If Julian didn’t know better, he would’ve begun to suspect his sister was avoiding him.

Birgit had retired by the time he wandered inside, claiming to their parents she was tired and not feeling well after the long journey home. Neither Hannelore, nor Mannfred, issued a complaint, and were in bed shortly after Julian inquired after Birgit. Julian sat alone in the kitchen, fetching a bowl of leftovers while still lost in thought for several hours. The middle of the night had come and went by the time his head finally hit the pillow.

The next day, Birgit remained close to the epicenter of family business before wandering alone into the city for several hours. She returned with shopping bags, but Julian noticed a tear in her winter coat which hadn’t been there earlier. Their mother interrupted with roast pork and demands for more quality time before Julian could ask his sister about it. Once again, Birgit retired early and left Julian alone, the last person in the Reichlin family awake.

The next evening went much the same way and the day following only changed in that the weather took a turn for the worse and kept Birgit indoors. Several times, Julian attempted to get her alone, more and more curious about what other ‘things’ she thought existed in the world, but she remained in the living room with the others. He managed to drag a game of cards and the promise that they’d speak later out of her. When everyone went to bed, however, Birgit kissed his cheek and said, “We’ll go to lunch tomorrow, Julian.”

He watched her dash for the bedroom, not missing a beat. The air which escaped his lips caused his shoulders to slump and for once, he considered going to bed early himself. Trudging to the room he shared with Klaus, he slipped inside and shut the door behind him, careful not to wake his sleeping brother. The first few buttons of his shirt were undone and one shoe kicked off when a noise coming from outside startled him.

Julian paused, raising an eyebrow. When he heard a twig snap, he sighed, slipping the shoe back on and walking to the window. He parted the curtain, expecting to see a rabbit or a neighborhood cat rifling around where it didn’t belong. What he saw, however, was his sister slipping from her bedroom window and sneaking across the front lawn.

“Birgit?” he said, remaining in place while his sister inched to the front gate and carefully opened it. When she slipped around to the other side, he threw closed the curtain and rebuttoned his shirt. Reaching for one of his lighter coats, he quickly put it on and paced to the window again, slipping it open and sneaking out the same way his sister had. Klaus came to the window as Julian’s feet hit the ground, the younger Reichlin shrugging at his older brother.

Julian raised a finger to his lips and winked when Klaus sighed and shut the window.

Spinning around, he turned to see Birgit had already disappeared from sight. He frowned, but walked to the gate the same way he’d seen her and slipped around to the other side as well. The pavement bore fresh footprints from the wet grass, which he followed to the end of the street and around the corner. Julian stopped when he peered down the adjoining street and caught sight of Birgit opening the door to a dark, compact car. She slid inside and started the car, but didn’t drive off immediately.

Julian furrowed his brow. At no point did he remember Birgit mentioning having a rental car; in fact, he vividly recalled her borrowing the keys to their father’s vehicle both times she ventured out. When the backing lights flashed in Birgit’s car, he stepped away from the street corner and turned for the house before he could stop himself. Julian sprinted for the driveway, dashing for where he’d parked his car and quickly settling into the driver’s seat. Without any care toward who he woke, he threw the car in reverse and peeled out of the Reichlin homestead.

Dodging traffic, he sped for where he’d seen Birgit parked. Her car was gone by then, but he caught up with her further up the street, with two cars between them all stopped at a red light. A light, misty rain began to fall and as Julian switched on the windshield wipers, the cars advanced forward. Birgit turned on her left blinker at the next stoplight and Julian did his best to follow without attracting attention toward him.

One kilometer turned into two, then three. The center of Stuttgart surrounded them within twenty minutes, the traffic pattern steady with evening revelers venturing out to their festivities for the night. Birgit pulled into a spot near an office building and glanced around the busy street as she emerged from inside her car. Julian remained in the road, circling the area and finding a place to park several meters behind Birgit’s rental. Killing the ignition, he settled in his seat, studying the front doors his sister had retreated inside.

“You’re being foolish,” he said, straining to see anything behind the few windows in the complex which remained lit. The exterior lacked any sort of distinguishing markings, boasting little more than the street address and a small placard he would have to walk up to the door to read. Sighing, Julian drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of the car. “You should just return home and ask her about this when you go out to lunch with her.”

Birgit emerged from within before he could act on the impulse to turn around, however. A man strolled beside her, holding an umbrella and walking with her to the rental car before stopping. He wore a pair of horn-rimmed glasses and his ebony hair had been slicked back to reveal a widow’s peak at the top of his forehead. He handed a brown envelope over to Birgit, holding the umbrella over her as she pulled out the envelope’s contents and read the first crisp, typed page in her hand.

Julian raised an eyebrow. His sister and the man exchanged a few words, Birgit getting visibly frustrated as she flipped through the remaining pages and shoved them back into the envelope. Horn-rimmed glasses man shrugged at her, pointing back to the office building and taking the envelope in hand as Birgit offered it back to him. At one point, her eyes nearly strayed to where Julian was parked, provoking him to slink down in his seat and seek refuge behind the wheel. Waiting a few beats, he slithered back to a mostly upright position, in time to see Birgit nod in surrender to the man and walk back to the driver’s side door. It shut and the motor started. Julian moved the shifter into reverse, but waited a few seconds after Birgit pulled out to join her on the street.

The traffic moved steadily past the sea of buildings, looping around onto a main thoroughfare which deposited them outside the central district of the city. They were still headed away from home, though, and Julian frowned as he tracked their progress through the metropolitan area. Over and over, the question of what his sister was doing played inside his mind, not sated at any point along their journey. Theories ran the gamut of espionage and criminal activity, but neither seemed like his sister. ‘It has been two years since she was last home,’ he told himself as they turned into a seedier-looking neighborhood and drove past a discotheque teeming with activity.

Birgit surprised him by pulling into a spot not much further away.

Taken at a loss by the sudden action, Julian was trapped in the midst of a moving sea of vehicles. He swore, turning on his blinker in an attempt to pull over, but traffic refused to yield until they passed the next major cross-street. In his rearview mirror, he saw Birgit slip into the busy club and nearly rear-ended a car in the process. A parking spot opened up, though, finally affording him the chance to pull over.

He sprung from the car before he could consider the action any further. Curiosity had the better of him and wouldn’t be sated by anything other than a full explanation. Still, Julian knew better than to charge into the establishment like a wild bull and expect anything less than being thrown back onto the street. Hands digging into his pockets, he nodded at a bouncer stationed outside the doors and walked inside when given permission, keeping his head down even when he entered the rowdy crowd. Music blared from a sound system, but even then a few conversations managed to crest the noise and reach the ears of the people surrounding it. Julian maneuvered closer to the bar, but didn’t signal the bartender when he approached the counter. Back to the polished wood, he used the chance to scan the area for any sign of his sister.

She wasn’t seated at the bar itself. A few high-top tables, though, hosted more intimate exchanges and there he saw his sister sit across from a broad-shouldered man wearing a rumpled suit. His eyes shifted quickly from the other patrons back to her and flashed intermittently between the two as though unable to remain still. Julian raised an eyebrow at the color of his pallor – a stark contrast against the color of his hair and the stubble on his chin. The man looked like he hadn’t seen the light of day in months.

Birgit kept her coat on, but draped her purse across the back of her chair. The man nodded when acknowledged and reached into his jacket for a pack of cigarettes, not missing a beat in plucking one out and lighting it. His eyes bore an intense look when they stopped scanning the crowd and his lips remained pursed as Birgit spoke. Julian sighed, wishing he could eavesdrop on the exchange without being caught, but what he could gather from looking on filled in a few of the gaps. The horn-rimmed glasses man was a familiar person for Birgit. This man, however, was a stranger. And whatever it was about the nature of the encounter made the man nervous, though not so nervous that he felt inclined to run. He listened intently to Birgit for the better part of five minutes without inserting a comment.

When she was finished, however, he shook his head and reached forward to snuff out his cigarette. Birgit stood when he stood, pursuing him as he walked for the main doors and strolled out of the establishment. Julian came to his feet and muscled through the crowd to exit the discotheque, emerging onto the street in time to see Birgit and her contact pause by the corner and continue talking. This time, he could finally make out their conversation. “Are you sure you want to do this in public?” the man asked. “I thought your people usually handled these matters more delicately.”

“We need your help,” Birgit said, sounding exasperated, “And I’d like to think we offered you a handsome sum for it.”

He scoffed. “You have no idea what a ‘handsome sum’ is to a person like me.”

“I know it should at least be worth your consideration?”

“Up against my life? No, it isn’t.” He turned on his heels to walk away. Birgit followed, which prompted Julian to as well. “You’re throwing money and protection at me like it means something when it doesn’t. The people you’re trying to expose know how to untangle even your spider web.”

“Scheiße…” Birgit struggled to keep up. Together, they twisted onto an adjoining road and broke away from the pedestrian traffic of the main street. Julian lingered by the corner of a building until the two had enough chance to put a healthy distance between him and them. When he proceeded forward, he lingered close to the building’s exterior, hoping not to attract their attention.

Still, he had missed the first few words of Birgit’s retort. They paused by the entrance to an alley and ducked down the first meter into it. “… Are lost without it,” she said, “And if we’re lost, Herr Schmidt, then this could have graver consequences than either of our lives.”

Julian stopped where the monolith did and pressed his back against the wall.

“Klar doch, Mädel.” Schmidt sighed. “I’m sure you think that, but I’ve lived through far worse and will continue to live regardless of if you will.”

“I was under the impression you believed in the natural order.”

The pause which followed bore a terse undertone to it. “Don’t pretend to know my philosophy and cast judgment on my self-preservation. If any of you stupid humans had any sense, you’d care more for your own.”

“That isn’t our luxury. We will pursue Jasper Ashcroft with or without your help.”

“Then consider yourselves without it.” A series of sounds followed which left Julian confused. Shoes scuffed as though one of them was walking away, but the steps were interrupted when another set joined them. Julian formed the mental image of Schmidt trying to add closure to his exit while being stopped by Birgit before he could retreat much further. What Julian could not picture, however, was the source of a hissing sound and the growl which preceded a high pitched squeak from his sister. A thud echoed down the alley and a panicked, “No!” bore Birgit’s voice with it.

He had stood still for long enough.

Julian swung around the corner, hand still touching the stone edifice which had been caressing his back only seconds beforehand. The scene he viewed bordered on the surreal, though, bringing a faint reminder of Birgit’s warning that there was more to this world than met the eye. Schmidt had his sister pinned against the wall, eyes flashing a form of annoyance which bordered on homicidal. The two teeth protruding from his upper jaw, however, made the strange man look horrific. Whatever else existed out there, the list suddenly included vampires.

Charging forward out of sheer bravado, Julian rushed to intersect and garnered a confused look from both Schmidt and Birgit. The vampire stumbled backward when Julian pulled him from his sister, the crease of his brow furrowing deeper when Julian turned to face him. Shorter than Julian, he was forced to tilt his head when the human man encroached upon him. “Who is this?” he asked.

Birgit switched to full German when she addressed her brother. “Julian, get the hell out of here right now before you get hurt.”

“Not without you. Nein,” Julian said, not following suit. When Schmidt retreated one step backward, Julian advanced forward. His gaze remained steady. “Leave my sister alone.”

Even though his posture remained defensive, there was something deliberate in the way the vampire held it. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Your sister? Frau Reichlin, did you call for reinforcements?”

“No, this is my stupid brother –” Her voice developed an edge. “– Who is going to back away and wait for you to leave before I scream at him.”

Julian ignored her. His mind raced through scenarios and possibilities, attempting to rifle through what fiction had taught him about fanged creatures like Schmidt. There was holy water and crosses, neither of which Julian kept on his person, and Mama had garlic, but it was back at the house. He thought about wooden stakes, though, and chanced a glance toward a dumpster at the end of the alley. While it bore the typical compliment of trash bags and cardboard boxes, a few wooden crates had been stacked along its side, once containing produce from the look of the outside markings. His gaze returned to Schmidt and he took a deep breath.

Without giving it another thought, he lifted his hand and drove his fist right into the vampire’s jaw.

Schmidt stumbled to the side as Julian raced for the dumpster. The punch had only served to stir the hornet’s nest, however, and Julian’s ignorance left him ill-prepared to handle what happened next. The faster creature made up the distance between them in a few paces. Reaching for Julian, he clutched onto Julian’s arm, stopping them both dead in their tracks and twisting the appendage behind his back in a painful manner. Julian cried out from the contortion. Schmidt’s breath hit his neck as his mouth advanced closer to where his teeth would soon claim purchase. Birgit screamed and started a run toward them both, but the world froze in place for a split second, ripping Julian from the events taking place.

Or that was how it felt to him. Like the metronome ticking out the cadence of the universe had been stopped and he was suddenly aware of it. The air around him changed and thoughts reached his mind he couldn’t trace from any true path of origin – such as the fact that Schmidt was probably just over a century. And he moved twice the speed of any human, so he would capture Julian again even if he managed to weasel away. This made the odds impossibly stacked against him, and might have meant his death without one clarion certainty which rose above the rest.

Julian Reichlin was about to kill the first vampire he’d ever encountered.

He opened his eyes without realizing he had closed them. The sharp prick of Schmidt’s fangs taunted at the skin of his throat, and instinct took over before Julian could stop to question it. He pushed the vampire away, but this time the force generated threw Schmidt back several meters. He hit the ground with merciless finality. Julian ran forward and kicked one of the crates until a plank splintered from its body, then reached forward and pulled it the rest of the way off. Distantly, he heard the drumbeat of the vampire’s steps, but he maintained a strange level of calm, seeing what he needed to do before it even happened. Schmidt closed the gap between them. Julian spun around and plunged the broken, pointed end of the wood through the center of the vampire’s chest.

Schmidt’s face registered a look of sheer surprise. Then he flaked into ash which fell to Julian’s feet.

The younger man exhaled a shaky breath, blinking twice and waking from whatever trance he had momentarily entered. Birgit’s screaming continued in the background, but the words started becoming tangible again. “… Idiot! Du bist so ein Trottel! What were you thinking? Why did you do that? Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!”

Julian felt his disposition sink, his back still turned to Birgit. Whatever had just happened left him feeling shaky. “Do you have to shout at me so loud?” he asked in their native tongue. “I was trying to protect you.”

“Protect me?! That man was an informant. Now my superiors…” Birgit trailed off. While she had begun walking toward him, she stopped. “I wasn’t shouting.”

“Yes, you were. I heard you clear as day. You called me a fool.”

“I was thinking it, but I certainly didn’t say it.”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Julian turned to look at Birgit, but the reaction was instantaneous. Her jaw dropped, both hands lifting to cup her mouth while her crystal blue eyes widened in surprise. The posture struck Julian with panic, provoking him to walk over to her and furrow his brow at his now-mute sister. His already-quickened heart sped anxiously as her expression only turned more fraught with disbelief. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Mein… Gott…” The words were stretched out, perhaps to give her a chance to regroup, because she immediately squared her shoulders and dropped her hands to her sides. Whatever she choked back lodged in her throat, until she swallowed it down. “Come,” she said, taking Julian by the wrist and tugging him forward. “We’re going back to my car before someone realizes what just happened.”

“Where are we going?” Julian followed, though dragging his feet more than it seemed his sister would’ve liked. They wound out of the alley and back onto the main street. “We can take my car.”

“No.” She barked out the word tersely. Birgit took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “We have to take mine. I’ll… have someone fetch yours later.”

“I don’t understand.” As they turned on the road where they had parked, Julian stopped, ripping his hand from Birgit’s hold. He folded his arms across his chest. “I just…” He glanced around at the other pedestrians and lowered his voice. “… Saw a vampire. An actual… vampire and drove a piece of wood through his chest. And I’m surprised my hands aren’t shaking more, but my head is spinning and I don’t even understand why you’re so upset. Now you want to go for a drive?”

“Julian…” When he refused to budge, she shook her head and sighed. Her eyes met his, but the gaze held for several beats. Julian began to suspect she was staring at him rather than into him, if just until she managed to refocus her attention. “I promise I’ll explain more. I know you don’t understand, but this isn’t the right place to discuss it. If that man had any friends close by, they will want your head and I doubt you’ll get lucky twice.”

For as sound and practical as the suggestion was, Julian saw the truth hidden in layers. The arrival of other adversaries had her nervous, yes, but something about her demeanor toward him had changed. He felt like telling her he didn’t care what she’d been hiding and why, but the real problem remained shrouded behind even this. She didn’t care – or cared very little – that he’d come upon her meeting with a supernatural creature. Killing the vampire was what had done something.

A sudden wave of nervousness crested over Julian Reichlin.

He nodded, no longer dragging his feet when she looped an arm around his and silently led him to the car. His eyes stole to the windows of the shops they passed, but nothing struck him about the distorted reflection which hadn’t been there before. A steady pulse still beat from an anxious heart and shaky breaths passed through his lungs the same way they had before. The strange thought that the world had turned quiet taunted at the corner of his mind, but Julian had no idea what that meant.

Instead of questioning it further, he slid into the passenger seat of Birgit’s car. Doors shut and the engine turned over when Birgit twisted the key in the ignition. As they departed, his stomach sank while his eyes scanned across Stuttgart. Nobody he regarded gave off the same air as he remembered from before. He couldn’t tell if it was because he now knew something they didn’t, or had become something they weren’t.

Either way something had changed. And it didn’t seem liable to change back.

Story Beginning | Next Chapter Coming Fri., 8/5