N. Walters: Alexandra's Legacy

She could feel the eyes watching her as she ambled down the sidewalk. The street looked deserted, but Alexandra Riley wasn’t fooled by appearances. She’d grown up in Chicago, and although this was a working-class neighborhood, she knew the walls and alleys had eyes and ears.

The night dwellers were beginning to slink back into their daytime hideaways until the sun set again. A new day was just breaking, and the streetlights were beginning to wink out as the dawn brightened the sky. The people of the South Side were just beginning to roll out of bed, getting ready to start another working day.

Juggling two large, hot steaming coffees and a bag of freshly baked blueberry muffins, Alex headed for the large building at the end of the street. Although she was very aware of her surroundings, she wasn’t afraid. This was her home and, for better or worse, these were her people. They all knew her, but more than that, they knew her father. And James Riley would cheerfully rip the head off anyone who so much as stared at her the wrong way.

A whisper of movement caught her eye and she tensed only to relax a moment later.

“Hi, Divine.”

The aging prostitute was on her way home after a hard night’s work. Alex didn’t know how Divine could do what she did, but she didn’t look down on the other woman. Everyone made their own choices and did what they had to in order to survive.

“Morning, Alex.” Divine tottered over on her high-heeled, black leather boots. The tops of her boots came to her knees, leaving a large expanse of bare leg between it and the bottom of her skirt. Her voice was raspy, her eyes bloodshot. Too many years of smoking, drinking and whoring had left their mark. Her bleached blonde hair was mussed, her make-up all but disappeared, showing the age of the woman beneath the façade.

“Hard night?” Alex stopped as Divine came alongside her.

“Strange night.” She paused, glancing nervously over her shoulder. “There’s some weird shit going on.”

Alex could feel the hair on the nape of her neck rise. Someone was watching them. “What kind of shit?” For the past couple of days, feelings of unease had been her constant companion.

Divine shrugged, eyeing the coffee in Alex’s hand. “Everyone is tense. Jumpy. There seems to be a lot of them prowling around.”

Alex shifted her weight from one foot to the other, not quite sure what to say. She knew Divine believed that vampires, werewolves, witches and demons populated the city, living alongside the rest of the population. Personally, Alex thought that Divine had done too much drugs before she’d finally kicked the habit a year ago.

Thankfully, Divine didn’t seem to need a reply. She pulled her tattered sweater tighter around her shoulders and shivered. “It’s safe enough in the daytime. Those creatures like the night.”

The city didn’t need vampires or demons to make it unsafe. There were enough weirdoes and criminals for that. But Divine was right about one thing, most of them usually only came out after the sun went down. “You be careful.” Alex knew it was no good to tell Divine to stay home. If she didn’t work, she didn’t eat.

“I will.” She stared at the coffee, licking her lips.

Alex sighed inwardly even as she handed over one of the steaming beverages. “Here. You look like you could use this.” Coffee was one of Alex’s weaknesses, and one she indulged on a regular basis. Otto Bykowski, over at the bakery, kept a supply of her favorite roast on hand for her daily visits.

“You sure?” she asked even as she reached for the recycled paper cup, wrapping her red-tipped fingernails around it.

“Yeah. I’m sure.”

“Thanks, Alex. Say hi to your dad for me.” Divine raised the cup to her lips, gulping the beverage as she stumbled off toward home.

“Sure,” Alex mumbled as she watched her coffee disappear. Turning her head slowly, she scanned the buildings that surrounded her. Some were more derelict than others, covered in graffiti, but others were clean and well kept, the gang slogans and racial slurs rigorously scrubbed off the walls each time they appeared.

There was a core of decent, hardworking people in her neighborhood who fought the never-ending battle to keep their homes and businesses from falling into disrepair. Urban renewal was happening all over the city, but it hadn’t quite reached every corner of their little section of it. But it was only a matter of time. The large garage at the end of the street was in better repair than most. Sensing all was right, for the moment, Alex strode toward her destination.

This was the only world that Alex had ever known. She smiled as she stepped up onto the sidewalk, ignoring the cracks and crevices that split it. The faded red brick building in front of her might not be everyone’s idea of home, but it was hers. She’d grown up in the large apartment above the garage.

As quietly as possible, she twisted the handle on the door and eased it open. It wasn’t locked. Her father was always up early and unlocked it for her. Grinning, she slid through the small opening, keeping her back against the wall. Her booted feet made no sound on the concrete floor. The sun was just beginning to break over the city as the door slid silently shut behind her.

“About time you got here.” The gruff voice came from down low to the ground. She could see her father’s legs sticking out from beneath a vintage Mustang.

Alex shook her head and puffed out a huge sigh as she strode across the room, depositing the lone coffee and the muffins on the long, tool-lined workbench. “What gave me away?” She’d never been able to sneak up on her father, no matter how hard she tried. No one could.

He rolled out from beneath the car and stood, slowly unfolding his large, lithe body. “Coffee.”

Alex grinned. Her father was a man of few words. “Oh.” She feigned surprise. “Did you want coffee?”

He stalked toward her, his gait loose and limber. Reaching out, he snagged the paper cup even as he leaned down to nuzzle the top of her head in a familiar, affectionate caress. “Brat.”

Alex laughed as he pried off the lid and downed half the brew in one swallow. Her father did love his coffee. And she was her father’s daughter. The smell of the rich coffee blend made her groan.

He lowered the cup and licked his lips. “Who’d you give yours to?” He knew her so well.

“Divine. She looked as if she could use it worse than me. She said to say hi.” Alex rubbed her hands over her arms, her fleece sweatshirt doing little to warm her as a chill shot down her spine. “She said that there’s some strange shit going on at night, as well as strangers prowling around the neighborhood.”

Slowly, he lowered the cup back to the workbench, his golden brown eyes burning with some inner fire. “Did she say who?”

“No. I don’t think she knew. You know Divine. She sees vampires, demons and werewolves everywhere.” Alex hesitated, wondering if she should tell her father about her unusual feelings the past few days. She immediately decided against it. He was already overprotective enough over her. She’d had to fight with him for a year before he’d agreed to let her move to her own place just down the road. And even then his acceptance had been grudgingly given. She was twenty-two years old for crying out loud. She didn’t want to be living with her father, no matter how much she loved him.