Warm to her naturally cold fingers, the vampire felt the life-giving blood just below the surface of the woman’s tanned hand.  One single comforting touch. A vague recollection of speaking, a polite gesture then silence.  Blurry wavy lines like that of a hot scorching desert obscured the vampire's third eye for a few moments as the crimson iris managed to focus on the details of the unfolding vision.

Autumn leaves lay on the surface floating in small circles around the various smaller islands that dotted a lake of soothing blue.  Faded and light yellow-green lilypads poked up from the shallows and bounced when the water pushed back from the rocky shoreline.  Small clouds of steam rose and spread out across the expanse, leaving an angelic look that at times would curl and tuck into images of wings that threatened to take off high into the air.  Fading flowers covered the landscape in the center, with masses of yellow and orange butterflies desperately trying to drink from the nectar before their own heat faded and could no longer fly.  Adding to the serenity of the moment, Fish and frogs stayed below the water and even through their playful antics didn’t cause any ripples.

Settling on a lonely branch hovering close to the lake, the blue jay vampire landed and poked its head around to gather more information.  Spotting a deep blue and gray motorcycle materialize out of the white fog, the moon eyes of the jay watched the lady rider switch off the engine, pocket the keys and flip the stand down.  Once the woman removed her helmet, the bird knew who she was watching.  Blue-gray streaked short hair that matched the ‘Indian’ bike tumbled free as Sylvie watched herself walk to the edge and stand with her hands in the twin pockets of her leather jacket.  

Intense feelings of love and confusion flowed from the vampiric form of herself and into the bird.  Kneeling, Sylvie picked up a rock and with a flick of her wrist set the small stone skipping across the lake, ending the tranquility and ripples scattered in all directions – all without a sound.  Matching the cue of the rock splashes, a light rain began to fall and soon its crystalline drops started to make certain parts of the scene sparkle for the bird.  When a droplet fell from the precious flowers that were open, it was as though fireflies streaked through the air before disappearing into the ground.

Biker-Sylvie looked up to the cloudy sky, as if searching for her best friend – the moon.  The bird in the tree felt the frustration and understood the meaning.

-Everything is just out of my reach.-

Having its fill of the melancholy vision, the bird spread its wings to lift off.

Golden, buttery light came from the bird’s peripheral vision halting the intention to leave.  Folding its wings back Sylvie hopped on her bird feet and followed the image she’d seen two times before.  A vampire woman, with her visage hidden in her rain slicker.  While the hood might have been pulled up, it still allowed the bird to see the locks of copper-strawberry with hints of blonde that the light wind had exposed.

Excitement flooded the little vampire bird because this vision was more complete than the other two.  The first one didn’t include the second vampire, and the second one didn’t include the light pulsing from the inside of the hood.

When the light imbued woman came up behind Sylvie’s rain slicked form, the woman placed one hand on her shoulder, and stood there as if the scene had frozen completely.

Twitching her bird head around frantically Sylvie searched for meaning, anything.  The one thing she needed to confirm the vision as true and time was running out.  She could feel the third eye getting tired and knew the heat lines would return then afterward nothing but darkness and loneliness.

Freezing in place, Sylvie as her blue jay saw it.  Shock and relief coursed through her dead body.  

-There it is.  Was it there the whole time?- 

Light behind shadow.  Woman behind woman.  Sun to moon.

-The Eclipse.-

Meditation and its practice was foreign to many of Sylvie’s brethren.  Deep contemplation, breathing control, and even kindness or compassion were not abilities or concepts on the list of a typical vampire.  Laughed at by quite a few of the more ‘alpha’ type fledglings, they’d often make comments about Sylvie being the only vampire with stress and anxiety.  Truth was, they didn’t quite know how she worked.  Practicing the human art form allowed Sylvie two significant benefits. First was how it dampened and at some times removed the burning intensity in her throat for blood, allowing her more time to figure out when and how to procure her nourishment without feeling the desperation of hunger.  Second, it allowed the opportunity to watch and monitor the way her third eye worked or even at times predict when it would open and show her a vision. 

Although wholly focused on that inner eye, Sylvie didn’t know the vision she’d just witnessed was coming until her blood reserve dipped and the fuzzy eyelid opened from a long sleep.  No matter who or what the vision was linked to, Sylvie knew that this time the vision was complete and very likely to come true at some point.  When the first one hit her nine months ago, it was preceded by the young lady named Casey Rivers grabbing her hand and squeezing.  Unlike the slow opening she witnessed moments ago, the vision back then was quick, intense and made Sylvie freeze in place until the lake scene had run its course.

-You chased down that lead, Sylvie.  Nothing came of it. You and her saved each other.  Had a few good times before…Casey left.-

Unable to maintain the focus of her meditation any longer due to the light sting of the thought, Sylvie groaned lightly before sitting up in the bed she’d been lying in.  Once the sheet dropped and exposed Sylvie’s nude body to the air, she looked around the room for her clothing.

-Crumpled on the floor, lovely.-

Sylvie had been with the woman to her immediate right for about a month and while light moving in the bed didn’t really disturb the sleeping woman, the shift in weight to stand woke her up every time.  Opting to get the inevitable out of the way, Sylvie placed her hand on Rose’s shoulder and gently shook her awake.

“Rose.”  Sylvie’s Virginia southern accent floated in the air between them, “Wake up darl’n.”  Drawing in a shallow breath, Sylvie leaned over and picked up her black bra first and snapped it in place over her near-oversized chest. “We have a wee little bit to discuss, before I leave.”

Yawning and pulling herself up against the pile of pillows she’d been sleeping on, the strawberry-brunette haired woman scrubbed the sleep from her eyes and smiled at her companion. “I get the feeling I am not going to like this conversation, Luna.”  Rose half smiled and crossed her arms over her bare chest.

Shaking her head slowly, Sylvie confirmed Rose’s statement. “You don’t know how much I wish the outcome was different.”  Slipping from the bed, Sylvie picked up her panties and shoved them in her jeans pocket before pulling the denim over her slender thighs before latching the button. “Rose.”  She sighed, “Rose.  You’ve seen bits and pieces of how I can see things, right?”

Tears forming in her eyes, Rose shook her head without speaking.

“Have I explained the one thing that tells me that what I see is true?”  Sylvie offered

Nodding almost imperceivably, Rose managed to eke out a solitary word. “Eclipse.”  Wrapping the white sheet around her nude form, Rose scooted on her knees to the edge of the bed. “You…you said my hair.”  Rose pulled on her reddish brown hair, “That was what brought us together.”

“The eclipse, Rose.”  Sylvie confirmed the truth, “I saw the eclipse tonight, it was subtle but it was there.”  Sylvie reached out and squeezed Rose’s hand. “Moment of truth.”  Sylvie took a longing breath and smiled. “As much as I wish I could leave you with the memories, in the long run they would destroy any hope of another life for you.”

Slouching and crying as though she’d had a hole form in her chest, Rose shook her head and pleaded with Sylvie once more. “I know…I know we..can…”  She slobbered and kept crying, “...can love one another.”

Once her white Malibu rum tee had been stretched over her frame, Sylvie stepped to the side of the bed. “No doubt, my Rose.”  Sylvie allowed herself to enjoy Rose’s silky hair as it flowed over her fingers a final time. “We would be lovely for a time.  Picture perfect, to be honest.”  Sylvie drew in a deep breath and smiled.  “You know without even trying it will come true.”  Sylvie sighed, “Imagine waking up ten years from now and being lost, confused how you got so much older?  Your friends are offering you sympathy over a woman you don’t recall.”  She paused, “All because in the night, the vision came to pass.”  Sylvie raised her long eyebrows, “I can’t do that to you.”

Rose shook her head defiantly.

Calling to her vampire blood, Sylvie breathed slow and soft and created a sweet breeze for Rose to breathe in.  Within moments of the enchantment taking effect, Sylvie knew that the woman had been placed in a powerfully deep charm where the vampire could plant events that would mask Sylvie’s presence. “Rose, lovely sweet Rose.  It will be like you slept for a month, dreams so vivid you swear they might even have been true.  Anything out of place will be déjà vu.  You’ll be rejuvenated and eager to live life to the fullest and remember the dream as a fond moment.”  Sylvie breathed one more time to set the glamor in place.

Jumping into her calf length heavy boots, Sylvie raced around Rose’s apartment and removed any trace that she’d been there and escaped in gaseous form through the base of the door.

-I hate doing that.-

Reforming herself beside her Indian motorcycle that matched the vision, Sylvie held the clutch and clicked the bike into neutral and slowly walked the machine away from Rose’s door.  Safely away from where the bike could be heard, Sylvie dipped her head into her helmet and buckled it under her chin.  Key in the ignition, she turned the power and waited for all of the electronics to light up and give her the basic status.  Pulling the clutch in again, she turned the key long enough to get the loud and throaty engine to roar to life.

Out of the small parking lot and turning right onto Branders Bridge Road, Sylvie gunned the heavy machine and took off down the nearly dark highway.  While she could have gone the opposite direction into the bigger part of Colonial Heights, Sylvie wanted the time along the shadowy road to forget or push back the vision that interrupted what was going to be a lovely evening before going and opening the bar.  Speed and the wind became her allies as she moved unfettered around the hairpin turns designed to keep people from racing.  

-Clearly no vampire was consulted.-

Sylvie thought to herself, and pushed the throttle so the little needle on the expensive bike topped one hundred.  Happy with her own little joke, Sylvie reached a stop sign and turned from her race track and onto a small connective side street for about a mile until she saw the familiar street sign ‘Fortune Way’.  While waiting for a small line of traffic to clear so she could turn, the vampire finally focused enough to know that the scent of fruity mixed drinks and beer still lingered on her clothing.  Unwilling to deal with the police on a Friday night, Sylvie headed to her home, One-Thirteen.  Set back from the central part of ‘Fortune Way’, her little one story stone and cinder block ranch home had large maple trees that formed a natural driveway and took her almost to the front door.  Riding through the small piles of gold-yellow leaves that had fallen with the coming of fall, Sylvie stopped the bike and shut off the engine.

Buzzing from her back pocket clued her into the exact time of the evening.  Freeing the device from its location, Sylvie smiled when she saw the highlighted name ‘Veronica Brown’ with the cute title of ‘Blood Bunny’ below it.  With a flick of her finger the phone came to life. “Gooood Eveeening..muhaaa.”  Sylvie tried to mirror the sound of a Hollywood vampiress.

“Mistress, you are late.  The rest of us are outside waiting for you to open.”  Veronica’s soft and respectful voice offered.

“That was one of my best voice lines yet, and you didn’t laugh.”  Sylvie unlocked her front door and went inside. “Veronica, I smell like a small brewery, so I am going to grab a shower and be right in.”  Sylvie huffed, “You know, I gave all three of you a key.”  Flicking on the light to her kitchen, Sylvie dropped her keys on the small island in the center of the room before opening the refrigerator to grab a bottle labeled ‘Crimson Zero’.  Using the handle on a drawer, the vampiress popped the little aluminum cap and took a couple gulps of the rich liquid just as the top clattered on the floor.

“Yeah, we can get inside.  But we can’t open without you, Mistress.”  Veronica giggled. “The three of us need your…attention.”  Veronica paused, “Besides, it's polite to wait for the owner to show up before going inside.” 

“Just go inside, lock the door behind you and get set up.”  She set the bottle of blood on the island beside her keys and walked into the living room in the front of the house. “You don’t have to open the door to everyone before I get there.”  Sylvie laughed, “Yes, I will devote ten minutes to your personal needs.  All three of you.” Knowing what was about to happen, Sylvie held the phone away from her ear as the trio started to giggle and scream with joy. “You keep right on giggling and imagining.”  Sylvie tapped the red button ending the call.

Free of her boots, Sylvie tossed her leather jacket on the back of her recliner and grabbed the fake soda bottle, swigging more of the contents.  Her burning throat quelled once more, Sylvie smiled and looked at the bottle a little closer. ‘Made for personal use by Twilight Tonight, LLC.  Patent pending.’  Sylvie drained the remaining contents and went to her sink, using warm water and soap to clean out the bottle.  

Martin Shores, Sylvie’s only ward, had taken to heart when she one time complained that the bags of blood he’d been procuring had a leftover nasty plastic taste that she wasn’t fond of.  Without a hint or a vision of what was coming, Sylvie began getting little cold packs stuffed full of glass bottles that contained whole blood.  Initially the mix had hints of blueberries and strawberries that made Sylvie question the mentality of her ward.  When a particularly nasty tasting version of lemon-lime blood showed up, Sylvie called Martin directly and asked for no gimmicks, just the blood without the plastic taste.  Bottles covered in blue and white paint with little birds on them carrying the letters in their claws, the personal name brand ‘Crimson Zero’ was formed.

Hunger sedated, Sylvie stuck the bottle in the tiny crate beside the front door and walked to a little pad on the foyer wall.  Using the touchpad, Sylvie first set the lighting so that it was a moderate level for any average person.  Glancing down at her watch, Sylvie shrugged and left the other settings alone in favor of getting ready for her evening.

Given the last few months, Sylvie had gotten in the habit of inspecting her house for anything out of the ordinary.  Tan and plush carpet had been laid wall to wall within her combination living room and dining room.  Along the far wall, Sylvie’s oak framed cargo sofa had been turned to face where the very large LCD television hung opposite.  Taking the time to fluff the four beige pillows, Sylvie didn’t detect anything unusual within the feather pillows or attached to the couch itself.

-I know this is overkill, but since the farm..-

Sylvie shook off the thought and kept inspecting the room, adjusting the frames on the wall that held the small projects that she’d completed with her neighbors and friends.  Little beach scenes painted while she’d eaten dinner, photos of the actors at the mill playhouse whom she was friends with, a large print of the town hallmark; a huge cucumber tree.  She lifted all of her lamps, copper candle votives and other little things to make her home look normal before she remembered the simple solution.

-Thank you, Kody.-

Sylvie laughed and with a tiny use of blood, contacts she barely thought about came to life in her vision.  A quick self-test with a myriad of green checks dotted the outside ring of the lenses before stopping with a small prompt on the bottom and a single word. ‘Querry?’

Beyond the use of blood to activate the technology, Sylvie didn’t know the full range of things that her friend from Phantasmagoria had programmed. Gazing at the blinking cursor Sylvie thought about audio and within a blink of a human eye, a little microphone symbol appeared as did a tiny horn, like on any typical computer. “Um..I haven’t used this…you…um..”  Sylvie sighed and felt stupid talking to herself. “I want to know if my house has anything spying on me.”

Without warning, Kody’s voice recording resounded in Sylvie’s ears, “I coded these to comply with your blood and possibly your visions, that is experimental.  Since this is your first use, after having them for..”  Their recording paused, “...five months, twelve days, six hours and ten minutes..You have adapted well.  I tried to code it so they could answer you in plain terms.”  Their voice faded out for a moment, and pulled up a small set of red grids. “Simply look around, the circuitry will blend with your enhanced vision and show you anomalies.”

“There is enough red in my life, are there other colors?”  Sylvie giggled and began looking at the living room. “A soft golden yellow that pulsed if something was detected will be wonderful.”  The ring of green checks swirled around the edge once more, and the red grid lines changed to match what Sylvie asked for. “Cool.”

With the aid of the electronic detection, Sylvie spun slowly in a circle and carefully scanned the living room as well as the attached dining room.  Devoid of any alerts, Sylvie felt comfortable enough to walk through the doorway and back into her kitchen.  Realizing that she’d left the side entrance open, she closed the door and locked it before analyzing the kitchen.  Wherever she looked, the little yellow lines would mark locations and even gave her a little affirming ding for her keys on the island.  “Alright, what do I call you?”  Sylvie asked out loud and shook her head, still feeling silly.

“Naming preference left to the operator.”  Kody’s voice once again echoed.  With a half smile, Sylvie recalled with fondness her friend ‘Code’ that she’d spent time watching during her time at Phantasmagoria.  Memories blended together and she focused on the one thing the tousled haired vampire did the most, build and tinker with anything they could to make it work with vampire blood. “I think keeping the name Code will be the best thing, thank you.”  Watching as the swirl around the outer edge of the contacts went from green to blue, Sylvie waited until it stopped whatever process the little unit had done.

“Preference chosen, causal name Code picked and saved for future queries within the database. Resuming surveillance scan at operator's discretion.”  Code’s voice chimed.

“Um..resume, or keep going?”  Sylvie offered and looked up at the light fixtures.  Other than the need to possibly dust and clean some of the walls, Sylvie didn’t see anything out of place with her own vision or the secondary one the contacts offered. “So the kitchen is clear?”

“Negative results for cameras, semiconductors, micro-electronic audio devices, or integrated circuits associated with the common term, spying.” Code carefully answered.

“Good to know.”  Sylvie giggled and walked out of the opposite door from her kitchen and into the long hallway that joined to the three bedrooms.  Taking the time to walk in and do a circle in all three bedrooms, Sylvie waited long enough for the device to memorize and save the rooms' different configurations.

Finally, Sylvie returned to the plush carpeted hallway and stopped at the main bathroom entryway. “Alright, do your thing.  I can’t see much really, other than the little gap of the tube lighting where it could just be the house settling.  It is over forty years old.”  She offered, with the embarrassment of talking to a computer having faded.  Right when Sylvie looked at the natural looking gap, the yellow grid flared and started flipping through the spectrum and settled on an ultraviolet outline. “What is that?” Sylvie muttered.

“Short range, high resolution motion video camera made by Linzo-video for home use.  Commonly known as a nanny camera.  Not used by professionals.”  Code paused, “Wireless connection feed twenty feet above at the edge of attic space, base reception located. One-One-Seven Fortune Way.”

Sylvie watched as her neighbor's name printed at the bottom,‘Carl Robinson’.  Pursing her lips tightly, the vampire knew the man must have installed the peeping camera when she’d hired him to install a new faucet.  Climbing on her small counter, Sylvie plucked the camera from its spot and turned it to dust between her fingers.

Hopping down, Sylvie went back into the hallway and pulled down the little stairs to the attic and traversed the length until she found the repeater.  Shrugging and shaking her head, Sylvie ripped the contraption free and also reduced it to nothing more than junk.

-I’ll think of something for you later, Carl.-

Sylvie told herself and shut off the contact lenses as she walked into the one bedroom she used for her personal space.  Opening a drawer beside the bed, she found the small blue case that the contacts were held in, as well as the special liquid that Kody had supplied so that the electronics would stay clean.  Unwilling to have any other electronic devices look at her while showering, Sylvie pulled the two flimsy plastic pieces out from her eyes and dropped them in the case where she watched them bubble for a second while she secured the caps in place.

Picking up the pace, Sylvie grabbed a clean set of clothes.  This included an athletic tee without any sleeves and printed across the chest, ‘Joker Blue Tequila’ with a couple jesters behind it in the outline of the playing card itself.  Quickly digging out a full length pair of black button-fly jeans, Sylvie took the bundle with her into the restroom and started the shower.  While pulling off her watch, She shook her head and knew that the promise of ten minutes was never going to happen. 

-I wonder what they are going to do without me there…this time..-

Sylvie laughed to herself and stepped into the shower, enjoying the warm water as it rinsed the events of the prior evening down the drain.  Dipping her short blue-gray streaked hair under the hot stream first, Sylvie matted her hair down long enough to pull her night violet shampoo free of her basket and massage the gentle soap into her dyed hair.  Breathing in the soft scent of violets and jasmine combined with a hint of cedar sap, Sylvie smiled as the smell of sexual sweat and whisky faded  away and down the drain.  After rinsing the sweet smelling soap from her hair, Sylvie leaned against the copper colored tile in her shower and ran her hands over her new tattoos and sighed.

-So much has changed in just a few months.-

Sylvie reflected on her past self as the prophetess and fortune teller of Phantasmagoria.  It had been simple to hide in plain sight with her Native American heritage, her long back hair and beads made the illusion come true.  Dreamcatchers and glass beads sold for good luck and good dreams while she gave a picture of what was to come, even through little bites to her customers' palms.  Things changed the night the Ripped leveled the building and all the vampires within it.  She’d lost her entire troupe and any hope of maintaining her fortune telling illusion to procure blood.  Knowing that she needed to change everything about herself, Sylvie had lightened her skin slightly and added three tattoos.  Traveling the length of her left arm, she could still feel the ink as an anomaly and it took a fair amount of effort daily to remember that she wanted the lovely picture of a black rose with a matching black stem and thorns that showed drops about to fall from the points.  Behind the dark blooming flower a crescent moon had been inked carefully with black and a certain white that gave the effect of the dust highlighting the craters.  Topping off the look, Sylvie had instructed the artist to make little sunlike stars within the craters that dotted the moonscape for a touch of golden color.

-Heaven knows I miss the sun. Two-hundred and seventy years without that warmth.-

Forcing the thought and memory to the recess of her mind, Sylvie pushed herself from the wall and loaded her handheld loofah with cucumber scented soap then washed her right arm and her second tattoo.  Unlike the near monochrome look of the moon, Sylvie had the artist create a blue-jay feather and color it cobalt blue, an egg white and a gray that matched her hair.  Pulled away from the rachis, the barbs of the feather first floated off and transformed into birds before flying off.

Always nervous that washing the last tattoo would somehow cause a vision to occur, Sylvie washed the rest of her body before she cleaned the top of her inked well formed breast.  While she did like the artwork itself, there was a little part of her that questioned whether or not the decision to get it done was entirely hers.  Unlike the other two that were reflections of herself in some way, the last one was a testament to her ability to see an unlikely future.  Egyptian colors of black and silver made up the eye of Horus, where the circle of the god’s eye was completely filled to show his dominance of the night and moon.  Sylvie didn’t know why at the time, but she asked the artist to add gold rays as though the eye were actually the smaller part of a solar eclipse.

-I am going to drive myself crazy if I stay here any longer.-

Urging herself to stop reflecting on the past, Sylvie pulled herself together and managed to get dressed while leaving her room in a mess of wet towels and day-old stinky clothes.  Sighing when she looked at her watch, she once again noticed that she’d wasted exactly another ten minutes.  Fighting off the urge to look deeper into the odd coincidence, Sylvie grabbed the keys to her bike, jerked a leather jacket from the peg in the foyer and locked the house.

Grateful that the city of Colonial Heights was relatively small compared to others in the area, Sylvie casually rode her motorcycle from her street and onto Lakeview avenue and passed an elementary school with the matching name, then a mile later entered the parking lot where her bar was located.  Erected in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the semi-circular strip mall named ‘Colonial Plaza’ once had a bustling population of shoppers with a couple of big named anchor stores to bolster the smaller businesses within the rest of the strip.  Sylvie rolled slowly through the lot and remembered the myriad of people that once flooded the place until the internet revolution.  One by one the big stores closed their doors, the small businesses gave way to bigger conglomerates and left the little strip nearly devoid of activity.  Low interest and turnout was exactly the reason Sylvie picked the location for ‘After Dark’.  

Needing a place that didn’t turn too many heads or raise too much fanfare, Sylvie bargained her way into an extra large space and created her version of a speakeasy.  Unlike many of her decisions, the creation of her bar was not part of some vision, but rather a combination of things she’d learned from working with her late friend Livia Vegas.

-“Get the girls and get the guys, darling.”-

Sylvie had heard Livia tell her many times during their conversations.  Using that one simple phrase, Sylvie created a two sectioned place.  One side was designed as a heavy bar with dancing and a live band or a DJ that served a limited menu of quickly prepared food, the other was a more quiet and restaurant-like atmosphere that reflected the hushed tones of the old speakeasy’s of the 1930s.  A large kitchen with a full staff and sound proof walls like those of a recording studio made the place a small success.

Driving her bike towards her place, Sylvie looked up and saw that her sign of the moon shifting through its phases every few seconds and the purple letters were lit up and working properly.  Waving at the few guys that had already parked their own motorcycles in the lot for their nightly ritual, Sylvie heard the jeers and claps for her arrival on ‘Big Blue’.  Pulling the heavy hog onto the sidewalk, she shut off the engine and pulled off her protective helmet.

“Even’n ma’am.”  One of Sylvie’s well groomed security bouncers named Max greeted her.  He pointed at the group of older men she’d just passed. “Looks like they were anxious to see their favorite biker chick.”  Max’s deep and cultured voice echoed.  Scratching his black beard lightly, Max smiled and pointed to the door. “Veronica and the others are inside set’n up.”

“Hey Luna!” One of the guys from the circle of guys shouted at Sylvie.

Regretting that she’d ever told anyone her old nickname, Sylvie sighed and unfastened her leather jacket before turning to look at the man who called out.  She’d been ready to answer when Max touched her arm.

“I can take care of him, if you want me to ma’am.”  Max offered.

Sylvie shook her head and pushed her bangs from her eyes, “That’s alright, Max.  I’ve got this covered.”  She winked her half-moon irises at the man and walked over to the group of guys laughing. “I don’t know you fella, what’s your name? Let me guess, Bubba?”  Sylvie heard the other guys start chuckling and raised her eyebrow waiting for the newcomer to answer.

Locked in place looking at Sylvie’s eyes, the man took a few seconds to answer. “N..no…the guys…um..”  He pointed to the circle, “...they said..to..oh boy..call you L-l-luna.”  He frantically tapped his chest, “I’m B-Bary, not Bubba.”

“Bary, darl’n.”  Sylvie smiled and patted the heavyset man on the shoulder, “They set you up, hon.”  She drew out her southern accent a bit, “Luna is their little pet name for me.”  She pointed to her sign. “They all think I am some sort of moon spirit danc’n around naked.”  Giving Bary a little wink, Sylvie gave him a welcome light kiss on his cheek. “Welcome to the party, Bary.  Come inside in a few and one of the girls will give your first round on me.  Just ask for Amber.”

“Awww, come on Moonie!  Give us something.”  Another guy behind Bary laughed, “Why are you so late this evening?”  He tapped on his expensive watch then patted another one of his buddys on the shoulder, “Couldn’t get away from your girl fast enough?  I think we need pictures for proof.”

Deciding that a little fun was in order, Sylvie wanted to give the guys something to think and ponder about as she walked away.  Sylvie picked to show off the rear of her blue jacket.  A patch with the name ‘Once Bitten’ written in gothic lettering sat above a mouth complete with four fangs and little drops of blood adorned the heavy leather.  Spinning on her boot heel, Sylvie giggled and blew the group a fake kiss. “Something like that might give you all a collective heart attack.  See ya inside, boys.”

“Nice one, boss.”  Max chuckled.

Using her key to open the door, Sylvie nodded and flipped the open sign on. “Sometimes they need a little fun, Max.”  She pointed to the crowd, “Oddly, that little bunch keeps things from getting out of hand.”  Sylvie rubbed her chin for a second, “I will send Amber out to check on them throughout the evening.”

“That a good idea?  A bunch of drunk bikers that aren’t really bikers?”  Max laughed and shook his bald head.

“I trust Amber.”  Sylvie stepped one foot inside the building then paused, “Keep an eye on her anyways, alright?”  She watched as the large guy gave her a loose salute.

Striding through the entrance, Sylvie took the time to open the two sets of doors that separated the two sections of the establishment.  Clearly labeled signs that read “Speakeasy” and “Dining” shone in a calming violet light centered above the doors.  Between the two openings, Sylvie had a wide oak desk constructed for her host and concierge to lead her patrons through the building to the side they wished to participate in.  A questioning look came over Sylvie’s features when she noticed that none of her staff were there to greet her.  Poking her head into the restaurant, Sylvie saw her bartender polishing the glassware. “Larry, where are the girls?”  She inquired.

“I thought they were setting up over there.”  Larry pointed to the more action packed side of the house. “It’s just Laurie, Will and I at the moment.  Do you need us to come over?”  He asked and scratched his short blonde hair.

Sylvie shook her hair and hung up her coat on the small rack for the employees. “That’s okay, I just thought Jessica was covering that section tonight.”  Sylvie rolled her eyes when Larry shrugged his shoulders and kept to his previous job.

Flicking on the extra light switches as she walked the hallway, Sylvie made her way into the large bar and noticed that nothing was set up.  Bar stools were still on the tall tables, the few televisions were unpowered, the chairs around the smaller tables were still upside down on the marble.  When the DJ came out from his small booth, Sylvie flashed a quick grin. “Hey Will, where are Jessica, Amber and Veronica?”

“They were down there.  I saw them power up the systems and that was it.  I have been doing sound checks since then.”

Sighing, Sylvie waved Will over. “Could you at least help a bit and get the stuff off the tables?  We should have been open twenty minutes ago.”

“Sure.  I can work the sound system from my Iphone anyway.”  Will chuckled and began pulling seats down. “As strange as those three are, I would bet they are in your office.”

Trudging off to her office, Sylvie looked back at Will for a second. “Can you start off with something on the heavy side?  I am feeling like the guitar and bass are the groove this evening.”

Letting out a snort-laugh, Will nodded his head. “Groove?  I don’t know the last time I heard that word.”

“You know what I meant, darl’n.”  Sylvie added and took the time to focus her hearing towards her office. “Yeah, that’s where they are.  Good call.  We’ll be out in a bit.”

When she reached the door to her office, Sylvie caught the faint whiff of fresh blood coming from behind the door.  Slipping the key into the lock, she turned the knob and stepped into her office and saw her three blood bunnies.  Letting the hydraulics close and lock the door once more, Sylvie smiled. “Hello?”

All three of her devoted friends and employees dropped to their knees and in perfect unison answered, “Mistress.”  They all collectively giggled with normal bite marks all over their shoulders and skin, some deep enough to draw a few drops of blood.

“You were late so we entertained ourselves.”  Jessica quickly added.

“You said ten minutes.”  Veronica chimed in.

“You also said you'd attend to our personal needs.”  Amber smiled and offered her neck.

Reaching a hand to her three friends, Sylvie pulled them up from the floor. “You don’t have to collectively call me Mistress.  You aren’t my thralls or anything.”  Sylvie pulled Amber into a soft hug and scraped her fangs over the skinny woman’s neck before breaking the skin and letting the blood flow onto her tongue and down her throat.

Purring and holding on to Sylvie for dear life, Amber emitted a tiny sigh. “We know…your bite is such a gift to us all…more…”  Amber shivered for a few more seconds and felt the holes in her neck close, forcing her to stumble back and flop uselessly on the sofa.  Lying her head on the plush armrest and smiling wide, the platinum blonde blood bunny relished the intoxicating feeling for a few more seconds. “Mistress, we like saying it just for you.”  Licking her lips, Amber giggled. “We say Sylvie out there with those people…you know…um.”  Amber closed her eyes and began lightly snoring.

Jessica jiggled lightly on her toes in anticipation of Sylvie’s embrace. “Mistress, see how Amber is?  Devoted and loving?  You know we all are.”  She reached and pulled a drop of blood from Sylvie’s lower lip and licked it. “I think she meant to say that we are normal around the patrons, so let us have these moments.”  Jessica offered her neck after moving her long brown hair. “If you please.”

A little needle of familiarity prickled Sylvie’s mind when Jessica issued her polite request. “My…little Jessica has learned a fun saying from a certain blue-eyed vampiress, yes?”  Sylvie giggled and found the spot she desired and began feeding from her second friend.  Sylvie felt her bunny wiggle her plump form into hers and matched the purring that Amber did moments before.  Slipping her hand to the small of Jessica’s back, Sylvie held her in place and counted to ten before licking the wounds closed. “There you go, my sweet Jessica.”  Swirling her tongue over her lips, Sylvie continued, “You taste like fine champagne, to be savored and not wasted.”  

Taking a few moments for herself, Jessica swayed lightly and let the rush of the moment travel the length of her body before opening her glossed over brown eyes. “Mis…tress..”  Jessica’s voice slurred, “...I was thinking about that same vampiress.”  Jessica pulled Sylvie into a tight hug. “No comparison, though.  She’s still a bit stiff to deal with.”  She pressed a warm kiss on Sylvie’s cheek, and adjusted her tight tee where it had exposed her round tummy during the embrace. “You are…well, warm.”  Jessica then went to the desk and grabbed her apron and headed out of the office. “It was just one of the things I thought she said that was cute.”  

“I guess that leaves me.”  Veronica swaggered up to Sylvie and ran her finger over Sylvie’s moon tattooed arm. “Mistress.”  Veronica stated and paused, “We love you and each other.  It’s why we followed you from Ravenstead manor.  We could have stayed behind, heck we all could have.”  Veronica’s brown eyes sparkled with anticipation, “You’ve always looked after me, I even thought at one time you were in love with me.”  Slowly pulling her dirty-blonde hair into a bun, Veronica leaned into Sylvie and grabbed her by the waist. “I know you have a vision you are struggling with..”  Using one of her thin fingers, Veronica rubbed gently below Sylvie’s moonlit eyes. “...You have to follow them and your heart.”  She kissed Sylvie’s neck lightly. “I am happy to serve, happy to be your confident and well…affectionately your blood bunny.”

When the word love pierced Sylvie’s ears, it was like a cold chill ran the length of her spine and a bit of doubt seeped into her mind.

-Will I honestly find love?  Am I chasing a never ending vision?-

Shaking off the chill and the self-doubt, Sylvie pushed the thought back and gently kissed her friend's neck. “Veronica.”  Sylvie whispered while using her fangs lightly on Veronica’s neck. “You are right.  There was a time where I wanted to explore things with you a bit deeper.  Give us a more emotional attachment.”  Sylvie plunged her fangs deep and retracted them to allow the hot,  iron flavored plasma to race down her throat.  Flexing her lips as though she were giving her friend both the bite she needed as well as a kiss, Sylvie counted to ten and licked each hole one at a time to seal them. “I didn’t want you to think you were ever… a consolation prize, so I never pursued it.”  Sylvie used the back of her hand and cleared her lips again. “I hope you understand.”

Much like being slightly drunk, Veronica’s head swished like she was in a soft set of ocean waves.  She had enough of her mind to keep holding Sylvie’s waist through her jean belt loops as she waited for the feeling to finally subside.  Once Veronica was able to stand on her own she patted Sylvie lightly on her chest, just above her third-eye tattoo.  “I do understand.  I have the others and we fulfill each other's needs without being overly demanding.  I have known you for what…”  Veronica’s large brown eyes looked up in thought, “..almost ten years?”  She smiled at her mistress. “You have always chased your visions.  It’s your thing.”  Veronica winked and headed out of the office.

Giving Amber a few more minutes of rest, Sylvie opened the small safe and pulled out the various change drawers for the sale systems and stacked them on her desk.  It was only after she counted the separate stacks of ten dollar bills a few times without checking the other counts did Sylvie realize something was coming.

-I’ve been seeing tens all night.-

Sylvie sighed and closed her eyes and tried to force the incoming vision to produce something useful, but without any luck.

With a quick grunt and a yawn, Amber sat up from her drained slumber and looked at her watch, “Shit, I was asleep for ten minutes!  Why didn’t you wake me Mistress?”  Amber jumped up from the couch and stumbled to the desk before gathering the strength in her legs. “Are all the counts right?  Five hundred per drawer, like normal”

“Another ten.”  Sylvie mentioned mindlessly and then used her blazing speed to count the money in the trays. “Amber, yes.  Five hundred per drawer.  Get these out to the terminals, and afterwards can you go outside and make sure the guys out there have what they need?”

Amber picked up the drawers and headed for the door, Sylvie right on her tail. “Isn’t it illegal to serve drinks outside the bar?”

“Be discreet about it.  Take bottles only and make it look like they brought the cases.”  Sylvie laughed, “Use your imagination.” Sylvie opened a small door and took her position behind the main bar that served both sides of the building.  Reaching for a round drink tray covered in salt shakers, Sylvie took the time to spread all of the little glass containers across the bar and stopped just as she went to place the last one. “Ten.”  Sylvie said loud enough for a couple customers to look at her oddly. “Just counting out loud, do you lovelies need anything tonight?  I’m making blue lighting margaritas, Joker Blue.”  She pointed to her blouse.  Rewarded with a couple of smiles and nods, Sylvie went to work on the drinks she’d invented just as a well dressed man in a blue pinstripe suit breezed into the lively section of the bar. 

“My my, you have changed Miss Miakoda.”  The man took off his tan fedora and tossed it casually on the bar. “One of your ..Bloody Madelyn’s please.”

Sylvie hadn’t heard that low key midwestern accent in over twenty years, but knew who it was immediately. “Alan Brown.”  Sylvie finished mixing the different liquors and turned on the blender. “I have a couple other drinks to make real fast.  I keep my special stock in the back.”  Sylvie leaned on the bar and looked over her old friend. “You have moved up in the world.  Last I saw you, there was no suit, certainly no over abundance of silver and a hat to hide that brown and gray hair of yours.”  She stopped the blender and poured the contents into two very large margarita glasses and handed them to another server to deliver.

“Silver has latent energy that stops others from finding me.”  Alan boasted and looked over his shoulder, “She’s not here is she?”  He asked as his anxious and wide brown eyes scanned the bar. “I was told silver can..”

Laughing quietly, Sylvie shook her head, “Alan.  No, she’s not here. Silver wouldn’t help you anyway.”  She pushed herself from the bar and leaned back on her beer cooler with her arms crossed. “If it was her?  You’d not have made it into the bar.”  Sylvie noted the ten rings on his fingers and sighed. “I have a feeling I won’t like what you are here for.  I have been getting a sign all night in the form of the number ten.”

Alan nervously twisted his biggest silver ring, the one laden with opals, “How about you get me that drink and I will tell you all about it.”  He looked at his watch, “Oddly, we have about ten minutes before I can show you the latest.”