Vivienne

Making her way to the living room, Vivienne immediately spotted Faye right where she suspected she would be against the back wall of the barn.  Leaping over the furniture, Vivienne got within a couple feet of her partner before stopping and balling up her fists in rage, “I can’t get close to you..mon amour.  I can’t risk spreading what is on me…”  Vivienne backed away from Faye reluctantly and squatted down to look at her lover closely.

Faye was placed on a small set of plush blankets in a small sitting ball, with her arms loosely around her knees.  Black-pink hair hung down over Faye’s eyes blocking them from Vivienne’s sight.  Gnarled and wicked, the stake-spear poked from the left side of Faye’s chest keeping the young vampire immobile.  Vivienne noticed the barbed spear head and the dried blood on it before sniffing the air and studying the blankets for more. “Faye, my love.  I am here.”  Vivienne softly whispered, “Thankfully you have controlled your blood loss.  Just a little longer and I will have you free.”  Completing the grim outlook on the comatosed vampire, Vivienne saw garlic all around the blankets in a ring as well as the heavy scented pods like handcuffs around Faye’s wrists and ankles.  Dangling low around Faye’s neck, a silver wired necklace hung with the pungent cloves carefully carved into delicate white roses. “Clever whoever you are, Stinking Rose.”  Vivienne blew a kiss to Faye, “I don’t want to leave your side mon amour, but I am no use like…”  Vivienne stopped in her confession.

Deliberate and unhurried footsteps trailed across the thick beams overhead.  Vivienne tilted her ear slightly listening until the heeled steps stopped.  Perking a thin and half white brow, Vivienne heard a sharp click of a dial being turned just before the soft thrum of a motor being turned. Vivienne stood quietly as a rustling of paper and a quick press of a button preceded the sounds of a needle scraping the vinyl of a record.  Seconds after the soft scratching started, the soft voices of The Everly Brothers permeated the entire barn with the song, “All I have to do is Dream.”

“..Dream, dream, dream, dream
Dream, dream, dream, dream
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream, dream, dream, dream
When I feel blue in the night
And I need you to hold me tight
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime, night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away..”

Creaks of the wooden steps echoed above Vivienne and she looked up to see a set of low heeled black Mary Jane shoes making their way down.  Vivienne stood up and walked backwards until she came to the edge of the stairs coming face to face with a small woman wearing a blue and white full swing-dress right out of the fifties.  

Denise’s dusty-blonde hair was pulled back in the front with a white headband decorated with daisies, while her long wavy locks were tied with a ribbon of ocean blue.  Centered in the middle of her forehead sat a polished and perfectly cut piece of black quartz that was the size of a quarter, hanging from an emerald and silver ferronnière.  Covering her chest, Denise had a perfectly tied artist’s apron that covered her dress so little splashes of paint or pieces of charcoal wouldn’t ruin the garment.

Slowly spinning in a circle, Denise stopped once more in front of Vivienne and her thin lips crested a sly smile.  She shifted her weight and blinked her light-hazel eyes. Lifting one of her feet at the knee, Denise leaned forward and planted a light kiss on Vivienne’s marred cheek. “Marion.”  Denise ran her thin hand down Vivienne’s arm, “Marion…It is like a dream come true.  Welcome home.”  She clasped one of Vivienne’s hands within her own speckle painted artistic hand and twirled herself to the ongoing entrancing melody. “Relax, Marion.”  Denise winked, “We have all the time in the world, it’s on repeat.”

Feeling the tension grow within her dance partner, Denise let herself spin once more and wrinkled her nose. “First things first, my darling.”  She let Vivienne’s hand loose and walked over to the table in the living room and poured two glasses of wine.  She wiggled her lime green index finger from her runed hand towards Vivienne. “It appears that you have had a rough evening and smell simply gravely.”  Denise flicked her wrist once and a sparkling green light danced its way across the floor before simply passing over Vivienne with a shower of sparks. “Much better, Marion.”  Denise sipped from her glass, “I know it isn’t what you remember, but I had to update it for your arrival.”  She pointed the glass of red wine she held at the horse stalls, “I do wish you had hurried past the Clydesdale's, I was looking forward to riding with you by the river.”

Another sip of the rich red wine, Denise set her glass down and walked over to Faye and lifted her head up by her chin. “I forgive you, Marion.  We were apart for a very long time.”  Sighing, Denise pulled her hand free of Faye’s chin, allowing the unmoving vampire's head to bounce back in place.  Walking back to stand in front of Vivienne, Denise lifted the vampiress’s hands and kissed them sweetly one at a time. “Almost like I remember them, love.”  Denise’s green magic crawled over the surface of Vivienne’s marred hands and weaved them back to their normal pale shade. “Like it never happened.”  Denise dabbed her finger on Vivienne’s nose and purred lightly, “When are you going to kiss me, Marion?”  Denise winked and rose up on her toes so that she could peer into the pools of blue.

Flood gates opened and Vivienne’s anger rushed through her veins like a torrent of hellish water breaking free of its riverbanks.  With blinding speed, Vivienne’s claws flicked from her hands and drove like ten knives through Denise’s face and body.  Blind rage followed as chunks of meat and bone splattered in a mess across the furniture, walls and red brick flooring.

Vaguely aware that she’d caved into the monster within her, Vivienne vaulted over Denise’s mostly eviscerated form and began tearing away the flesh with her fangs.  Biting into one shoulder, Vivienne internally relished the crunching of in her jaws as she sensed the arm slide free and hit the floor.  Still eager to sedate the blind rage pulsing through her, Vivienne tore the tender neck muscle from Denise and spat it on the stairwell.  With a howl akin to a fox, Vivienne opened a long slit down the length of Denise’s back and pulled her spine free, slamming it against the brick and watching the round bones skitter to the far reaches of the barn.

-Wait.-  Suddenly feeling the dry and burning feeling in her throat, Vivienne came back to herself and watched as the rest of Denise’s remains fell to her knees and landed quietly. -No blood?-  Vivienne sensed an electrical current in the air followed by the deep scent of ozone.