“I’m sorry,” Alicia apologized to the young man. “There may have been a miscommunication; you said you were here about my ad?” Alicia sat behind a large, dark wooden desk in her study while the visitor in a white blazer and red tie sat across from her. A pair of red scissors was stitched on the front of the blazer. He nodded.
“Your ad prompted my visit; but, I’m not here to babysit. My employer excels at fulfilling…,” the man paused and his lips formed a slight smirk. “…shall we say, niche needs. I believe you can benefit from our services for more than just a babysitter.” Alicia was immediately intrigued. Finding a babysitter proved more difficult than she expected. She ran the ad daily for a month and Perseus was the first person to respond. His name intrigued her and she was hopeful he would take the position.
“Well, you’re my only appointment today; tell me more,” Alicia replied. Perseus nodded.
“Sharp Medical Services offers a wide selection of pure and mixed blood-types from a variety of demographics. We know blood preference is a very personal choice. Whether you prefer young yuppies or grizzled hippies; we guarantee you’ll find something you like.”
“That does sound like something I’d be interested in,” Alicia said. “But, blood supply is not my main problem; it would have just been a nice bonus to find a sitter that’s willing to donate.” Perseus nodded.
“Sharp Development also has an Education division with several schools. Our teachers are trained to be able to handle special students. How old is the child?”
“He’s three, but very smart. He’s already writing numbers,” Alicia giggled to herself. “I don’t know where he picked it up, but I swear he draws a ’47’ every chance he gets. It must be his favorite number for some reason.” Perseus smiled wide.
“He sounds like he’d be perfect for one of our kindergartens. We have several night time schools to help out our more nocturnal parents.” Alicia smiled at him. She couldn’t believe how everything was coming together for her.
“Although, to help avoid any misunderstandings it’s better if we speak more honestly. You, and by extension your son, are vampires; is that correct?” Alicia’s smile faded slightly and she was immediately on guard. It seemed too good to be true; but over the centuries Alicia learned to trust her instincts. No matter how she considered him, her instincts said he was honest about the schools and blood. Alicia remained quiet for almost two minutes and Perseus did not make any effort to rush her answer. He sat still, smiling and waiting. Finally, Alicia nodded.
“We are,” she said.
“Great, thank you. There have been a few parents that tried to keep their secrets, and their children ended up with very incompatible classmates. Of course…,” as Perseus spoke, golden stars glowed briefly in his eyes. “…I can see what you are, but we’re only able to act on what you tell us.” The golden stars faded. Alicia’s eyes widened in surprise. She thought she’d seen every form of magical creature that existed; but, he was something new.
“What are you?” she asked.
“I’m Unique,” Perseus winked. “I hope you don’t think I’m dodging the question, but I do have other appointments after this. However, I can promise you’ll get an answer to that question when you take your son for orientation. If you agree, I can have him enrolled in time to start tomorrow.”
“Everything sounds wonderful. I’m very interested in your program, but I suppose we need to talk about tuition.”
“Oh, there is none. Ms. Sharp, the company’s owner, believes very strongly in a proper education for Unique children, like your son. All I ask is that you be available to visit the campus tomorrow night with your son, and his father if that’s a possibility. After the orientation, we’ll be able to pick him up every evening and drop him off after school.”
“About his father…,” Alicia sighed. “…in the spirit of honesty, I should mention… his father was a Unicorn.”
“Wow,” Perseus seemed genuinely surprised. “That’s quite an interesting combination. Off the top of my head, I can’t imagine any complications with other vampire classmates, but I’ll definitely research it. Thank you for mentioning it,” Perseus said as he stood to leave. “Oh, and of course I’ll need his name.”
“Alexander Royce Kingston.”