Help Wanted

Hannah Moskowitz was nineteen years old. She had just moved into her first apartment with such joy in her heart. She had the promise of greatness at her fingertips. Excitedly, she arranged all of her furniture and dishes just the way she wanted them. Her father, was a computer genius and had formed a multi billion dollar company when she was just ten years old.

She lay in bed and stretched out her legs and sighed heavily as she fidgeted with the covers, deep in thought. Her best friend ShoShonnah was coming over today and they were going to be looking through the help wanted section of the papers and fill out job site information. Hannah was chagrined to admit that she had relied on her father's money to get her this first place to live but in reality she was quite brilliant and had a lot to offer the world. She dutifully finished high school as class valedictorian and decided to take a year off to decide whether she wanted to work up through her father's company and eventually take over.

However, she would have to start in the mail room and that did not appeal to her at all. Not that she felt entitled or anything but she had helped her father on multiple occasions fix whatever computer that was brought to him and even designed a few of the cases herself.

She felt she deserved more than what he was offering her and she was going to take a year off and decide what that was going to be. Hannah had soft hazel eyes with medium brown curly hair that fell to her waist. She was medium boned and stood 5 feet,5inches tall. Her best friend was a striking contrast to her with bright red hair and alabaster porcelain skin. ShoShonnah had soft brown freckles that she regularly put lemon juice on to lighten. She was very loud and very extroverted.

Hannah looked out the window of the bustling city down below. Her apartment was on the twentieth floor of the Majestic Technologies tower in Little Rock, Arkansas. She looked out across the city and realized that they were building a new stadium for the children of the most famous high school in the united states. Central High School. She stood at the window and half turned and said to her friend as she walked through the unlocked door," Shosh, how many people get to have a place like this?" Her friend came over and placed a hand on her shoulder. " It can be overwhelming but I am sure you will figure it out. We all have to leave home at some point in our lives. You are blessed to be able to live here not to far from your parents and in a building that your family owns Hannah. Come on let's look for some work."

The young ladies sat down on the couch and kicked up their legs chatting lively about what they were looking for. Then Hannah looked at her friend and said," Shosh, it has only been a week but I am so lonely. There's no servants, or my mom and dad arguing over which tv show to watch and I miss my dog Queen Corgie." ShoShonnah took a deep breath and said," Hannie, you got it so good right now. I am sure your father will let you bring your dog here. I mean he owns the tower. And you have the city. There are so many things to do here. The Riverwalk, the museums and zoo. You'll be fine girl!"

Shaking off her gloom she returned her attention to the help wanted adds in the paper that Shosh brought with her. She tapped the paper and said," Look! this is weird. As she read aloud," It says, Attention, Brave of heart need only apply. Personal assistant to business woman who is shut in. Must be proficient in some form of word program, taking dictation, running errands and standing in for some business meetings. Must be prompt and have attention to detail. Sorry men, this job is for a female only. Not that some men aren't capable in these strange days that we live in but I prefer female assistants." Hannah laughed and said," She really didn't want to appear to be politically incorrect." She chuckled slightly and picked up her cell phone and dialed the number.

The phone rang three times and was picked up." Hello" she said." This is Hannah Mozkowitz and I saw your add in the paper. I would love to apply for the position. Would I need to come to your place to apply or do you have a web site in which I could fill out the application there?"

The woman on the other end chuckled and said," You are actually my first caller for the position. Could you come to 15368 Jackson Drive at 5 pm? I tend to work unusual hours. I work at night and sleep through the day. I will need you to run my errands during the day and attend any meetings that I can not myself attend." Hannah replied," Yes, Mam. I will be there with Bells on. Oh Is Jackson Drive off of Cavanaugh right? It's that big mansion on the left?" The woman on the other end of the phone smiled," Yes, dear that's the one. See you at 5 pm." Hannah replied,” Thank you so much I will see you then. Have a wonderful day mam!” And she hung up the phone.

Jackson Drive was a very posh neighborhood. If she got hired she would be making good money for sure. ShoShonnah looked at her dumbfounded and hugged her best friend. Later that afternoon, the young woman got in her little Mazda 626 and made her way through the city streets and out into the suburbs of the busy city. The highway was grid lock and she felt like a small lone pea on the plate in the midst of a mountain of mashed potatoes. She took a deep breath and let it out. She was just homesick. She wasn't sure just what she should be feeling but she knew she would have to deal with it at some point but right now she was going to a huge mansion to apply for a job!

She walked up the drive after parking her car. She found a little path that led to the front door and reached out and grasped the door knocker .It was an elaborately carved gargoyle's head with a ring through it's mouth like a horse's bit. She knocked three times and in a few moments the old butler opened the door smiling at her and bid her to come in. The foyer was dark as was most of the house. It seemed there was lighting only where there needed to be. Angelica Devereaux came down the stair well and walked towards the young woman with a smile on her face. " Hello dear, I am Angelica and you are Hannah." She said as she grasped the young woman's hand and she noticed how cold Angelica's hand was. " Come this way" She said as she turned to the butler and said," Thibodaux please bring me a glass of wine and the young lady some sweet tea." The older man nodded and went to his task then she turned and walked down a long hallway to an office at the end. She gestured for Hannah to step inside and then followed behind leaving the door opened.

"Please have a seat." She said and Hanna selected the chair closest to the desk. There were three windows behind the desk that were from ceiling to the floor and covered with thick drapes. The last shadows of the day were edging behind the trees so soft light crept in around the edges and warmed the floor beneath them.

Angelica sat down behind the desk and said," I have a unique problem. Now I don't want you to be afraid but I am Immortal. I am a vampire and I need help during the day." She paused for a moment and allowed the young woman in front of her to respond. " Ok, so you are a vampire? Like a real eat humans kind of vampire?" She said incredulously.

The older woman spoke ," Oh no child, I haven't eaten a human in over a hundred years. Since the advent of blood banks, I simply acquire blood from the five blood banks in town who work with my company. With all the diseases these days, I want to make sure my supplement is fresh and clean." As my personal assistant you will go to the blood bank three times a week and procure my allotted blood.

Always assure there is a back up somewhere should there be any time discrepancies due to there not being any blood in the store houses." The young woman thought for a moment and said," I like you. I think you are brave to even try to find an assistant in these times." She said as Thibodeaux came into the room with their drinks. The wine Angelica referred to was a beautiful crystal goblet filled with blood. Hannah reached for her tea and drank deeply then said, I would like to work with you if you will have me. I learn fast and need something to fill my days since I just moved out on my own. I mean Mom and dad are near by but I need to find my own way in life you know? It's just really lonely. And I never in a million years would have thought I would run into a vampire. Can you eat real food? Does the sunlight kill you? Oh gosh where are my manners?"

Angelica smiled and her large canines protruded slightly but it was the first time Hannah saw them. " My child, I can eat real food, but lightly. As I am undead I have to take care of the body so it does not rot. I do eat a little every day. Let's see? Does the sunlight kill me? No but when the body becomes like mine, our blood on a cellular level just does not replenish as it should. Rather akin to Anemia. It makes my eyes and skin burn from the light. I would dehydrate faster than a human because of this. I also like my blood warmed to body temperature. It makes it more palatable."

Hannah took a breath and said," How old are you? Because you don't look a day over 30." Angelica smiled and said," I am two thousand four hundred years old and counting. Now to your salary, I would like to offer you fifty two thousand dollars a year to be my assistant and you may have use of the mansion it is at your disposal. What do you think? Do you want to come and work for an old woman?" Hannah nodded and said," Yes!" and reached out to shake Angelica's hand. To which she replied," Be here tomorrow morning at 9 am, There are a few things Thibodeaux will want to go over with you about your duties. He will hand you directions to the blood banks but he will also take you where they are in town and introduce you to the staff at each so they know who you are." " Yes Mam." was her only reply and she turned at the door." Thank you for the opportunity to learn from such an amazing person as yourself." And she walked out the room and down the hall and out the door and got into her car. As she turned the key she let out a breath slowly and loudly. " Wow that was weird." She said to herself. and shifted the car into drive and drove home. The Highway was still in grid lock so she decided to take the city streets back to her apartment and sighed because again she was alone in the big bad world.