Vivienne

Casey opened her eyes and the first thing she felt wasn’t her knee but the pounding headache from being so intoxicated the night before.  She rubbed out her brown eyes from the sleep that had formed while passed out.  Ignoring the pain in her head, she glanced around the room keeping her eyes partly shielded from the yellow light in the room. The college student realized rather quickly that she was not at home but what appeared to be an overdressed hotel room.  The walls had some oddball looking green scene trees on it, mixed with a white stripe fresh out of the tastelessness of the 1970s.  Her bed was about the only thing in the room that was posh beyond measure with the mattress made of new age foam, the pillows light and fluffy as well as the blankets made of stuffed cotton and with a few fleece blankets that could be used to cover up and walk with.  Casey then reached down and felt the sheets themselves. The fabric was more rich feeling than she could ever afford, spun with almost a silk like feeling to it, but not knowing what it was truly made with.

Shifting to feel the sheets caused her knee to move and send a flare of pain shooting up her spine and back down her legs.  She tossed back the blankets and noticed that her right knee was covered in tape and gauze and her left foot was in a compression bandage.  “What did you do to yourself, Rivers?”  Scratching her blonde and auburn dyed hair out a bit, she happened to see the letter off to her left and picked it up.  “Who writes a note anymore?  My phone is like right there, just text me?  Ugh.”  Her eyes scanned the page a couple times to re-read the handwritten letter.  Unfamiliar with having to read script rather than plain text caused the young woman to scan the short letter a few times to get the full meaning of what was being addressed before setting the letter down.  Opening the drawer Casey saw a bottle of Tylenol and Motrin, as well as six tablets that the girl assumed were a heavier pain medicine, with the instructions to take one every eight hours.  Grabbing the bottle of Tylenol first, she shook out two tablets and washed them down with the crystal clear water that had been left on the nightstand.

 Grabbing the crutches, Casey first went through the wardrobe and was in awe with the sheer volume of clothing hanging.  Nothing was out of order, everything hung by color, pattern color and garment.  There were even jeans hanging up. “Who hangs up jeans?  Well, I suppose anyone that isn’t in a hurry.”  Muttering to herself thinking about how while at home, her jeans stayed in a lump in a corner so she could just jump up and go to class at a moment’s notice.  She grabbed a black skirt and a simple pull over pink top from the myriad of clothing, thinking about the ease of getting over her damaged knee, then hobbled over to her phone on the nightstand.  Looking at the screen, there were no less than thirty notifications from her boyfriend. “Fuck.  I have no idea how to explain this.”  Tapping on her lip for a moment and smiled to herself. “A picture should do it.” Flipping to the screen containing the camera app on her phone, she punched the button and it revealed only a black screen. “What in the world?”  reversing the image to show her own face produced the same result.  Turning over her phone she looked at the cameras and noticed both were clearly broken and unusable. “I guess that fits too, given the shape I am in.  What the hell happened last night?”  She whispered to herself.

Casey then opened the text app and responded to everyone that was worried for her.

-Yes, I am fine.  I have a bit of a busted knee and ankle.  I am at a friend’s house sleeping it off, I should be home later this evening. -

-Calling-

The next thing she knew her phone started ringing and her boyfriend was on the phone half screaming and half frantic.  “No, no.  I got too drunk and I am at a friend’s house.  Who?  Can I not go into this right now, please?  I am in a bunch of pain and do not need the third degree from you.  Yes, I know you are just worried.  I am fine, you hear me speaking right?  Oh my god, stop yelling, my head is pounding.  What do you mean I am not getting drunk like, wait, what?  Really, you need to shut up right now.  I am calling my mother and letting you calm down.  Right, you.  I don’t need your shit right now.  Let’s put it this way, keep talking like this and you can get your shit out of my room.  No, I am not kidding.  I do what the hell I want to.  I went out to see the band I like last night and got a little drunk in the process.  Somehow, I got a wee bit hurt and my friend took care of the issue.”  Casey sighed and closed her eyes, pinching her nose with her free hand. “I am not having this conversation with you right now.  I will be back at my dorm later tonight.  If you want to be rational then I will answer you.”  She clicked the phone line dead and turned off all the sounds on her phone as she knew the barrage of texts and calls were coming.  Having never stayed out all night before, this reaction wasn’t totally unexpected, she thought to herself.  “Yeah, yeah, Casey you have cheated on him multiple times.  Why the hell not?  I am only twenty-three and I want to have fun.  Forget him.”

Opening the phone again she dialed her mother with a single tap, “Hey mom.  Sorry about not calling you back last night.  Yes, I am fine.  Other than a bit of problem with my ankle and knee.  I apparently did something and did a number on my knee.  No, I don’t know what the coach will think, as I certainly can’t swim like this.  I will work it all out over the next week and see what I can do.  My grades are fine so I think it will be like you know, having to recover and miss some meets.  I should be okay.  I will be back at the dorm later tonight.  Sorry that I worr.. what?  My god mom, I am not missing for Christ’s sake.  I haven’t answered you in like ten hours.  Call the police and tell them I am fine, Jesus between you and Brian I am going to pull my hair out.”  Casey endured the verbal chastising from her mother a few more minutes before her stomach churned from hunger. “Mom, please.  I am hungry and going to get something to eat.  If I have anything else come up, I will call you, yes, I promise.”  Ending the call with her mother, the young woman tossed her phone in her glittery purse then pulled that over her shoulder and neck to wear it across her chest, and hobbled out of the room. 

The rest of the house was lit so that Casey could make her way to the kitchen in the center of the circular house as well as the bathroom and living room.  Without light the rest of the home was fairly dark and nearly impossible to discern, other than the solid heavy steel and dark oak front door. Casey limped over to the front door and easily manipulated the locks and opened it, peering outside.  Squinting her eyes to try and reduce the impact of the bright light on her headache, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the door faced away from the sun and the trees broke the light from hitting the house.  Hearing the ocean behind her, the girl knew she was almost on the beach itself.  Looking beyond the red cobblestone walkway, her eyes centered on the garage. “You have got to be kidding me.”  She stepped further out of the house and took a better look at the Lamborghini and read the plate.  “Figures, a cardiologist.” Attempting to get a feel for the crutches and to get a better idea where she was, Casey made her way to the gate and looked at the address and the street sign. “Ah, 2121 Midnight Crescent Lane.” Spinning on her makeshift legs, she turned around and went back inside and closed the door locking it behind her.

Something strange prickled at Casey’s mind and she realized that the stained windows outside didn’t match what was going on inside.  There was zero access to bring in the sun from any point where a window would be. “Who wouldn’t want to see the beach if they lived ON the waterfront?”  She shrugged a bit and cracked a smile, “A doctor.  Sometimes they are the strangest lot.” 

Slowly moving to the bathroom the young student wanted to see exactly how badly the damage was beyond her knee and ankle.  The only certain thing she knew was that she was clean from head to toe, with almost surgical precision. “Wait. What the hell?” There was the shine from the copper tub, the strange looking curtain and the rest of normal things in the restroom, except for the one thing she needed to see her face, a mirror.  Instinct took over on the young lady sending a shiver up and down her spine, and making the hairs stand up on her neck.  Just out of eyesight and looming in the darkness, Casey felt a presence that she couldn’t figure out.  Hearing the rush of the wind and branches from the oaks scraping on the outside of the house caused the girl to jump from fear.  She screamed after the jolt to her body made the double injuries start throbbing in agony, forcing her to sit down on the toilet to regain her senses.  Once the pain and shock subsided, Casey had finally stopped feeding the fear so she could think clearly. “There are no such things as monsters in the dark, Rivers.  Now go get yourself something to eat, so far your new friend has done lots to keep you safe.  You were … hey wait.”  Recalling she had her purse and make-up inside she dug around the contents and found her compact with a mirror, then managed to finally see her face.  Devoid of any cosmetics, she could see that her eyes were bloodshot, and there were clear marks forming on her cheeks where it looked like someone had been a little rough on her. “Oh man, that guy.  That damned drummer.”  The evidence was on her face, traces of his hard fingers leaving the light imprint of a forming bruise on each puffy cheek. “How am I ever going to explain this?” Casey started running through the lies she could tell, as she slowly made her way from the creepy bathroom to the kitchen, fully ignoring the feeling of being watched from the shadows.

She went through the various cabinets and found the items needed to make herself something to eat.  She put the crutches aside and tried flexing her knee as the card with the codeine instructed.  “Put weight on it, try to walk around in incremental minutes each time.  Make sure to flex as much as possible, the stitches are durable and will come out over time and on their own.”  Opening the refrigerator, the girl blinked a few times as she saw how the contents were placed.  She found the eggs still in the carton beside the milk on the top shelf, the bacon under that stacked on top of what looked like about twenty different cheeses and a mixture of both fresh and dried fruit below that.  There was nothing but a few things of green beans in the drawers and even in the wrong labeled ones.  A sensation once again made her take a longer look at the surroundings.  A few pans were sporadically hanging on hooks while the others had been tossed into a cabinet without any thought of use.  Opening the cabinets and pantry, Casey had the odd feeling she was actually shopping rather than gathering things to eat.  Every label was perfectly set facing out, separated exactly as she would be walking through a store.  With a huff of annoyance, the girl prepared herself a quick breakfast, sat down in the living room to eat as the ornate kitchen table seemed overly formal for one person. 

 “My new friend, you are indeed eccentric.  You want to talk to me as much as I want to talk to you now.  I mean, come on, who buys two gallons of milk and places one on its side at the bottom of the.. never mind.”  

Icy blue eyes laced with a bloody rim and the presence of a monster stared into the young woman.  Casey startled herself awake, breathing heavily and shaking off the fear of the dream she’d just had.  Her breakfast in combination with the codeine had made her pass out on the sofa. Leaving her used plate on the living room table, Casey grabbed her crutches and made her way back into the bedroom she'd used the night before, since her knee had started hurting again. Collecting the Motrin and the remaining codeine tablets, she placed them in her purse and went back upstairs to the sofa to get comfy once again. Picking up her phone she noticed that most of the day had passed and was now late afternoon, close to dusk.  She cleaned up the mess she’d made from the morning and went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up there.  Flipping on a radio in the corner of the kitchen to help her ease her nerves, an older song started to play and the young student felt the urge to try and dance using her hips and head as wildly as she could, while still trying to clean up the mess she’d made.

“Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam

Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam

Black Betty had a child, bam-ba-lam

The damn thing gone wild, bam-ba-lam

Said it weren't none of mine, bam-ba-lam

The damn thing gone blind, bam-ba-lam

I said oh, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam

Whoa, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam…

”

It was only during one particular spin using her good foot that Casey caught the pale image of her host through the hair that was in her face.  Shock and surprise rushed over the young woman’s features as she recalled her dream, causing her to take a quick gasp of air and stop her dancing both in shame and obvious fear.  “Oh, you scared me!” Casey nearly screamed and in that moment her memory of the past evening came rushing back to her, recalling the kiss she’d given her lovely host before her.  The kiss that now stuck in her head and wouldn’t be moved.  She replayed the encounter in her head multiple times each iteration causing her blood to pump harder and harder, and her body to heat up in ways she’d never experienced before.  Placing her hands on the sink, Casey tried to calm herself down. “Oh, wow, I seem to be sweating and can’t catch my breath.”

Vivienne had honestly been standing in the dark for quite a bit of time, ever since her temporary ward had gone down stairs and taken another dose of the medication to relieve the pain in her knee.  This was the closest the vampire had been to watching a person up close since roughly 1955.  “It is quite okay, Casey.  Allow me to introduce myself.”  Her light French accent eased its way to her ward’s ears, teasing and hinting of something that could be, but hadn’t yet developed. “I am Vivienne Moreau.  We met last night as you came back looking for your keys when you subsequently fell, giving yourself the injuries you have as well as kissing me for helping you stand.  It was just after when you started looking like you’d be sick and pass out, so I couldn’t leave you unattended.  I brought you here.”

Knowing the kiss that Casey stole from the vampire partly locked the girl into her servitude, Vivienne had a decision to make.  She could let the girl keep dreaming and not understand what it meant to be a ward to a vampire, attempt to erase the incident with a quick breath, or get her to commit fully to being a ward. “I apologize for not taking you to a hospital, I didn’t think you were in shape to answer questions about what happened, as you didn’t even know you were hurt.  I didn’t see the dislocation until I started to clean you up from the bars you visited last night.  I performed the procedure here and your knee will be just fine after a few weeks and some, ah yes, physical therapy.”  Vivienne crossed into the kitchen without a sound and helped Casey regain her composure, still debating on what she intended to do with her young ward.  “Now then, I said I wanted to speak to you.  I am sure you have some questions for me as well?  Your-our dinner should be here in a few minutes.  I took the liberty to order something to eat.  We can sit in the living room if that would make you more comfortable.”

Casey shut off the radio just as the song “Don’t Fear the Reaper” started to play and followed Vivienne into the living room. It took a few minutes for the vampire to get her guest situated on the sofa so her knee was in a comfortable position, before she relaxed in a plush chair opposite the young lady.  Knowing that anything familiar would ease the tension that Casey had, Vivienne picked up the television control and after powering it on, found a channel relaying the evening news.  Setting down the remote, Vivienne looked back to her thrall and spoke first.  “I can see that you are struggling with the events of last night.  You have a very good reason for doing so.”  She leaned forward in the chair a bit, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly as to entice the young lady across from her. “My advice to you is not to struggle and let yourself understand what happened.  That kiss did more to you than you realize.”

Watching the graceful vampire move in her chair then raise her thin black eyebrow was nearly too much for the young lady to handle.  She started sweating again, her face went flush and she found it difficult to concentrate. “I-I don’t know what I was doing or feeling at the time. I was very drunk and probably a little drugged given that stupid drummer guy.”  She peered at the blue eyes before her and noticed that Vivienne was now sitting back in her chair, legs crossed and her hands sitting squarely on her own knees, displaying her perfect blood red nails.  “What do you mean that I should understand what the kiss meant?  Viv, I have never been interested in women at all.  Yet, I can’t get the kiss out of my head.  It doesn’t make any sense.”  Casey picked up on the odd feeling that the woman in her presence wasn’t even truly moving.  Her eyes adjusted a bit more and her mind settled the moment that Vivienne took one of her thin hands and tucked a piece of her long black hair behind her ear as if to keep listening. “Oh, um.  Yes.  I also have a boyfriend na-named Brian that I care deeply for. So, I don’t know why I kissed you.  I certainly don’t mean to lead you on or anything.  I apologize if you thought differently.”

The vampire mused to herself a bit as the explanation of her ward’s lifestyle and drunkenness led to the fact, she’d kissed a woman in the heat of the moment.  The truth of it all was Vivienne didn’t care either way about such things, as for the most part the vampiress had mostly let most of her emotional attachment fade away due to her long existence.  

She’d been alone since two of her brothers yanked her out of their home claiming she was some kind of witch returned to life by the evil underworld gods.  They had dragged her back to her grave with the intention of making sure the dead stayed dead.  Vivienne let them throw her back into the deep pit.  It was the lighting of the fire that changed what the youngling did at that point.  Snapping the rope as if it were crushing dried leaves, she leapt out of her burial site, grabbed her brothers and reversed the situation.  Binding them with the leftover rope and a knife between them so they could get free later, she said one word, “Love.” then took off into the night.  The centuries after that the vampire made her more and more a recluse and more distant to her emotions, until this very night, aside from a small stint in the 1950s.

Realizing that she’d not spoken while thinking about her past, Vivienne then waved her hand lightly in a casual dismissive manner. “This isn’t about your boyfriend, he is irrelevant to what occurred.  It is about what happened to you the moment you kissed me.”  Just then the bell rang and a simple little alert on the doctors’ phone went off, indicating that their dinner had arrived. “Just in time.  I think a full belly will make what I am going to say a little better to digest, young Casey.”  Vivienne then took a moment to stand up and make her way to the door, ensuring to give the girl the full vision of her actually walking rather than drifting. Returning with a box of Chinese food, the elder half whispered, “I find that the sweet and sour chicken is fantastic at this place.”

“I’ll try that first.  What do you mean by how the kiss affected me?” The auburn girl inquired as her host unboxed the food she suggested and handed it to her.  The simple act of waiting on her made Casey suddenly feel more at ease than she’d been in the last few minutes while struggling with the odd attraction to the vampire in front of her. “The only thing that keeps looping in my head is that I want to do it again.”

The vampiress fixed herself a plate as well, keeping with the illusion that she needed the food to survive.  They could indeed eat normal cooked food and even go so far as to get rid of it without coughing it back up, as many humans thought night stalkers had to do.  It was simply that the food didn’t provide any nourishment and through their supernatural use of blood it caused the food to disintegrate after a few minutes, causing no ill to the vampire in general.  Vivienne didn’t mind the flavors of the food, since she’d used a bit of blood to sensitize her tongue so as to actually taste what she was consuming. “It is good that you’ve finally admitted what is going on in your mind with relation to our kiss.  That will make what I have to say more palatable in the long run. This will be very difficult for you to understand.  You also will likely not believe it.  Superstitions are hard to get past.  However, if you believe in God or Jesus, you are likely able to open your mind to a little more about the world you live in.”

“Yes, I believe in God and Jesus, I don’t understand what you…”

“Shh, let me explain, my ward.  I will give this to you in increments so you can understand exactly what is going on.”  Vivienne lifted a finger, in the way of giving the hush sign as she mirrored Casey in taking another bite of the food on her plate.  "I probably seem eccentric to you.  You aren’t far off from the truth, I am eccentric but not in the way you are thinking.”  The vampire took another bite of food then continued, “When you kissed me last night, you bound yourself to me without even realizing it.  That is just one of the many abilities that I have.”

Casey swallowed her food and started laughing.  She certainly didn’t feel bound in any way.  She knew she could get up and hobble out of the door if she wanted to.  Her thoughts were her own and her body reacted to her command as she moved her arms and wiggled her toes. “Call me skeptical, Vivienne.  I know you patched me up and I am grateful for that.  There is no way I am bound to anyone, I feel just fine other than the vision of me kissing you repeating in my head.”

“I did more than just patch you up.  I saved your little rebellious life.  You see, that drummer was not what you think.  Nor are the Flying Cannibals an actual band like you’d define them.  Ask yourself, why do you like their music?  Why do you find all of them almost irresistible, to the point where you took the drummer out for a stroll, rather than the singer or even the guitarist?”

Casey took the moment to think about what was being said, and just shook her head in defiance. “That doesn’t make sense.  I found the band from the music that others gave me to listen to.  I mean they aren’t on the radio so I have downloads from my friends that I happened to like.”

“Yes, the voice.  That is part of the allure.” Vivienne commented and continued, “Just like mine is.  Mine is even more so since the kiss.  Let me try something.”  Vivienne then pointed to the sparkling purse. “Get your phone and pull up their music and see how it sounds to you. I assure you that you will not enjoy it like you did last night.”  Casey huffed a bit, put her box of food on the table and dug out her phone from her purse. “This is ridiculous. I’ll still love the music, see?”  She started one of the covers that the band typically played on their nights and the student looked back at Vivienne with a confused look on her face. “Something is off.  There’s like a noise behind the music.  It wasn’t there before.  Perhaps it is my phone, can I try yours?” Picking up her own phone the elder woman punched in her code to open the device and handed it to her ward, “Help yourself.”  Pulling up the band site, Casey started another one of their covers and the audible noise behind the music was once again present.  The disturbance was so clear this time that the student closed the site and handed the phone back to Vivienne before rubbing her ears. “That was odd.  I don’t want to hear that ever again.”  The vampire then took back her phone and set it on the coffee table then looked back to Casey. “So, can you explain that?  You heard the tone difference.  I hear it all the time.  It comes natural to me.  Yet you cannot hear that tone from my own voice.  Its allure has kept you from getting up and leaving when your senses should be telling you to run.  You should be feeling like something is stalking you, yet you stay on my sofa there.”

“Well, I can’t really take off, given my situation.”

“Yet you aren’t in a panic.”

“Get to your point, Vivienne.”

“You are my ward.  I could free you of the burden, or make it permanent.”  Pulling on her ear, Vivienne smiled and continued. “I even convinced you that the band you loved so much is abhorrent to you now.”  She raised her eyebrow once more. “Right now, since you kissed me, the charm is limited to suggestions that you might want to do.  I merely give you the push to do so.  If I make it permanent, then whenever I desire you would be at my total control.  My ward, my thrall.”  Adjusting in her seat and looking like a queen, Vivienne moves her hands so they are on the armrest of the chair, her long red nails now appearing like claws. 

“Let me get this completely straight.  You are saying that I am charmed but not charmed because I kissed you?  You realize that is impossible.  Spells aren’t real.”  Casey picked up her food and kept eating. “Nice try.”

Failing to convince the student of her ability Vivienne took the opportunity to once again prove her point. “No, I said we are discussing being my ward and what that entails.  You will be patient, is that clear?”

“Very clear.”  Casey responded, thinking it was best to just agree with the vampire. “We can do this in order, it makes sense.”

“You are open to my suggestions aren’t you Ms Rivers?”  Vivienne urged.

“I see no reason not to be.”

“Very well, you tell me what you would like to do.  I said before that I can release your charm or make it permanent.  There are perks in accepting my offer.”  Vivienne explained as the tone in her voice relaxed.

“What perks are part of this ward package?” Casey inquired.

“Since the charm is permanent you will always have a purpose here.  A job to fill.  Over time, your body will grow stronger, have more stamina and become overall faster.  You will be able to endure things that seem almost impossible, such as going longer without water or food, and being able to survive extreme environments.  Your lifetime should double and you will eventually stop aging.”  Vivienne took a breath and continued. “The trade for these amazing things is you learn about the supernatural and most importantly you become mine. Your will becomes my will.  If I so chose to, the charm will compel you to do my bidding.  Total control at my command.”

Casey sat there with her mouth half full of food, stunned into a temporary silence. The offer sounded like pure fiction yet something clawing at the back of her mind knew it was all truth.  Finishing the chicken in her mouth she pondered the good points with the one exceptionally tough one. “I think I have made up my mind.”  She paused and bit her lip nervously for a moment. “I lived my first eighteen years with my parents' rules, I got into college and moved here and had to accept the rules of the school.  I will have to follow more rules once I graduate.  The way I see it, I am already being told what to do and say right now.” Taking a deep breath to reassure herself, Casey nodded once. “Very well, I’ll do it.  This has been an adventure so far, I am willing to find out where this leads.  I’ll be your ward.”

Vivienne gracefully stood up from her chair and crossed to the sofa, lifting the girl to her feet. “You are my first ward, Casey Rivers.  The pact will be sealed, ironically, with a kiss.”  Vivienne pulled the young woman close to her, “Once this happens, you will see through the human illusion and will know my true nature.”  Watching as Casey’s eyes slid shut, the ancient woman embraced her new ward, allowing the magic flow from her mouth.  Pulling away after the brief kiss, Vivienne waited until the woman in her arms stopped swaying before returning to her chair. “Casey, you should open your eyes and take a long look at the world around you.  The veil has been lifted.”

Moments after Casey closed her eyes she felt the silky and smooth lips press into her own, throwing her body and mind into wild sensations that the girl never thought was possible.  Each sensation rippled across her body much like a wave crashing on a beach and spreading over the sand.  Euphoria was the first sensation to spread, washing away the fears and concerns that had been in the back of her mind since she’d kissed Vivienne the night before, leaving her relaxed enough that a sensual heavy breath escaped her.  Riding the next wave through the ongoing change, every nerve that Casey possessed became excited and pricked her body with pins and needles until she was forced to shiver to remove the sensation.  When the final energetic wave crested, the young ward's muscles infused with strength and resilience just as promised. Casey enjoyed the new feeling in her muscles so much that she tensed and released each the best she could to feel the force of the changes.  Slowly the sensations dissipated, leaving the ward to sway a moment before she heard her new master make the suggestion to open her eyes.

Excited by the physical changes that had occurred moments ago, the new thrall took a deep breath to steady her mind before she began the delve into her enhanced senses.  Listening to the deep rooted suggestion by her new master, Casey slowly opened her eyes to the wonder around her.  Taking less than a second to focus, the first thing that invaded her sight were colors.  All the colors in the room had become more rich, vibrant and above all enhanced. “Viv, this is amazing.  Colors all over the room seem to almost jump out at me.”  The ward points to a painting across from her. “That picture of the sunflower, I can see it clearly.  I can see where the artist blended the paint to give the illusion of transition.  It no longer fools my eyes, I see the paint change.  The yellow of the slower petals?  Unbelievable.  The petal is yellow, but it’s so much more.” Taking another moment to gather her thoughts and take a breath, she continues. “The yellow.  It isn’t just yellow.  I see the edges of the petal in a deep gold, rather than a dark shadow.  The main body of the petal has a white blend to the yellow, making the entire thing surge.”  She points to the painting, “I can see the blue sky behind the flower.  I can see that the painter wanted it to be dusk, the edges aren’t black shadows, but a heavy navy blue and like the flower, the center is a blue highlight.  The effect is such that you’d think the artist actually painted a blue highlight, but there are no paint strokes…I just see the blues in the painting like that.  The other colors are the same, they all have hue depth and highlights now.”

Vivienne listened as she relaxed in her chair. “What do I look like to you, Casey?”

Retraining her eyes to look at the vampiress, Casey’s eyes opened wider than before and a smile crossed her face.  “Oh, Oh…my.”  The girl stammered as she gathered her thoughts about her. “I see the same thing as before.  Color is still just as rich as before, the depth and highlights. The difference is now I see almost an aura.  I can see your pale skin has a gray shade and gives off that gray like death to me.  Your lips no longer look red to me, they are blue-gray.  You radiate death.”

Vivenne raised her eyebrow and commented, “Come to terms with what you see.  Say it aloud, admit what I am.”

“You are a vampire, Vivienne.  Visually I see you as well as I see that sunflower I have been talking about.  My mind is trying to tell me it isn’t true.”  She shakes her head, “Yet, there you sit.  It is making me want to question the rest of my senses that are different as well.”

“Go through them, tell me everything.”

Smell.  Casey took a deep breath through her nose holding it so the sensations filled her mind.  Relieved to know that the basic feeling of what she knew was still intact, she focused on the more prominent aromas around the vampire's home first. “Vivienne, I can smell things differently, there are scents behind what is expected.”  The ward pointed towards the kitchen. “The oranges.  Everyone knows what an orange smells like.  We have it in oils, candy, soaps and shampoo.”  It was Casey’s turn to raise her brown eyebrow. “The difference is I can smell if it is still fresh or it is past its prime and beginning to mold.  There are two in the basket that I can smell the mold on them.  I ate one of the oranges a bit ago before breakfast so I know for a fact they are still good.  The only thing that is different is how I perceive that time has passed now.”  Casey then turned to face  Vivienne, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. “There we go, the obvious scent of your soap and shampoo are evident.  Beyond that I pick up rust and the hint of death, confirming that you are indeed a vampire.  The lingering rust telling me that you had blood.  Still, behind that, I get the whiff of warmed metal.  So both new and old blood.”

Casey wasted no time in going to the kitchen and pulling out the orange she had been referring to.  Returning to the living room, she held up the piece of fruit with a wide smile. “Let me see if what I smell matches what I taste.”  Using her long fingernails the ward peeled the skin from the ball, broke down the fruit into wedges and ate one.  Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for concentration, Casey took the time to slowly chew and absorb the different flavors as they released on her tongue. “Mmm, Yes.  Vivienne, this is much like my other senses.  The juice from this tasted crisp, like the water had been taken from a natural spring and sealed in.  The fibrous parts of the orange were not bitter or bland like I would have expected.  I felt like the oils from the skin were still there, smearing over my tongue that had a tartness that I never noticed before.”   Sitting back on the sofa, the young girl picked up her meal and bit into one of the pieces of syrup covered fried chicken balls. “This is like I expected.  The grease used to make the chicken is getting old, I can still tell it is relatively clean, but it has an underlying brackish taste to it.  The chicken itself has no flavor in the meat, but does have the distinct sensation of freezer burn mixed with the chemicals of the bag it was in.”  She swallowed the chicken and gave a bit of a grimace before speaking again. “The sweet and sour mixture?  All of the spices seem old, gritty and nearly dust.  It is though the purity is gone.”

“Nicely done, Casey.”  Vivienne added to spur on the excitement within her ward. “There are a couple senses left for you to explore, let’s do so.  Tell me how things feel and sound to you now?  We already know that sounds from others of my kind will no longer hold any sway over you, so reach out and listen to your surroundings.”

Running her fingers through her half-blonde hair and leaning back on the sofa, Casey relaxed and took another deep breath and prepared herself to use her new found sense of sound.  Crisp and clear the world around the ward seemed more alive than ever before.  Normal things like waves hitting the beach were constant, yet right behind it Casey could hear the sand itself churning in the wake.  Comforted by that familiar sound, the new thrall finally articulated what was happening. “If I concentrate, I can hear the sand crabs on the beach.  Each claw clattering across the sand.  The rhythmic patterns of tires grinding over the rocks on the main road are crystal clear now.”  Casey let out a little laugh as she dropped her hands back on the sofa and opened her eyes. “Your neighbors are playing music.  I hear the beat of the music, the individual instruments and how they blend together.  This band is playing music that almost seems pure to me.  I can feel the melody they were going for and it’s great.”  Nervously, Casey started tapping on her temple with one of her fingers. “There is a slight whine to something nearby, almost a whistle.”  Taking a couple seconds to get the tone worked out the ward finally figured out what she was listening to. “It is a gas line.  I hear the gas going through the lines and somewhere there is a small leak that is giving that high pitch.”  She raised her eyebrow and bit on her lip for a moment. “This is incredible. I am not trying to eavesdrop, but I can hear two people on the beach trying to muffle the sounds of their lovemaking.”  Holding up her finger, “However, the best part is that I can control it. Ignore what I want and not let the experience overwhelm me."

“I hear that very sound of the gas line as well, Casey.”  Vivienne mentioned as she stood up and walked to her ward. “You saved what I consider the best for last.  Touch.”  The vampire knelt down and placed her hand over the bandage on Casey’s knee. “This little touch tells me so much.  I can feel the blood pulsing through your leg.  I know that you are fully healed thanks to the change within you.  My lips are the center of my touch. They are so sensitive I can tell when the hair on a human’s neck rises up.”  With a fluid grace, Vivienne stood up from her ward’s knee and went back to her chair. “Tell me how it works with you, my dear.”

Hearing what Vivienne had just described about her own changes, Casey impulsively reached out to the table causing the wood to strain and crack without even thinking about what she was doing. “Oh my, Sorry about that.  That happened so fast I didn’t expect it.”  Lifting her hand from the dented table, she started rubbing her fingers together.  “I didn’t consider the pressure necessary just now.  Which is odd, considering that I just lifted the box of chicken without any problems a few seconds ago.”

“You weren’t thinking about anything except eating, Casey.  You are focused on the feeling now.  Take a moment and try again.”

Vivienne’s reassurance let Casey continue with the experience.  Again reaching for the table, she laid her hand on the wood. “Oh, that is different.  The wood is different.  I can feel the imperfections in the wood grain, I can feel how strong it is.”  Sliding her hand over the slick varnish Casey giggled and looked up to her mistress. “Feel is the wrong thing.  I don’t mean it like I feel my heart beating.  There are little bumps where the varnish didn’t completely set, the irregular ridges between the planks, even though it appears to be flat.”  She removes her hand from the table. “I knew instantly how much pressure it would take to reduce it to splinters.”  Walking into the kitchen, the girl ran the hot water until it visibly steamed and placed her hand under. “Normally this would have burned me.  It is most certainly hot, I can tell that easily.  The sensation isn’t painful like it should be.”  Flipping the handle down so the water would stop running, Casey ran her fingers over a few other things before opening the refrigerator.  The ward pulled out an egg, a package of bacon and a steak. “This egg is smooth and round like normal, yet I can tell where the small cracks have formed along the shell.”  Placing the egg back in the carton, she moved to the bacon. “The fat is greasy as I expected, and that something metallic cut this.”  Looking at Vivienne, “The steel blade that cut left behind traces that are pricking my fingers.”  Shaking her hands to clear the tingle from her fingers, Casey picked up the steak. “Cold to the touch, I can tell that beyond the squishiness of the meat itself, specifically the sinewy lines of the muscle and again the small metal traces where this was butchered.”  Gathering the items, Casey placed them all back where she found them and went back into the living room. “I think that is about everything I can tell you to this point."

Nodding to her ward, Vivienne gave a little wink to Casey. “I have a better understanding of how a ward now works.  I have to tell you this experience is just as new to me as it is for you.”  The vampire stood up and walked to the twin doors leading out to the beach. “Give me a couple minutes.  I like Chinese food, but it isn’t what I prefer these days.”  Glancing over her shoulder as she walked out into the night the vampiress commented, “When I return, we will set your story so that the veil isn’t breached.”

Casey finished her own dinner and cleaned up the rest of the leftover food.  Walking out of the kitchen, the young woman first sensed the vampire then heard one of the twin doors open.  She settled back on the sofa where the couple had been talking most of the evening. “I sensed you nearby.  I knew the second you touched the doorknob and were coming inside.”  Casey added, “Earlier this evening, I only had a funny feeling something was watching me.  It is good to know that I can sense you near me now.”

“A side effect that I was not aware of.  Thank you, Casey.”  Vivienne closed and bolted the heavy back doors. “The fact that my thrall can find me is comforting.  I am so old that other vampires cannot sense me no matter how close I am to them.  It is why your drummer last night didn’t know I was right beside him.”  Sitting back in her chair, Vivienne leaned to one side and rubbed her chin. “Now that I have fed, we can quickly discuss your outward appearance in regards to myself.”

“This sounds exciting.  Let me hear the plan.”  Casey mentioned as she changed position so that she was on her stomach and holding her chin in her hands. “The devil-woman plot thickens.”  She giggled.

“I have never had a ward before, so your official duties we will discover as we go along.  The most important part is that when I call for you to be with me, you are at my side as soon as possible.”  Vivienne pointed her finger at her ward. “That means you drop what you are doing and attend to my needs.”

“That isn’t very exciting, Vivienne.”

“I am getting to that right now.  Let me explain the rest.”  Vivienne leaned forward in her chair, “You will tell everyone that you are my personal executive.  You oversee my personal affairs, my head office manager, and the head of this household.  I would suggest you move into the house as well.”  The vampire picked up her phone and within a few moments sent and received a few messages.  Vivienne looked up at Casey with her glittering blue eyes, lightly rimmed with blood and nodded. “You now have access to the facilities you need and the accounts necessary to complete any task you find necessary.”  She added, “That does include money.  Take what you want from the accounts, just be responsible about it.  Do not draw attention to yourself.  I do not care how much you take or the reason why, I only care about maintaining the veil of illusion if possible.  It means that you cannot discuss the information you have gleaned this evening.”  Pointing at her ward, the vampiress got a wicked grin, “We also will keep other vampires out of the cities we are in.  That typically means purging them.  You identify the troupe and together we get them to leave or kill them.  It is that easy.”

“This sounds like fun.  I would prefer to stay here between semesters, when the dorms are empty.  I think that would keep the illusion pretty well. ”  Casey said, having crossed her feet. “I should also bring up the fact, I have no clue how to kill a vampire, Vivienne.”

“Most of the stories you know are true.  We cannot tolerate sunlight, and a stake in the heart will make us unable to move and make us vulnerable to weapons and fire, unless removed.”  Vivienne got a curious arch to her eyebrows and again spoke, “It just occurred to me that vampires seem to burn rather quickly.  Odd.”  She shook off the random thought and continued, “Across from your room downstairs is my collection of hunting tools.  Before you leave I want you to grab the crossbow, its quiver of bolts, and whatever else you wish to use.  We do have unwelcome guests in town, the band you went to see last night.  Our task is to remove them.”

A hyper gleam sparkled in Casey’s eyes and she jumped from the sofa and ran downstairs to the room Vivienne had just discussed.  Her excitement peaked as she reached for the doorknob and noticed a keypad to the right of the frame. “Code?” She quickly asked.

“212121.”

“I suspect that is the code for everything in the house, Viv?”

“Yes.  I picked it because adding 2 and 1 is 3, and doing it 3 times is 333 which is half of the superstitious 666 from your human imaginations.”

 Casey punched in the code and opened the door.  Flipping on the light, she noticed the crossbow that her mistress had asked her to take, along with a few spears on the walls and the bolt of arrows for the weapon.  She’d seen pictures of newer versions and this weapon didn’t look like anything that she could find in a hunting store. This crossbow was made of the finest steel and sturdiest wood Caesy had ever seen.  Its string wasn’t just a slender rope, but a tightly wound bundle of silk with thin metal bands woven in.  She picked up the weapon and guessed that the crossbow weighed double that of ones she’d seen in stores. “I don’t have a clue how to use this, Vivienne.”  Questions came at a rapid pace, “What are all these black tipped spears for?  What about the other spears that look like polished silver?  Oh, a belt with stakes, I’ll take that.”  

“The spears are designed for others of my kind that have special qualities.  I have had to kill others that required the iron or the silver spearheads you see.” Vivienne’s accented voice continued, “The crossbow itself is foolproof.  I made it so I could use it without much thought.  You aim for the heart the best you can and just pull the trigger.”  Her voice went cold and brooding, “I have never missed using it, nor will you.”

“I see this room and think it is straight from the dark ages.”  Casey commented as she picked up the quiver containing the crossbow bolts and headed back upstairs.  “I should probably head back to the dorm and settle my mother and Brian down a bit.”  Casey mentioned as she sat back on the edge of the sofa. “Brian has already called me more than 30 times since we’ve eaten and I told my mother I wouldn’t keep her waiting again.”

“Take the things you have gathered, the extra food I ordered and the BMW outside.  Just drive yourself to campus, be discrete on where you park and maintain the illusion that you are hurt.  When I have scouted out where the Flying Cannibals are, I will call you.”  A hungry gaze twinkled in Vivienne’s red rimmed and candid blue eyes, “My ward there is one, Mmm, final tradition.”