Shadows of New York (7 page)

“What was that about?” asked Larry, a disbelieving look on his face.

Laughing, Aiden forced the paper into his hand. “You’re supposed to keep a low profile, remember? Do you really want to end up in the tabloids as Carlie Diane’s new boyfriend?”

“YES!” exclaimed Larry, causing several people nearby to look at him.

“No,” Aiden corrected.

“I guess it wouldn’t be the best idea.” Larry sighed.

Aiden turned around to make a comment to Steve only to find that Steve was no longer behind him. Neither were Rosemary and Josh. It didn’t take long to find them. Rosemary had decided that the area in front of the television would make an excellent dance floor. She moved jerkily in time with the Irish Pipers music coming through the room’s speakers. Steve, an embarrassed look on his face, just sort of swayed back and forth randomly. Josh sat on the couch, looking like this was the funniest thing he had ever seen.

* * * *

The best part of his parents’ parties, Josh thought, was the food. Mrs. F-G went all out, making all kinds of stuff they never had on a normal day. He didn’t like the mingling his mother insisted he do. They were all strangers—with the exception of a few distant relatives—so they ignored him, and he ignored them. The worst part, without a doubt, was cleaning up. His mother had decided a while ago that he was old enough to begin what she called “character building.” To him, this meant “work.”

The morning after the party, he spent over an hour walking around gathering discarded glasses, dumping out any leftover liquid they held, and then helping Mrs. F-G wash them by hand. His mother didn’t trust their dishwasher to do a proper job with the stemware. At least she had gotten him his own pair of rubber gloves that reached up past his elbows, keeping his fingers from ending up looking like raisins. And, of course, there was an unspoken arrangement between him and Mrs. F-G that she would wash pretty much everything. He just had to stand next to her, keep her company, and look busy whenever his mother walked through the room.

At last, everything was clean and put away. Josh sat at the island with a plate of leftovers, which tasted even better than they did the night before. Maybe he had just built up an appetite standing in front of the sink for so long.

Aiden strolled into the kitchen and took a seat next to Josh, reaching to take something from his plate.

“Hey, get your own stinking food,” Josh joked.

Aiden laughed. He held his hands in front of him in surrender. “Okay.”

Soon the two of them were sitting next to each other, munching away, as Mrs. F-G gave the open pantry an appraising look.

“Oh, that reminds me,” said Aiden, “my friend Larry was pretty jealous when he found out you were a—”

He threw a look toward the great room, where Jennifer and Robert were busy reviewing the Carlie Diane episodes from the previous week and taking notes.

“—a food oracle,” he continued. “He kept dropping hints that I needed to invite him over for dinner some night. Any chance we could swing that sometime soon?”

“Larry,” said Mrs. F-G, her eyes looking unfocused. “He’d want something rare. Something very rare. Something very, very, very rare.” She snapped back to normal and said, “Vampire? A draugen, maybe?” She gave Josh a quick look.

“Vampire,” confirmed Aiden. “Josh met him.”

“Yeah, him and Steve the leprechaun,” said Josh through a mouth full of Mediterranean potato salad.

“Manners,” said Mrs. F-G with a disapproving look at Josh as she examined a tin of saffron. Sometimes she could be a little too much like his mother.

After swallowing his food, Josh said, “And they told me all about Mr. Midnight.”

The saffron fell to the floor and popped open, sending red threads all over.

“Oh, dear.” Mrs. F-G surveyed the mess. “I guess we won’t be having that tonight. Josh, could you please get me the dustpan?”

Josh left his plate and went to the large closet that held all the cleaning supplies for the apartment. Between the cyclone vacuum cleaner and the steam mop, he found the dustpan.

The sound of Aiden’s voice caused him to stop short before reentering the kitchen.

“Don’t worry,” he said in a hushed tone, sounding defensive. “Larry made it all out to be a fairy tale. I don’t think Josh believes in Mr. Midnight any more than he believes his parents are cool.”

Mrs. F-G sounded concerned. “I just don’t want him worrying about some psycho stalker running around the city.”

“Listen, it’s not like he’s in any danger.
We’re
the ones that should be worried. I’m supposed to go in for some wraith training sometime soon.”

“Just the same, I’d appreciate it if your friends didn’t talk about him in front of Josh.”

“For what it’s worth, I agree with you. I’ll tell Larry and Steve not to talk about him.”

“Thank you. I’d feel much better about that.”

She began to hum, making Josh think that the conversation was over just as he was getting curious about this mysterious Mr. Midnight.

But the curious events were far from over. He heard his mother walk into the kitchen, her high heels clacking on the tiled floor. The refrigerator door opened and a bottle hissed.

“You know, Aiden,” she said. “That friend Lawrence of yours is rather odd. He has Carlie Diane convinced that he’s a real-life vampire. Can you believe that?”

Josh bit his lower lip to keep from bursting out laughing while Aiden gave a hollow chuckle. “Oh, that Larry’s a real joker.”

“Yes, well, I’d just appreciate it if he didn’t do that sort of thing around the kids. Understand?”

“Yes, Jennifer, I understand.”

The
click-clack-click-clack
told Josh that his mother had gone back to the living room. It was safe to reenter the kitchen.

He found Aiden with a cell phone held up to his ear, speaking quietly. “Hi, Bernie, it’s Aiden…Yeah, we have a little situation…No, it’s Larry Fancypants this time…Right...We need three memory wipes. The Coopers, the people I work for. Remember them from a few weeks ago? Also their boss, a television host named Carlie Diane…Cool. Thanks.” Aiden clicked the phone off and slid it back into his pocket.

“Uh,” sighed Mrs. F-G from her station at the sink. “Vampires.”

Zombies, Wraiths, and Milkshakes

Wednesday was the last day of school, and Josh was super excited as he and his small group of friends went through the school’s front doors and out into bright, warm sunlight. They made quick promises to get together soon and parted ways, eager to get summer vacation started.

Feeling even more carefree than he thought he would, since his exams had been almost easy due to Aiden’s help studying, Josh looked around and saw that Aiden was there, waiting for him with a big smile on his face.

“Happy vacation, buddy!” Aiden gave Josh a high-five.

“Yaaay!!!” Came the familiar squeal from behind Josh. He turned to see Rosemary running full-speed at Aiden. Hugging him around the waist, she cried, “Oh, Aiden, our first summer together! How positively delightful!”

“Uh, yeah.” Aiden disentangled himself. “Happy summer vacation, Rosemary!”

“Can we go for ice cream?” was her reply.

“Well now, let me think about it…” Aiden said, stroking his chin. “We sure can!”

“Yaaay!!!” Rosemary repeated, this time so close that it hurt Josh’s ears. He didn’t mind, though. He was too happy to let Rosemary bug him.

After a quick stop at a fancy gelato place, the three continued home at a slow pace, licking fast to keep up with the melting treat.

“So, Aiden, I have lots of activities planned for us this summer,” Rosemary announced while they walked. “For example, tomorrow morning, we’re going to go to the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology—”

“Uh-uh,” Josh interrupted her. “No way.”

“We are so,” Rosemary argued. “It’s educational. Tell him, Aiden.”

“Sorry, toots, but no can do,” Aiden informed her.

“What?” Rosemary pouted. “We can’t go to the museum?”

“Well, maybe some time, but not tomorrow morning.”

“How come?”

“I have a meeting in the morning.”

“Oh. Well, who’s going to take care of us?”

“Your parents are home in the mornings, remember?”

“Oh, but you’re so much more fun than they are!”

Aiden grinned. “Well, thanks, but I’m sure you’ll have a good time with them.”

“Doubtful. They’re
so
boring.”

“I tell you what, when I get back from my meeting, we can do something together.”

“Oo! Like a tea party?”

“Uh, okay. Sure. A tea party.”

“Aiden, you are so awesome!” She licked her cone contentedly for a few moments. “Mrs. Effigy will know just what to make for the refreshments, but I have no idea what to wear!”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something,” Aiden said.

“So, what’s the meeting about, Aiden?” Josh asked once Rosemary had focused on her cone.

“Uh, it’s more like a training session.” Aiden sounded a bit uncomfortable with the question.

“At Staffing Solutions?”

“Yup.”

“Can I go with you?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure your parents will want you to hang out with them. You know, first day of summer vacation and all.”

“I can talk them into it,” Josh said.

“This wouldn’t be the best time for you to tag along, buddy. It could get pretty…intense.”

This, of course, only made Josh want to go even more.

* * * *

Josh got the opportunity to pursue the matter just a few hours later. In honor of the last day of school, his mom took an extra-long dinner break from work to take them all out to eat. His dad was stuck at the studio and would miss the traditional end-of-year celebration. This year, it was Josh’s turn to choose where to go. There was no doubt in his mind; he wanted to go to McDaVinci’s, an Irish/Italian place that specialized in potato pizza. Josh didn’t know who disliked the idea more, his mom, or Mrs. F-G.

As Josh sat eating the last of his colcannon cannoli, it (the opportunity, not the cannoli) fell right into his lap. “Oh, Aiden,” said his mother, “I have to take Rosemary to the doctor’s for her yearly checkup tomorrow morning. I know you don’t work mornings, but do you think you’d be able keep an eye on Joshua?”

Aiden didn’t answer at once. He chewed his food slowly, as if trying to give himself time to think up an excuse.

“Hey, I can go with you to that thing you have to do,” Josh said to him.

“Oh.” His mom sounded a little disappointed. “I didn’t know you had something. Not a problem, Joshua can go with us.”

It took about one billionth of a second for Josh to compare sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, reading an old copy of
Highlights
, or going to watch some werewolf training. “Please, Mom? Aiden won’t mind,” he said, suspecting that it would be that Siegfried guy who minded.

There was uncertainty on his mother’s face. She normally didn’t hesitate if she thought the nanny would just be hanging around the apartment, but rarely asked if she thought she might be intruding on the free time. Aiden registered no uncertainty at all. Biting his lower lip and shaking his head, he didn’t want Josh along, just as he had said earlier in the day.

But Josh wasn’t giving up that easily. “Come on, Aiden, I can hang out with that one lady who likes…people like you.”

“People like you?” His mom looked up from her pizza wearing a puzzled, slightly alarmed expression.

“Yeah,” said Aiden. “Southerners. She likes my accent.” He said it a little too quickly. Josh suspected that Aiden had a bunch of premade excuses to cover for slips like this. Maybe it was part of his training.

His mom relaxed at this, but added, “Joshua, please. ‘People like you’ is a terrible thing to say, as if we could simply put a label on an entire group of people like that. It’s offensive.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled to both his mother and to Aiden, who didn’t appear offended at all.

The dinner went back to what it was before, Jennifer feeding Jackson, Rosemary putting on a little play with the salt and pepper shakers for Mrs. F-G, and Aiden sneaking peeks at the baseball game on a distant television screen.

During a commercial break, Josh leaned closer to Aiden and said, “I can keep doing that all night, you know. Can I come with you tomorrow?”

Aiden looked like he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or yell. The laugh won, and he let out a little chuckle. “Okay. But you’ll have to hang out up front. You can’t come back with me and Siegfried, deal?”

“Deal,” said Josh, reaching for a second cannoli.

* * * *

Just as before, the first thing they saw when they entered Staffing Solutions was a smiling Cleo. “Hey there, Mr. Aiden. And…Mr. Aiden’s friend.”

Just as before, two heads popped up from the cubicles behind her, one frowning and disappearing instantly, the other remaining in place and beaming at them.

“Josh,” he introduced himself again.

“Josh,” repeated Cleo, staring up at the ceiling. “Josh. Josh.” Her eyes came back to his. “Okay, got it, Josh. I swear, sometimes I wish I’d picked a brain with a better memory.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hang on a second.” She turned to Aiden. “He’s waiting for you in back.” Tilting her head toward Josh, she added, “He’s supposed to stay here with us, I’m assuming?”

“Yup, if you don’t mind.”

“We don’t mind at all!” exclaimed Britney, streaking out of her cubicle and wrapping Josh in a huge hug. “We’ll have a great time together, won’t we?”

“Um, yes?” Josh ventured.

“Britney, please let the boy breathe,” said Cleo as she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, if you two didn’t work for so little…”

“Bye,” Aiden called, making a quick exit through one of the doors in back.

Josh had a moment where he regretted coming. He thought he’d be able to see some cool stuff. His head had been full of visions of werewolves sparring, growls and tufts of fur filling the air. Instead, he was stuck up front, far away from all the good stuff, with some strange lady fawning over him.

“Can I get you anything? Soda? Cookies? Malted milk balls?” asked Britney, standing far too close.