Jinn's first encounter after returning to earth was with an older human woman named Claire. He remembered her well—light skin, dark hair, and a smile that brought him back to his childhood, however long ago that was. She looked so much like his mother, he nearly asked her if she knew who her ancestors were. Perhaps there was some relation between the two of them. She’d sat next to him on a park bench, overlooking a small man-made pond. He was contemplating the world, and what place he would assume in the order of things now that he had returned. He looked over to find her smiling face, eyes focused on the ducks dancing across the surface of the pond.

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“You look lost, young man,” she addressed him when he continued to watch her and not speak.

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“The world, it’s so different now.” He sighed, taking his eyes from her, and joining her in watching the family of ducks.

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“Different, from what exactly?” The wrinkles of age and wisdom stretched around her grin. “World’s been the same as long as I’ve known it. Different faces, different people running the show, but it's all the same.”

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“I remember it being so much quieter than this, simpler.” Jinn’s nostalgic expression confused the woman for a moment until recognition flashed in her eyes.

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“You one of them?” She squinted, studying his face, and shook her head. “You don’t seem like a vampire.”

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“Vampire?” Her blunt delivery shocked him. She spoke the word as fact, not fiction, as if it was a common topic of conversation. One that she was well versed in.

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“Yeah, bloodsuckers. They’re all around here. Reason why I have a daily dose of vervain and garlic smoothie.” She laughed. “Bite me if you wanna, and you’re going to burn!”

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“Sounds delicious.” He chuckled, knowing very well the concoction couldn’t have been a palatable one.

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“Tastes more like cat piss, but it keeps me safe from those bloodsuckers. Works like a repellent. They can smell the stuff on me, and they steer away. You, I don't know what you are, but you aren’t a vampire. Your soul is quieter, your spirit less frantic.” 

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“How do you know so much about this?” This was a time when beings such as vampires kept their existence hidden, and yet she not only knew of them but how to avoid them at all costs.

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“I grew up in a place where this world, this quiet, peaceful reality, isn’t all it seems to be. I escaped, years ago, but others were not so lucky. Trust me, I know that this world is not what any of us choose to think it is. For now, everyone gets to go on about their lives, not knowing all those creatures they read about in their fantasy novels are real. That the accounts are more like their history. Who do you think penned those stories? They belong to them. Their way of coming from the dark, even if the world thinks it's just for entertainment. Soon, and I hope like hell that I am long gone when that time comes, but those creatures, well they’re gonna come to light, and this world will be an entirely different place.”