Sylvie

Looking at Alan like he’d lost most of his mind, Sylvie was relieved when Amber walked up chuckling and tapped Sylvie on the shoulder. “Mist…um, Sylvie, I need change for a fifty and this.”  Amber tapped a pink stone on her server tray. “Yeah, I got tipped a rock.”

Sylvie grabbed the bill and exchanged it for smaller bills. “That is pink quartz.”  Sylvie picked up the smooth stone and froze in place.

--

Overwhelmed by dread and self-doubt, Sylvie’s conscience lifted her away from the bar and she suddenly saw a dark place with the scent of sea salt mixed with cold sand.  Gripping the stone in her hand tighter, Sylvie’s mind desperately sought out the source of the melancholy emotions and was instantly rewarded by a vision of a completely dark figure walking along unnamed streets, passing others and in some cases bumping into them without stopping.  Catching glimpses of the figure when it passed overhead street lights, Sylvie memorized that whoever it was, hid in a deep blue windbreaker with a matching hood that kept the figure's hair hidden from view.

-Jeans, white sneakers.  I can hear you crying, whoever you are.-

Allowing the vision to keep flowing, Sylvie felt the sensation of time passing just before the vision briefly faded.  Morphing the outlook, she saw the figure huddled helplessly against the wind side of a building, apparently taking the abuse from the whipping sand and light rain.  

-Purgatory. Cleansing by self-atonement.- 

Unwilling to accept the vision as truth, Sylvie attempted to find the one signal that the prophecy was real and not part of her silent inner darkness.

-Come on, where is the eclipse?-

Changing once more, Sylvie came face to face with a granite gravemarker with the name ‘Linda Stone’ engraved in big lettering and a date roughly a year in the past with a small epitaph. ‘May your new rivers journey find you peaceful pastures. -Mom.’  When the confusion of emotional turmoil slipped away by reading a mother’s farewell, Sylvie sensed her vision widening to encompass the full area.  Once more the woman in the blue windbreaker appeared and was now kneeling, digging her hands into the damp grass.  Slowly the moon’s light bathed the grave in its white and using the kneeling figure, Sylvie witnessed the eclipse effect that she needed to tell her the truth.

--

Hearing a few snaps, Sylvie blinked free of her vision and looked over to Amber. “Sylvie?  Want me to get something from the back for you?  I know that look in your eyes mistress.  Your..”  She whispered to Sylvie, “..eyes stopped phasing on a full moon.”

Happy to see her friend taking interest in a vision, Sylvie opened her hand and exposed the pink granite. “No, dear friend.  I am content.”  Sylvie smiled, “This pretty pink rock expresses love, compassion and emotional healing.”  

“I keep forgetting you knew all this mystical stuff.”  Amber chuckled in response. “It was part of your illusion, right?”  Amber placed her hand over Sylvie’s as the bar owner attempted to give it back. “No, you keep it.”

Almost as though a final puzzle piece locked into place, Sylvie closed her hand over the smooth stone and then looked at Alan. “Sorry, Alan.”  Sylvie shook her head and started near babbling, “River, stones from a river, granite marker with ‘Stone’ written on it..”  Sylvie ran over and grabbed Veronica by the arm and dragged her over to Alan. “I don’t have time to explain it right now, Alan.  I have to go.  I do believe another friend of mine is in a bit of a mess.”  She snapped her fingers and smiled. “Alan Brown, meet Veronica Brown.”  Sylvie pushed the two close together. “She thinks you are cute.”  

Blushing no less than three shades of red to look like an apple, Veronica stammered, “I..um…I said that, yes…”  Veronica watched Sylvie grab her leather coat and hand the bar keys to Amber. “..um..hello there Alan..”  Veronica smiled and twitched nervously, “..We have the same last name.”

Not waiting for Alan to respond to Veronica, Sylvie darted past Alan, “We will discuss your matters more when I get back.”  Sylvie paused, “I figure since I gave you the keys to the…”

Amber laughed, “..Yes, Sylvie.  I get it, I am in charge until you get back.

Tossing a thumbs up for her dear blood bunny, Sylvie raced through the door and after tightening her helmet on, waved at her bouncer and started the engine of her motorcycle.  Depressing the clutch and dropping the bike into first gear with her foot, Sylvie happened to look up and see the streetlight at the entrance of the tiny plaza and froze in place.

–

Flashing lights of red and blue spun and flickered in a square around Sylvie.  Turning in a small circle within her flash vision, Sylvie heard a helicopter overhead and visually scanned the carnage when the spotlight illuminated the area.  Counting six police cruisers, Sylvie saw the remains of eight officers in putty-like chunks with both bite and claw marks riddled through the deep blue uniforms.  Holding up her own hands, Sylvie licked the blood streaming from them and refocused on the loud aircraft. ‘HQ, we have identified the suspect.  Attempting to make contact now.’

–

Having lost her grip on the clutch, Sylvie had stalled her motorcycle in the few seconds that the bloody image came to her.

-Contact.  Got it, home then the road.-

Laughing to herself at the sudden warning, Sylvie restarted her bike and waved goodbye to Max before pulling off towards her house.  While the vision was certainly about the need to have the technical help from her friend Kody’s contacts, Sylvie began thinking about a small list of ideas that would help her get to Virginia Beach in a timely manner.  Before she could organize her thoughts, Sylvie had made it to her home and raced to her bedroom.  Slipping the supple plastic over her moon phasing pupils, Sylvie willed blood to power up the lenses and headed for the refrigerator to make sure that her blood supply was topped off.

Much like before, a series of green checks dotted the outside of the contacts and then stopped with the same input question; ‘Query?’  Sylvie was just about to set up the activities in her head when she looked down at the counter.   Shrugging her shoulders, the blue-gray haired vampire picked up the empty lens case and stuffed it in her leather jacket.

-Okay.  Let’s get these ideas in some order.-

Exiting the house and locking it behind her, Sylvie noticed her neighbor Carl smiling at her.  Ignoring the obvious perverted look glimmering in the man’s eyes, Sylvie hopped on her motorbike and spoke to the computer. “Code, are you still, voice active?”  Sylvie saw the green lights flash blue and a moment later she heard the computer answer her through the speakers in her helmet.

“Adjusted for integration into Indian Super Chief electronics, Code online for verbal commands.”  The computer voice stopped without any fanfare.

Briefly looking over the display in her vision, Sylvie could tell that the computer had left itself in the house scanning state. “Code, I need to get to Virginia Beach.  So give me a road map with direction and an outline that will not wash out my vision as I ride.”  She watched the display change and almost become an eerie green as though night vision had been activated. “I will be pushing the engine close to its limit..I think.  I plan to go up to one-hundred and twenty miles per hour.”

Red dots popped up in Sylvie’s vision and focused on the bike’s engine for a few seconds. “Adequate engine performance to attain and maintain projected speed.  Right side of your display is active to display time before refueling.”  Code stopped speaking once more.

“Code, I will also need police traffic monitoring, police radar detection and jamming if you can do it.”  Sylvie squinted one of her eyes in thought while the little green lights swirled just out of her vision. “I need the fastest route to Jennifer River’s home.”  Sylvie paused and recalled the vision, “Wait, not Jennifer’s place, I need a gravestone with the name Linda Stone who passed away in December of last year.”

“Processing.  Police radio and aircraft band detected and being monitored for activity.  Would you like to know when a car or officer has gone off duty as well?”  Code waited.

Surprised by the efficiency, Sylvie laughed. “I don’t need to know the specific officer, it would be better to be tracked for interference as I race my way to the cemetery you find.”

“Affirmative.  Compensating for police activity.  Radar used in the area is low grade and easily intercepted.  No signal will be returned.”  Code’s voice paused as it worked to fulfill the other requests. “Located Linda Stone memorial.  Uploaded to display and route adjusted.”  Code’s processing lights went red, “Local radio traffic indicates that there are construction zones that will impede process by exactly two minutes and twenty seconds.”

“I will decide as I reach the sections, we are on a rescue mission of sorts, Code.”  Sylvie started the engine again. “I just need you to be almost faster than me and we can make it.”

“Blood requirements will be adjusted by an extra ten percent.”  Code confirmed and went silent.