Vivienne

Clapping briefly, the man nodded. “Very good.  Was it me licking the blood from my finger that told you that?”  He laughed and walked closer to Denise. “I love that you are backing up, my little murderer.”  He flicked his hand and finger to himself and her. “We are alike in many ways, can’t you see that?”

“What do you mean?”  Denise stalled for time and focused her thoughts on her legs, hoping that she could outrun the inhuman creature before her. “I didn’t want to kill any of them.”

“Oh, come now.”  The vampire saw the light green glow pulsing from his prey’s palm. “Admit it, you enjoyed that.”  He giggled and took another step forward. “Look at it this way, I am giving you a chance at immortality because I happen to like your style.”  

Flares of itchiness passed through Denise’s thighs and calves before settling with an idle heat by her hips. “My style? I did what I had to do.”  Denise pressed flatly and turned to the side, looking at the woodline north of the farm.

“Make all the excuses you want to, my morsel.  I have been watching since you pulled in.”  He pointed at the trunk. “You left a small trail to follow, and I simply had to watch the events unfold.  It was like watching a live performance.” When he uttered his final word, his blurry form overtook Denise and he bit down on her arm, drawing out a helping of her blood.

Stunned with the actual speed of the vampire, Denise failed to react and froze in place as the skinny vampire latched onto her arm.  “Help..”  Denise whispered through the stinging pain that the vampire’s fangs had caused when they pierced her skin.  Itching and a soothing sensation pulsed through Denise’s veins, and she realized that the sensation was somehow going to flow into the vampire’s mouth. “What..?”

Falling to his knees and spitting blood all over the ground, the vampire coughed and seemed unable to move. “How..what…”  He coughed up more blood and clutched his stomach. “Impossible.”  

Finally able to call the magic that had been stored in her legs, Denise took off with a wave of green light trailing slightly behind her frantically pumping legs. “The mine..the mine.  Get me there.”  Denise pleaded as she whizzed by the pine trees automatically heading for the place she’d thought about and pictured in her head. 

Wailing like a ghost, the vampire screamed at his prey. “I will kill you when I catch you!  Tear you limb from limb!”  Finally able to clear the strange blood from his system, the vampire sprinted off in the same direction as Denise.

Vaguely aware of the distance she was traveling, Denise’s only concern was the howling that the vampire was doing behind her.  Deep in thought about the next possible thing she could focus on, Denise passed the entrance to the abandoned copper mine. “Ooops.”  Making a quick circle around, Denise stopped at the barred off entrance.  Snickering slightly at herself, Denise thought about the iron gate before her and the lock being open.  Seconds after she focused, Denise heard the click and opened the heavy gate without any problem. “Done and Done.”  Determining that the screeching of her hunter was nearly on her heels, Denise darted through the gate and locked it behind her.

Holding her hand up so she could see, Denise noticed the glinting copper in small deposits on the walls of her family’s old interest. “Doesn’t look so bad to me, Dad.”  Denise asked herself and followed the rusting iron rails deeper in the main shaft. “No ghosts that I can see.”

“I smell you down there, girl.”  The vampire gloated. “I will enjoy pulling your arms off.”  He effortlessly tore the iron bars away from the shaft and sprinted down the same tunnel, following the scent of blood and paint from Denise. “Having a nice chat with yourself?”

Pressing her lips closed before she said anything else, Denise kept using the faint light from her palm to slowly guide her down the smaller and thinner shafts where the copper veins hung in the walls in bigger clumps.  -I need to see where I am going.  I need distance.-  Finding herself unable to concentrate because of the dark and fear rising up within her, Denise plodded along following the faint light her palm allowed her to have.

“There you are.”  The vampire rounded the corner and spotted Denise. “Time’s up.”  Springing into action, the vampire leapt at Denise with his claws ready to inflict as much damage as they could.

Facing her fear, Denise turned on her heel and used her telekinetic ability then focused on his yellow orbs.  Tripping on the small iron rail, Denise fell just as the spell released.  

Watching as her world seemed to start falling, Denise was vaguely aware that the vampire was held in place and she had somehow broken the floor of the mineshaft and was now plunging into a large blue hued cavern.

Splashing into a small pond of cold and azure sparkling water, Denise waited for inertia to stop forcing her down and after a few seconds swam to the surface.  Once she was clear, she sucked in a heavy gulp of air and latched onto the edge of the life saving pool.

Renewed and energetic, Denise easily climbed out of the pool and slicked her hair back so she could see. “Wow..What is this place?”  Screeching from above, Denise knew it was the vampire that was held in the mine shaft.  Fear was replaced with curiosity and she waved her runed hand so that the night creature was hovering in the cave just out of reach. “You, my new friend, shouldn't exist.”  Denise smiled and pushed the vampire against the blue stones. “I shouldn’t be able to hold you in place like a statue either.”  Denise giggled. “Vampires and magic, interesting.”  Ignoring the blood-sucker for a few seconds she looked over the blue chunks and pulled one free. “Oh my.”  She looked up at the vampire. “It radiates like my hand.”  Denise felt a rush of wind pass over her and heard a hushed word. -Kyanite.-

Turning to face her hunter, Denise willed the helpless vampire so close to her that she could smell the iron emanating from his breath. “You, my friend.”  Denise tapped the undead’s nose lightly, “Have taught me one valuable lesson.”  Denise watched the hateful look in his eyes deepen. “Oh, come now.  You are just angry that your food fought back.”  Denise shivered and glared at the vampire again. “I have this overwhelming urge to just outright destroy you.”

“When I get loose from this, you’ll know what destroy means.”  The vampire snarled and tried again to get free.

Clutching the vampire’s cheeks, Denise looked directly into his brown eyes. “Interesting.  You have a red ring.  Things you learn.”  Denise backed up and rubbed her chin. “You aren’t going to get loose, and I was talking.”  She held up her index finger and wiggled it. “That was what I was getting to.  I talk entirely too much, as you pointed out by finding me in the mineshaft up there.”  She pointed to the hole in the cavern and shrugged. “I guess I like talking out loud, or the sound of my beautiful voice.”

“Enjoy it, you won’t have it much longer.”  The vampire growled and tried to lunge at Denise.

Shaking her head and laughing, Denise walked over to what appeared to be a naturally carved dais.  Stepping up the small carved staircase, Denise circled around the area and knelt down to feel the rock. “You should feel…”  She looked at her captive, “Oh, right.  You are stuck there.”  Feeling the soft thrum and earthly warmth coming from the stone, Denise suddenly had an idea. -What if?-  Nodding and then scanning the crystal blue rocks, she eventually found what she was looking for. 

Digging the piece of kyanite from the wall, Denise scraped the two pieces until the two had a rough pointed edge to them.  Skipping lightly back to the vampire, Denise held up the two stones and laughed playfully. “I did promise myself to be a bit more quiet, but this..”  She held her hands over her chest for a moment, “..This I can’t keep from you.”  Sliding the stones along one of the vampire’s forearm, Denise stopped at the base of his wrist. “You see, I have always had an obsession with..”  She shrugged, “...death or the dead.”  Denise pressed the kyanite to his wrist and watched it singe his flesh, making him howl in pain. “Ooops.”  Denise snickered and corrected herself. “I was thinking about burning for some reason.” Snapping her fingers and jumping like a little girl, Denise made the connection. “Now I get it.  Fire.  Warms your blood…”  She laughed and nodded, “Cute.  Anyway, as I was saying..”  Denise floated her captive over to the dais. “Kids are cute when they are mean.  I was called..”  She got in the vampire's face, and gloated. “Deceased Denise.”  Upon uttering her own name, she drove the points of the kyanite through the veins and arteries of the vampire's wrists and let the blood cake the floor.

Hissing and sizzling as though she were cooking bacon on a stove, Denise witnessed the blue stones shimmer then slowly turn purple exposing a trail of symbols that she seemed to understand immediately.  Quickly smearing the stones further, Denise stood up and raised one of her eyebrows while dripping blood from her hands. “Necromancer.”  She paused. “Learn. Memorize.” 

Tearing the lower hem of her dress away, Denise covered the twin holes in the vampire’s wrists. “You and I have only gotten started.”