They Know. (Ferenczy bloodline- invite)

[Zodiac]

It was a typical night for the most part. It was that time of night when the latecomers of the daytime people were still showing up. On their way home from the work day or a stop during a night out, and the emergence of the true ‘night crowd’ making their own rounds of business, pleasure, necessity, or all of the above.

In the shop was that sampling of both now. No crowds, but a couple of each drifting in and out for various reasons. Supplies, novelties, books,

Or simply to talk.

***

The woman sat patiently as the girl studied the cards in front of her. She had been visiting this woman for a couple of years now. Most of her friends scoffed at the idea of consulting a person who used tarot cards to divine the future, but she could not deny what she had experienced so far.

The gypsy knew things. How she managed this was a mystery, yet her advice was, more often than not, spot on. In a way it freaked her out. It was one thing to sit and hear how your life was gonna turn, but far different to see those words come to life as you moved on. Mistress Zodiac was a strange one to say the least.

Melissa Bancroft listened to the iPhone the girl had ‘spoke’ her findings. In all the times she had been here, the woman never spoke a word. The pretend human voice just added to the anxiety she was experiencing being here now. All the little quirks she had noticed over the past 3 years were nothing alone, and even if she stacked them all into a pile the evidence was weak, but when you added recent events to it, the evidence turned downright deadly.

“Is there anything else I can do for you this evening, Melissa?” the iPhone spoke as the girl sat and smiled brightly at her. Melissa debated this again for perhaps the hundredth time. She had her suspicions and needed to know. Only now when she was poised to discover the truth had the possibility of danger entered her mind.

“Wh…..What can you tell me about vampires.”

The smile never faltered, but one eyebrow arched in surprise. Calmly her fingertips began to dance over the keyboard on the phone’s screen.

“It seems this town can’t get enough of them. I have been hearing of supposed vampires for the last 5 years now.” Her fingers began to dance again.

“Were there vampires in the past? I honestly think there could have been. But today? In the here and now?” Zodiac stood up and stepped to a small file cabinet and began to search a bit. She pulled out a sheet of paper and returned to the reading table and laid it in front of Melissa. “This is a list of books by reputable authors who have explored the subject properly. You can find them at the library or you can order them on Amazon.”

“No. I mean real vampires. Vampires today.”

“There are no vampires.” The words flowed from the speaker as she gave a practiced, sympathetic look of understanding.

“Yes there is. I heard it on the news. Too many sources are saying the same thing to be a hoax or wrong.” Melissa batted away the paper. “Too many strange things happening, and you’re one of them.” Why was she even lashing out at this girl who had, in truth, been nothing but kind and helpful to her was a mystery. Perhaps it was her mind’s way of trying to figure out the gypsy girl once and for all.

Both eyebrows rose as a true look of confusion covered the gypsy’s face as the woman stood up. Gently she typed onto the phone again. “Melissa. Calm down.” She reached out and patted the woman softly on the shoulder.

“I can prove it!” Before the gypsy could even move, the woman reached into her purse and pulled out a small jar. She uncapped it and swung at Zodiac.

Zodiac’s eyes were wide as saucers as she found her face soaking wet. The excess water pouring down her blouse. She sputtered and spat out the water that landed in her mouth as Melissa stood there in shock. “The priest said this was blessed. Holy water. It burns the undead. I don’t understand. Either he lied or…”

As Melissa continued to babble away, Zodiac grabbed the sheet of paper and wrote on it with large letters.

W T F ?

Her eyes had shrank into narrow slits as her eyebrows formed an angry V. It was taking every ounce of her will to keep her fangs from coming into view. She stood there trembling in anger.

“I’m sorry.” Melissa began to whine. “It’s just that all you can do, I always wondered how. Being a vampire made it all make sense to me.”

“And you decide to prove your point by doing something that, if I was a vampire, it would hurt me badly?”

Now Melissa’s mental argument began to fall apart. Zodiac was right. If all the woman knew was true, the girl would be burned badly and hurting from her impulsive actions. “I’m sorry.” She kept babbling. Another thought occurred to her then. If Zodiac was a vampire, how much longer would she still be alive after a stunt like this.


TBC-

[Zodiac]

Zodiac laid her phone on the reading table and turned the paper over and wrote again. Holding it in from of Melissa’s eyes when she was done.

G T F O
OF MY SHOP!
NOW!

“I said I was sorry,” Melissa kept chattering, but her host was having no part of it. Zodiac turned and grabbed a broom that she had not put away after cleaning up the parlor and swung at the woman. Melissa ducked and ran for the door, but the gypsy was in hot pursuit. The few customers and staff were startled as Melissa ran through the shop screaming while Zodiac chased her. Just as Melissa reached the front door, Zodiac managed to smack her in the back of the head. Melissa screamed even louder as she ran off into the twilight. Zodiac paused at the threshold and glared at the fleeing woman. The wooden broomstick splintering in her grip as she trembled in total anger. What had possessed Melissa to do a stupid trick like that?

“Excuse me,” a young woman with red hair eased her way past the gawking people and made her way to where Zodiac stood. “Babe, what just happened?” Jennifer Hayes- Zodiac’s best friend and assistant manager of her businesses- asked.

”THAT STUPID COW HAD THE NERVE TO THROW HOLY WATER IN MY FACE!” Jennifer cringed as the telepathic voice screamed in her head. ”CLAIMED I WAS A VAMPIRE!”

“Use your hands, doll. Appearances.” She whispered as she coaxed the broom out of the girl’s hands. Jennifer turned the girl and began to walk her back in the direction of the parlor. “Show’s over, people.” She said with a smile. “Everybody has a bad night.”

Inside the parlor, Zodiac began to explain, in a calmer tone, what had happened. Jennifer shook her head and laughed a bit, causing the gypsy to be confused.

“The Bubble Head Brigade in action. Melissa must have drawn the short straw.”

”What?”

“You know them. Those 3 other girls who come in here. Melissa and them hang out together. They always asking questions, thinking they are sneaky, about how you can do what you do. Considering the news recently, a whole new idea opened up to their tiny minds.”

”Wait- what news? Jenn, I have no clue what you are talking about.”

“Oh my God. You really haven’t been paying attention to the world around you lately, have you?” Jennifer stood up quickly found the TV remote. On the wall in the shadows was a flat screen. Zodiac never used it in here (concerns of electronics interacting with spiritual vibes) and started to protest when it was turned on. Jennifer quickly tuned in a local news channel. “Watch. I’ll be right back.”

She did just that. Her eyes grew wider as the local news anchor began discussing the subject of vampires. Jennifer returned with several newspapers in hand and laid them on the table. Local, national, international, and tabloid trash- all discussing the same subject to various degrees.

”When did this happen?”

“Just recently. I thought you was aware, but I guess when you say you are on ‘retreat’ you aren’t kidding around.” Jennifer took a seat again. “You know how you have me poking around for evidence on line? Even if I could not make it go away, I kept track of it all? Well recently, all of that just vanished. No matter how hard I would dig, I found nothing, and around here there was always something going on. You know that better than me.”

Zodiac nodded as the woman continued. “Then, it showed up in the press. Not the tabloid crap. Vampires was always in there, but even the quality of their so called reporting began to change. When The Star and the New York Times are taking about the same thing? Something happened.”

”Oh God, no.”

Jennifer reached out and picked up a few of the tarot cards laying on the table. “The ***** of it is? The Bubble Head Brigade thought this was the reason you might be a vamp. A skill you had long before you got turned to the dark side. Hopefully, Melissa’s babbling will convince them they had it all wrong.”

”She expected me to melt and burn like the Wicked Witch or something.”

“Honestly? Why didn’t it hurt you? I thought that was cannon for you guys.”

”I know a few it would have hurt them, but it’s rare. We all are affected by things in different ways. Not all of us have the same abilities either. But that’s not the point now.”

She turned her gaze to a small pin up on the same wall under the television. It too hid in the darkness. A smile thing a fellow vampire’s eyes could see easily in the dim lighting of the parlor. A red background with white letters that said ‘Keep Calm and Protect the Masquerade’. ”It was all for nothing. All some of us did, and idiots win anyway.”

“You honestly think it will be that bad?”

”Bad?” Now her face became animated again as she looked at her friend with her true eyes. The normal crystal blue color replaced with a slight glow of red. ”Bad was growing up being blamed for everything simply because I was poor and the spawn of Romany Gypsies. Bad was fighting every day I was alive, and then not, to gain a hint of respect and not be the default villain in every situation. Worse was coming from a bloodline where as my grandparents were making their way to America as children, their parents were trapped in Auschwitz and never returned. Why? Because they were gypsy scum according to the ‘master race’. That bad? That worse? This? This is a ******* nightmare ready to explode.”

“I will not be a victim again, and neither will mine.”

Thin ribbons of red slowly leaked from her eyes as she picked up her phone and typed out a message. A mass message she sent to a group labeled ‘Family’.

Talk to me, my dear ones. They know about us now. Text me, find me. Just let me know you are safe. Please.

[Iris von Drol]

There was something about the evening ride with the carriage that was not exactly as it was supposed to be. For all intents and purposes the Victorian era trapped telepath noticed the first clues in the eyes that were on her as she rode past humans that appeared to freeze up then scurry from view. Usually they would stand watching her ride by as if there was some part of an impromptu parade that would finally catch up. Cornflower blue eyes moved back and forth while her velvet riding hat topped head stayed fixed. As the coach continued to make its usual nightly path towards the mall where Pandora’s Box was located the young vampiress gathered that something had taken hold of the general public in such a way that even her flesh beneath the heavy multi-layers of her fashionable riding dress stood up in a peppering of bumps that really couldn’t be found on any goose.

The majestic team of Friesians left a dull ground shaking vibration as she advanced the gorgeous beasts through the streets to pick up the last of her deliveries that would need to be made. Cars honked, headlights flashed with their drivers irritation as she took her own sweet time navigating her massive rig around the back of the mall where she was permitted to use for delivery and pick up. None of it was anything new. Nothing except that they faces that she expected like always to be there standing and looking at her with the typical curiosity were absent. Not even the kids that were known to be bold in an attempt to chase the rig down in hopes of finally catching a ride on the back of it. Given its height it was nearly impossible. They too were missing.

Holding tightly on the reins of the black 1880’s Overland stagecoach Iris finally pulled back when the destination was reached. A woman happened to be walking through the alley and was toting bags towards the dumpster. Iris gently stepped down and adjusted her skirting expecting to catch the female on the way back with a courteous smile. Which she did and instantly received a rather frosty glare.

“Your kind doesn’t scare me.” A single finger salute was delivered and Iris was too stunned to even blink.

A slow tracking of the body until it finally disappeared left Iris glancing back to her coach and horses for any clues then at her gloved hands.The gloves came off and it was at that moment that a cool shadow passed by and materialized as the male turned to step backwards.

“Better grab your umbrella and head for a safe spot, Mary Poppins. **** is about to hit the fan worldwide. They know about us.” Just like the wind that was hardly moving on the excessively hot night the vampire was gone.

Iris swallowed hard and stood stiff as her big blue eyes shifted back and forth. The sounds of the city seemed louder, the distant shots fired stood out even more and now she felt an unease in where she stood. Her brow slowly hooked upward and she moved like a streak of black and charcoal to the backdoor of her sire’s shop. Once inside she slammed the door and bolted it.

“Anyone here?!” She raised her voice which was totally out of character for her. “Jen?”

It was then that Zodiac's message came to her. Relief filled her instantly. She was safe and she was aware.

[Zodiac]

Jenn perked up at the sound of the back door opening. “I got this,” she told Zodiac. One hand slipped into the pocket of her sweater and felt the gun hiding within. Just as she was about to open the door, she heard a familiar voice and relaxed. She stepped out of the parlor and smiled at the new arrival. Like ‘Zodiac’, Jennifer knew Iris before she was turned as well and felt no fear in her presence.

“I swear, we need to find a Victorian themed dance and just go have fun. I’ll even let you dress me up.” She laughed as she hugged the girl. “Oh, I am glad you are in one piece, Creeping Iris. We had a small incident here a little while ago. Some moron threw a glass of holy water in Zo’s face. She’s fine, she’s fine. Just a little freaked out and worried about you and your ‘sisters’ is all.”

Jennifer escorted Iris to the parlor and closed the door behind her. The pair of them needed to talk. Meanwhile, the girl made a few calls of her own. The first being to Zo’s security specialist. If things were going to go off the rails, some things would have to be changed or beefed up.

***

In the parlor, Zodiac wiped her eyes and looked up at the door. A soft smile blossomed on her face as she stood up and approached the girl. Iris was one of her firsts and also a success story. Like Abella, she never had to constantly keep tabs on Iris. Once she had the basics down, she thrived in the darkness and made her own projects grow to perfection.

She said nothing at first, but locked Iris in a tight, loving embrace. Just enjoying the fact she was here and in one piece. ”My bright little star,” her mindspeak finally whispered to Iris. Soft hands held Iris’ face as she looked her over-reassuring herself the girl was well. ”I apologize if my message seemed overly concerned. I just had to know if all of you were okay.”

A soft kiss on the cheek, and the gypsy began to show the girl what Jennifer had shown her. ”Somehow, they got proof we are real, and now anyone who does not fit the normal mold will have a accusing eye cast upon them. The one who gave me a free bath earlier thought my ability with the cards was enough to make me a vampire. I can imagine how it might be for you in time.”

“Please. Sit down.” she encouraged Iris. ”Have you seen any of your ‘siblings’ lately?” She knew the ones she had turned did not make up an actual family as most would consider it. A loose confederacy at best, but Iris and the others would probably be the closest thing to ‘children’ Zodiac would ever have. She was no one’s ‘mother’ but she tried to guide them all as a mother would do. ”I think I will be able to relax if I know they are all okay. Then begin to decide what we should do to keep ourselves all In one piece and not some sample in a science lab.”

[Karema]

The petite woman tossed the last bale of hay up into the haymow. The sweat ran down her face and dripped onto her wet t-shirt adding to all the moisture already darkening the fabric. She sighed as she climbed up the ladder and began stacking the bales, “Damn it Kal, you had to go get yourself killed didn’t ya?” She swiped at her eyes as tears gathered in her eyes. After all this time she thought she had put him behind her but it was times like this that her mind went back to the day, working the farm with him. Work always seemed to much easier when he was there teasing her.

Tucking the last bale in place she jumped down going to the tractor to start putting the equipment up. A movement caught her eye as she walked out and frowned as she heard the distinct click of a cell phone camera. “Damn kids” she muttered. More and more she had seen people out here. She was not sure why they wanted to hang out at the farm at night and watch her work.

Grabbing a gun, she took aim just above their heads, shot twice, and heard them take off. This was happening all too much for her taste. Living out in the middle of nowhere should keep you from having to deal with trespassers. Maybe it was time she called Zo to see if anything was going on, she should know about.

Kar quickly showered and dressed. She slid on her cowboy boots, tugged her shorts down and headed to the transit station. She maneuvered her way through the system until she arrived where she figured Zo would be. She reached for her phone and realized she had no idea where it was, it had been so long since she had even used it. She used her key and found her way in quietly. She could hear Zo’s voice in her mind talking to someone and headed in that direction.

She leaned against the doorframe as a wide grin split her features as she eyed Zo, “Well if it isn’t the sexiest woman in the whole damn city.”

[Adley Reed]

The news spread like wildfire, the whispers coming to Adley from different directions, different people, old contacts and new. It was on the radio. From where he stood it was like a hushed quake rumbled through the city. It bothered him only inasmuch as he knew it should. It should have an effect, that humans were now fully aware of their kind. But hadn’t he seen it coming?

He'd known of vampires before, and nor was he particularly protective of the secret. He was of the perhaps naïve assumption that if they chose to get along, they could. It was as Kaspar had talked about at the recent meeting. Even then, they’d known the secret wouldn’t last, and when the news got out measures should have been in place. At this point they’d probably have to play catch-up, but at least they were going to try.

Humans had to know that not all vampires were monsters. They had to be taught. They had to learn that vampires were not all the monsters they’d read about. If they could just lay down the basics, maybe there’d be enough humans on their side, willing to learn and understand in a way that was not violent or invasive. He knew that whatever came their way, he’d have Indigo by his side. And they would be as stoic as ever, opening the doors of the Apiary to those who needed the solace.

The Apiary is where he was when he checked his phone; it had buzzed while he’d been in the middle of improving one of the hilts he’d gained from the catacombs. Only when he was done did he remove the gloves and swipe the screen; the message was one of inquiring concern, and yet Adley did not know who it had come from. It wasn’t a number he had saved in his phone. He considered ignoring it, assuming someone had the wrong number. But if that was the case, he decided, it was probably best that they were corrected. He didn’t particularly want to get any more messages from a stranger. He tapped out his response:

I think you have the wrong number.

He hit send, returned the phone to its holder, and started rifling through the weapons and parts that he had leftover – he was looking for a salvageable blade.

[Zodiac]

The phone buzzed.

”Excuse me” she said to Iris as she checked the messages. A look of slight amusement crossed her face as she read. Mr. Reed. One of Abella’s childers. They had only met once and it was a brief meeting at best but that was months ago so perhaps it was no surprise he did not recognize her or else he had not added her to his contacts.

Her fingers danced on the screen and send a reply.

Glad you are well, Mr Reed. Be careful out there, especially now.

~Mistress Zodiac~

She sent the text and did not expect a reply. At least he would know who was bugging him. ”Another country heard from.” she explained to Iris. She was about to begin discussing possible ideas when another voice caught her attention. A silent laugh blossomed on her face as she got up.

”If I was that damn sexy, I would not be busting my *** reading tarot cards.” She hugged the girl tightly and mentally exhaled a sigh of relief. Karema- one of her two ‘wild’ childs. Her nose caught the faint scent of hay and cattle on the woman’s skin. Just under the smell of soap and clean clothing. So that’s where she had been hiding. Karema had never quite gotten over Kal’s passing so it made sense she would stay at his property.

”You could have called if you was busy,” she told the woman. A kiss on the cheek and she turned back to her other guest. ”Introductions are in order. I do not believe the 2 of you have ever met. Iris, this is your ‘sister’ for lack of a better word, Karema. She works for me in the Teahouse. That is, when she bothers to show up for work. Kare, this is Iris. One of my firsts so that would make her the ‘older sister’. If you have ever seen the horse drawn carriages making rounds at night, odds are that’s Iris driving. She runs a delivery and tour service among other things.”

“So, come in and have a seat. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary lately? Apparently the living have proof we do exist now. It’s in the news even. I messaged everyone to be sure you were all okay. I think we need to discuss what we are going to do next.”

Zodiac sat back down and watched her two ‘daughters’ talk. She felt better now. The problem still remained, but having two of her ‘children’ so close again made her feel there was still hope.

[Karema]

Karema smacked Zo’s *** as she turned and walked away, taking a moment to admire the view presented to her before turning to Iris. “It’s nice to meet you. I am sorry; I usually keep myself buried at the farm taking care of it. Who knew cattle were so much work!” she joked.

Kar found a seat on the couch near Zo, kicked her shoes off, and sat Indian style on the couch. She watched her speak and thought through the different things that had happened at the farm to determine if they were normal oddities or something to be concerned. As Zo finished speaking, she stretched her arms out in front of her, stretched and cracked her knuckles.
“Yeah actually I have.” She frowned trying to remember details as her mood went serious. “Well, there is this group of teenagers who show up from time to time. They try to be sneaky but I hear them from a mile away. They watch me and will take pictures and that’s it but I find it odd that teenagers would just come out and watch me work.”

Shifting in the seat looking around she continued, “I’ve caught them looking in the windows too”.

[Iris von Drol]

Iris wrapped Jennifer in a return embrace. The warmth of the woman reminded her that despite the obvious differences the world could not change what was in place before it became aware. Her hands slid to Jenn’s shoulders and she fixed her eyes on the woman taking in the fiery beauty before her. A subtle but genuine smile curled at the corners of her unpainted lips. She was healthy and doing well. This was most important despite everything else that was taking place.

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea if you are up to it. Perhaps we should wait until the weather cools for you. The layers and heavy fabric can be cumbersome at first, especially if you factor in the heat that would certainly find you.” Iris barely finished noting the weather could be important in the timing of Jennifer’s suggested outing when she registered that someone threw holy water at Zodiac. She blinked. “Did it harm her?”

The young telepath was not familiar with such said water being harmful physically unless of course there was some curse at play. Concern found her features as she followed Jennifer into the parlor hoping to set her sights on her mystic influenced sire sooner than later.


Just as she stepped in the room she witnessed a smile on Zodiac that hid nothing from her. Iris moved quickly and closed the gap between them and hugged her tight. Her hands held the one that gave her a second chance to thrive and pressed her as close as she could. Nothing would ever pull them apart. Not even a world that had gone mad with awareness. In a rare moment as she pulled back from the embrace her eyes blinked back the moisture that found its way to surface. She truly loved Zodiac as any child did their blessed mother.

“I am doing well. There is no need to worry.” She held Zodiac’s hand as the other caressed her cheek with brief the reserved affection. “I was just informed by a shadow I believe outside.”

Iris took the seat suggested once she situated her skirting and made it possible to do so gracefully. She should have answers to her sire’s question as to where the rest were. Abelle was spirited and likely anywhere but there was no concern that the woman was okay. She would be standing when the world went on fire and fighting back. And despite their difference Iris would be there having her back and opening up a world of pain no one would expect to see coming from the young, highly trained telepath. Zodiac taught it was all about timing. The right place and the right time. It seems that this would be it. Her chin lifted and her her wide cornflower blue orbs that usually were wide, nearly childlike had a considerable shift that her sire would take notice of. She was aware and she was ready. It had come full circle for Iris.

“I have not but we will find them.” With that the sounds of another entering caught her attention. Karema had arrived. She nodded and allowed for the reunion of sire and childe to take place.

[Zodiac]

She jumped as she found herself swatted. Karema was always a small force of nature to deal with and the gypsy doubted the woman could behave herself even if she tried. Once all three of them had finally sat down, she listened to Karema tell of what was happening out at the ranch. Zodiac’s first impulse was to make a joke, but she had been to the ranch before. The original owner had problems with livestock being killed by hungry vampires, but the living had never been an issue before.

”My best guess in this,” she spoke calmly to them both. ”Is that someone has managed to capture one of our kind. Damn me for not keeping closer attention to things recently.” She prided herself for keeping feelers out on what was happening in the town, but lately she had grown complacent.

”It’s the only thing that makes sense. The living found out and someone in the know just could not keep their mouths shut about it. Now we may have a percentage of the population looking for vampires. Iris,” she turned her attention to the blonde. ”I have never questioned your life style choices, but even you have to admit if you look at yourself with more ‘human’ eyes that you could be perceived as a bit… odd. Your style of dress, driving carriages at night. People have no clue what to look for when comes to finding one of our kind, so the stereotypes and those of us who don’t visually ‘fit in’ or are different by society’s standards are going to be the first to be scrutinized. And you, Karema.” She glanced at the brown haired woman. “You usually keep a low profile in the teahouse as far as what you could be. Perhaps you got un-careful at the wrong time one night out at the ranch. Someone saw a woman doing something impossible?”

She was guilty of such a thing herself on her own property. Vampire strength made some things quite easy to manage alone. ”And now with people looking for us? They come to your place hoping to catch a second look? Again. An apparently young and attractive woman living in isolation? What’s her problem? What she hiding? As far as peeking in your windows, I am not even going to speculate.” she finally laughed. ”Try wearing pajamas?”

“Regardless, all of us are going to be having suspicious people looking closer at us.” she sighed. ”The real issue is why do they want to know so badly now. I think all three of us have avoided out and out killing people in general unless we had no choice, so are they safe around us may not be the question they want answered. I can’t speak for all the vamps in town. Some of them are a source of danger to people, but that is there problem. But what can we do? The worst I have had so far is someone tossing holy water I my face, thinking I was going to burn like a slice of bacon. How shall we act when the curious begin pushing harder for answers?”