She had spent a few months couch surfing, moving from friend to friend, hopefully before wearing out her welcome. Then one morning she had woke up and realized she had been going through the motions and was essentially homeless. She had signed the papers on the condo a few days later, taking immediate possession at closing. Toby and Bernard had showed up on the curb to welcome her, offering to help her when the moving truck arrived. They seemed honestly disappointed when she explained there wouldn't be one. The next day there had been a basket on the landing outside her door full of homemade muffins and a thermos of coffee. She was sleeping on an air matress, but Lea knew she was home.

The main space was divided into an eat-in kitchen, a full bath and four large rooms, each with a fireplace. Over the next few months she slowly assembled an ecclectic mix of furniture and art pieces from upscale stores, boutiques, local artisans and even thrift stores. The furniture was sparse, but comfortable. Lea's taste was simple. The colors, however, were rich, bold, jewel tones. Toby had nodded his approval as the living room came together. He smiled, and dubbed it modern gypsy. Lea smiled at the thought. She had designed a living room and bedroom, and had stocked the kitchen with all the modern appliances. The fourth room had sat empty for a while, but recently had started taking on the look of an art studio. Her art supplies had been one of those few items she'd stuffed in her car, but had not unpacked. The second floor condo also had access to the finished attic. It had sharply sloping ceilings, but it allowed enough space for her to practice her Tai Chi without disturbing Toby and Bernard.

Tonight the door remained closed and Lea walked up the stairs sorting her mail. The stairs creaked with each step. Lea had joked about the stairs being her burglar alarm. Nobody arrived at her door unannounced.

Inside, she dropped the mail into a garbage can next to her desk. It was very seldom Lea received anything else in the mail. She switched on the light and looked around the room, it never ceased to make her happy. Everything here had been chosen, bought and carefully placed exclusively by her. She could not imagine a place that could feel more like home.

She had bought the condo, paying cash, from the inheritance after her parents death in a car wreck. She had still been in school, living at home. But after their death, she didn't want to live in their home anymore. It belonged to her, the lawyers assured her. But she knew they were wrong. Every room held happy memories that only caused her pain. With a few exceptions, she sold everything, even her own bedroom furniture. What she took, fit in her car. She drove away and never looked back.

Home was only a couple dozen, or so, blocks from the office. She could have walked it most days, but the unpredictable weather made driving a lot safer. Plus walking would mean getting up earlier in the morning. Besides she enjoyed the drive, surrounded by leather with a favored CD playing on the stereo. She drove out of the parking garage and headed east. The cityscape devolved vertically from skyscrapers, stuffed side by side, to one and two story businesses and eventually gave way to residential areas.

Lea parallel parked at the curb, just a few spaces down from her house. She had bought the condo in the divided Victorian because she loved the feel of the neighborhood. The houses were old, many subdivided into apartments, but were well maintained on a tree lined street.

She entered the yard through a wrought iron gate. The yard was small, just a patch of grass with well tended flower beds. Lea was glad Toby enjoyed taking care of the yard. Toby and Bernard owned the downstairs condo. She unlocked the front door and walked into the foyer, the ceiling soared over hardwood floors. The staircase to her place was straight ahead on the right, the door to Toby and Bernard's was tucked beneath the staircase. Where, Lea assumed, had once been a closet. Whoever had divided the space had done an excellent job converting a single family home into two separate and complete spaces, without making the house feel like it had been chopped up.

Lea picked her mail up from the hall table, where Bernard always left it for her. Sometimes, she felt like the two guys had adopted her. She smiled and thought she wasn't going to complain. As she started up the stairs, she called out, "Honey, I'm home."

Lea had started this ritual after Bernard had mentioned he had walked upstairs several times thinking she was home, hearing someone moving around. Bernard worked from home and always seemed to be there. She didn't always know if Bernard heard her call out, but sometimes the door would swing open and an invitation would be issued for dinner, popcorn and a movie or a game. Lea frequently accepted the offers. The guys were good company and Toby was a master in the kitchen.

An hour before her day was through Mickey arrived, second shift security. There was 24 hour security in the office. Mickey was a big man, tall and broad in the shoulders, with unusually dark skin and coal black eyes. He moved with ease, unencumbered by his stature.

"Afternoon, Lea."

"Hey Mickey," she replied, "How's the weather outside? It couldn't make up it's mind this morning...pouring one minute, bright and sunny the next."

"It's nice running weather. Just have to watch the bums. Seems I see more and more. I swear somebody is busing them in."

Lea exaggerated a lopsided grin at Mickey.

"What are you worried about? Big strong man with..." she glanced at his belt, "pepper spray."

"Hey, that hurts." Mickey laughed as he passed through the door. Calling back, "You be careful...you might hurt somebody."

Lea finished up, organizing the paperwork she had printed throughout the day. Each project in a separate folder. On top of these, she placed the mail and requested appointments and engagements. She shut down her computer, Richard's policy, stowed everything in the credenza and locked it. She passed through the security door and walked back to Richard's office...which was empty. It was unusual for him to be gone this time of day. She considered, then laid the prepared stack of papers in the center of his desk.

On the way out she almost collided with Jorge in the hall. Jorge was Mickey's polar opposite. It appeared he worked out, but you can't change the frame. He was whip thin and shorter than Lea,

"Last sweep of the shift?" she asked.

Jorge always seemed a little embarrassed around her, something that surprised her for a security guard. He seldom looked her in the eye, at best she'd catch a furtive glance in her direction.

"Yeah." he mumbled, looking at his feet. "I have to check the storerooms." Lea wondered what his reaction would be if she asked to go with him. Instead, she just said goodnight and headed the opposite direction. No sense in making the man more uncomfortable.

Lea returned to her desk and scanned down the list Richard had prepared. His first appointment wasn't due for another half an hour and several more spread across the day. There was some research she could do online and a few phone calls to make. The list was not long and for this she was paid well. Lea was regularly amazed at her fortune of landing this job. It allowed her to do what she loved. She had majored in art history and now she was surrounded by it...art and history. Lots of it.

The door from the hallway pushed open, Lea casually looked at her watch. If this was Richard's appointment, he was 15 minutes early. She stood and flashed a practiced smile. The man's reaction was not unusual, he hesitated for a fraction of a moment before returning her smile as he took her in. Lea was tall with a body perfected by years of running and martial tai chi. At five feet, nine inches plus the three to four inch heels, she habitually wore, she tended to draw attention wherever she went. She came out from behind the desk and offered her hand.

"Good Morning, may I help you?"

He took her hand gently, in a manner that she thought he might kiss it.

"I am Colin Adair, I have an appointment."

"Do you have identification, Mr. Adair?" she asked. He was not surprised by the question and presented her with a Passport from his inside coat pocket. She studied the document, compared his photo to his face. This was her job. Her hand drifted beneath her hair, touching the unseen communication device she wore in her ear. The button she gently depressed would cause a light on Richard's phone to illuminate, notifying him that his appointment had arrived. Almost immediately she heard the lock release on the door behind her.

"Mr Adair, please follow me."

She escorted him to Richard's office, through security measure she wasn't aware of. Richard stood to greet his guest and she pulled the wood doors closed. She would repeat this throughout the day.

The door behind her desk was locked. It was always locked. There was a very discreetly placed palm reader next to the door. She pressed her palm against the screen. On the left she passed the unmarked door of the security office. At the end of the hall was another unmarked door, Lea knew this led to the storage area. Lea had never been that far down the hall, she'd been warned that the hallway was criss crossed with motion sensors about 5 feet beyond her destination. The double doors on the right side of the hall stood open. As she walked to the open doorway, she knocked and Richard looked up. She noted that he never looked at the clock on the wall to indicate that she was late.

"Sir?" she asked.

Richard picked up a piece of heavy old fashioned paper and held it out. Lea walked across the plush office and took the paper. Richard was a man of few words. In the six months she'd worked there the only time she'd heard him say more was when he was describing a new acquisition. He was proud of the treasures he gathered while traveling all over the world and enjoyed sharing his passion with others.

Richard Houston had thick black hair, just turning grey at the temples. Lea didn't think he'd ever have to worry about going bald. His face was deeply tanned, but lacked the leathery look of someone that spent a lot of time outside. His eyes were a light golden brown, with a steady gaze. He was always impeccably dressed in expertly tailored suits but wasn't the type of man that went for manicures.

Lea took the piece of paper. Without looking she knew it would contain a list of tasks, phone calls, appointments...the days itinerary. This was a daily routine. Richard kept his own date book, set his own appointments. It was Lea's job to make sure only the people on the list passed through the door to the inner sanctum, as she had begun to think of it. This was Richard's domain. The office was a show place for many of his prized possessions. It was large enough to make any corporate president envious, and Lea knew this was just the outer area. There was a bookcase that opened behind his desk. She had walked in one afternoon to see Richard standing in the opening stirring a cup of hot tea. He had not seemed upset by her discovery, he simply pushed the panel back into place, with a solid click of a locking mechanism.

The reception area looked like a museum. A well tended, polished, perfectly decorated and expertly lit museum. The walls were lined with gleaming glass cases, filled with an assortment of antiques and objet d'art. Items Richard found interesting. As the door silently closed behind her, Lea looked up at the security camera and smiled. She knew, without a doubt, that Jorge was staring at the monitor as her arrival had been announced by a tone sounding on the console in the security office.

Lea passed through the reception area, passing the small seating area. It was very seldom anyone waited here long. People came to Richard Houston by appointment only, and Richard was punctual. She walked behind the ornate Italian, Renaissance era, desk and dropped her clutch into the center drawer. The top of her desk was spotless...no paper, no phone, no computer, none of the normal office clutter. All of that, was in the matching credenza behind her. A custom made piece, to offer functionality for all the electronics while precisely matching the antiques in the room. She picked up a small headset, inserted it into her ear and fluffed her hair to conceal it.

Lea moved toward the door, reminding herself that she was already late. Outside the sun was dazzling as it reflected off the wet surfaces. There were puddles along the sidewalk. The rain had been just as hard as it had been quick. She glanced towards the sky as she crossed the street, perhaps it was going to be a better day than predicted.

She entered the building where she had worked for the past six months. It was unlikely anyone walking past would ever look twice at the building. It was a squat, nondescript, cube built of brown brick. It sat surrounded by sleek, glass encased, buildings that towered above it. But inside, the building took on a different feeling. It was old, substantial, and carefully tended. Marble floors and polished dark wood met visitors as they pushed through the doors from outside. The air was always noticeably cooler here. The sound of water, from a fountain, broke the silence of the deserted lobby. There were several expensive boutiques and a travel agent on this level, but none were open yet. Her heels clicked against the stone and echoed as she walked across the expanse. Even though she worked on the third floor, she passed the spiraling staircase and headed for the elevators. As she waited, she sipped her coffee and read the headlines.

On the third floor, she stepped out of the elevator and turned left, her attention still on the newspaper. There were only two offices on the third floor, one in each direction off the elevator. The carpet here was thick, her heels silenced. She stopped at the carved wooden door that entered into the offices. It was marked simply with a small brass plate to the side,

302

Richard Houston

Consulting & Procurement

Lea folded the newspaper, tucked it beneath her arm and pushed through the door.

The line moved steadily forward. Lea practiced not looking impatient. She watched the other patrons of the coffee shop, mull about seemingly not having anyplace to be in a hurry. The line moved, she stepped ahead, as the rain began to pelt the glass storefront. Great, she thought, now she was going to be late and drenched. The man in front of her stepped to the side with his coffee. Lea looked up, surprised to find herself standing at the counter. She ordered her usual, double espresso con panna. She glanced up at the menu, and wondered if one day maybe she should try something else. There were so many options. Someone cleared their throat behind her and she looked down to see the barista holding her drink out. She picked up a newspaper, paid exact cash for her purchases and moved out of the line. As she turned the sunlight caught in the raindrops on the windows. She squinted and wondered when it had stopped raining.

Lea Cavanaugh walked into the coffee shop. She was running late for work already, but the day wasn't going to get any better without starting it right. That included stopping for a cup of coffee and a newspaper every morning. Besides, the coffee shop was just across the street, it would only take a minute or two extra. As she stepped through the door, she inhaled the familiar rich scent and was surprised that the shop was more crowded than usual. She glanced back, wondering if she should skip the coffee, but then stepped into line.

The morning had been unusually cool for early September and there was a threat of rain. Lea wondered, as she looked around, if that was the reason for the line she now stood in. Perhaps the shop was normally this busy five, she looked at her watch, ten minutes after she walked out the door.

The beginning...

Vampires are everywhere...the beastie du jour. Zombies are creatures of the midnight movie. A fairy greets you at the beginning of everything Disney. Elves abound. Little girls dream of unicorns...and big boys dream of mermaids. We are surrounded by stories of these creatures of myth.

Listen carefully as I tell you a story about the creatures that are real, not just those that go bump in the night...but those that walk in the light. The movement you sense, when no one is there. The shadow that raises goosebumps and sends you scurrying away. The cold chill in a warm room. They are among us, you feel them, catch glimpses and explain it all away...to save yourself and your sanity.

What if they refused to be ignored?

What if...they took form?