ONE

Aren was the first one I met because he just showed up at my work. After finishing my studies of Art and History in Spain, I got a grant to work in The Getty Villa in Malibu: the happiest 8 moths of my life surrounded by wonderful works of art. Unfortunately, when finished my internship I was unable to find a job linked to the world of art but never lost hope, I kept looking while working in one of the thousands supermarkets selling organic, healthy, natural stuff in Los Angeles. Vegan, raw, refined sugar free... you get the idea. It wasn't that bad, my boss was kind sometimes and I got on well with my workmates. The disadvantage was that I had to work for long hours in order to survive in this city and arrived home exhausted every day, got dinner and went to sleep. I had virtually no social life; I only saw Mia, my roommate, enough to say hello and goodbye: she was a nurse and worked the night shift in a retirement home she usually arrived when I left the apartment and left when I came back from work.

It was Monday morning and I'd spent several hours placing fruit in orderly rows inside wooden boxes and giving information to our customers about gluten free types of bread when I saw him. Honestly, Aren is impossible to ignore. A six foot two guy: all muscle, with broad shoulders and shoulder-length, dark blond hair, well-kept beard, with stunning blue eyes, moving with the effortless grace of a feline despite he's very tall and strong. His Viking ancestors present in each one of his facial features... I saw him and also all my workmates did, they threw themselves at him like birds of prey trying to help him. The poor guy was so overwhelmed trying to get rid of them that I couldn't help chuckling discreetly. I guess that's what caught his attention: I was the only one who didn't rush to flirt with him. It's not that the boy doesn't deserve a bit of time to take a closer look, above all showing off a body that a Greek god would die to have, but the point is that I bat the other team.

Suddenly, in a heartbeat, all my workmates found something to do on the other side of the shop, leaving him alone with me. That was weird, but I didn't think it was important back then, now I know he was controlling their minds in order to shoo them away and my brain to calm me down. Aren was holding one of our baskets with his big hand and a shopping list in the other one and he looked so lost that I felt like laughing again. On the contrary, I decided to be professional and do my job.

"Hello, I'm Iselen. Can I help you?" His delighted smile almost blinded me: vampires can brag about perfect teeth, of course.

"I have to buy these things but I have no idea where to start. I'm not good at this," he handed me the piece if paper while I smiled like a dumb listening to his deep tenor voice even if I'm very, very gay. The truth is that when they go too far with mental manipulation, you look like a hypnotized idiot.

"Is this the first time you visit our shop?" I started to fill his basket, taking things from here and there, his shopping list was very long indeed and the guy followed me meekly through different aisles while we talked.

"This is my first time in general. I'm not usually in charge of the grocery shopping or treating with... assistants," he added with obvious discomfort although grimacing just one second later, like he was worried about offending me somehow.

An introvert. That explained why he felt so awkward while my workmates focused their attention on him, even if he must've been used to women staring at him in awe after all. I understood him, being myself an antisocial meant that my circle of friends was small in the city. I'm one of those people who prefer a book and a cup of tea instead of a night dancing in clubs and I wasn't very popular for that reason. It was hard for me to talk to strangers, I got really anxious, and it happened that sometimes I'd rather walk in circles for half an hour instead of feeling embarrassed asking any passerby for the address I was looking for.

"Don't worry, you can ask for help to any assistant every time you come and we'll be delighted to advise you. You're buying a wide variety of products today..." I said a bit shocked, I was filling the second basket...

"Yes, my sisters have become a bit paranoid with this new trend of healthy food lately and they want to try a bit of everything."

"That's great. If they're able to keep a healthier and more balanced diet, they'll notice the improvement pretty soon, they'll have more energy, I can assure you that."

"I don't know if that's what they need exactly, they get their way too often and I don't want to imagine what they might be capable of if they become more energetic." I could've thought his sisters were old hags if it weren't for the love that was hidden behind his tone of voice, my customer was smiling amused and I thought it was some kind of private joke.

"Well, I think this is all... If you intend to become a regular perhaps you'd like to give us your credit card details and we'll open an account: you can come and buy and won't have to carry your wallet every time. It's way easier."

"Great. I can't thank you enough for your help, I'll be back soon." Aren said goodbye kindly and walked through the door carrying two big bags while I stared at him with a dumb expression in my face once again.

Once he left, the mental control broke but neither I nor my workmates remembered the handsome Viking except like a haze: the idea of a cute boy who came to the shop to brighten up our day but nothing more. I didn't think about him during the rest of the week, not even once, or during Sunday while I ate a whole tub of chocolate ice cream, watched a movie and took a nap. In fact, I didn't remember him till the next Monday morning when I bumped into him all of a sudden in aisle number 4, staring at milk bottles baffled. I didn't even realize when he walked in the shop but I looked right into his eyes and the whole episode from last week came to my mind.

"New purchases for your sisters?" I got closer smiling and he seemed relieved when he spotted me before pointing at a shelf, bewildered.

"Yes. Soya, almond, cashew, oat... why do they call it milk when it doesn't come from a real cow?"

"That's a good question I've asked myself a lot of times, actually," I answer laughing while filling his basket again and telling him the differences between the bottles. He looked happy to learn and try something new so I added two or three treats he didn't have on his list. The same pattern was repeated during three or four weeks, forgetting him and remembering him every time he stepped in the shop, till one day I told him attentively: "If you buy more or less the same goodies every week, why can't I get your bags ready in advance? You only have to come here to collect them and we can add something you feel like trying at the last minute."

He thought about it for a few minutes, carefully and hesitating. I didn't see what the problem was since giving me his shopping list would make easier for him to buy whatever he wanted, and also could save us both a lot of time, but he was weighting the decision like it was something of critical importance. He accepted reluctantly, finally, took his bags and walked through the door once again... however, contrary to what happened before, I remembered him and kept remembering the whole week. It wasn't a foggy memory of my mind that came back to my brain every time I looked right into his eyes: I remembered the way he looked, our conversations and the order I needed to get ready for next Monday. Of course, I had no clue about who was Aren but he felt awkward because a human was walking through the city calmly with his gorgeous face burnt in her mind. And he had good reasons to worry: being so handsome and in Los Angeles, I could only picture him working as an actor or a model and I started browsing through magazines in case I spotted him or taking a look at new TV shows castings in case he was the main character. It was impossible that Hollywood talent agents were ignoring him. Curiosity killed the cat and I was playing with fire unwittingly.

*****

I had his order ready next Monday in addition to some goodies I placed on the counter and that I picked out because I thought he'd be delighted to try them. Seriously, who can refuse some chocolate and hazelnut cream even if it's vegan? Aren had his elbow casually leaned on the counter while I was putting two of those in his bags and we talked a little, not only about healthy food like we usually did while wandering around the aisles but about our lives. He seemed nervous at first but later the conversation flowed easily and I'm sure he enjoyed it, interacting with humans was something pretty new for him despite he was old and was learning from that experience, which is a thing vampires love. Of course, I talked more about my family, my friends, my studies and jobs, he got a lot of information from me and didn't need to pressure me, but that day I learnt some things: he had two sisters, younger than him although extraordinarily protective, the three of them were adopted and their father used to travel a lot so they didn't see him that much. He never talked about a mother. Actually, come to think of it... he never lied to me. He only left out a few details about how their "father" had met them.

Aren became a regular, one of those you feel happy to greet every week and you like to talk for a while, not an unbearable and rude guy. A good customer too, he bought a lot of things and it was obvious money wasn't a problem for him; one more reason to be kind to him. But it wasn't only that, I really enjoyed our conversations: he was educated, he had travelled a lot and read a lot and could speak several languages. Perfect for someone like me for whom art, literature and history are subjects of endless debate. I wouldn't say he became a friend, we didn't have that kind of relationship of trust, but I looked forward to meet him every Monday and he felt the same.

Till one Monday three months later... I had his order ready and it was more or less the hour he used to show up. Something special was waiting on the counter, a chocolate and vanilla marble cake without refined sugar that just arrived to the shop and, in addition to that, it was lactose free too according to the list of ingredients that I was reading to kill time while he arrived. When I looked up at the clock on the wall, I saw them in the middle of the aisle in front of me. It's hard to explain how I felt the moment I laid my eyes on them, I could say: "They were two beautiful women," but that's not the truth. It wasn't about beauty, at least not only that, but also charm, naturalness and sophistication, elegant movements like the ones of a gazelle; those concepts are difficult to describe if you don't see them in action. They had all of those and even more.

One of them was slightly taller than the other but both were beauties with a flawless pale skin. They looked like they were 30 but I wasn't sure of that, it could be 27 or 33... The taller one had dark hair in a masculine hairstyle, one side longer and the other almost shaved combed back with great care to achieve a retro 50's style, and her eyes were deep blue. The other one had a pixie haircut with slightly longer bangs in a rich shade of dark brown, her eyes were blue-green with hints of grey. But the thing that struck me about them were their tattoos, amazing works of art covering their hands, arms and chest at least as far as I could see, the rest were hidden by clothes... gorgeous clothes, perfectly tailored to adjust to their toned bodies and probably expensive, designer clothes, since they looked like professional models. The taller one wore pants, an unbuttoned shirt showing a deep cleavage and combat boots; the second one looked much more informal with skinny jeans, sneakers and a T-shirt with side cuts that revealed her sports bra. Rings, bracelets, watches, belts, a little touch of make-up... everything had been picked out to achieve that androgynous look that was fashionable and many people tried to copy. It looked natural, effortless and sophisticated at the same time. Both were beautiful. In fact, they were perfect. They were everything I wanted to be, if I weren't doomed to wear that horrible burgundy uniform with a dull apron... and my budget for clothes was also miserable.

When they both fixed their eyes on me I swallowed hard and stared at them like a deer transfixed by car headlights even if it's about getting hit by the vehicle. Closer to the counter, they had a stronger effect on me, so fascinating and seductive that they'd be able to drive crazy any man or woman. Her cocky smirks almost caused me a heart attack and their perfume dulled my senses till the point that my head was spinning nonstop. But even so, in the midst of that peculiar situation, I sensed something more, a hint of something their charisma was trying to hide: danger. They were both as seductive as dangerous. Maybe it was because of the atavistic instinct we inherited from our ancestors when the human being was the prey and predators hunted us, but an area of my brain was telling me to be extremely cautious. I decided to be impeccably professional and polite with them at that moment and that's what saved me.

"Hi, I'm Iselen. Can I help you?" I asked with a neutral tone of voice and not stuttering... which was actually quite an accomplishment, believe me. The girl with the blueish-green eyes moved a step closer and her perfect plump lips smiled at me. I blinked blinded for a second, with my cheeks turning red and my heart beating in my throat while thinking: "No one could be alive looking like that, her beauty is unreal." Right then, behind her, I could see out of the corner of my eye that the woman with dark hair clenched her jaw and shot a frozen look at me. "Focus on, Iselen, keep things professional."

"We're here to pick up Aren's order," the one who was closer answered tilting her head slightly, adding more charm to her pose even if it seemed impossible. Her accent sounded foreign to me but her tone of voice was sweet.

"Of course, it's here, ready..." I bent down to take the bags while my brain was thinking nonstop: "These are his sisters! Wow, they don't look like I thought at all but I shouldn't be surprised given that Aren is so handsome." When I straightened my back I looked at the second woman who was raising an eyebrow at that moment and kept staring at me with hostility. "Focus on, Iselen... professionality." I placed both bags on the counter and asked out loud, trying to control my anxiety: "I thought I could add this marble cake, if you like it."

"Great, you're really kind, Iselen." I'm pretty sure she was smiling with the charm of a mermaid at that very moment, the same charm they use to make sailors drown in the ocean, but my instinct of self-preservation kicked in finally and I kept my eyes low while I was busy shoving the cake in the bag and getting the receipt ready.

"Will you choose the usual payment method? I can add this order to the account you have opened with us..."

"Yes, that would be perfect." I kept my eyes low, focused on the screen of my computer. I was so focused on my task that didn't hear my boss walking behind me.

"Iselen, I have to leave due to a familiar emergency. I need you to stay an extra hour and lock the shop."

"Of course, boss."

Hollywood lost a great talent with me. I'd grimace in disgust under normal circumstances because I knew that, when my boss said "familiar emergency," he was talking about a date with his lover and needed to meet her during working hours to hide from his wife. I'd have to stay one more hour but my face would show my displeasure clearly because I was working extra hours already. In addition to that, under normal circumstances I'd thought that it was weird that my boss, a Casanova, didn't notice two beauties in front of him and didn't try to flirt with them, but I was too committed to my shop assistant role to notice it. I gave the bags and recipe to the girl who was closer to me and smiled calmly.

"Have a nice day..." A nice night, given the late hour.

"Thank you."

She turned around and her sister nodded like answering a silent question, taking one of the bags, and they both walked through the door while I cleaned the counter and rearranged the organic strawberry jam jars on the shelf behind me. I finished my shift, locked the door and went home walking slowly. It was a 40 minute walk that I did every day at least twice, I know everybody drives in Los Angeles but I enjoyed the walk that helped me to keep fit. I wasn't aware of the speculative gazes that followed my movements from a car parked in front of the shop, I wasn't aware of the tension that made my muscles felt sore either till I collapsed on my bed exhausted and relaxed finally, falling asleep immediately.

And this is how Aren's sisters thought I was a compliant and meek girl that wouldn't give any trouble and meant no danger for their brother or them. One of the few mistakes they've made in their long lives.