Path of the Vampire forum

(NOTE: all chars included with this used without permission. This is NOT a factual tale that has any bearing on the city as it stands now, but a 'what if' type of story based on actual events posted or occurring elsewhere (irc, chat, YiM, etc)

The soft sounds of naked feet against the tiles broke the silence of her garden. The circle had been prepared and the gypsy made her final preparations before stepping inside and closing it. Inside was simply a pair of blankets and a pillow for her use. The girl had a tired look about her as she finished her casting and sat down naked on the first blanket.

She was alone. Tempy was elsewhere on her own business and the Ty were doing fine without her help at this moment. No one would miss her for a single evening and if they did, too bad. Her world had become somewhat unstable, yet dull lately. Some clear headedness and distance was what she actually needed now, but when she tried something always seemed to jump up in her face and keep her trapped within the issue rather than letting her make some space for herself.

She nodded in satisfaction over her work. Nanna's 'Wall of Clarity' has been casted properly. A spell she and the other witches in the tribe used when they sought insight or a moment of peace of mind when things were concerning or troubling them. It simply sealed outside influences out and left the occupant of the circle alone, save for whatever bits of cosmic insight might drop upon them as they searched for their answers.

She laid back on the floor and covered herself with the blanket and let her mind empty of all things around her. Outside the casted circle, Ginny lay curled up as if watching for any signs of trouble. The rest of her small menagerie had grown quiet as well as if something far larger then they has simply made the sound to call for silence to them all. The gypsy soaked up the still atmosphere and relaxed. Peaceful now. So quiet and relaxing. That was the trouble with being immortal as she saw it. There was no peace of mind. So many things one had to take account of and be prepared for. Living in a town filled with a unique population of people (well, former people) whose moods and whims flowed like water at best. She supposed the undead life was just as dangerous as actual life. Hell, didn't the living have their own issues with the world they woke up to every morning?

But that world she had some grasp and understanding of. She had survived a lot of things and coped and dealt with them while she was alive. The game was familiar. Despite the fact she was still playing the same game now (in a way) the rules were more complicated and ruthless to deal with. Sleep all day, party all night, live forever?

It sounded good, but the details in the fine print was what always made the dream go sour.

'Some nights I wish I had never been turned at all,' she sighed as she let that state of unawareness that passed for sleep take over her.

She awoke to blue skies and the sun shining brightly down upon her.

(to be continued.)

Zodiac screamed in silence and turned about like a frightened animal-looking for shelter from the daylight. She dove head first in a clump of bushes to her left and squirmed desperately to escape. She finally got the majority of herself undercover before it dawned on her the sunlight was not hurting her at all. She looked at the back of her exposed hand and felt the warmth of the light upon her. Not burning at all. It felt good.

"You can come out now, Angela," a voice laughed. The girl forced her head up and out of the bush and looked about. She blinked in the light surrounding her now, trying to focus in on the source of the voice. Gentle laughter rained in her ears till she finally saw the source. The girl snarled softly as she raised her hands, ready to defend herself.

"Do I look like such a threat?" the glowing figure asked with a smile. The illusion matched pretty much what Zodiac had come to envision the fairy to look like-save for the wings. Her dress was a splendor of colors. Just what a fairy would wear. There was no magick wand or the like, but she could sense the power rolling off the woman in waves.

"You're not my Nanna," the voice flowed easily from her lips. Further proof she was in a dream of sorts. She blinked as she heard it escaping her lips. "Why do you wear her face? To trick me?"

"Angela," the apparition sighed. "I am sorry for that. I only took her face to help you be more at ease, not to frighten you. I promise you that."

"Then why am I here?"

"You sought a moment of clarity, and asked a serious question. Sometimes the powers that be grant answers to such things, child." the spirit nodded and smiled. Zodiac watched her face change into another's now. "What would your world be like if you had not been turned."

"I was just thinking," the gypsy replied. She was not comfortable with this at all.

"Then you thought at the wrong moment, child," the spirit kept smiling. "Come on," she offered her hand. "It surprises many, but They are always listening and when They decide to reply, you have no choice but to listen to Them."

"Where we going?"

"To show you what you wanted to know," Zodiac considered for a moment before drawing closer.

"I don't trust this."

"You have no choice now, child." the spirit gently encouraged her. "Come, we have much to see and little time to see it."

The girl sighed and considered her options for a few before giving in and taking the wraith's hand in hers.

(TBC)

They stood on the streets of Harper Rock in the mid afternoon sunlight. Zodiac looked about for a clue as to what section of the town they was in. It was hard to focus with the light around her, considering her view of this place was usually wrapped in darkness. When she saw the sign for the Metronome she knew she was in Wickbridge, but something wasn't right. It was the original sign for the Met that hung in place. Across the street near the transit station a section was blocked off as construction equipment growled and moved about. On the barricade walls was the sign that read:

FUTURE HOME OF BETA TOWERS

"Three months before your 'accident'," the spirit said as they walked along the sidewalks. "You already knew trouble was a foot. Jamie had been changed* and you were in the process of turning your little shop into a fortress about now."

"Yes," the girl admitted as she followed the spirit along.

"You felt the nexus open, but you said nothing to anyone. Why?"

"I doubted anyone would believe me, I guess. I was already getting a reputation as the local nut case. What was I supposed to do? Call the press and tell the vampires had come back and they were part of the reason the military had blocked off part of the town?" In the distance she could see the fence surrounding what some called the Quarantine Zone looming.

"It would have been difficult, but if you had tried, some might have avoided their fate as well."

"Oh, so now its my fault this happened?" Zodiac snorted.

"No, there was nothing you could have done to stop this, but you could have warned others of what was happening. Too often people confuse doing something right with scale. The little things all add up when you put them all in the same spot. Not everyone would have taken your words to heart, but some would have and thus still be alive." the spirit said gently. "But more to the point, we need to move forward just a little now. "

As they walked, Zodiac gasped as time progressed rapidly around them. The warm of summer was vanishing now and the leaves were turning rapidly as they made their way to Westwall where her original shop had been. She gasped again as the spirit stopped in front of the door to look in as rain passed through them both as if they were ghosts.

"Look," the spirit encouraged her. "Do you remember this day?"

Inside she sat at her table. Deep in thought with a cup of tea steaming away at her elbow.

"You were being warned, were you not?" the spirit asked. "You had been for several days, yet you sat there and refused to move. Pride, child. Gypsy pride is what put you into the situation you are in now. The warning was not for you to simply leave all your hard work behind and move on. It was for you to leave this night alone."

Zo continued to watch herself. It was disconcerting seeing something she knew she had done from a perspective like this. She flinched again as Tanya came right through her and opened the door quickly to escape the rain.

"You conjure a downpour by mistake or something Ange?" she heard her friend ask herself as she stood and smiled.

"We ate cookies, sipped tea, talked up a storm. I did her cards and she left." the girl muttered to herself.

"Yes, you did," the spirit agreed. "And when she left something interesting happened a few hours later. But let us start our journey here, shall we? " Zo's guide waved her hands. Suddenly it was as if she had double vision. Seeing two of everything like she was watching the same movie on two screens running in synch with each other. Gradually, one of the 'screens' began to bend away from view, leaving her and the spirit standing in the other. The moving screen faded from view quickly.

"What? What just happened? What was that?"

"That was your time as you lived it. Where we are now is simply a 'what if' view of your life. One important thing will change here. Right now." she pointed back to the scene inside.

...leave... the voice insisted.

I got an idea. Zodiac signed to her friend. Is Ted in town this weekend?

"Ted? No. He is running freight to Toronto. Won't be back till tomorrow afternoon. Why?" Tanya replied.

A smile grew on the gypsy's face. How about I pack up a few things and some jammies and we go to your house. I'll do your fortune there and we can hang out.

"OOO!" Tanya jumped up excited. "What if I got some of the others to come too? Have a impromptu tarot party?"

Sure. Half price if they bring the right booze along. Wait, what about Ginny?

"Got a spare cat box at the house and if she wants to argue with Theodore we can separate them."

The pair went to work. Zodiac rang out her register and put her take for the day in her safe while Tanya got Zo's cat carrier, umbrella, and tote out of the closet. A quick trip upstairs for a change of clothes and sleepwear and she returned to help gather what she would need and convince the cat to get into the carrier.

"This will be fun!" Tanya was gushing. "After the party, watch some tube and in the morning we can have breakfast and I can get you back here by noon easy."

The gypsy gave a double thumbs up as she wrapped herself in her cloak. Zodiac watched in curious fascination as the lights went out. The door opened and umbrellas sprang to life as the OPEN sign was turned to CLOSED, the door locked, and the pair went running down the street to where Tanya had parked her car. A moment later, the car went heading in the direction of Coastside.

The spirit stepped down from the front porch and the gypsy felt that sense of time moving forward again. The rain had stopped and suddenly she could hear the click of boot heels making their way down the sidewalk. The blue-eyed woman with blonde hair paused at the door of the shop and peered in the window for a few moments before continuing North.

"And so, Megan Ann Blackwell, know to those who walk the darkness as Scorpia, passed your door instead of stepping inside. Now your question can begin to be answered child. In this version of the world you were not turned. Let us see what we can see."

(tbc)

( *= reference point 1: http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... =17&t=2018 )

Time passed rapidly, and Zodiac watched herself return to her shop and begin conducting business as usual. "Not so bad," she said as she watched her clients come and go at high speed. "I'm doing great."

"Perhaps," the spirit replied. "But there is more to life than making money, isn't there?"

"Of course."

"So from here, I will let you ask. What do you want to know about?"

The girl blinked and thought for a few moments. "How are my friends doing?"

"What friends do you wonder about, child? Tanya and your other human friends move about their lives as normal now, A few have moved elsewhere and some have vanished but the majority is still in place."

"But..." Zodiac began to speak but was cut off.

"Your friends you made after your encounter with Scorpia are not a issue now. You were never turned, thus you never met them."

"Well, they have to be around still," the girl insisted.

"Yes they are, but in this world you did not meet them. Shall I explain it all? Since you were not turned, nothing happened in the shop that night," the spirit gestured at the door. "Because nothing happened, Ginny did not run away, so you never went looking for her, thus you never met Temperance Avila or Reagnlief. *"

"Oh," Zodiac's mouth hung open as the idea began to take root in her mind.

"You were never introduced to the Sangue family, so you never met Hels Ezra, Maximums Sangue, Aura, Micah, Gemini and Allie and all the others, and if you met them now they would possibly consider you food and little else."

"And so on and so on," the girl considered. "What about my childers? If what you say is right, they were not turned, so certainly they ended up in better situations than this."

"Did they?" That feeling of time advancing swept over the girl yet again. She saw herself singing away to the red head who sat across from her over the cards. "Maia Lancaster came as she did before. Just a desperate girl seeking a clue. But in this world you were not denying what you had become to the point of starvation. How many times did you feel your insides twist up as you tried to feed as a human? You were hungry, and Maia just would not leave despite your urgings. Your first childer. Born of your stubbornness to accept the facts when the hunger finally became too much to deal with."

"Sable" Zodiac placed her hands against the phantom glass and looked at the scene playing out differently than she remembered it.

"She eventually left that evening and out of your life. Unlike in the real world where she became a permanent guest of the darkness."

"What happened to her in this world?" the girl looked at her guide.

"Doesn't matter, Micah dealt with her finally," was the reply. "Later on when your tribe came to town ** ," the scene shifted again. "You saw them as before, but here you was only human. You did not run out and follow them into the night because you knew what else lurked in the darkness so you stayed safe in your little fortress. You never was reunited with Randal again and never bit him in a moment no one could blame you for. They left that night for the same reasons, but he was spared your real mother's wrath. He lived on."

"Then for that alone not being turned would have been a good thing." she sighed.

"But even then there was changes for bad as well as good." the spirit continued as they moved away from the shop to the warehouses South of it. "Another of your childers never was born. *** You met him when he brought you the news of Randal's death and lashed out at him in rage. But in this world, Neville Silvanus never came to your place. As you noticed, his job before meeting you had its own share of potential dangers. Who knows what the 'Bossman' was having him deliver at times, and some may have not taken joy in opening their packages either."

In the shadows the girl could make out a familiar form running for his life to the old warehouse as two larger men with guns followed swiftly. All 3 vanished inside the building and moments later gun shots were heard. Zodiac took off running in the direction of the gun shots.

"Neville and Katrina never met in this reality either. Pity for them both. I wouldn't bother if I was you, Angela. There is nothing you can do in this reality I assure you," the guide called after her. The girl ran in reflex to the door and tried to open it, only to find herself passing through the door like a ghost. Inside she saw the two men approaching to leave and she lashed out at them. Her hands like fitful gusts of air against a mountain having no effect at all. A groan caught her attention as she ran on to find you young man lying on the floor slowly dying from his wounds.

"Boy child?" she cried as she tried to tend the youth, but like everything else, she was a ghost with no effect.

"As I said. There is nothing you can do here." she turned to find the wraith looking down at her. "Come, you have more to see."

(tbc)

(*= reference 2: http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... =14&t=2187

**=reference 3: http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... =17&t=3194

***=reference 4: http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... =13&t=5544)

It was winter. The blowing snow passing through them both like nothing. A sleepy intersection on the backroads of the city sat in windswept silence as they stood there. From the West, a mini van could be seen approaching the intersection. It swerved and weaved as if the driver had lost control of the vehicle. The wraith encouraged Zodiac to look to the South where a large delivery truck was approaching the intersection as well, It was not slowing down, for the signs gave it the right of way at this point of the road.

Van and truck met in the middle. The sounds of crunching metal and skidding on the snow filled the air as the van was flipped and spun about like a toy. A few moments later, the truck pulled away and vanished into the darkness, leaving the demolished van sitting in the blowing snow. A lone figure tumbled out the side door of the van and ran to the South towards town. It was Abella.

The spirit approached the van and the girl followed. "You remember this? *"

The girl nodded. The man had been killed on impact and the woman's life was rapidly leaving her now. In the back seat safely secured in the car seat, the infant hung still wrapped in sleep. "In less than an half hour you would arrive from one of your foraging trips in the wilderness and find the baby. The clues you found would anger you and put you on the path to catch Abella and eventually turn her. Again, out of anger. But..."

The wraith let its words drift off as time moved forward again. Now it was dawn and the police and EMTs were upon the scene. Two body bags had been loaded into the ambulance already while a woman wept as she carried a smaller bundle in her arms.

"The child froze to death. Abelle never saw the baby when she tried to rob the parents."

"What happened to her? The Abelle in this place." Zodiac asked.

"In this world? Eventually she was caught stealing. She attacked one of the officers with a knife, so simple theft escalated to assaulting an officer. She is locked in a women's prison now doing five to fifteen years, and her bouts of anger are doing nothing to reduce her sentence. She is still wild and growing more so daily. But in your world, your patience and refusal to back down encouraged her to eventually open up to you and now she is a source of pride when you discuss your creations. She is still wild, but is learning when to control it and use it properly."

"She never meant to hurt anyone." Zodiac sighed.

"That is not the view in this world." Time passed again and now it was spring. She watched the bus slowly rumble to a stop and saw the blonde haired girl climb off and make her way into Honeymead Market. **

"You never moved from your old shop, so Pandora's Box never opened. You also never broke into a certain office and stole a box of blackmail items, thus introducing you to Dulce Perculum who eventually turned from nemesis to best friend. She helped you open the new store in Honeymead. Thus Iris Moreau never walked in asking for a job."

"She was sick and even she did not know it," The gypsy was overwhelmed with a bout of emotions.

"Yes, she was. She was never stabbed near Wickbridge station and taken to the hospital where she learned of her illness. A certain gypsy was not there to offer her an alternative to certain death either. She moved on in time, but fate caught her soon afterwards."

The scene shifted to a graveyard somewhere in Maine and the pair walked till a newly carved headstone came into view.
"Stop this!" Zodiac screamed at the phantom tour guide in rage.

"What? Do you not wish to know of Alessandra and Karema's fate as well?" the wraith cocked its head in concern.

"NO!"

"Why not? This is the world you wanted."

"Something had to go right for somebody!"

"Well yes, it did."

"Who?"

"For Randal, but I do not think you want to see it."

"Show me!" the girl demanded.

"So be it,"

(tbc)

(*= reference 5: http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... =13&t=4957
**=reference 6: http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... =13&t=7326
***=reference 7: http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... =14&t=3722 )

The air shimmered and Zodiac found herself in a familiar environment from childhood. The various vehicles parked about as a communal center area had been made in the center of the camp. People milling about, planning their day, making ready to seek work-both honest and otherwise- in the town near their site. Preparations of evening visitors being made as others help clean after the morning meals. Children gathered with those who taught the basics as they could. Reading, writing, maths, and other things. It was a scene straight from her childhood.

Two children dart past her towards the encampment. Fishing rods in one hand and a stringer with a sizeable catch of fish hanging upon it in the other. The adults applaud and cheer the two junior sportsmen as they carry their catch to the 'cooking' area to hand it off to people who cook for the group at large. Finishing their delivery, they turn and begin to run towards a RV parked among the other vehicles.

We she saw him, Zodiac felt her herself seize up with emotion. He was older than she remembered him, but no less perfect in her eyes. He smiled and dropped to one knee and greeted the children as they hugged him and began to tell their stories of their adventures in fish catching. From inside the RV, a woman showing signs of being pregnant stepped out and joined the group for a few moments before giving the two children a look Zodiac remembered well. It was the same kind of look her mother gave her when she meant business.

"Jason? Angela? Wash up, go eat, and get to your lessons-now!" she pointed. The girl knew that voice. Mary Higgins. They had grown up together. Spent so much time together they were practically sisters. She had grown older as well, but the child the girl knew still was in her face. The children protested, but Mary's gaze grew more intense as she pointed her finger to where the other children were already at work with their schooling. The kids gave up and wandered off as Randal got up and hugged Mary.

"So, do I have to chase you off to work the same way?" Mary laughed.

"I was on my way! I swear it! But something important stopped me." he replied before kissing her.

"If you had dared to follow that night," the spirit's voice suddenly filled her ears. "That could have been you, but you were too frightened of the night and what was in it."

"SHUT UP!" the girl screamed as she collapsed into a heap on the ground and covered her head with her hands as she cried.

In time, she peered out. The camp was gone and she laid on a sidewalk in darkness. A rat who had braved coming out of the sewer chittered near her and in reflex she swung her hand at it to scare it away, but it passed through the little beast like smoke.

"A single touch upon water makes a ripple. And as it spreads, how many other ripples does it touch with its passing. Ripples the one who touched will never know or see, but yet they had an effect on the entire pond regardless." the wraith sat on a broken bench and spoke softly now. "In life, death, or the place where you stand now-it is part of the bigger picture, is it not?"

"Damn you," she hissed and swore at the ghost in Romany.

"I said you would not like it, but you insisted. But tell me, Angela, which reality would you want? Yours with him dead, or that one where he was alive and happy?"

"Where are we now?" Zodiac sat up and looked around. Eager to change the subject. She had been mistaken. It was not a sidewalk, but a darkened transit platform.

"Two seconds into the future," the ghost replied. "All you have seen till now was images of the past that could have been, so they had form and substance to them. The future, however, is like this. Waiting for color and reality to bring it to life. But there are scarce colors in this future anyway. Come now. Our time is growing short."

She stood up and followed the wraith up the stairs to the street above. The signs on the wall told her she was at Wickbridge again, but the view on the darkened street was disturbing. The city looked like the ruins after some huge war had rolled through it.

"What is this place?"

"A future that has not come to be and hopefully for you never will. The Masquerade failed here. Humans and vampires fought and Harper Rock was the first casualty of the war that spread outwards from here. It started simple, but then the battle grew more intense as both sides chose bigger and better toys to wage their war with."

"Everyone is gone from here then," the girl shook her head while doing gestures to ward off evil in reflex.

"Not quite everyone," the spirit clarified as the sound of automatic weapons began to echo through the ruins of the town.

(tbc)

"Oh Mater," Zodiac's eyes grew wide as the group rounded the corner. The sight of ferals never bothered her before, but that was when they were contained within the Zone and few in number. The pack she saw now was larger than she had ever seen in one place.

And the fact they held weapons sent a chill down her spine. Sharp growls and hisses were exchanged as they fanned out and formed a trap just as the sound of a fadebeast roaring entered the area. The ferals attacked and the beast raged among their numbers.

"Come" the wraith encouraged her. Zodiac found herself on top of one of the remaining corner towers that once held the fence in place around the Quarantine Zone. Below in the ruins she could see the nightmare creatures roaming at will in and out of the zone as they fought with each other. "A few rogue Necromancers still dwell here. Recruiting these beings into their own armies to wage war on each other and others. Vampires and humans are much alike when it comes to their thinking, child. They got too busy fighting their war with each other to remember the things that were their responsibility to keep under control. But now these creatures breed like legion. The catacombs to the North East have broken open as well as the Zone and they roam at will attacking each other and anything else they find. They are like the second wave of this war. Slowly following the battle between humans and vampire and attacking the survivors they find along the way. If mortal and immortal could think for a moment and work together, this could be stopped, but war takes common sense out of everyone so easily, doesn't it?"

"Yes it does," the girl sighed as she watched the nightmare raging below. "When did they get so intelligent?"

"When they had time to grow and develop without your kind hunting them constantly. And things none of you have even considered or seen are starting to force their way out of the Nexus into this world."

"You said both sides forgot what was theirs to care for. What have the humans lost control of?"

"Their agents, the super soldiers, the blood thieves have made an amazing comeback as well and the hunters do their work and answer to no one. They hold no allegiance to either side in this and work to their own goals. And of course the old grudges each side had with itself are still in place. Color vs color or bloodline vs bloodline, the madness continues. And still others are reaping profits from this insanity, thought one wonders what good money will do them if this continues on."

"All we'd need is the giant eagles and this could be the Battle of Five Armies," Zodiac tried to laugh but it stuck in her throat.

"Only five?" the spirit chuckled softly before waving her hands. Now the world returned to normal as the girl knew it. Down in the QZ, a lone zombie paused and looked up at them.

"They can see us?"

"Yes they can, but their minds are so far gone they can tell no one or understand the difference between us and others. Curious, isn't it?"

"That is just too rad!"

"Come," the wraith stepped into the air and gently drifted down to the street in front of the morgue. The girl followed, for once amused by her current situation as she drifted like a leaf in the air. Once again the pair began to walk along as she reached the ground.

"Was anything I did part of that future you showed me?"

"That was a combination of so many things, I doubt the actions of one would have mattered either way in the end results. Both sides were in a state of frenzy when it all began."

"Then why show it to me?" Curiosity got the better of her now.

"A sobering moment to help you re-focus yourself and escape that bout of self pity you were having," the wraith paused and looked at the girl. "Is there anything else you wish to see as part of your question? Our time together grows very short now, so choose well."


(tbc)

The girl considered for a time. Logic told her the things she saw were not cut in stone. She was not the 'key to happiness' by any reach of the imagination, so some of the visions she saw may have turned out quite the opposite of 'doom and gloom'. Did she want to see more possible futures of others now? Maybe she was such a key to a few, but not everyone would have had horrible lives if her path and theirs had not crossed.

"And where do I end up in that future you showed me?" she asked in a soft voice.

The spirit cocked its head. "Are you sure that is what you wish to see?"

"All you have shown me so far is how horrible everyone's lives would have been if I had not been turned. I can't accept that as fact. But where did I end up while all these horrible things were going on?"

"So be it," the spirit gestured.


(a small cantina somewhere across the Mexican border near Texas. 15 years later.)

"No staying for the floor show, Miss Magic " the bartender laughed as he took the money and handed the woman the bottle of tequila.

"Nope," she wrote in Spanish on her notepad. "These damn things are like trainwrecks to me. I watch and then I get in trouble. I be back on dance night."

"Okay then. Have a good night" the man replied. The woman flipped through her pre made responses and held up a card that said 'Laters" in the local language and left the bar.

He footsteps was hurried as she made her way down the street to where her Varo (actually, a made over RV) was parked next to a small building. It was getting dark now, and she still did not feel comfortable in the night. Quickly she entered and double locked the door behind her. She was tapped into the electric from the school next door, so power was never an issue. It had been part of the deal for her services. She was far cheaper for the local town to hire to teach sign language to children in need as well as their parents and others than if they had asked for a proper teacher to be sent. Three days a week she had 'classes' and her pay was accented with allowing her to keep her 'home' on the property as well as power and water. The families helped keep her in food as well at times. Zodiac could not recall when she had so much homemade food so easily at her disposal. She had to begin watching that though. Her last good look in a full length mirror showed her getting a bit of a paunch going on.

The rest of her time, she did as she always had. Reading fortunes and making charms (and the occasional curse) for those who sought her out. The entire experience had been an experience for her. She understood Spanish well enough, but to sign it properly had been an education in itself, so her skills grew.

She sat the bottle down on the table and reached into a hiding spot in the walls of the RV and pulled out a plastic bag filled with other than tobacco. "Quality self medication tonight," she thought. She kicked off her shoes and flopped down into a chair. As she got out her rolling papers, her eye caught her reflection in a mirror.

Her hair was more purple than black now. The color hid the premature grey that began to appear when she finally could not stand being trapped in Harper Rock anymore. Her customers had begin to question her erratic ways and those she took into her confidence soon considered her crazy when she told them of vampires abroad in their town. Soon she was barely making ends meet and her savings was being hit on occasion to make the bills shut up. Anyone who became truly close to her left.

She made her plans and purchased the RV while putting the business up for sale. Packing what she needed and what was truly her own-nothing more. The only thing the buyer did not get was the name. Zodiac supervised the sign that hung above the shop's destruction while the neon one sat wrapped tightly in a bundle in the back of the RV. Once the money was in her account, she took her grimores and her cat and left at the crack of dawn-not stopping she snuck across the American border into North Dakota. A few days there working her usual cons, and then South again. Always South. She spent years hopping about America. A few days here, a couple months there till she stopped where she was now and was offered a job she could not refuse.

She finished rolling and opened the bottle. Zodiac took a long pull of the liquid fire and sighed in appreciation. Again she gazed into the mirror. Her make up did little to hide the lines appearing so early on her face. Worry lines her Nanna would call them. Her eyes had a gleam of the hunted about them still. She could not help it. Some things she could face without hesitation, but other possibilities haunted her without mercy. Soon she would have to tell those who ran the school she would stay for another school term, but then be moving on. Perhaps she could get good recommendations from them and pick up a similar job farther south. She did not worry about traveling. It was easy for her to find the right people to sell her forged ID's and other needed papers as she progressed along. Eventually she would pass into South America and continue on till there was no where left to run to and who knew what other options might present themselves.

Part of her wanted to leave in the morning, but she promised the children. The thought of dancing with them in the sun eased her concerns greatly.

As it was in Harper Rock, so had been her journey. Alone. Oh occasionally she found a lover or a friend along the way, but the shadow she was haunted by would soon emerge and things would go wrong from there. She could never shake the feeling of that gateway to hell silently incubating in the snow and the darkness to the North. How far have they progressed? She knew Harper Rock could not hold them all, so sooner or later the expansion would begin. How long till the night where she was would filled with the silent sounds of them slowly increasing their numbers?

She dimmed the lights in her haven and settled back to 'medicate' herself. On the bed, an old Ginny slept soundly. The animal was still her best early warning system to dangers around her. As long as the cat was clam, so could she be. Regardless, in a fold of the chair she sat in a loaded Glock waited for her hand. As her lungs pulled in the smoke, a finger pulled the blind aside enough to peek into the night outside. The noise of the show in the cantina could just be heard over the silence now. Vigilance, vigilance. Death came in silence in the night.

She would not be caught unaware. Not again.


(tbc)

Zodiac's world came back into focus once again.

"So I end up some rapidly aging fat hag chewed up with paranoia." she shook her head.

"One possibility. The other is you became the same person, but refused to move from your little fortress. This was the kinder of the two I could see," the spirit explained. "In the other you would have eventually gone mad and been institutionalized. One evening another vampire may have found you and your nocturnal life would have been a disaster in comparison with now. Others fates could happen, but with the variables I have to work with, those two were the strongest."

"So I am better off like this than alive?"

"No, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Here, you can be the mistress of your own fate rather than tumbling along at the whims of fate. Is that not better?" the spirit replied.

"I guess," she admitted in reluctance.

"Ah, more self pity?" the wraith continued now. "Nothing is perfect child. Whatever reality we find ourselves in will have its share of good and bad. Some of us are where we are because we chose to be there, while others are here at the will of Fate itself."

"And me?" she asked.

"Your choice now," the wraith began to fade from view. "Fate had its moment with you long before you were born, child, when it decided one day there would be a girl known as Zodiac. After that, the rest was up to you..."

***

Her eyes opened and focused on the ceiling above. Glancing to the sides she saw she was back within her circle (or had she even left?) as she began to sit up. Ginny took notice and rose up as well and stretched herself. She broke her circle and stood up while wrapping the blanket around her naked body. The padding of bare feet against the tiles broke the silence as she left her garden. Behind her the cat followed smooth and calm. A quick check of her watch showed her only a few moments had past. The night was still young and waiting outside.

She dressed and then sat for a time. The cat occupying her lap purring a calming vibe as she pet the furry beast. It was not what she had expected at all, but then again none of the things she had been taught when alive seemed to work quite right since she had been turned. Something's not at all while others had results beyond what she was used to. Always changed or warped somehow since the night had become a part of her. It had been over a year now and she was sure she had 'adapted' to her new state of existence rather well.

But others could see something was off in her recently. Part of her grew madder every time someone asked her if she was alright. Was there something wrong?

She could never quite put her finger on it, to be honest when she thought about it all. That was the confusing part.

She stood up and took Ginny with her as she flipped on the TV for background noise. She checked her cell and groaned as she saw messages waiting for her. Zodiac began to sort through the list when the TV caught her attention.

"...teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets their wings."

"That's right," Jimmy Steward replied.

The Psylen sounded like a thunderclap in the still room as it barked twice, destroying the television set.

"If that was my angel, I hope its wings develop mange." She frowned at the ruined set. Time to hit the second hand shop again. She deleted the nonsense messages, made note of the serious ones, and then stared at the remains of the TV. Something about it bothered her for no good reason. She barely used the thing except for the occasional movie watch with friends.

Oh well, it was an excuse to get up and do something.

Outside she paused as she adjusted her cloak around her and stuffed her hands into violet colored mittens. A purple princess in a world of black and white took in the landscape around her now. A soft layer of white hiding the dull and grime. She debated driving, but her winter road skills were somewhat lacking. Several times the 'Magic Bus' (as Dulce called it) had spun donuts into the intersections-almost causing a major accident. No, no driving this night. Another mental note: quit being cheap and buy snow tires for the damn thing. She pulled her hood up over her head and began to make her way to the transit station. Behind her Ginny kept pace.

(tbc)

(an hour later)

What part of 'I'm on foot' don't you understand? Or should I say WON'T you understand??

She glared at the clerk in frustration as she continued to try and explain her request. Sometimes, no matter how plainly she wrote things, people refused to get her point. She found a nice 32 inch TV, but was in no position to carry it home with her on the transit. She could see one misstep in the snow sending her and her find crashing to the ground and turning into wasted money rather than a bargain.

"Cash and carry," the annoyed man-boy tapped the sign with a look on his face that screamed 'Why is this person trying to make me actually work?'

What the hell am I supposed to do? Put it in my purse? She slid another note in his direction. This time, the clerk did not even look at her writing but just stared at her with an expression of total boredom. STUPID HUMAN! her will strained against her anger to keep her from sending that thought to the clerk's mind now. She brought both her small fists down hard on the counter to emphasize her frustration. The clerk panicked and reached under the counter.

'Is he? No way is he...Oh you just DID NOT GO THERE!' Her face went into total shock when she realized the man-boy had pressed the silent alarm button to summon the cops. Her jaw dropped in total shock.

"What the hell is going on out here?!?" A older man came out of the office and glared about. This person Zodiac knew. She had dealt with him before on many occasions and when his eyes came to rest on the gypsy, she pointed at his assistant and made a sour face.

"Get on the phone and cancel the police." the man demanded.

"She got violent" the man-boy insisted.

"And you are scared of 98 pounds of girl?" the owner sneered. "Get on the phone now. I will deal with this. Hello, Angela. Missed you this year with the tea wagon this time around* Now what can I do for you, sweetie?"

She explained to the man her situation and reminded him she was a long time customer and that there would be lots of cookies if he could help her out with this situation at hand.

"It would be late," he apologized. "But when I get done tomorrow evening I could bring it by for ya."

Finally her smile appeared on her face as she counted out the money and added an extra twenty to the pile. Their business finished, she left the shop and re-entered the night. She clicked her fingers before replacing her mittens, causing the cat to emerge from under the mailbox it had waited patiently under. It jumped into her arms as she began to wander the streets. "You need to warm up for a bit," she decided as the lights of the Metronome came into view. Personally she enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. It had a calming effect on her at times. She wondered what and how her vibes might effect the others within at times. Allurists were sensitive to moods, and hers was not the best at this moment.

Regardless, she entered the warm club and quickly took a seat in one of the booths. Ginny was hidden under her cloak and settled down to relax on the seat when the girl laid her cloak over her. No one ever complained before, but there was always the first time. The music soothed her now as she pulled her tarot deck from her purse ('Like the commercial says-don't leave home without them') and began to shuffle them. Perhaps the mood and atmosphere here would clear her mind enough to get a good reading for herself. That was another concern of hers recently. When it came to others, her mind was sharp and clear and she was able to give insight to her clients and friends with ease.

But as for herself, things were muddy, unfocused. She rarely did readings for herself (once a month-tops) but when she did them before they were quite insightful. Now they made no sense at all. She hated feeling like this.

Hidden by the music softly playing, the sound of cards snapping and being laid on the table could be heard.

(tbc)

(*= reference
http://www.mooncalfstudios.com/pathofth ... =14&t=4758