Halloween dawned dark and gloomy, just the way you'd expect. I spent the first part of the day at school with Caeden and Tanya, then I flew off after Tanya's lunch period, heading to my old house to await Jack's arrival. It took him two more hours, but he finally showed up, laughing as he did and glancing over his shoulder towards the street that he'd left covered in a thin layer of snow. I rolled my eyes at him. "Alright, here's the plan. We get costumed up, then you're gonna stay with Caeden until trick-or-treating starts, while I go get Tanya and bring her over. Her mom's gonna drop her off and I'm gonna be navigating. Caeden's gonna walk over to Wedgewood."

"So, wait. Why do we have to split up? Why can't we just meet them once it starts?"

"Because I'm like you, Jack. I like to spend time with my believers. So I'm gonna enter the scene with Tanya in tow." I ushered him into the house, which we had to ourselves for the moment. I pointed him to the bathroom and gave him his costume. "Put it on, then I'll help you with the finishing touches."

"What finishing touches?" He glared at me from the bathroom I'd all but shoved him into.

"Uh, the beard. And the other effects. You do remember I was a makeup artist at the Haunted House, right? I can't let my friend go tromping around in a half-assed costume. You're going the whole nine yards." I glanced down at his bare feet. "But you can forget the boots if you really don't feel like wearing them."

He smirked at me. "I wasn't planning on wearing them anyway." He closed the door in my face then. I was caught between wanting to be angry with him and laughing. In the end, I settled for laughter albeit accompanied by an eye-roll. That was always the easier solution with Jack anyway. I went up to my old room to change into my costume. I hiked up the skirt and pinned it so it was now a bustle. I wore my skinny jeans on underneath and put in my vampire teeth I'd had for years. I put on the circlet and let my hair down. I'd worn it in a messy bun all day and so it was wavy almost to the point of rivaling Bellatrix Lestrange. I heard the door downstairs open and Jack walked out. "Story?"

I went to the top of the stairs and looked down at him in his costume. "I thought you said it fit!" It was baggy on him and looked at least a size too big. Not to mention the hat was almost covering his face it was so big. I started down the stairs towards him, to see if there was a way to salvage it. He turned his head to look up at me, eyebrows going sky high.

"Whoa."

I reached the bottom of the steps. "Yeah, yeah. I look good in the dress, now turn around." He did as I said and I pulled the sides of the top towards me. "There's enough extra fabric here for me to recover a couch!"

He shrugged. "I said it fit fine, not perfect."

I shook my head at him. I undid the sash and re tied it, pulling the sides back. I fixed the extra fabric so it looked okay. "Alright, turn, let me try to fix the hat." He did and bent down so I could reach. Man I hated being short. I tugged at it and prodded it, but it was just too big. Finally I took it off. "We're just gonna have to do without the hat."

"The hat pulls everything together."

"I know, don't remind me. Shit, your hair's sticking out!" White tufts were poking out under the edge of the wig. I stuffed at his hair until the only color showing was dark brown. I put the hat back on and sure enough, stuffing his hair into the wig made it almost stable. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a handful of safety pins and proceeded to pin the hat in place. He shook his head and it wobbled, but stayed put. "Alright, the hat stays. Now onto the paint phase."

He grimaced. "You're gonna put make-up on me?" I looked him dead in the eye and he groaned. "I hate when you get like this, you know that?"

I smiled at him. "You figured that out when you met me." I proceeded to paint on his beard and other effects. By the time I was done he could have fooled Megan, who'd been a diehard fan of the original. "I'd say you were a dead ringer." Jack inspected himself in the mirror.

"This stuff comes off easy, right?" He gestured to his 'beard'.

"Yeah, you have to use soap, but you probably haven't bathed in how long? This'll be good for you."

"You're no better. The last time I saw you clean yourself was that incident with the ink."

"Yeah, don't mention that to Tanya, will you?"

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Are we ashamed of something? Story, I have never known you to want to keep a secret! This is too good." He chuckled at me.

"Fine, tell her then. I don't care." I started back up the stairs. "Now, I have to finish my costume, so if you'll excuse me."

"What do I do until you're done?"

"I don't know, watch T.V. or something." I didn't turn around, but I'm sure he was shaking his head at me. I went over to the futon where I'd left my bag. Out of it I pulled my make-up, the real kind, and started to paste it on. I was not paling my skin, just good old fashioned red lipstick and some eye-shadow. For good measure, I added two red dots to my neck. I put on the jewelry I'd planned on wearing and pulled on my boots. Done, I packed up my bag and headed down the stairs. I found Jack in the living room, reclining on the couch with Oxygen turned on. I glanced at the T.V. to see what he'd settled on watching. I raised my eyebrow at him. "Pretty Woman? Really? I thought you'd be watching something more along the lines of, oh I don't know, not a chick-flick."

He shrugged. "It caught my interest. That part where she told off the customer service was hilarious."

"Yeah that part is pretty good. Alright, you gonna hang here, or head to my grandma's?"

He started getting up. "I'll head over there, I can play with your cousins."

"They still believe in you?"

"Well, Caeden and Chase do. The others either never did or stopped all too soon." He shrugged it off, but I knew it got to him.

At the mention of my little cousin I smiled ruefully. "I miss Chase. Shit, he's ten now!" The last time I'd seen him, he was a cute little four year old, skinny as a rail and my little buddy. Time flies. I looked at the ground and we were quiet for a minute. "Alright, so I guess I'll head to Tanya's." I glanced at the clock. "They should be out of school by now." We walked to the back door and parted ways. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"Likewise." Jack took off with the wind and left me to make my way on my own. I called my wings and soared to Tanya's house, landing in the backyard. She was in the kitchen again and came to let me in through the back door.

As I waked in she raised her eyebrows. "I love your costume, where'd you get it?"

I shrugged. "I've had this stuff for years. Now let's get you dolled up." We went up to her room and proceeded to do said dolling up. Tanya was going as some character from a recent movie that I hadn't seen yet. I'd read the book though, so I knew how the character was supposed to look. "This doesn't look anything like her."

"Yeah, the movie got her wrong."

I sighed with great contempt. "That is one of my biggest pet peeves. I hate when they do that!"

"Me too. Hey, what are Jack and Caeden going as?" She said over her shoulder as she fixed her hair.

"I haven't seen Caeden's costume yet, but Jack's is a surprise." She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I'm not telling, you're gonna have to see for yourself."

She shrugged. "Alright. How does it look?" She gestured to her hair. I glanced at the screen on her laptop which was displaying a pic she was using as a reference.

"Close enough. It looks like they used a crap-load of hairspray on her though."

"I know, but after a disaster a few years ago, I've sworn off hairspray. This is the best I can do."

"I hate hairspray. The product, not the movie, that's awesome. You can't stop the beat!" I started nodding my head to the tune, singing it under my breath.

Tanya giggled and turned in her chair to look at me. "Have you always done that?"

"What?" I went back to humming the song.

"Start singing at random times? And the accent thing too."

"Oh, that." I shrugged. "Pretty much. Whenever my mind makes the connection I can't keep the movie quotes in. Or the song lyrics. Or the sarcasm... Or the whale." I snickered at the reference I'd made unintentionally while Tanya looked at me confused. "A shirt I have says 'Languages I'm fluent in: Movie Quotes, Sarcasm, Song Lyrics and Whale'. The day I saw it I knew it had to be mine."

"I don't get the whale part."

"Have you seen finding Nemo?" She nodded. "HoooowwAreeYouuuDoooiiingTodaaay." I'd said it how Dori did in the movie.

"Oh! Okay, I get it."

I smiled and shook my head at her.

A few hours later we were in her mom's van being driven towards Wedgewood. "Now you have your phone, right?"

"Yes mom."

"You have some cash on you?"

"Yes mom."

"And you're going to call me as soon as it's over, right?"

"Yes mom."

"And you're sure this Caeden boy's parents are coming?"

"His Mom's coming to talk to his Aunt while she takes around his cousin, yes. Mom, I'm good."

"I'm your mother, I worry!"

Tanya shook her head at her mom while I was laughing in the backseat. "Tanya, my mom was just as bad." She sot me a look discreetly. Her mom had been doing this for the entire ride, and I couldn't help but laugh. Most moms were the same way, but it's always worse when you're on the receiving end.

We pulled into the Pay'n'Pakit parking lot and Tanya and I climbed out of the car, me crawling up to go through the front door after her. She waved at her mom through the window, who rolled it down to badger her more. "You've got your phone?"

"Mom, for the tenth time, yes. Bye!"

"Alright, alright. I'm leaving. Bye, honey! Have a good time!" She waved and started rolling the window up as she pulled out. "Be safe!" She yelled the last instruction through the crack before the window was rolled up all the way. Tanya stood there shaking her head.

"She's trying to embarrass me to death!" She sighed in defeat.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, the boys should be over this way." I started leading her towards my Uncle Keith's house. On the way I started feeling a little nervous - which was weird because I never got nervous.

Tanya must have noticed, because she nudged my arm. "Story? You okay?"

"Yeah, I just haven't seen my cousins since I left." I gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. Now, let's meet up with the subject of your affections." At my mention of Jack and/or Caeden she blushed. I wasn't quite sure who she was more excited to see, my little brother who she obviously liked, or my roommate who she'd been fangirling over since the movie came out seven years back. As we topped out on the hill, I could hear Jack's loud laugh and a moment later, both him and my brother came into sight. As I saw Caeden's costume I burst out laughing just as, if not louder than Jack.

Tanya giggled at both of their costumes. "I wonder who's gonna answer when we call 'Jack'?"

I shrugged still laughing. "Dunno, guess we'll find out." Tanya and I strolled into the driveway and Jack noticed us first, waving over Caeden's shoulder.

"Hey!" Caeden turned around and smiled and waved as well.

"Nice costume bro." I slung my arm over him shoulder, grinning down at said costume.

Tanya walked up to Jack, able to see him immediately. Her eyes were shining and her expression basically told me her mind was squeeing. Jack smirked at her and glanced at me. "So this is your new believer?" He looked over Tanya, from the purple streak in her hair and her glasses to her costume. "The one you cheated to get?"

Tanya looked at me confused. "What does he mean 'cheated'?"

"We're not supposed to blatantly move things to gain believers." I shrugged. "I felt like you should be an exception. Besides, you liked the book right?"

She nodded, smiling. "Oh yeah. I must say, I like the wizard, he's pretty funny."

"Dude, I know!"

Jack watched our conversation with a bemused expression. "Yep, I see why you cheated." He chuckled. "So what book?"

"The Two Princesses of Bamarre." Tanya answered before I got the chance. "Why?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's a good one."

"You read?" Tanya scrunched her eyebrows together.

Jack raised one of his. "You do know I'm over 300 years old, right? I got bored often. Books aren't that bad."

I leaned on Tanya's shoulder as I spoke to her. "Jack reads almost as much as me, if you can believe it." She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Caeden had been watching the three of us converse looking almost dazed. My poor brother couldn't get a word in edgewise with us all talking. "So what made you choose to dress up as my roomie?"

Caeden glanced down at his Jack Frost costume and then grinned at me sheepishly. "My hair's almost light enough already, so I figured I just had to find the stuff. Plus it's an easy costume." He glanced down at the sneakers he had on. "But mom wouldn't let me leave the house without some shoes on, so it kind of kills it a little." He shrugged.

Tanya moved over to him. "Well I think it's a great costume, I haven't seen the real one yet," She glanced at Jack in his costume. "But I'm sure it's a dead ringer."

"If we're talking ringers, then wouldn't you say that Jack's is dean on?" I gestured at him.

She looked at him grinning. "Perfectly. It's the best Jack Sparrow costume I've ever seen. Where'd you get it?"

He half glared at me, remembering the incident. "We got it from Fun FX."

"Down by the mall? Oh that place is cool. I haven't been there in a few years though." She smiled over at me before looking confused. "Wait. Did you steal it?"

"No we payed for it." I piped up, striding closer to Jack who was leaning on his staff.

"How?"

He looked at me one eyebrow raised. "Yeah, Story. How did we pay for it?"

I smiled and rolled my eyes at him. "I got one of his fangirls to buy it. They can all see him. This one thought he was wearing a really good costume, so she didn't question anything." I giggled as he rolled his eyes at the memory of it. The door to the house opened and out walked five people, all deeply familiar to me. I'd expected three of them, maybe four, but the other was a shock to me. I looked at Caeden. "Why is Sammy here?"

"She wanted to come." He shrugged as the group walked towards us. Or rather Caeden and Tanya. Jack and I moved away a little to avoid being walked through.

My mom and my Aunt Mikey flanked Chase, my cousin who was just four the last time I saw him. Next to her mom walked my cousin Alyssa who was now 18. Damn, she's already 18! On the other side of my mom was my cousin Sammy who was now 22. I shook my head at how much older they all looked. A small part of my heart squeezed at the thought of how long I'd been away, but I pushed at it until it subsided. I don't believe in regret and so I wont say that those six years away were too long. Not even to myself.

Alyssa walked over to Caeden and Tanya and smiled at them both. "Hey Caeden. Hi, you must be Tanya." She shook hands with the slightly taller girl.

My mom reached out her hand to her. "It's nice to meet you. Is your mom gonna join us?"

Tanya smiled as she shook hands with my mom. "No, she's gonna be handing out candy at our house. I'm gonna call her when it's over and she'll pick me up then, though."

"Alright." My aunt shook hands too and mumbled a greeting.

Sammy walked over to the group of teens. She knuckled Caeden on the head and smiled at his protests. "'Sup cuz? Haven't seen you in a while."

"Nice to see you again too Sammy."

I watched the interactions between my relatives feeling detached. Probably because I was, being invisible to the majority as it were. Jack nudged my arm and smirked at me, trying to cheer me up. I shoved him, griming. It'd done the trick. Chase ran over to Caeden, his favorite cousin. "Caeden can I come with you guys?"

My brother looked at the adults who were idly talking. My aunt shrugged. "Fine by me." She looked at my mom. "You want to keep me company handing out candy?"

"I thought Keith was going to."

"He got called into work."

"Alright. You five be safe!" The group of mortals waved as they started walking away from the adults. "Sammy keep an eye on them!"

"I will Aunt Amy!" She waved until we reached the end of the driveway.

Chase was grinning secretly at Jack who reached over to ruffle his hair. Another pinch in my heart at how they could see Jack but not me. Part of me was secretly thanking the disastrous stop in Louisville for prepping me, even a little for not being seen by my relatives. I knew what I was in for when I agreed to go trick-or-treating, and I just had to get over it. I pushed the sensation away again until the smile returned to my face.

After Halloween ended Jack and I stayed until Saturday, then left. Jack went back to the pole and I went back to travelling. I found myself back in the redwoods. I don't know why, but the gigantic trees called to me. There was something stable and ethereal at the same time. I marveled at them, feeling almost at home. I'd always been a tree climber, but these were even out of my league... if it weren't for my wings that is. I spent a few days sitting atop the giants, feeling them sway in the breeze and getting lost in the feeling. It was peaceful.

I stared out at the sea of green surrounding me and an idea occurred. I wouldn't be able to do it alone, but I knew who I'd need to ask for help. The problem was, would she do it? I wouldn't know until I asked. I left the forests for a colder landscape and proceeded to fly south until I reached the Sanctuary. Dropping through the entrance I started looking for Sel. In the kitchen I found Del snoring with a piece of meat hanging out of the side of his mouth.

I walked over to him and punched him hard in his arm. That was about the equivalent of poking anyone else. When that didn't wake him climbed up until I was right next to his ear. "Hey, Morning Breath! Wake up!" With a start he jolted awake. When he jerked I fell off and landed on the table. "Ow!'

"Sorry, Story. Why did you have to wake me up?" The piece of meat waggled around as he spoke.

"You fell asleep eating again didn't you?"

"No"

I stared at him and pointed at the remnants of his meal hanging from his teeth. He glanced down and slurped it in, swallowing it in one gulp. "Do you know if Sel's back yet?"

"I haven't seen her, why?" He yawned, releasing the odor that had earned him the nickname of morning breath.

I wrinkled my nose at the smell and cursed. "I need to talk to her. Thanks anyway, Del." I walked out of the kitchen leaving a slightly confused and sleepy dragon behind me. By the time I reached the entryway again, he was already snoring. I launched out the hole and hung around in the frigid air for a few minutes before dropping to the ice. I had no idea where to look. I slowly turned in a circle, visualizing the globe as I did, seeing what was in front of me. After turning a complete circle for the fifth time I sat down.

I hate when I have the urge to do something right that instant, but something's in the way. I really do. I sat with my head in my hands, my elbows resting on my knees. I puffed out a sigh and watched as the fog drifted upwards. There wasn't a strong wind at the moment so it was calm in an eerie way. I gazed around at the barren landscape, waiting for something to come to mind. Songs from frozen popped into my head, mainly let it go. I realized I hadn't tried to dance it out up here before. I stood up, quietly humming to myself and I replayed the scene in my mind, mimicking the actions. Mid way through the scene the thought I'd waited for came to me.

"Duh!" I called a blank page to me and immediately scrawled a message, folding it into an airplane the moment I was done and launching it. I watched it sail away until it was out of sight. Once it was I went back to enacting the song, right where I left off.

After prancing around on the glacier for a while I went back into the sanctuary to change clothes. That done I wandered aimlessly for a few hours. I still had no idea where to go, and I didn't feel right just sitting there. I packed and repacked my bag about five times waiting for some kind of response, but there wasn't one. Finally I up and left, taking my stuff with me. I flew until I reached New York City, landing in Times Square. Or, above it. I wasn't gonna risk dropping into a crowd that dense. No way would I get out without being walked through about ten times minimum. I was up behind one of the billboards, looking down on the throng of people.

It still astounded me when I was in crowds this big - or above them. Keep in mind, though I may not have known everyone in my town by name, it was still a small town. For fun we went to Wal-Mart, okay? New York was as different as it got. I loved every second of it. I sat down and swung my legs over the bars, idly swinging them back and forth. I'm not sure how long I sat there watching everyone when a voice startled me. "What are you doing up here?"

I almost fell off the bars. I caught myself and got back up on to the bars. When my mini heart attack had subsided, I finally looked at the speaker. "What the hell? You could have made a little noise, you know!"

She was grimacing, and had her arms up close to her body. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

I looked her over from where I stood, both hands now holding a bar. "You're obviously an immortal from the way you can see me."

"And you are as well. For the same reasons." She smiled at me a little sheepishly.

"So what did you want?" I sat back down, making sure there was a bar at my back now. I wasn't keen on falling down into the crowd.

She shrugged and sat a little ways away from me. "I wanted to see who was hanging around, and to introduce myself. May I ask your name first?"

"Story Tale." By the way her eyebrows moved towards each other and how her lips pursed, I could tell she'd never heard of me. I wasn't surprised. "I'm pretty new, only six years so far."

"Ah, that explains it." She smiled and leaned back a bit, seeming more comfortable now that she knew who I was.

"Explains what?"

"I know most all of the immortals around here. I have a club, you see. Immortals only, so there's no fear of being passed through. Everyone can be themselves, and all disagreements stay outside of the doors. Almost all of the immortals have been there at least once. Of course, I've yet to see you."

"There's a club for immortals?" She nodded. "What's it called?"

"Legends. Any mortal who passes by will only see an empty lot."

I glanced at the crowd again. The place sounded interesting, but I'd just met this girl, I didn't even know her name... Speaking of. "So, what did you say your name was?"

"Oh, I neglected that didn't I? I'm Annie. Well, Anesidora, really, but everyone calls me Annie." She tucked a stray lock of black hair behind her ear as she spoke.

"Nice to meet you Annie." I stuck out my arm and she shook it. After our hands broke apart, she moved a bit closer, now that we weren't complete strangers.

"It is nice to meet you as well, Story Tale."

I rolled my eyes. "Story, okay?"

"Alright. It is nice to meet you as well Story."

I chuckled softly. "So how long have you been around?"

She looked out over the crowd as she spoke. "A very long time. So long that I have lost track." She smiled a little sadly at me.

"Um... So what's your legend? I don't mean to pry, it's just that I was a huge mythology buff when I was mortal, so I've heard of a lot of us."

She chuckled. "I'm sure you were, you seem like the type. However, even mythology buffs have a hard time finding my legend. You wouldn't know it even if I gave you all of the different versions of it over the years."

"So wait..." Something she said picked at my brain. "If your legend's that far in the dark, how do you have any believers?"

"I don't. I had a few back when I first became immortal, but they dwindled down to nothing within the first hundred years or so. Since then I've been surviving on ambient belief. It's gotten me this far, and it'll keep me going." She turned her green eyes on me. "What about you? Do you have any believers yet?"

It was my turn to shrug. "Two, but one's related to me, so he kind of doesn't count. And I kind of cheated to get the other one so I guess she doesn't count either." I laughed at myself. "Good way to start a relationship with another immortal, huh? At least we're more or less in the same boat so we've got something in common, right?"

Annie raised her eyebrows and nodded. We stared at the thousands of people going about their daily lives for a while. Eventually she glanced at the time. "I've got to be heading back to Legends. I should be opening the doors soon." She started to climb down when she stopped. "Would you like to come?"

I hesitated. On one hand, I wanted to stay out in the open so I could get the response from Sel. However, I was so interested in going. I mean, a club for immortals only? Hell yes. I smiled at her. "Sure, why not?" I grabbed my bag and started to climb down after her. I could get the letter just as well if I was inside.

When we hit the ground she started leading the way through alleys where the body count was minimal. After walking probably twenty blocks, she finally pointed to a building half way down the block. "There she is, my pride and joy." Legends was nothing much from the outside. It looked no different from the other buildings around it, aside from the faint haze that was left by whatever magic was concealing it. The sign near the roof was old fashioned, no neon. All in all it was pretty simple. I wasn't one to judge a book by it's cover, though... Okay, that's a lie. I've judged books by their covers, but everything else I don't judge on appearance.

Annie led me through the front door and I gaped. I was right, the inside was much cooler. First of all, the inside was bigger than the outside. I suspected that magic had to do with that little fact. Three of the walls were brick and the other, behind the bar was a vibrant, deep purple. There were three floors, the top two having balconies looking over the first. On the main story was a dance floor taking up half of the space, with the rest consisting of tables and a stage off in the corner. From what I could see of the second and third floors they contained tables and chairs only.

The bar itself was pretty cool too. It rose up all three stories and had little pathways built into the wall so the bartenders could get to all three of the floors. Looking around, the chairs were all shapes and sizes, and so were the tables. I'm not sure that any two of them went together. There were dining chairs and barstools and lazyboys all stuffed around tables that ranged from diner tables, to dining room tables, to coffee tables. There were even a few side tables with one or two chairs making more private seating arrangements. It gave me the impression that Annie had spent lifetimes getting this place to look like it did. Just like at the Tooth Palace, the only word I could manage was, "Whoa."

She smiled at the compliment. "Go ahead and take a seat anywhere you like. I'm gonna busy myself with turning everything on. If any of my employees show up, introduce yourself. You're new, you probably need some more friends anyway." She waved and walked behind the bar and through a set of doors to what I assumed was the kitchen. While she was gone a few immortals trickled in. Most of them looked human, but a few were animals, or animal like. A few looked humanoid, but whatever their legend was made them look far from normal. A few waved at me, but most ignored me, going straight to their stations or dropping bags and jackets behind the bar.

After a while a girl in an apron walked up to me. "Can I get you anything?" She held her pen over a pad of paper.

"Oh, no. I'm not a customer. I met Annie in Times Square and she invited me back here." I looked around at the place again. "How long have you worked here?"

"For the past hundred years or so." She put the pad and pen in her pocket and gestured at another of the seats. "Mind if I sit?" I shook my head and she flopped into the chair. A lock of hair landed in her face and she blew on it until it fluttered off to the side. "Might as well enjoy the calm while it lasts." She had an accent that I thought was Irish. It'd make sense, considering her hair was bright red. She might as well be Merida from Brave.

"Are you Irish?"

"Celtic. Well, actually I predate the Celts, but they were my first believers so I consider myself one of 'em." She leaned back and clasped her hands over her stomach, the image of relaxed. "Where are you from?"

"Michiana. To be specific, Niles, Michigan." I leaned my head on one of my hands, my elbow propped up on the table.

"Small town?"

"More or less... Emphasis on more." Her laugh was loud and explosive, but still managed to sound feminine.

"Believe me, I understand." She looked at me, smiling. I noticed her incisors were a little longer than normal. So were mine, and that's why I noticed. "So what's yer name?"

"Story." She held out her hand and I shook it. She was a lefty, so I had to switch too.

"I take it you've got something to do with stories then? You happened to meet the Muse yet? I hear she's super territorial."

"Yes, yes and yes." I chuckled as I said the last one. "Definitely on the last one. She's not that bad, but, yeah." The Celt nodded in a knowing way. "Hey, so what's your name?"

"Name's Scathach."

My jaw dropped. "Holy crap!"

"Ah, I take it you've read Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel?" I nodded, dumbfounded. She laughed at my expression. "That was a fun one to read, and I'm not that big on books, mind you. No offense."

"Don't worry, none taken." I stared wide eyed. "So... are you really as good as the series lets on?"

"Better." One of the bartenders waved at us. "Looks like I've got to go. Nice meeting you Story. Hope you'll stick around so we can chat again." She got up and walked away. My jaw was still hanging a bit. Holy crap, I just met Scatty!

After Scathach left to get back to work, I stayed at my table. About ten to fifteen minutes later the bouncer started letting in the immortals. More people knew about Legends than I thought. I ended up giving up my spot to a group of Rusalki about ten minutes in and moved to a two-chair set up by the dance floor.

Eventually Annie came over to me and took the other chair. "So. What do you think?" She gestured around at the club.

"It's pretty cool." A red mane walked past a little ways away. "I can't believe that Scathach works for you." I shook my head a little in wonder and disbelief.

"Oh, yes. I sort of thought it was implied that all my employees were immortals."

"It was, I just didn't expect to meet one that was one of my favorite characters."

Se nodded. "You've read those books haven't you?"

"Yep, every single one. Even have three of them back at my place."

"Where do you live?"

"At the south pole."

Her eyebrows drew towards each other again. "Isn't it a little cold? And lonely?"

I shrugged. "A little, but it doesn't bother me too much. And I've got four roommates, so it's not like I'm alone out there."

"Who are your roommates? Perhaps I've met them."

"Well, two are mythical creatures. One's the new Korrigan - "

"I haven't met her yet. Oh, pardon the interruption." She held her hand out, palm outwards as she apologized. "Is she anything like the original?"

"Not that I know of. I mean, she's just as vain. She's a total bitch, but she's not bloodthirsty if that's what you mean."

She nodded. "I see. And, so who is your last roommate?"

"Jack Frost." I was smiling slightly. Among immortals, Jack was famous... or infamous. Before the movie his reputation as a prankster had most of the immortals finding him immature and irritating - even if they hadn't met him. After the movie came out, and after becoming one of the Guardians, his status had risen. More of the immortals - those who'd met him - started to respect him. Grudgingly might I add. Those who hadn't met him still thought he was an idiot with a smile, though.

Annie had a weird expression on her face. I couldn't quite read it but if I had to describe it, I'd say it was a cross between excitement, interest and disgust. That's what most reactions were when anyone found out I knew Jack. Hell that'd been Korri's reaction. Annie seemed to choose her words carefully. "Jack Frost? He's your roommate?" I nodded. If she was about to dis my best friend, I was gonna defend him. She pursed her lips.

"What?" My tone might have been a little snarky, but I really didn't care. I'm loyal to my friends. Usually.

She shook her head. "Nothing. At least, nothing nice, therefore, I'll say nothing at all."

I raised one eyebrow at her. "Seriously? 'If you don't have something nice to say, say nothing at all'? That's your response?"

She shrugged and looked at me innocently. "What? That has always been my philosophy. Especially within these walls." She gestured around at the club. "I've told you that all conflicts are left outside of the doors? Any pre-misconceptions of any immortals stay outside, as do any arguments that arise inside. I believe that Americans have a phrase, what is it? Oh, yes. 'Parking lots are for fighting, so take it outside'? I've never had a fight break out in my club. Ever. Of course there've been arguments before, but no injuries of any sort." She leaned in a little bit. "What kind of an owner would I be if I didn't follow my own rules? I've got to set an example you know." She leaned back in her chair, surveying the customers around her. She smiled at a few as they walked past, waving.

"So how long have you had this place anyway?" I watched the Rusalki a few tables over getting drunk off their asses. Lucky they don't get hangovers.

"This particular building I've had since before the American Revolution. I used to have another building in France, and before that, I had one in Egypt. As the center of the world has moved, so have I." She waved at another group of immortals. "I used to keep portals open between the old sites and this one, but it was too tiring. Anyone who wants to make the trip now, has to find their own way."

I whistled. Scathach was back by the bar, her red mane a stark contrast to the deep purple wall. Hell, her hair was stark contrast to everything. "Why do you keep it dark in here?" The first floor was more or less, well lit. The top two stories were nearly bathed in darkness, like there weren't any lights up there at all. I could spot a few lights, but not many. Aside from the lighting issue, the club itself felt a little dark, with the dark paint and the brick on the wall. Plus with all the people it felt cluttered.

"Aren't all clubs dark?" She smiled.

I looked at her. "You sure it's not because you want to stand out?" I pointed at her bright yellow top.

She glanced down. "Ah, yes. That was one of the reasons I chose that particular color for the wall." We chuckled at her vanity for a moment before going back to watching the crowd.

It was a little overwhelming. I didn't have to go out of my way to avoid anyone, since I was corporeal to everyone in the room. If anyone bumped into me I didn't even get mad. And eye contact! It was weird, but I felt at home here. I'd always wanted to be the kind of person who had a social life, but I'd spent most of min so far as a hermit. A social hermit, but a hermit nonetheless. I was definitely coming back here. After a little while I felt something nudging my arm and glanced over. There was a paper airplane hovering in the air, expectantly. I snatched it up and unfolded it to read.

Annie noticed and strained her next to try and see. "What is that?"

My eyes scanned the last word before I answered. "It's a letter I've been waiting for." I stood up and scooped my bag up off the floor. "I've got to go, but I'll stop by again soon. This place is too cool to pass up for long." I waved good-bye as I maneuvered between bodies towards the door.

When I got outside the brisk November air hit me. It was past midnight here in New York and the city was buzzing with life. Only in big cities do people wake with the moon. I shook my head a little as I called my wings. I had a big shot to meet.