Vivienne

Trudging through the snow and rock, Vivienne slowly made her way to the entrance of the barn.  Every  muscle in her body ached to race in and save Faye, regardless of the consequences.  Vivienne had faced the fact that she was sufficiently weakened to such a degree that she knew that she couldn’t use her gaseous form or even heal again.  Catching the scent of burning Kevlar once more, Vivienne stopped briefly to pull off what was left of the outer coating of her suit.  Pulling off the plates on her legs and arms, Vivienne’s grip tore away the armor reducing it to crumbles as she did so. “Thankfully I still have some strength left in me, Faye.”  When the last of the plates drifted harmlessly in the snow, Vivienne noticed the splotches of bluish and gray skin where it used to be beautiful and pale white.

 -I could claim you right now, ancient one.-  A dark voice echoed in her mind.

“I have been low on blood a few times as you are well aware.”  Vivienne quietly debated with her inner demon as she looked over the remainder of herself, starting with her hair.  Hardened acid had eaten away at the length as Vivienne had raced to save Sylvie.  Flipping her hand to the back of her head, Vivienne grimaced when she realized that her silky black hair that flowed to the base of her spine was now barely touching her shoulders.  It was only after pulling her hand away, that she felt a clump of her mane come off in her hand.  Solid black had been replaced with thick streaks of lifeless white and no longer felt vibrant, but wiry and brittle.

-Nothing a little blood can’t fix, right?-  Her inner voice laughed.

“Astute observation, but there are only three sources of blood that I can sense right now.”  Vivienne’s legs refused to listen to her will briefly as she dreamed about the thick and iron rich liquid quenching the fire in her throat.  Sylvie was the most obvious and the most disposable in Vivienne’s mind.  A vampire she’d only known a few hours and had almost no tie to her in any way.  Supernaturally rich, Vivienne also knew that vampire blood had the ability to boost her willpower and stamina for whatever lay inside the structure in front of her.  Shaking off that thought, her mind settled on Casey.  Her ward.  Entrusted ally.  The one person aside from Faye who would never leave her side willingly and offered her blood without hesitation. Vivienne felt her legs shuffle backward for a split second before stopping. “No.  She needs to settle this thing with Brian…she needs…”

-You need.  Why do you care now?  You haven’t for your entire existence.-  The black bodied voice edged from its hole taunting Vivienne.

Recalling that she’d commanded Casey to remain calm, Vivienne took her own advice and resumed walking. “I love them all.  That’s why I care.”  Vivienne no longer cared about how her body was thin and gaunt, her hair partly white and falling out or even the holes in the cotton-spandex suit that now showed off more of her body than it covered. “Faye is out of the question as well, you demon.  I couldn’t take her blood…I would ask.”  Vivienne wiped a thin pink tear from her watery blue eyes, “No..I wouldn’t have to ask…she’d offer it.  Love does that.” 

Just as Vivienne felt the weight in her heart lift to the point where she could walk again, a brief cool wind rustled her tattered hair and rolled an old baseball cap over the toe of her left boot.  Vivienne looked down and saw a clean and pristine white baseball cap with a faded blue bill, and the word “Cubs” written in script across the front.  Content to ignore the cap and keep walking, Vivienne caught the hint of rose hips emanating from the former captain’s hat.  Without thinking much about it, Vivienne picked up the hat and kept walking to the doors. She flipped the hat through her fingers a couple times and couldn’t shake the feeling that the hat was trying to tell her something.

The demon laughed once more. -It’s a hat.  You either wear it or you don’t.-

Vivienne finally reached the entrance to the two-story structure and noticed a nail to hang the former captain’s hat on. “I will decline, thank you.”  Vivienne raised her eyebrow and looked once more at the cap, “Most certainly puzzling.”  

Stepping into the barn, Vivienne found it hard to believe that the building in its current state had anything useful that the farm used.  It appeared to be more of a house or apartment rather than a place to hold equipment or tools.  The floor was made of red brick pavers that had been perfectly hammered into place and filled in with pearly white sand that emanated enough heat to keep them dry.  Vivienne’s blue eyes circled up from the floor and counted the four wooden stalls made of oak and mahogany, fastened by iron bands and locked with a little lever.  Well-lit by both the overhead lighting and the emulated flickering flames from the wall sconces gave the entire area an almost cozy feeling.  

Beyond the four horse filled stalls, a small living space had an older looking three cushioned flower patterned sofa and a matching green loveseat.  Weathered and somewhat old wool rugs were spread over the living area, having prints of farm animals woven into them.  Completing the living space were two newer looking rocking chairs made from pine and recently stained.

 Vivienne spotted the stairs that led to the second floor and what looked to be both an art studio and a museum.  Where the landing of the stairs ended she could easily see a cart with ink and paint, brushes, chalk and charcoal.  Unfinished canvases were haphazardly strewn across the little studio and contrasted with the meticulous way the rest of the floor looked.  

Almost as if the art were on show, the walls were painted a simple gray or with blended streaks of colors that matched the rows of paintings for each section.  Vivienne noted sections that were traditional farm life with scenes of horse riders, wheat fields and groves of pansies.  Yet another wall had a row of art dedicated to the pop art of the fifties, complete with its renditions of over advertising and recreations of various root beer and cola signs.  Most of the section was dedicated to a comic image with the deep red and yellow name of “Vampire Vixen” that appeared in a script with blood dripping from its edges.  Radiating and blue diamond eyes were clearly visible on the covers of the comics that were preserved behind fine wood and glass.  Beyond the paintings and at the end of the showcases, stood a statue of a woman with natural bright red hair and holding a microphone.  Vivienne spotted the statue’s other hand that held a cup of coffee and remembered where she’d seen the woman. “Fourteen News plays all the time in the hospital.  You always have that coffee on screen too.  Interesting.”

Vivienne’s heart erupted with anticipation when she felt Faye within a few steps of her. Barely noticing the huge horses in the stalls as she clomped by, it took the sound of a horse ramming the gate for Vivienne to notice what was occurring.  Studying the stallions as they neighed and frantically danced around, Vivienne realized what was happening after the third fell over with a mouth full of foam and blood.  When the last horse stumbled and collapsed dead in its hay, Vivienne sighed. “I am still contaminated.”  She immediately thought of the overly clean hat she’d tossed on the nail before she entered. “Puzzle answered, it would appear.”