Mike Donahue

“I get it more than you know.” Caroline’s voice was hushed in tone as she spoke. “There’s a lot more to this place than meets the eye. Sometimes stories aren’t just stories.” Stepping inside as Mike held the door open, she noticed his gasp and it suddenly occurred to her that she wasn’t the only one with a secret. “You okay?” She asked, an eyebrow arched in curiousity. “Mike, hi. I’m Caroline.” Taking a seat at the table, she put her notebook down and leaned back in the chair, eyes scanning the room, ears picking up on conversations between other patrons.

“Yeah, I’ll have a drink. Uh, scotch, neat.” Caroline said with a nod. “So, Mike, you wanna talk more about what you saw back there?”

“Reminds me of all folktales about fairies: this town is a crystal palace upon first glance. But dig a little deeper and it can be a land of nightmares.” Mike placed their order, handing their server his card to open up a tab. “Me? Yeah. I’m great. It must’ve been the air con or something; it just startled me.” He was grateful when their drinks arrived, holding the glass in both hands. “It sounds crazy. It feels unbelievable, even now.

“I was heading to get my palm read when I heard shouting and things being smashed. In one of the magic stores that sell charms or whatever? So I ducked my head in the doorway just in time to see two guys bite this lady - the owner, I think?” He frowned, “She saw me and mouthed at me to run, so when those guys turned in my direction and I saw those sharp teeth? I bolted.”

“No tricks, I swear.” Caroline assured him, hoping to get him to calm down a little more. “Yes, I believe you. There’s a lot of scary messed up stuff that goes on around here. You’re smart to be scared.” Following as she was lead down the road, Caroline kept her senses alert to make sure they weren’t followed. She wasn’t sure who it was that he’d seen, but she knew he was in no state to see them again and if they were to face them, she was sure she would out herself as one of them and only make things worse. “Okay, we’re going to get away as fast as we can… what’s your name?”

When he pointed at a building up ahead, Caroline nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been there. That’s probably the best place to hang out until whoever is back there leave.”

“Oh my god. You get it. You’re the first person I’ve met that doesn’t believe New Orleans is as fun or easygoing as it looks. I mean, the plastic trinkets are cool and all. But horror - real horror - had to inspire them, right?” Mike held the door open for Caroline, eagerly stepping into the bar behind her. He gasped as he stepped over the threshold but quickly recovered. “My name’s Mike. Sorry about back there.” He took a table in the corner, “I’m not as crazy as I seem. I swear. I just... Do you need a drink?

“Let’s get a drink.” He gestured to the bartender. “Order whatever you want: it’s on me.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” Caroline quickly apologized, easily putting the pieces together. She had to make sure that she didn’t do anything to tip the man off to the fact that she was the same as the people that he’d seen, but she also felt like it was her duty to get him somewhere safe. “Let’s go get somewhere safe, huh? There’s safety in numbers, so we should go together.” She said with a nod of her head. Getting to her feet, Caroline glanced in the direction the man had come from. “Did you recognize any of the people?”

“Oh, thank god. Yes! We should go. Now!” Mike expression softened for a single moment, before his happiness turned to surprise, then confusion. “Wait. You believe me? But nobody believes me. You’re... This isn’t some attempt to get me sanctioned or whatever, is it?” Mike didn’t wait for a response as he guided Caroline towards the other end of a road, “There’s a place. A couple blocks from here. The people are kinda weird but less bad stuff happens. there.” He murmured, “One of them was a cop. The cop. She shows up a lot, takes statements then... Poof. It’s like the whole thing never happened.

“Sorry. I’m rambling.” He pointed to the building in question, “There. The Infirmary: you ever been?”

While she could hear the man’s heartbeat pounding from a distance, Caroline was still surprised by the way he looked, how panicked he seemed. At the mention of fangs and blood, she did her best to not react. “Are you…” she paused, trying to think of a polite way to say what she wanted to say, “on something? Can I call someone to come and pick you up?”

“Am I...? What. No!” Mike shook his head, casting another glance towards the end of the street. “You’re not listening! There are people back there. Dangerous people... They ate someone. Literally ate them. I saw it with my own eyes! I don’t even...” He pursed his lips, “It’s okay if you don’t believe me. Nobody ever does. If they catch you, you probably won’t even remember this conversation. Just---- You should find somewhere else. Somewhere busy.  Before they make a meal of you too.”

“Well, I like to have faith in people and the goodness in them. I mean, I’m not naive enough to think bad people and stuff doesn’t exist, but I have seen a lot of kindness in the world to believe that the bad stuff is always the default,” she explained. She smiled at the special drink, wondering if it was just alcohol or some sort of potion inside. “Well, that’s all that really matters, right?” she joked, picking up her drink and taking a sip. “I’ve heard of cool, secret clubs before and always wanted to go to one myself. Like ones hidden behind secret doors and stuff. You’ve made my dreams come true,” Tessa explained. “History. Though I tend to focus on folk history and urban legends and where they originated from in history and how it shapes our culture.” Which wasn’t a stretch. It just happened that the stories she studied were true ones.

“Do you like it? It’s no five-star cocktail but I think it’s pretty good.” Mike urged Tessa to take another sip, grinning as a server dropped two shots off at their table. “Well, I’m glad I could help one of your dreams come true, even if you did get stood up. If you want, I can give you the address of this place in case you want to find it again?” His eyes lit up at that, “Folklore... You mean like this witches? Gremlins?” He leaned closer, his voice a conspiratorial whisper, “Do you know anything about vampires?”

Caroline had finally found a moment to herself, so she’d decided to take a walk and find somewhere to sit down and write. It had been a while, and her life had gone through a lot of changes that she wanted to keep track of. It was inspired by a friend, a good friend, that she hadn’t seen in a while. But, she’d always admired the way he had written everything down. So, a while back, she’d started doing the same thing. Finding an empty bench, Caroline took a seat and started to put pen to paper. She got soo lost in what she was doing that she didn’t look up until she heard the sound of distant footsteps approaching. “Hello?”

Mike was frantic as he ran down the road, tripping over his feet several times as he skidded to a halt. “Run. Coming... Fangs... Blood everywhere!” He panted in quick succession to the girl, casting a nervous glance in the direction he’d come from. “Not safe here. You should run. Quickly.” Mike was skittish, the sound of a rattling bottle enough to make him jump. “Sorry, sorry. I sound crazy.” He forced himself to take a deep breath, “You shouldn’t be here. This part of town... It’s, um, it gets... Weird? Around this time.”

“Now isn’t that a little cynical? You have to have a bit more faith in people,” she admonished, shaking her head. She almost tripped on the steps and reached out, holding onto the man’s shoulder as she continued down more carefully. Hm, his descriptions did sound like magic, but that wasn’t much of her area of expertise. She’d have to talk to one of the witches at the school about it. “Well, that is certainly an interesting way to find a hidden bar. You decide for me, I’ll drink anything. I am all about having fun tonight,” she said, leaning against the bar once they arrived. “Just don’t make me regret letting you pick.”

“I’ve seen the selective memories of people in this town first-hand.” Mike disappeared into the crowd, returning several minutes later with two cauldron-shaped mugs. The contents bubbled and smoked as he set them down in front of Tessa. “This is their signature. I don’t know what it is: they always make it out of view. But it’s strong and tastes good.” He tapped his mug against Tessa’s, then took a sip. “You’re taking this very well. Most people I bring here usually freak out with the door thing.” Mike paused, “So... What do you teach?”

Liv just stared as the guy talked about his shoes. Then she looked down at her shirt. “Don’t worry about it.” She shrugged. “But if you’re willing to apologize by buying me a drink I guess I can’t turn that down.” She smirked.

“I can get you a drink, sure. No problem. Just one condition: no tequila.” Mike gestured for Liv to follow him, “Last time I had tequila things got weird... Or it could’ve been the herbs. Either way,” He opened the door for Liv. “Not something you’d want to see. I’m Mike, by the way.”

The voice drew her from the chopping besides the stove. Quietly, her brow rose. Who did this guy think he was? Before Sophie even had a chance to speak, the guy seemed to be looking over her kitchen. “Yeah, something like that.” Honestly, most of the staff didn’t care what she did. Most thought it was to give the restaurant a more magical feel, fitting with the voodoo aesthetic “What are you doing back here? More so, who are you?”

“This is cool. Cool stuff. It definitely beats the plastic junk they sell on the main strip.” Mike pulled his hand back and rubbed the back of his head, “Honestly? I’m snooping. Sorry. I know it’s weird. But your gumbo--- My parents would love it. So I was kinda hoping to see how it was made?” He stepped away from the table. “Me? Oh. I’m--- Mike. I’m just visiting.”

“I don’t know about that. Maybe the prices were higher, taxes… Who knows. Maybe wherever they were located threw them out,” she joked, trying to make it light-hearted so that the man wouldn’t think she was too suspicious. “I didn’t think you would have. It would be very bold after everyone seeing us together already,” Tessa joked, eyes widening as the man revealed the door. It was obviously magic to her, a spell of some sort. Was he pretending like he didn’t know or did he really have no idea of his power? She would need to investigate further. But her surprise worked in her favor as she followed him into the club. “Wow. How did you find this place?” she asked, looking around as they headed in. “I do enjoy scary stories. And who doesn’t love magic?”

“This is New Orleans. I doubt anybody would remember anything except for how cheap the drinks were and how hot the jazz was.” Mike led the way down the steps, the short staircase soon expanding into a expansive room filled with people; music blared around them yet, somehow, nobody was having trouble talking to their companions.”Honestly? It’s kinda embarrassing. I got too drunk and had to...Vom. So I leaned against the wall and I felt something: my hand grew warm and well---” His smile was lopsided, “This has been my favourite club ever since. You should try their cocktails.” He guided Tessa through the crowd and towards the bar, “They serve them in little cauldrons!”

“Hot pics. Cute smile. Are you a 🍆🍆 or 🍑 kinda guy?” Mike sent the message after just a moment’s hesitation. He wasn’t sure why but the guy’s profile had struck him as... Somehow different to the hundreds of others he’d scrolled through in the last hour. “Up to anything fun?”

“I guess it was just a good opportunity. They found a great building and it was bigger and better equipped for the students,” she explained. It was the explanation that she had figured made the most sense if anyone asked about why the school had moved. At least she finally got to use it to see how it worked out. She hopped off her stool, grabbing her purse as she followed the man. A few shots in and she was still steady on her feet. For now. “Well, New Orleans has always been linked to the mystical, so of course it probably comes up a lot.”

“They couldn’t find another building in state?” The story didn’t sit right with him but Mike let it drop for now. He guided Tessa down several well-lit streets followed by an alley that seemingly led to a dead-end. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna mug you. Look at this...” Mike placed his hand on the wall and, somehow, part of it vanished to reveal a door. “Cool, right? I haven’t worked out how they do that, yet. Projectors, maybe? Anyway. If you like scary stories and black magic---” As he opened the door, the sound of house music filled the alley. “This is definitely the club for you.”

“You damn well did do something, and you know it!” Winter hissed, her eyes blazing as she half-glared at the male. It hadn’t taken her much to figure out what it was that was happening - and to pinpoint him as the one doing it. Her eyes narrowed further, lips pressing together stubbornly as her temper flared bright red once again. 

Liv was distracted herself. Looking at everyone who passed on the street to see if she recognized anyone. Her head, still pounding. When the man bumped into her she was taken off guard, losing her balance slightly, but he steadied her. Normally she’d have some comment to shoot at him, but she didn’t have the energy. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” She looked down to his shoes. “Maybe you should try velcro.” Maybe she did have the energy for one sarcastic comment after all.

“Velcro and I don’t mix. I tried it once: the feel of the stuff makes me cringe so hard, I threw both of my trainers into the Lake. That I hit Big Johnny was just a lucky coincidence.” Mike replied, “Oh, shit.” He pointed at an unfortunate stain forming on the girl’s blouse. “... Sorry. That might, uh, stain. But there’s a bar around the corner: maybe if we get seltzer on it, it’ll be fine?”

“It’s a private school that moved here from Virginia. It’s just starting back up,” she explained. “Yes, they are pretty close. Which is why I picked this bar for my date,” Tessa added before taking her next shot. It was better to get it over with quickly than wait it out, though she still sucked on the lime afterwards to help with the burn. “I am very good with spooky and creepy. Drunk me… I’m not sure how she will handle it. But I think she is down too. Especially if there is more tequila involved.”

“Virginia. That’s pretty far: why’d it move? And to the party city of all places?” Mike threw a few notes on the bar, nodding in Tessa’s direction. “C’mon. I think I know a place we can check out. Don’t worry - they have booze.” He slid his coat on, “It’s a good thing you like spooky: plenty of people around here talk about magic and curses as if it were the weather.”

Henrik raised an eyebrow at the other’s words before looking down at the glass in his hand. “What do you mean, a lady slipped something into it? Why would anyone do something like that?” He frowned, before placing the glass back on the counter and calling the bartender to get a new drink. “Thanks for that … let me buy you a drink as a thank you.” 

“New Orleans can be a dangerous town, man. My best guess is that she was going to mug you.” Mike replied, eyeing the stranger carefully. He drew his mouth into a tight line but finally nodded. “Alright, thanks. That’s really nice of you, man. Oh!” He smiled, “I’m Mike, by the way. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“Who said anything about dating? Tonight is all about harmless flirting and bad decisions,” she pointed out, raising her glass to his before downing it. She made a face as well before grabbing a lime wedge and biting into it, coughing a little. Once they drank a few more, they would go down much smoother. “I just moved here. I work at the Salvatore School. So I am very new around here. You’ll have to show me the best spots.”

“The Salvatore School? Sounds fancy but I’ve never heard of it. Is it close by?” Mike made a mental note to google the school later, “I’ve only lived here a few months myself. But I can think of a few places we could visit.” He held up the next shot, “Especially if you’re looking to make bad choices. Depends on your tolerance for the spooky or downright creepy, though.”