Disjointed does not even get close to explaining the change between the actual city and this area Jamie led me into. It was like going from a rave to the fucking DMV. He led me down a wide staircase leading down a floor before opening a large door with A.E.L above it, through the doorway opened a good sized room, a long oval of set chairs through the middle of the room, a pair of double doors leading to whatever this was the backroom of, a long table along the side with those big coffee dispensers, a huge tray of pastries and things of that sort making me feel as though I just walked into the world’s weirdest A.A meeting.

            “Jamie…good to see you…and this is?” A woman asked, a few inches shorter than me, she looked…entirely human, same as Jamie, but there were these little elements that said otherwise, her hair had more a feathery texture than hair in its pale brown shade, barely visible brows and oversized doe-like eyes in a cobalt blue color, thin and spindly with large black claw like nails, dressed in a long skirt, a tucked in blouse and a huge cardigan wrapped/draped around her shoulders and in the crooks of her elbows, the same moon bracelet was on her wrist as she looked at me, there was something about her facial features and the way she was dressed that reminded me of…barn owls.

            Jamie’s expression shifted to…a touch of discomfort, the woman softly nodded.

            “I see…well…we’re all warranted to an accident around this time of year.” She sighed, “Hello, I am Andrea, I am the leader of this sect of the A.E.L, Accidently Exposed Lycans.” She added

            “Dustin” I said

            “You don’t have to use a fake name, you’re safe here.”

            “That is my real name”

            “Oh” she said a little surprised, I’ve had people not believe that’s my real name before, so it wasn’t anything new. “So, your resident panther accidently exposed you?” she asked, I nodded, “Bite?” she asked I nodded, she sighed at that. “It happens to the best of us and…to be entirely honest, most of us are better for being exposed to the lycanthropy, we would have gone our whole lives without knowing that…all of this was here.” She said with a soft smile. “And idea or feeing of what you became?”

            “That…does make me beg the question…isn’t lycanthropy…wolves?” I asked

            “Traditionally, yes…Lycanthropy is an…ambiguous magic” she said as Jamie had broken away to talk to various other people about the room and get a cup of the coffee across the room, “When some people are bitten, the animal form of the person who bit them is passed on, as most common with werewolves…but there are times where the lycanthropy is overtaken by the innate will or innate magic that lies dormant in someone and rewrite the code of the disease and gives someone a unique form.” She explained, “Wolves and tigers most often pass on their form due to the fact that those they infect are usually close to them, there is a theory being worked on that the closeness one has to the lycan, the more likely the animal form would be passed on. Infection through a bite or for some of us, claws is the most common form of transmission…but there are other ways, some of us were born lycans and grew up with it, but enjoy the support of people who are like us around us, others were accidently cursed via magical objects that give them a were-beast form…or someone who is deeply ingrained to the natural world can willingly open themselves up to a powerful animal spirit who infuses with their own and gives them their abilities.”

            “You say it’s a disease…so…can it be cured?” I asked, she sighed which was enough, “It’s not is it?”

            “Alas it is not” she sighed, an understanding on her voice, but there was something about her tone that told me that even if there was…she wouldn’t take it. “Like lycanthropy or other magical species that reproduce through infecting others like vampirism, it is a disease only on paper only because of the fact it spreads person to person, but we can spread through bites, claws for some of us, any blood transfusion we give, sex cannot pass it for most of us, there are some of us who could possible pass through other methods. Vampirism can only be spread through a bite and as traditional, vampirism and lycanthropy are natural enemies on a genetic scale, people like us and vampires get along just as well as you and any of your friends, but on a genetic scale, the two viruses act as an immunity to the other. A vampire cannot become a were-beast and we cannot become a vampire.”

            “How…how was Jamie turned?” I asked

            “Ah, Florida panther got into some magical plants and to humans went rabid, he was on a hike and was attacked, woke up a were-panther. Myself, I was working on an equestrian range when a spirit opened itself to me, that of an owl” she explained, “There is no cure, but there are things for any of the symptoms: for someone like Jamie, sleeping weird hours, strange cravings or more feline traits coming through…these medicines are also needed for when the moon is full or near full, the moon can make ourselves lose our humanity, we loose time if we don’t take it, we’ll still transform, but we’ll still have our human minds.” She explained

            “The bracelet” I started as I glanced at her wrist.

            “All members of the A.E.L wear this to keep ourselves sane: it’s not silver as we are weak to it, so it’s white gold…but it is enchanted to keep ourselves sane and ourselves. Emotion if felt strong enough will cause partial or full transformation, so…these keep our emotions level to an extent to stave off the transformations against our will. With enough training and will power, you can learn to harness and control this new side of you and how to use your other side to your advantage.”

            “How long have you been…a were-owl?” I asked, she sighed

            “At least two decades now myself, the magic and everything allows our lifespans to be extended…by default all of us will live much longer and age slower than fully human people, but depending on what one becomes can add to it.” she said with a soft smile, “Most nonmagical humans in the magical world were brought in because of people like us, mainly due to the rarity of Seers and magical people wanting to bring their nonmagical partners or friends into the magical city…lycanthropy is easy to bring them into the fold.”

            “…what’s a Seer?” I asked

            “A Seer is a nonmagical human who was born strangely connected to magic, they have no magic they can use or anything, but they can access our world and their eyes allow them to see through any and all magical illusions or glamours. Do you know the name Anthony Varga?” she asked, I nodded, “He’s a Seer…his husband, the CEO of 6Vs, is an extremely, extremely old magical being, not a lycan, but he brought Anthony into the magical world due to his eyes.”

            “Does…that mean all the rest of his family, all of his famous cousins…are they magic too?” I asked, mainly due to the curiosity I have for a certain cousin of his, Juliana Vesta, glorious chef, that woman…I’ve got every one of her cookbooks and I’ve attended at least six or so of her Masterclasses.

            “You have much to learn, Dustin.” She said with a smile