Kristy requested.
"It's not," Rosalee replied with a grin. "Her actual name is Theresa Rubel."
"Oh, I get it," Kristy replied. "She goes by T-Rubel—Trubel."
"Correct," Rosalee replied. "Anyway, you should know that Trubel is also a Grimm, and after Olivia had told us about how her dad was killed, Nick contacted her about the Damonfeuer in Twin Falls. So Hopefully the Damonfeuer won't be a problem for much longer."
"Let's hope," Kristy replied in a slightly mournful tone. "Anyway, how many Grimms are there?"
"Not many, but enough to keep the Wesen community fearful of them," Rosalee replied.
"How does someone become a Grimm," Kristy asked as she finally flipped the page from the Damonfeuer.
"Being a Grimm is completely hereditary. Nick's mom was a Grimm and so was Nick's aunt—Marie Kessler." When Kristy shot Rosalee a look, Rosalee continued to say, "Olivia told us about the question that… that her doctor had asked her. I can't remember the doctor's name though."
"It's Dr. Sturgeon, and I will be having a little chat with him before too long," Kristy replied.
"Before you call him, just keep in mind about how you would have responded to the knowledge of Grimms and Wesen two weeks ago," Rosalee urged.
Kristy thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.
After flipping to the next page, Kristy question, "Rosalee, do you know of any Wesen that would look like a demonic gremlin? And I'm only asking because I believe that one of the patients at the hospital had seen one last night before being brought to the hospital in restraints. Oh, uh, I now work in the psychiatric ward at Treeview hospital."
Rosalee slightly grinned before saying, "I believe your patient might have seen a Hell-Goblin, and a drawing and the information for one is in one of these books, and I think I know which book that it's in."
Rosalee stepped over to the books and chose one before flipping through it. After flipping to the tenth page, she told Kristy, "Yes, here it is."
Kristy took the book and quietly read the following, "Hell-Goblins have average intelligence and are poor fighters compared to other Wesen; however, their demonic appearance while woged strike fear among their opponents. I observed that once a Hell-Goblin has woged, most challengers scamper away in fear; however, the ones who don't scamper away would normally come out as the winner. These Wesen are normally short in stature. When woged their skin will shift to a gray color, and they have long needle-like teeth."
"Okay, this is how the patient had described the demonic gremlin," Kristy informed. "Although, I'm not the patient's actual doctor. So I'm not sure by me knowing any of this will do him any good or not."
"Knowing about it can't make things worse for the patient," Rosalee replied.
"True," Kristy replied before turning the page.
After flipping through the book for another five minutes, Kristy glanced at her watch and announced, "I would love to stay and look at these books a little longer, Rosalee, but I need to get back to the hospital and you need to reopen your shop."
As Kristy closed the book, Rosalee told her, "When you have more time, I don't think Nick would mind if you would come by and looked at the books."
"I might take you up on that offer," Kristy replied before she and Rosalee made their way up the steps.
As the two reached the front door, Kristy and Rosalee exchange parting pleasantries and then went their respective ways.
To be continued.