A Delightful Day at the Musuem...and Nothing Else

Sarah opened her eyes. There wasn't alcohol clouding them but somehow she felt confused. She wasn't in her own bed, that much was for sure. This room had light coming in through windows that weren’t covered by thick curtains, in general it was lighter...more refined, with an air of subtle sophistication. The room was judging her and she hadn't spent a conscious minute in it. That was unfair.

Sarah then looked over. A shoe was about to drop she knew. Someone was next to her, under sheets that Sarah could already determine smelt a bit like sex and fear. Despite herself and her foggy mind Sarah found this rather enchanting. It was a mystery...a wonderful surprise in a way. Who was this enchanting delight that was part of her delightfully fucked up life? One of the treats.
 
Next to her, wrapped up surprisingly tight in blankets, was the Flame. Her long brown hair was put over Sarah’s shoulder and she wore a smile of contentment. Flame was nude of course, and Sarah got a look at her very flat narrow back. In a way it was pretty. As were her arms that looked like tent-poles compared to Sarah’s.

Eternal Flame: ‘Mazing Girl’s superhero cohort; the psychic who created fire from nothing. The  Flame the eerie looking girl who saw right through Sarah. The Flame...the gingham dressed heroine that frankly looked like something from a Tim Burton film. Woman. Female. Possessor of Oviares. That Flame. As Sarah looked around the room, she had thought it would be gothier. There was a lot of tasteful white furniture and subtle colors.

Sarah had a sensation there were several options here. Though in the last couple of months they had grown to know each other a bit, she still... well, Sarah was kind of creeped out by the girl who talked in a singsong voice that suggested murder. Yet here Sarah was, with a vigina that felt gushy...obviously something had happened that she had no reason to forget, but her mind wasn't quite remembering. Perhaps a little panic would help.

But she couldn't quite work her way up to panic.  Instead she decided to be more neutral.  She leaned over and hugged her new lover from behind, wrapping her arms around the woman who was as flat chested as a board. She nuzzled into her. Sarah cupped her breasts - or what there was of them. Flame had the kind that suggested yes, this was a breast...but nothing more. Sarah traced her stomach and several ribs, finding the smallest hint of abdominals. I mean she had to work out to be a hero...how could she be this thin? Then a finger went between her legs.

"It’s too early," said Flame’s voice. And Sarah agreed with that.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember...


********

Last night she had been thrown roughly into the room...her arms tied behind her back, her body beaten, her spirit had been crushed. Well, it was a hard spirit to crush, but it had been given a pounding.

She had been patrolling the city, feeling rather happy with herself, when she got shot in the ass. Normally that was a pain...in the ass, but this one was a very strong dart, that injected her with what she had been told was enough tranquilizer to bring down a pack of elephants.

The force of the hit disrupted her jump, and as she spiralled into the side of a building. The impact didn't do wonders. She landed on the ground in a heap...and while she tried to get up she was starting to feel really ’Mazingly groggy. Alcohol did affect her, but she was feeling worse now then she ever did in her life.

A group of thugs - anything more then their groupness and their thugness was lost on her - came at her and beat her up some more. Frankly the drugs were taking effect and she really didn't feel most of it as she half heartedly put up a fight.

She remembered throwing up on one of the thugs shoes. Take that shoes. That’ll fuck em...

She found herself being brought into a building -again a building –  and into an office.

"Ahh!” said a man waiting in the office. “The mighty ‘Mazing woman,"

"Wait till I get your hands on me," said ’Mazing Girl, almost instantly aware that hadn't really made a lot of sense.

"Charming as always," the man observed. Did she know the voice? She thought she did. Her eyes just weren't working properly.

"Set the chain," the man ordered.

She felt her hands being brought behind her back, and something put around that the informed was: "Tripple strength titanium based alloy. That strut could hold up the Empire State Building."

"So. Come on...tell me your evil plan," urged ‘Mazing Girl. It was good to fall back on what you know.

"You'll figure it out. It does involve you staying alive, so that’s something in your favor. You’re worth a lot to me alive...well, worth more to other people."

Then she put it together. "Kraygen."

"Yeah we've met" he said

Kraygen was a mercenary. She hard heard from various sources that he used to work for the Canadian government, in their secret service, which really made her give it up for Canada. He was somewhere between a thug and a criminal mastermind, depending on the day of the week. He was the kind of the guy who could, say, shoot down a flying superheroine with a high powered dart and capture her and take her to a building. It all added up.

"Put her in the room," he said. "You look like you lost some water in the process. We’ll get you some. Don't worry, I want you alive and healthy.”

By this time ‘Mazing Girl was only just shy of unconsciousness. Still she soldiered on and managed to step on the foot of the thug behind her. There was no real power in it, but that will show em. His shoes must be really messy. 

*****

So she was thrown in a small storage room. Most stories like this featured an abandoned warehouse. This looked more like a small office space. She was tossed on the floor.

"who is that?" a voice asked quietly.

This voice Sarah was able to identify more readily.

"Flame! You’re the Living Flame!"

"eternal flame," said the voice. "but points for effort."

The Flame looked Sarah over. “’mazing girl. good finally they got you."

"What?" said ‘Mazing Girl, really not feeling it.

"captured...brought here. Ttey got me two days ago when I was on patrol, the wretches. dart to the back of the neck. It put me down, but only for a short time. been fully conscious for a day or so and planning my escape. however, a big part of my plan was for them either to capture someone else like you, or..."

“How did you know they were going to?"

"i am a telepath."

Then the voices outside Sarah’s head stopped, and the voices in her head started.

((we should probably communicate this way anyway, it’s safer. as I was saying, i'm a telepath. i can read that beast Kraygen’s thoughts. such a ghastly inhuman sort. he has made come contacts in what might be called the white slave trade in asia and wants to sell heroes there for some type of underground setup.fighting maybe, sex...even he’s not sure. but he wants to get about five of us. I knew his next target was you.))

"That was your plan?"

((talk like this)))

((That was your plan?)) ‘Mazing girl thought. ((Have me get captured?))

((to help me. I know your groggy. they probably plan to keep you like that. their plan for me was to tie me up and keep me in an inflammable room, however i think with both our powers together, we can escape.))

((How?))

Just then she heard and felt drums in her ear, something coming close to her... moving. She opened her eyes to see that Flame was over her. Flame’s hands and legs where both bound up.

((i need straight contact with your skin to do this. it’s not going to be pleasant, i’m afraid. But be a good sport and buck up.))

Flame leant down as if to kiss her...however all she really did was nuzzle her neck with her face. Rather awkwardly, as she felt a nose somewhere.

It was then she felt it...a huge rush of chemicals going through her mind as if every alcoholic drink she had ever experienced was rushing through at once. It was incredible. It only lasted about a second...and then Sarah fell unconscious.

***

She then woke up, opening her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around. She felt fine now. Dehydrated, but as if the cloud was gone. Also, she had peed her costume.

((i helped you clear your mind. i have the power to get inside your head a bit...your body. i sped up the drugs about a 100 fold. it hit you hard, but you should be fine now. Now use your super-strength and we can effect an escape.))

‘Mazing Girl smiled and laughed just a bit. She felt her hand. she had been told the metal was designed to hold up the Empire State Building.

However, she had found that with enough pressure metal of any kind was really sort of weak when she pushed it. Well...after about twenty seconds of tugging and grunting...she was free.

“okay,” Flame said "they have a camera. get me, and let’s get out of here before they come in.”

‘Mazing Girl grabbed the manacles holding Flame’s hands together. They were a standard set of handcuffs. She just broke the chain, she would worry about the cuffs later. She did the same with Flame’s feet

"You okay?"

"stiff, but workable" Flame told her as she got up, moving and stretching her arms. "there. they almost certainly have more of those tranquilizers they got you with before, so be careful."

Mazing girl nodded. She approached the metal door.

"stop!" Flame warned. "i can read their minds. they’re waiting for us to bust through the door to get us. there’s five of them. kraygen. can you do me a favour?"

"Sure."

"i want you to make a small hole in the door...maybe 6 feet up. I want to see in there."

‘Mazing girl punched the door near the top, making a small hole. A bunch of bullets blasted at it, but the metal door stopped them.

Flame went over. "give me another hand. A hand up."

‘Mazing Girl leant down and made a bridge for the diminutive heroine in gingham. She noted she was just wearing a gingham dress. It wasn't a fake made of Kevlar like most superheroes wore. It was just maybe a 1/8 inch of clothing. And yes, underneath she was wearing panties.  Very sensible ones.

Flame looked through the hole. And then ‘Mazing women heard a cry. And the sound of fire.

"making the room more cozy. i forgot to ask. I myself am quite fireproof, but what about yourself?”

"I'll do. And I got an idea."

"then effectuate it partner."

‘Mazing girl grabbed the door handle, and pushed. The hinges gave way pretty quickly, pulling free even as she kept pushing.
 
Within a second the door wasn't in the wall, and she had a shield.

The room was on a lot of fire. Flame of course didn't actually set any of the men on fire...but several desks, plants, and other things weren't so lucky. Sarah felt the almost deafening impacts of felt like rockets hitting the door. Must be the launcher.

She moved up and swung the door at the source, and the man. Both flew to the side. Another met the same fate. Flame was, despite her size, good enough in a fight. She managed to disable one of the men with what looked to be very precise use of judo, even as another fled the room with his toupee on fire.

That left Kraygen. He pulled out a gun.

‘Mazing girl dropped her shield.

“I'll shoot," Kraygen threatened.

"Oh come-on. Why don't you just stop now and throw the gun at my face?" ‘Mazing Girl suggested.

"I’ll shoot her!" He then turned, and he did pull the trigger. But the gun exploded in his hand.

‘Mazing girl punched him as he dropped the gun in shock.

"lots of very flammable things in guns, i’m afraid" said Flame. "dull sort, I have done that before. I would assume it was on a fact-sheet somewhere."

****

They waited for the police to come up, put the rest of the thugs in a more presentable order...and well, talked a bit. Sarah had thanked Flame. Then Flame thanked Sarah. Both, it turned out, felt indebted to the other for others help in their predicament. It wasn't the debt, it wasn't that precisely. Or drink. ‘Mazing Girl felt, if anything, too sober. As if reality had taken an extra sheen.

Well, it somehow ended up back in Flames house in the mid Wilshire Distrct, where they had spent quite a few hours eating each other out. Very well, in fact. I mean...that was a hell of a tongue on that woman.  

Which lead to some real good sleep. which she undoubtedly needed. And eventually it lead to her waking up. And then Flame waking up with Sarah holding her.

"Good morning," Flame offered, when at last she fully waked up.

This was good as Sarah really wanted to go to the bathroom. Yet somehow she didn't want to leave Flame in bed by herself. No, a part of her really really wanted to go right now, but another part of her felt that would be seen as rude, and she didn't want to insult a woman who could burn her up with her mind.

"I’m going to the bathroom. Is that alright?" asked Sarah.

"Of course," said Flame. "First door on the left.”

Sarah got of bed gingerly separating their limbs as she did. They were rather entwined, in fact.

She went in and pissed like a mother. She had drank a lot of orange juice after another and not all of went into curing her dehydration.

"May I ask you what your real name is?" inquired Flame through the door. "I apologize...you may have offered it last night...but I don't remember."

"Can't you just read my mind?" said Sarah. Then paused. This was a step. A big step. But...

"My name is Sarah."

"Nice name," said the Flame. "Reliable. Strong. Just like you. My name is Lana, but you can probably find that from all the magazine subscriptions in there."

Sarah left the bathroom. She looked at the still nude Lana. "Do you want a robe? They will probably fit you though you are a...”

"Much bigger girl then you."

“Didn't want to say, but these tend to be one size fits all. I have this very nice kimono," Lana explained as she went to her closet. "Picked it up in Japan several years ago.” 

Lana returned with the Kimono. Sarah looked at her...well what was she? Associate...that much was obvious. They worked in the same field. At times there had been moments where they had been friends-but the kind of friend you don't actually know the name of. They now fucked each other.  Lana herself, whatever her last name was, was still so small and tiny. Sarah admired her. Even without her ’Mazing strength she could have broken her in half. Her waist must have been 17 inches and not a lot of her body was that much more shapely than that. She was a small girl of bone and sinew. From the brown hair on her head to down bellow. That Flame did smile at her suggested friendliness, so at least there was that. 

Lana handed over the silk kimono. It did fit well enough, covering Sarah in rish light blue cloth. "You look rather smashing, I must say. Charming even."

Lana put on a light blue robe of her own. "I must admit: I have always thought you were rather beautiful ‘Mazing...well, Sarah. Not a fake model, but your curves, the wash of your face, yes...I must say your gorgeous in a healthy way. I myself can't gain an ounce of weight with my metabolism, but I do envy your curves."

Sarah blushed. That was sweet. She had no idea how to end this encounter, and had the desperate desire to do so, but this was sweet, even if her eyes still looked through her.

"You look nice to."

"Thank you, from an old stick and bones," said Lana. "I can make you breakfast if you want."

Sarah paused. A million things went through her mind. This was a superhero. She made a rule never to fuck superheroes. Or supervillains for that matter. She wanted a separate, uncomplicated, life and secret identity. Of course, these were words; titles. And Sarah did sleep around a bit. Now she was sleeping round, but this...Nighthawk would know. Everyone would know. And they would whisper. And that would be no good. The fact that she was a girl too wasn't going to help anything either.

She lowered her head. "Sure."

"Are you okay?" Lana asked. The Flame, if anything, was good at keeping her emotions in check. what she was actually feeling, if anything, was a mystery to Sarah. She could be thinking the same thing, or the exact opposite. This was a mistake Sarah knew...but a person like this you didn't want to tell. You didn't want to make a person mad when they could set the house on fire with an angry thought. But something in Lana’s character told Sarah she would never do that...and besides it was Flame’s house.

And a very nice house at that. They walked down to a large airy kitchen, full of pale whites and tasteful furniture. It looked like a mansion or a mini version of that.

"Hope it’s clean enough," said Lana "I don't have any housekeepers or anything, I don't want to risk them finding anything."

Sarah paused. The flame wore no kind of mask. She wore a kind of costume one could wear anywhere, in fact, in a look normal enough kind of way. How did she actually keep a secret identity? It was a question she never actually got a decent answer to.

And the house itself looked cleaner then she ever could possibly imagine any real property looking. Fuck what a tidy fucker.

Sarah shook her head. "You have a beautiful house."

"Oh thank you," said Lana, as they walked into a kitchen of steel and light paints. "Bought it a couple of years ago. It’s serviceable. Works as a house...sometimes as an office, and I suppose my lair. I sometimes call it my candle." She shook her head. "I don't have people over often."

Sarah, as a woman of a certain moral repute, and age, in the city of Los Angeles...had woken up in some real shit houses. With guys doing blow in the bathroom. Not today. This could be considered a treat. An awkward treat. But, well...

Sarah sat down at a breakfast table. "Do you have any coffee?"

Lana nodded and went to a grinder that looked more expensive then Sarah’s car. "Oh, I get Sumatra beans from a shop in silver lake. Do you want a French grind or something smoother this morning? I want a bit of thickness, I need the caffeine, as if you couldn’t tell."

Lana looked, well, energetic was the wrong word, but if the one setting on her motor was functioning properly.

"That sounds good" said Sarah. She got her coffee from a can pre-ground. Though she did use little white filter cups, thank you.

"What do you want for breakfast? I usually eat granola bit of fresh fruit, but now I’m entertaining a lady caller for this meal, so perhaps I should get more elaborate."

"Do you have any eggs? And, like, some bacon?"

"I am vegetarian, but I do have some eggs I think still. Buy them from the farmers market." She opened the refrigerator "Scrambled? Poached? An omelette with some fresh tomatoes and basil?"

"That sounds good," said Sarah. This was really odd. The sex, the house everything.

Lana busied herself prepping ingredients behind Sarah.

"Do you need any help?" asked Sarah.

"No, I can manage," said Lana. "You know I get The Times - both the local and the New York version. Do you want to read the paper? It’s Sunday.”

It was Sunday. Sarah had no excuse...no work to go to. Which was okay, as she probably would have been late already.

"I bet it probably has some account of our exploits. How do you feel about reading your own stories? It always makes me feel a bit awkward I’m afraid."

"me too," Sarah agreed with genuine solidarity. "It’s such a weird thing. And I just don't know how to talk to the press.”

"It’s not natural for me either. Still the press loves you, and thinks me perhaps rather odd. Like I am some ghost from Chatswim. That is the effect I am going for. Still the world does need us so we must oblige. you get to be supergirl, I guess I’m The Shadow."

Within a couple of minutes there were omelettes on the table. And toast. And Orange juice. They ate in silence for a few moments.

"You know," said Lana, "It is Sunday, and I have a membership to the county museum of art. Would you like to go today?"

"I went there a couple of years ago, they had an exhibit on Jack Kirby’s art."

"No, I think you’re confusing the county with the museum of contemporary art. MOCA. That’s different, though with the problems they've been having maybe not for long."

Sarah paused, and thought, as she ate what was a very good omelette.

"You know, I came here in my costume. And I can't very well wear that to the museum.”

"Nothing I have would fit you," said Lana. "That isn't an insult, except to me."

What was she thinking? Perhaps there was just a glimmer of hope and disappointment. Or it could have been Sarah’s imagination.

Clearly the invitation meant that this wasn't a mistake. Breakfast could be a curtesy. A trip to the museum was not. The Flame thought they were enough of something to go to the museum together, enough of a ...what precisely?

Sarah realized that this could be a mistake. This entire episode had been a mistake.

But what the hell? She didn't have any plans for the day.

"I'll go home and change, then meet you there at let’s say...what time is it?"

"11:00"

“11? Jesus. Say 12:30 then?"

"That sounds like quite a lot of fun," said Flame. Yes...it was a smile, as big as this strange person sitting across from Sarah at the table could give.

Sarah smiled back.

And they spent a happy afternoon walking through the museum, looking at art from Mesopotamia, old European masters, and Japanese contemporary pieces. It was one of those things in LA that you would never quite do without company.

(to be continued)

The Tribe of Gothos

Sarah walked into the nightclub of vampires.

Or, at least, some vampires. There were also people she abstractly realized were what, in a gay/lesbian alliance might call an ally. Which in vampiric terms meant, well, she didn't quite know...bt it was a distinction.

Or maybe there was no distinction.

This was the problem of vampires.

If they were, in fact, vampires.

The club was really a second floor bar, in Hollywood - and a fairly small one - maybe 20 feet wide with a bar, which was tight, with a small dance floor at the end. However, it was well done, with a kind of style that could be described as early, satin sheets everywhere. It felt like the past, but no particular year. A kind of timeless quality that was, thankfully, not particularly steampunk.

Sarah looked at the group of about 20...30...ish people. Most were in the 20s, about 85% were some version of doable, as she remembered Elaine had described them in Sienfield.

Goths mostly. Young, and fairly pretty, if occasionally either very thin or occasionally fat. Though not all. A fair number had the kind of designation that if you put 10 of them in the room at once, you would say - wow they’re goths - but individually, not so much.

The fact that most seemed happy was good. You know, it was a Saturday night, go out enjoy yourself - maybe drink a little blood. Sarah’s job was very often finding people who had elaborate evil plans, who were laughing and enjoying themselves before attempting to destroy the city. This was a much more casual meeting.

Of vampires. If they actually were vampires.

Sarah had walked in wearing her gothiest outfit - which wasn't as gothy at her high point, but what can you do? Sarah had never been a goth, but there was days very early in college where if you put her with those 9 other people that’s what you might want to say. Now she had to skimp a bit for the vaguely punkish black skirt and fishnet top over red tanktop. At least her skin was white. Actually, looking at the crowd, she had the sensation that she was trying a little hard.

Which often happened when she tried something like this. Sarah was going undercover to investigate a reported drug ring, and a guy on the street gave her this name. She wasn't really an undercover type superhero – makeup, costuming: not her thing. However, at some point she got a license from the police that looked legal enough, and also 15 bucks from an ATM, which meant that she could not legally be excluded. And in undercover work, that was often enough. Yes, she looked an awful lot like ‘Mazing Girl even with her - not really a disguise, as she actually needed them, but worked pretty well as a disguise, despite a million superman jokes to the contrary - glasses. However Sarah almost always looked an awful lot like ‘Mazing Girl and it worked well enough. Just being out and about without people knowing your name was a pretty good disguise.

Sarah looked around. The other viable strategy of jumping in and harassing people at random, while wearing a silly costume, until they responded, may have been better - it certainly would have been faster. However, it could have resulted in the problem she occasionally ran into on the street, that people lied to her,  in the let send  her after our enemies, or into an erotic world of passion and betrayal - otherwise known as a late nite cinemax movie.

The world of the vampires.

Maybe.

Sarah was a super strong, super fast, super tough, and super good looking (okay, maybe not that last one) super hero. The laws of reality only casually applied to her. Which was the problem. Who was she to judge?

Vampires didn't exist. They where creatures of the movies (mostly) and books. There were about a thousand standards of what vampires were. In reality, these people were probably somewhere between a fetish and mental illness.

Probably.

Well...it’s a crazy world.

Some people had super powers, and there had several cases of people who had superpowers pretending to be vampires - which made sense, if you thought you had superpowers then thinking you were a vampire might one way to deal with that. Or maybe, that’s just what they were.

Whenever she was in places like this she couldn't entirely rule out such things.

As she sat down at a table, knocking it slightly in nervousness, a tall reedy looking man with gaunt features, and a prominent widow’s peak, moved a hand to steady it for her - in what seemed like a genuinely kind gesture, she had the problem.

These were people - maybe evil vampires, but in really if she put a stake in their heart that would probably constitute murder.  Sarah may be a superhero who followed the kind of code of, well, anyone who wasn't a casual psycho. Even for evil people she didn't belive in the death penality. Even for evil. Even for Adolf Hittler in a theroetical time machine(for purposes of this anology for some reason the time machine has a mustache). 

And besides, calling these people evil may be a stretch. Her eyes spotted a corner. A not very handsome man was drinking a girl’s blood from her neck - and given the way the girl looked, Sarah guessed it was consensual. ‘Mazing Girl wasn't going to go to a BSDM club - or the fakey-not-really-BSDM that featured chicks in leather but no actual whips or anything but could get really expensive real quickly and where mainly fake edgy shows for the rich - clubs, and arrest people. That would be wrong.

(Though the latter, when she came across them, did kind of offend her sense of good taste)

Also gay bars. In 2013 that would be beyond terrible. And was gay really a fetish? I mean, to classify them together? Ahh well, no she wasn't going to do that.

However, a drug ring...that was good reason to be here.

"So, why are you here?”

Sarah turned and looked. That was said out loud.

The speaker was a very handsome man - did she know him? He had kind of a male model look to him, with shaggy brown hair and upturned cheekbones. No...not model, more of, like, someone from a boyband - no....maybe, like an actor? He was very handsome with blue eyes. She swore she could recognize the face, but Sarah couldn’t place him. He was wearing a kind of suit that was both a suit and goth outfit - which was quite a trick.

"Oh, just checking things out," Sarah told him.

"No, really...why are you here?" the man pressed.

"Who are you?"

"Oh. My name is Jackson Rathbone."

The name. Yeah. He was in the twilight movies. Which she had seen. Yes. She remembered him. Huh. LA was funny like that. If you look carefully it was easy to find celebrities...sometimes in the weirdest spots.

Jackson spoke, "You didn't answer my question...Amazing Girl."

Sarah paused to consider, and then answered. "I am here looking for a drug ring."

Jackson thought a moment. "A drug ring - that seems like something out of a very edgy episode of Scooby Doo"

Sarah nodded. "I see your point. Hey...wait a second...”

"Oh...are you? Amazing Girl?" said Jackson "I just assumed, but didn't ask-are you"

Sarah paused, and considered carefully, then answered. "Yes. Well its spelled diffrently"

He sat next to her at the table. "Can I get a drink bartender...whisky, Sec... What are you drinking?"

"I wasn't," Sarah informed him.

Jackson nodded. "You do know what the cliental of this club is? I mean we don't post it on the door..."

Sarah nodded. "Vampires."

Jackson nodded back. "You know their laws about denying entry to those over 21? Silly really. I own the place actually. You’re not here to shut us down?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, just looking for...”

Jackson gestured at the room "This is a night club. Probably in the bathroom, but nothing explicit. You doing okay? Please don't attack me or hurt me, or my club...no big battles or dumb things like that."

"Yes...”

Jackson chuckled.

"Did you want to call me master?"

Sarah considered this, and anwsered firmly. "Yes."

Okay...this was getting odd. Sarah was telling incredibly deep secrets and sharing information - kind of way-to=blow-your-cover-genius kind of stuff, to a very strange man who looked like a male model and who owned a nightclub for vampires, and...but, well...it seemed so far fairly natural - like she didn't have to give it much thought. Like all of this actually made a lot of sense.

Jackson smiled as a drink came to his table. "I don't drink wine. More of a whiskey man myself. We go through the vino though - it makes them feel good. Posers... 80 percent of them...not that it matters really. I’m not one to judge."

"What’s going on?"

Jackson nodded. "I'm a vampire. Believe it as you wish, I don't give a flying fuck. Probably if you did there would be trouble. So don't believe it. But that, you see, is my vampiric power, or one of them anyway. I can make people do whatever I say if I want them to. Which in this case, I do.”

Sarah nodded. This made sense – except, well she didn't believe him of course - but wait...fuck...ahh probabbly...fuck. Also his last sentance was a bit tortured but the gist was given.

Jackson nodded. "That’s the trick with any kind of hypnosis. It’s never fighting will. Being strong and tough - that makes things easier. It’s directing, not controlling. It all seems so natural and easy."

"So you use it to..."

"Well if I asked you for a million bucks the police would call it fraud, or something equally dreadful. But barring that, just being a douche. MO. Who cares? I talked myself into being a vampire in a movie - actually 5 of them. It amused me.”

That was right. He was a vampire in the Twilight movies. Just not the one who anyone cared or remembered. Probably, in fact, the least interesting one of the vampires.

Jackson considered. "Could have been the big star - but what’s the challenge in that? Really? What’s the challenge in anything? Challenge is over-rated. Why fight the world? Just enjoy it. I got to sparkle for a bit."

Sarah paused. This was something, if it was true, she should really care about, but she didn't quite believe it. And still...this was a nice place...

And wait...had she been told not to believe or do anything about it? Wait this was confusing...

"I am actually 49."

Sarah considered this. Huh? "Awkward age for a vampire."

Jackson nodded. "Tell me about it. But there’s babes blood...and...do you want to have sex with me?"

Sarah didn't hesitate.

"No."

Jackson looked her over. "How about now?”


Sarah’s reply cam fast. "Still no."

"Wait...I didn't phrase that into a command." Jackson nodded firmly. "’Mazing Girl: you want to bed down the incredibly sexual magestic fuck-toy that.....”

And Sarah threw his whiskey in his face.

Jackson shook. "Hey..."

Sarah got up and started to walk out. "You didn't finish your thought."

Jackson spoke up. “That’s not how it works."

Sarah shook her head. "Hypnosis needs an element of cooperation to work how you want it to, and I want no part in what you have to offer."

"Yes you do."

Sarah turned. Well, he had a point. This was fun.

Oh fuck...

"Your pathetic, you know that?" Sarah told him, "Using your powers just for sex...what’s the point? Why not just masturbate?"

"Do you masturbate?" Jackson asked with a smile.

"Two or three times a day," Sarah confessed.

"Describe it," suggested Jackson.

"Well, I have a vibrator, but that’s a little strong. First time is usually when I wake up...not all the time, but maybe three times a week...it just feels so good...so I close my eyes, and just really let my body tells me what’s natural, I play with my clit a bit, my boobs...I have really nice boobs.:


"I agree," said Jackson. "Do you get off on humiliation?"

Sarah shook her head. "Not humiliation...sometimes do it after battles...after being in the field. Sometimes just being super strong is such a turn on...lifting tons and tons of weight...wow, it just makes me so wet sometimes...and I have to...well...I just have to release it."

Jackson smiled. "I am not so pathetic am I? Compared to you...slut."

Just then a voice came behind her, and over walked a young girl about 20. She was overweight - not the kind of rubenesque hourglass of Sarah, but very much a pear, with fiddly boobs and brown ragged hair. She looked, in short, well...like you would imagine someone who really liked twilight wearing a velvet dress. Not very threatening.

"Masturbating doesn't make her a slut. Having sex doesn't make her a slut. It doesn't make her super empowered, but she does. And you shouldn't do that."

"Yes, Mandin," said Jackson.

"Now apologize to her," ordered the woman.

"I'm sorry," said Jackson as Sarah just watched. The thing of it was his expression never changed. He was snide and condescending to the max, and he still looked snide – yet the apology was sincere. No fight, no clenched lips, It was all natural across his face.

"Jack gets like this," said Nandin, "He’s still very young as a vampire. We can be jerks. But he’s dreamy. Now hug mommy."

And Jackson walked around behind the woman and gave her a hug.

"So you’re the..." Sarah began before being cut-off.

"The head vampire. Yes. That what the Simpsons would call em, and who am I to argue with the Simpsons? Me and my little clan here?"

"Are there any kind of, like, drugs?" Sarah asked.

"Be specific," said Mandin.

"Cocaine."

"You know I don't think I’ve really seen coke in the scene since the 90s. It was everywhere then. Not to much these days. They go in shifts. Ecstasy; meth. I don't think the kids are doing anything, really, at the moment. But you can ask around. I want to keep a clean club. Marijuana yeah, but you’re not here for that are you?"

"No," said Sarah.

"I think a couple of people smoke, but no dealers like that. Wouldn't tolerate it."

"Must have got some bad info."

"We’re an easy target," said Mandin. "Always have been. Its why we stay in the shadows. No one believes in us. Easy not to believe. You don't believe either."

"Of course not," said Sarah. "This is silly stuff, mixed with mild psychic powers."

"I was a deluded but rich twilight fan, who found a star and am plying him with money to keep him happy as my boy toy. Which is true enough. Do you like the books?"

"Actually...yeah," said Sarah.

"They have their moments. I grew up very Christian, so it helps. Of course, that was the 1860s."

Sarah nodded and turned. “I won't bother you guys anymore then. If you see anything, tell the police about it."

"Will do," said Mandin.

Sarah walked out. Boy this was stupid. Thinking they were real vampires. God, how dumb was that? Still, as she walked outside into the night, there was a way that the night and the moment could make you believe the impossible, the strange and unproven. Something about the moon and the atmosphere, the way the fog moved, yeah, in the right...light was the wrong word. But...shadow. In the right shadow, anything could happen, even undead creatures of the night.

But that was silly.

And Sarah leapt up from the ground and soared 1000 feet up in the air...off into the moonlight.

Which made, like, total sense.