“Sorry, I don’t understand.” Mrs. Wu said slowly and loudly.

This happened often since the local university participated in a cultural exchange program. Of course, they had to speak some English to attend school here. However, since both they and the Wu’s had heavy accents it was sometimes difficult for them to understand one another. Just a part of living in a city that’s basically a huge cultural melting pot!

The Wu’s owned a beautiful Chinese restaurant in the middle of downtown Houston, TX. It was located right across Buffalo Bayou, and if you looked out the window you could see the University. That’s where most of their business came from and why the Wu’s decided to make it the only 24-hour Chinese restaurant in town. Plenty of hungry students would come in to order food while cramming for finals or after a late night of partying.

A teenage boy stopped cleaning a nearby table as he watched with amusement as the scene unfold in front of him. He chuckled a bit before walking over to the table as the students had resorted to bantering with each other in German while Mrs. Wu watched in frustration.

“Sorry guys, only English or Mandarin will get you what you need around here.” He said, in fluent German. “Luckily for you, I am the exception!” He took out a notepad from his apron pocket and a pen he had tucked behind his ear.

The group of students laughed nervously before taking turns giving their orders. The boy thanked each of them after assuring them that he’d be available for the rest of the night. Mrs. Wu thanked them as well and the two of them made their way back to the kitchen.

A young woman sitting nearby watched them the entire time as she sipped her tea, which made him feel a bit uneasy. She had white hair that was pulled up in pigtails and she wore a neatly pressed black dress that was embroidered with symbols he didn’t recognize. He thought it was strange that someone that looked like they were in their late twenties would have a head full of white hair. Then again, there were tons of odd fashion trends he didn’t quite understand.

“You are a lifesaver, Jesse, have I ever told you that?” Mrs. Wu said to him in Mandarin, which snapped him out of his thoughts.

Jesse grinned. “Ah Mrs. Wu, you know I’m always happy to help.”

“You are a very bright boy to know so many languages.” She beamed.

Jesse blushed a bit. He almost felt like a fraud because understanding various languages came naturally to him. He’d never had to study them or practice. It was almost like he had an automatic translator in his brain. As a kid, people were often shocked to look at this little Hispanic boy and realize he could understand their conversations, regardless of what language it was. Many people thought he was gifted somehow because of it. It’s something he had been told by his teachers all his life, but his foster family thought it was a sign of something evil.

“It ain’t right for a child to be speaking in tongues.” His foster mother would often mumble.

“I told you, it’s on account of his mother being a junkie.” His foster father would chime in.

“Still… We need to keep an eye on him.”

Boy, did they ever. Any sort of sass or misbehavior was met with the back of a hand or the strike of an extension cord.

“Jesus had to suffer, so will you if you don’t act straight,” they would often say right after a beating.

He didn’t let it tarnish his view of all religious folks. In fact, there were plenty of social workers and teachers who were from all sorts of religious backgrounds, even some who were atheists, but they were all good people. However, it gave him a reason to leave at the age of fourteen when his foster parents locked him in the basement after they had caught him calling his social worker for help.

He knew he could do a better job of fending for himself, and he’d been on his own for a couple of years now with few issues. He couldn’t exactly be picky about the kind of people he worked for but, as luck would have it, he found a family-owned Chinese restaurant that was willing to give him a chance. The Wu’s were the best to work for, especially considering Jesse was an underage run away from the Northside of town. Initially, Mr. Wu was just thrilled to have found someone who could speak Mandarin and English. As time went on, however, he became a valuable employee for his work ethics. He had become so close to the family that they started treating him like one of their own.

------------------------------------

The end of his shift was near, and he cleared the German students’ table after he had collected their bill. It looked like his decision to chime in paid off this time. They had left him twenty bucks worth of a tip, and he was completely grateful for it. Money was tight, and every penny that wasn’t spent on bills was going towards saving up for his own place. The place the Wu’s had set him up in was fine, but it was pretty dingy. A nice flat or studio apartment sounded like paradise to him, and he was only a few hundred dollars away. The Wu’s also knew a guy who’d rent a place to him, no questions asked. He just had to have enough for the down payment and first month’s rent.

“After finishing those dishes, you can head home.” Mrs. Wu’s voice came from behind him.

“Are you sure? If you need the help I can stay late.”

“No, you’ve done plenty. Here, take this.” She handed him an envelope.

He wiped his hands on his apron and smiled as he accepted it. “Thank you, Mrs. Wu!”

She winked, “I added a little extra.”

Jesse was stunned. He already loved her and the family to death, but he hadn’t expected something like this. His entire life had been filled with no sort of love or kindness, even from the people who were supposed to give it to him. Then, there were these people who were almost strangers to him, and they’d given him more than he could have ever expected. He fought back tears before finally speaking.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Wu, you guys really are the best,” he exclaimed.

She smiled and waved him away before heading back out to the dining area. He checked the envelope, curious to how much she had given him. His eyes widened as he looked at all the bills that were neatly packed together. It was at least $500, if not more. Plenty to take a couple of extra days off comfortably, even after paying off his bills and setting some aside for living expenses. He quickly changed, said his goodbyes, and even gave Mrs. Wu a quick hug before leaving.

He burst out the back door and quickly made his way to the crossing light. It was a hot Texas night, like most others, but even the heat or humidity couldn’t get to him. He was in such a great mood that as the light changed he didn’t even check to make sure any cars were coming. Otherwise, he would have seen the blazing red Corvette speeding down the road.

The driver was swerving a bit, indicating that they were drunk. It was barreling directly towards Jesse who turned just as it almost hit him. Time seemed to slow down, and all he could think was to jump out of the way. As he pushed off the ground with his feet he suddenly felt as if he were bouncing off a trampoline. He could feel himself launching into the air, and he hopped right over the car as it sped past him and crashed through the banister of the nearby bridge. Once he landed, he turned to watch the car just in time to see it fall over into the water.

The few people who were watching seemed to have not noticed Jesse and rushed over to see if the driver was okay. Some were trying to make their way around down to the bayou while others were on their phones, likely calling 911. That was, except for a white-haired woman standing across the street who suddenly pocketed something. It was the same one who had been drinking tea inside the restaurant. She gave him a smile and a slight nod before turning to the alley behind her and stepping into the shadows. He thought that the adrenaline was making him hallucinate, but as he started to feel himself calm a bit he could still make her silhouette out just as she turned down a connecting alleyway.

Now wasn’t the time to focus on that. He wasn’t sure how he had managed to pull it off, but he knew that he had been lucky. He felt winded, and for a moment he wanted to take a seat on a nearby bench. The sudden sound of police sirens quickly made him forget the idea, and he turned to run down Milam street towards his apartment. Four squad cars sped past him just as he made his way to the corner where the British-styled pub was. People from inside were spilling out, trying to get a look at the commotion.

He hurriedly made his way through the crowd and continued down the road quickly until he reached Market Square Park. Everything was quiet, as it was already pretty late. Sometimes there would be a band playing or a festival of some sort, but it was barren that night. A few people made their way from the Greek restaurant in the middle of the park towards the parking garage. Most likely the last employees heading out after closing for the night.

As he continued to ponder over what just happened he decided to cross through the park to cut down the time it took to get home. The moment kept replaying in his mind as he tried to rationalize how he’d been able to make that jump. The college prep courses he was taking had helped to broaden his mind, but it made him someone who was always trying to find a logical explanation.

Adrenaline? No, that didn’t seem very likely. It could have been a hallucination, but he hadn’t been showing any other signs or symptoms. Plus, the event itself was very real, and the only portion that was out of the ordinary was the slowing of time and being able to jump so high. He was exiting the park and made it a point to use caution when crossing the street this time. Hallucination or not, that was an experience he didn’t care to repeat.

As he turned onto Preston street, he heard familiar voices along with laughter. Rounding the corner, he could see a group of five guys hanging outside a nearby bar. Houston was a big city filled with all sorts of different venues, and unfortunately for him, that meant he worked near a lot of bars. Most nights it wasn’t an issue as people were out to wind down for the day or trying to live it up on the weekends. They mostly ignored him, aside from the occasional giggle and looks he got from girls out with their friends.

However, there were times when he’d run into someone filled with liquid courage looking to prove themselves. Jesse wasn’t a big guy by any means. He stood at about 5’6” and was relatively scrawny at 130 lbs. He had a toned swimmer’s build, as that was his favorite form of exercise, but he wasn’t built like some of these wannabe “Alpha male” types.

He had a run-in a few weeks back while making his way home one night with a guy who decided life wasn’t hard enough for him. The guy called Jesse a “fag” for glancing over at him while the guy was throwing up on the curb. He followed Jesse for two blocks before he finally left him alone. Ever since then, any time the guy saw Jesse he’d blow kisses at him while grabbing his crotch. Jesse decided the smart thing to do was to take the long way around to the other bus station on Travis street, but just as he turned around he could hear a voice yell out from behind him.

“Weeellll lookie here fellas! If it ain’t the little queer spic!” The man called out.

The other guys with him burst into laughter as if it were the funniest thing they’d ever heard. Jesse picked up the speed of his walk, hoping the moron was too drunk to care but, once again, luck was not on his side. He could hear their footsteps close behind him as they yelled obscenities and continued to laugh like a pack of hyenas.

“Yeah, I see what you mean, Ken. Little bitch is definitely a homo.” One of the guys slurred.

“He’s probably illegal too. That’s why he’s out here, giving it out for some pesos.” Ken roared.

Jesse began to break into a run but Ken grabbed him by his arm and slammed him against the side of the building they were passing. It didn’t hurt, and he barely felt the impact, but his heart was beating against his chest. His body was warming up as the adrenaline began pumping for the second time that night. He could smell the booze emanating from Ken as he pulled in close to Jesse’s face. He glared back at all the guys, hoping they’d see he wasn’t scared of them. Did he want to try and take on five guys? No, nor did he think he could, but he knew if he showed any sort of weakness they’d push him further.

“What the hell do you want?” Jesse growled.

“Ooh, he’s feisty!” One of the guys behind Ken bellowed.

Ken swayed a bit, showing he was drunker than Jesse thought. He moved so close to Jesse’s face that he could feel the warmth of his breath. A couple of the guys looked around to make sure they were clear before nodding over to the alleyway nearby.

“You know you want me, and since I’m feeling generous tonight I’m going to give it to you,” Ken slurred in Jesse’s ear.

Jesse’s skin began to crawl as he tried to struggle against his grip. He knew these guys were far too gone to reason with, and he did not want any of what Ken had to offer. He tried to yell out but Ken turned him around and slammed his head into the wall. Again, he barely felt the impact which worried him a little. Hopefully, it was from the adrenaline rushing through his body, but it could be a sign of significant trauma. The only thing he could feel was rage and the sweat pouring down his face.

The guys shoved him down the alleyway while Ken began to undo his pants. Jesse nearly lost his balance but, surprisingly, he could keep himself standing. He noted the gate in front of him as he turned to stare down his assailants. He went to wipe the sweat collecting on his brow, but he was startled to see his hand was painted crimson with blood.

The guys were chuckling and licking their lips like rabid dogs as they prepared themselves for what they had planned for him. Ken charged him but Jesse quickly ducked out of his way which caused him to slam against the gate. One of the other guys grabbed Jesse from behind and pinned his arms behind him. Ken stood up and glared at Jesse; his face full of fury.

“You’re going to get it now, little bitch!” He growled as he made his way to Jesse.

His fist was pulled back, ready to be sent flying when Jesse felt a strange sensation wash over him. Like before, everything seemed to slow down, and he could feel a rush of energy flow throughout his body like electricity. He pushed off the ground with his feet which caused him to flip over his captor and land behind him. Without thinking, he shoved him into Ken’s punch which landed straight into his jaw. The guy went out like a light and everyone stood in shock. Almost on instinct, Jesse balanced himself on his left leg and swung his right leg behind him just as another one of the guys charged him. He planted the back of his foot to the side of the guy’s face which caused him to slam into the side of the alley.

Another guy picked up a broken plank laying against a wall and swung wildly at Jesse who dodged every hit with reflexes he didn’t even know he had. The guy swung the board downward and Jesse kicked upward with his right foot causing the board to slam back into the other guy’s face; knocking him out. The remaining member of Ken’s group turned and ran down the street, freaked out by what he had seen. That just left Ken who was glaring down Jesse as he turned to face him.

“I’m not scared of no fairy if that’s what you’re thinking.” He slurred out.

“I never asked for this. Not once have I ever retaliated against you. Despite all of your insults and the offensive shit you yell at me, all I ever wanted was to be left alone.” Jesse yelled out.

Ken reached into his back pocket and pulled out a switchblade. He breathed heavily as he lunged at Jesse. Once again, time seemed to slow down for Jesse and, like before, he maneuvered in a way he couldn’t explain. He dropped to kneel on one leg as he swiped the other one along the floor around him in a circular motion. This caused Ken to trip and fall on his back while the knife went flying out of his hand. Jesse grabbed it mid-air and brought it to Ken’s neck while he still laid on the ground.

He got close to his face and breathed heavily as he could feel his blood pumping with intense rage. Heat radiated throughout his body, and his eyes stung with swelling tears. Something deep inside of him wanted to end Ken’s life. He could do it and nobody would miss this pathetic excuse for a man. It scared him at how much he wanted to, but as he stared into Ken’s eyes that were filled with fear, he could feel a sense of empathy wash over him.

“I never want to see your face again, and if you ever see me I want you to turn and run the other way. Do you understand me?” Jesse commanded.

Ken nodded and whimpered while repeatedly begging Jesse to spare him. Jesse tossed the knife over the gate and turned to make his way back to the bus stop. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed the woman with white hair was standing at the entrance of the alleyway with a smile spread across her face.

“Well then, that settles it,” she said with a grin. “You are one of us.”

“I’m one of what?” Jesse said, preparing himself for another fight. She chuckled and put a hand over half of her mouth as if she were telling a secret. “You’re a Grigori!” She whispered, excitedly.