Shifting Ideas [1x1]

[Jannistory19]

“Hey! Get back here!”

“You have to catch me first!”

So close. Holly almost had it. The wallet was almost gone without a trace. But nooo, someone had to point it out. Oh well, more fun for her. She looked back to see the men were still chasing her. A breathless giggle exited her mouth before she turned the corner, dodging people like a football player. One would’ve thought she would bump into someone at this point, but not when she was agile as a cat.

“Get over here!” the man shouted again. Holly couldn’t help but laugh - she was much faster, but having this much fun was too hard to give up. Turning another corner, Holly ran into a quieter and less crowded neighborhood. One that wasn’t very active with parents or children. As fast as she could, Holly hid behind someone’s car, crouching down to see the men’s feet while she crawled on the ground.

Slowly she crept around the vehicle while they frustratingly searched their surroundings.

“Where is that bitch?”

“She’s obviously not here. You want to call the cops already?” an apparent friend asked.

“No! She will be long gone by then,”

“Well, if we keep talking here, she’ll be long gone for sure.”

“Shut up man. Hurry up, keep moving,” the man said as he began to run again. Holly waited until the men were completely gone from sight, then chuckled to herself as she walked back out of the neighborhood street. Walking leisurely, the woman pulled out the wallet she stole to count the money she could’ve had.

“Hmmm, not bad. Wish it was a bit more, but beggars can’t be choosers,” Holly said with a shrug. She kept walking until…

“There you are, bitch!”

Holly turned her head to see the men having come back out to the main streets. Shit.

Time to run again.

Holly put the wallet in her small sack as she began to run, to make sure that it didn’t fall out. Her pace picked up to a full sprint, dodging people once more to make sure her stride didn’t falter.

Then the blaring sound of the train pierced the air. A smile came across Holly’s face. Hell yes! Her chance to get away! Immediately, Holly focused on the train that was nearby, hoping that she could make it in time. After two blocks, Holly saw the train tracks. Yes! She could be safe if she crossed it.

Holly looked both ways as she ran. Train was almost in position. She ran faster, taunting the men the whole time. The train was getting closer and closer, but Holly wasn’t stopping.

“Hey man! Stop!” she heard the second man cry out.

Holly kept running and running until she finally ducked under the barrier and leaped over the tracks, right in front of the incoming train as it blared its horn again. Finally. She was separated from the men. They watched with anger as the train divided them from their thief, and she gave a triumphant smile as she turned to walk away. The train that was passing though was a large freight train. Those easily had 100 cars to pull, which would take a while. She had all the time to walk away. And she did.

“Better luck next time!” Holly mockingly shouted behind the sounds of the train.

 

[Dan]

Celestine left Victor’s office, clasping her hands behind her back as she held in her smug smile. It might’ve been obvious from the start that she’d one day become the new head of the Valerius Clan. But to hear it confirmed by the current head, left no lingering doubt in her mind. Weaving through the high-ceiling opulent corridors, she passed by various ranking members within the clan – and they regarded her with a slight nod or bow to acknowledge her own ranking. Although completely neutral, there was an energy about her the others picked up quickly.

She left to head back toward her own personal chambers on the far south side of the estate. Celestine was looking forward to Victor announcing it later on in the day. For now, she was to continue her usual routine, which was acting as the personal finance accountant/secretary of the clan’s assets and handling of state affairs. Once she returned to the large opulent bed chambers, she quickly blurred over to the large, comfortable black chair sitting in front of the oak desk. With her feet up on it, she was feeling all the hard work and patience of waiting nearly half a millennium to get what she wanted.

Celestine briefly revelled in the news before actually getting to work. You’d be surprised how much of work was actually waiting for a vampire, many stacks of it. And within an hour and a half, much of it would be gone. She was so focussed on working that she nearly forgot feeding time, which in her definition was actually just swallowing down pills of blood to stave off the hunger. Eventually, she’d need to feed properly on any of the consenting blood banks walking around, but was something she never looked forward to.

‘That is quite odd…’ She thought to herself, looking over some old transactions that were well hidden away in the many stacks of files. Celestine happened upon it when she accidentally knocked it over. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were transferred into accounts not found anywhere within their database, as far as she could remember. With more thorough digging through the stacks of folders and the database, Celestine found out someone was funnelling the estate’s money into off-shore accounts spread throughout Europe. It was a shame she wasn’t able to find the owner of the accounts since it was purposely redacted or blackened out.

‘Someone left these here purposely.’ She figured, narrowing her eyes at the last bank statement of nearly $300K being transferred into an account somewhere in Greece. Before she could get up to gather the evidence and show it to Victor, her best friend, Adelaide appeared out of thin air to tell her that the news was going to be shared soon.

She looked over at Adelaide, “I don’t think I will attend.” Celestine pointed to the others stacks of folders she’d still have to go through before the end of the week.

“Fine, I’ll tell Victor you won’t be attending then.” Adelaide stood up from the couch she was sitting upon. “What will he say when he hears this, I wonder?” She more asked herself than Celestine.

“I already know I will become the next head of the clan. Victor will understand why I was away. How else were you able to afford mortal designer clothing?” She arched a brow at her and gestured for her to leave the room.

“Oh...do be a dearie and shut the door. Can’t have more intruders now, can I?” She rhetorically asked. As asked, the door clicked shut behind Adelaide as she left.

Celestine turned back to the stacks at hand. She went through the rest of it to finally find a name on the last page. What was very suspicious and odd was that a werewolf was involved. ‘Of course...dogs could never play by themselves for long…’ She shut the folder and got up from her desk.

 

[Jannistory19]

Holly walked off confidently with a smile on her face as she gradually left the blaring train behind her. Her grin was plastered on her face, for she knew that the train would hold up the cars that waited in the road and the pursuers who festered with anger for at least another 3 minutes. By then she would be long gone and her pursuers would either have to follow her trail or give up and go back to where they were in the first place.

Even so she didn't want to take any more chances on a longer pursuit, so she decided to pick up the pace and be on her way. After nearly 5 minutes of walking down the sidewalk Holly realized that she was on the other side of the train tracks.... The part of town where many citizens were vampires.

Shit. Holly got so caught up in her chase that she forgot where she was heading. It wasn't illegal for her to be on this side of the tracks, it was just more difficult to feel comfortable. Shifters and werewolves were not really looked on upon rather than nicely by their more stronger and less mortal counterparts.

But she couldn't help but notice how much more nicer this side was. Colorful trees decorated the sidewalks, and open patches of land gave the atmosphere a sort of... Half wild look, as if nature was still clinging on to life despite their modern surroundings. Holly let out a solemn sigh, wishing that humanity wasn't so hellbent on destroying nature.

Nevermind. Time to go get something to eat, and then a trip to the library. Crossing the street, Holly kept her head down as she walked under the trees down the path, relishing the shade that it provided. She looked to her right to see the string of bushes that stood alongside the sidewalk, smiling as she remembered hiding in them when she was younger.

 

[Dan]

Contrary to popular belief, Vampires didn’t vaporise under the sun’s reign, not anymore. With new technology built in modern times, they could easily adapt to humanity’s world – and work their way around the sun. Whilst still more likely to appear in the night than daytime, it wasn’t entirely out of the norm to see a Vampire out and about. It was more than not, younger members of a certain clan that were sent out to do duties from the higher-up’s. The higher-up a vampire was, the less likely they were to appear out in public – out of safety and cautionary reason.

Celestine left the large Victorian-like estate, driving a heavily dark tinted rolls royce down the interminable driveway up to the steel gates. She hit a button to open them up and slowly peel out of the gated community. It took a while since their estate was the largest, near the ocean front with a view most mortals would die for. All along the road, other mansions were far between, manicured front lawns, and expensive vehicles sat out in the open. It’s what set them apart from the other Vampires – half-vampires that were the middle-class, and those rarely in poverty located in the inner-city slums.

She finally broke away from the community, leaving the last set of security gates. Celestine looked over at the paper on the passenger’s side again—lupus commutabilis—was the identified species. But it was the address that went all the way on the other side of the city, literally into the wolf’s den. A name she wasn’t familiar with, then again werewolves multiplied like rabbits, only the important ones were worth knowing – those who nearly killed her father. Revenge was a powerful motivation to get one to kill.

It was a bit irritating that she’d have to make a house call, and to do it under the table. Wouldn’t make a good impression to have matters like this slip out into the clan’s rumour mill. Celestine put in some Erik Satie, letting it play throughout her speakers and put her mind at ease. She looked back out at the road, following the GPS’ directions. It would be at least an hour's drive with the amount of mortals packing up the roads like canned sardines.

 

[Jannistory19]

Holly went to the library and took her refuge. It was often the place she went to when she wanted to get away form the problems of the world. It was quiet and relaxing. After sitting and reading for a couple of hours, the young woman went back out into the world to get something to eat. Walking through the neighborhood, she pondered on what to snack on. Asian? Mexican? American? Tacos? Burger? Burrito? Maybe some chicken? She was around the bend and down another street as she thought about her possible meal.

As she walked, Holly looked to her side to see a mother and her child walking towards their house. The wind brought their scent towards her and she recognized them to be vampires. The realization brought shivers to her spine. The neighborhood she was walking in was mainly inhabited by them; she had forgotten. Why did vampires have such good housing anyway? What made them so special? This didn’t mean that werewolves or shifters didn’t have decent homes to live in, it just struck Holly wrong that vampires were most likely to get the housing than most. And she saw how they looked at others - with contempt and disgust.

It wasn’t fair. The thought then came around about this political event going around… Wasn’t it about the mayor or something? Something about vampires. Whatever it was, she knew it wasn’t going to be good. Not for her, nor anyone else. Vampires only care about themselves.

 

[Dan]

With the sun past its highest peak, Celestine was driving through the less extravagant side of the city. Older buildings and infrastructure that had gone unmaintained by the city, it was intentionally placed that way. During the large-scale mortal war, mostly referred to as ‘WW2,’ the dogs threw the comforts of which they knew before, away. The moment they waged war against her father would stick with her eternally. She drummed her fingers against the leather steering wheel, occasionally looking out the windows to catch the attention of those dwelling outside her expensive vehicle. Whilst unknown to which clan she belonged to, the dogs understood that if any expensive vehicle showed up in their area that it meant someone did something stupid to piss off the vampires...or in their words, ‘leeches.’

Celestine cracked a smile. She could feel the hostility just sitting there. She went deeper into the wolf’s den meaning she’d have to keep her guard up now. Treaties might’ve been instated, but that didn’t mean the younger pups followed those down to a T, compared to their elders that is. There were unwritten rules that the older ones couldn’t enact violence upon their enemies lest they’d wish for another all out war again, so they sent younger members out to do their dirty work. It was especially dangerous when an elder was out doing said dirty work like Celestine.

Usually she’d don the clan’s crest around her neck, instead she opted to not wear anything to identify her easily. Wearing less extravagant clothes, something to blend herself in with a blue-collared joe. However, the rolls royce she was driving did anything but conceal her identity further, yet she couldn’t let go of the comforts she enjoyed so much more than seeing dogs living in run-down buildings. Celestine cursed, finding herself drawing toward near the centre of the dog’s house. She cut the engine outside a large, brick building; some windows were boarded up or even just broken out, yet its inhabitants were well alive. Celestine gave another look at the file, finding the apartment number and last name, Dreos, as the listed occupant. Weirdly enough, the first name was gone, likely redacted to protect the dog who was funnelling money out of the clan’s vault. Well, they didn’t do a good job hiding the trail, and she put it back on the seat before climbing out with sunglasses going over her eyes.

 

[Jannistory19]

Tacos. It was decided that the food of choice was tacos. And with her newfound money, Holly was able to get the ones of her choosing. And burritos. Can’t forget about them. After eating a portion of her lunch and putting the rest in her backpack for home, Holly walked all the way back to her side of town. Unfortunately, that was on the other side of the tracks - where the men could still be waiting for her.

Even so, Holly wasn’t going to let them get in her way. She walked with the same pace as usual, but still vigilant on her surroundings.

~~~~~​

Taking the long way was the best idea Holly had for the situation. It obviously took her longer into the neighborhood, but she was still relatively safe. On her side of the neighborhood, it was filled with werewolves and shifters. Her kind and their kind get along fine enough, but the war and prejudice from the vampires made it hard for them and shifters to totally get along. Shifters didn’t really go so hard in the whole debacle, but since the vampires didn’t treat anyone else as their equals, they’re opinions on them were less than friendly.

Holly sighed as she neared her apartment complex. A relatively quiet neighborhood, but it still had the times where obnoxious kids screamed to the top of their lungs. A strange scent wafted in the air - a sort of perfume. Probably someone who was wearing body spray. It smelled nice at least. Nothing in her head told her that it was a possible danger. As she went up the steps to her apartment door, Holly grabbed her keys and unlocked the door. She closed it with a sigh and took her backpack off. Her apartment had the basic stuff like a couch and a bed, but nothing extravagant. It was hard to look at sometimes - maybe she could distract herself with music albums…. Maybe she could get a radio somewhere.

“Finally! I can eat,” Holly said as she reached into her bag to grab her food. She walked back to the door and locked it, then went to her couch to finish the rest of her food.

 

[Dan]

Celestine’s manicured hand pulled open the burgundy-faded door open. A small gust of wind blew through her face and she could already smell the stench reeking of dog wafting in the air. The door closed with a loud thud behind her; she followed up a small set of stairs before entering a corridor that looked newly painted. The tiles beneath her boots and above her told a different story. They were yellow and parts of the ceiling were sagging. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at how anyone could live in a dog infested building was beyond her. Some lights were flickering as she made her way up to the window, passing by metal mailboxes just beside the window.

She smiled, showing her perfectly placed pearly teeth. Unlike how the mortals told the stories of her kind, her fangs didn’t stick out unless she wanted them to. Otherwise she looks just like any other human being about. Behind the window was an older gentleman, sitting in front of a tv watching a re-run of some show no longer on air.

“Hello there.” Her voice carried above the volume of the television, catching the man’s attention.

He looked up, seeing her just beyond what little privacy and security he could get. His attention immediately on all edge as he shut the tv off. Standing up to saunter closely to the window, “Ma’am.” He greeted.

Celestine placed a small fifty on the counter, “Tell me which...lovely accommodation Dreos lives in.” Her smile was unnerving to the male. He grabbed the bill off the counter. Turning back to the computer just on the desk behind him, he looked up the name in the tenant’s registry and found the person.

Dreos, Holly.

He recanted the unit’s exact number and floor, “Seventh floor, it’s the unit toward the end of the hall on the left-hand side, you can’t miss it.” When he looked up again, the mysterious lady was already gone.

‘Strange.’ He thought as he went back to watching his show.

What a pleasant surprise that she wouldn’t be dealing with a male this time round. Celestine hardly broke a sweat going up the stairs. Apparently the elevators were well out of order since she checked both of ‘em. The vampire followed the directions toward the dog’s apartment just around the corner and...oh, it’s locked. Best to make a better impression despite how much anger she was holding back, Celestine did the appropriate gesture and knocked thrice on the door.

 

[Jannistory19]

Being outside often calmed Holly down. She felt that it showed her space… Space for what, she somewhat couldn’t explain. Perhaps it was space to run? Freedom? Perhaps it was the possibility for change?

…

Ha, more like to escape the pitiful surroundings that was her home. Minimal furniture, no friendly atmosphere, and not much of a design for anything. It didn’t look like a place anyone wanted to live in. Not even if someone wanted to visit, despite her not having anyone that would want to. Thankfully she had a vacuum cleaner and some cleansers to use for the floors and walls. But she wished that the place was more… Welcoming. Ugh, too much thinking. She just liked being outside. And since going all the way downstairs would’ve been too much work, she decided to be on the back porch, in her chair. The sun and breeze often had the ability to melt her concerns away. The young woman took another nibble of her burrito as the breeze blew in her face. At that moment, a strange feeling swept over her. Puzzled, Holly turned around and gave a quizzical hiss. What was this feeling? Shaking her head, she pushed the sensation away and went back to eating her food.

Just when she was done savoring her food, Holly felt the strange feelings shift into a more… Panicked. Like a warning? Small rattling noises echoed in her mind - a sort of signal to her that danger was nearby.

“I don’t like that feeling,” Holly muttered. Just as she got up to throw away her trash, someone knocked on the door. The sudden noise made her jump with a sharp gasp. “Fuck! Who would be at my door? It better not be that annoying kid again,” she huffed.

Holly sighed as she went to answer the door. She looked through the peephole, suspecting to see some sort of suspicious contraption, but instead, she saw a woman; but it wasn’t anyone she even might’ve known. A total stranger. Against everything in her body that told her to ignore the woman, Holly slowly opened the door to see the taller woman standing in front of her door. “Hello? How may I help you?”

 

[Dan]

She was counting the seconds down in her mind. Humans had a thing for keeping time, and Celestine was envisioning an analogue clock in her mind. Each tick that went past. Her impatience was slowly crawling. The woman checked her nails, making sure they were chipped before she stopped, hearing the unmistakable flurry of curses just beyond the door. Letting her hand fall back to her side, Celestine’s patience came back.

The door opened. If Celestine was bothered by the foul stench that came out, she didn’t show it. It appeared this young lady was the occupant who rented this shoddy apartment.

“Hello? How may I help you?” The girl spoke.

‘Least she has manners.’ Celestine brushed the thought away.

“You are Ms Holly Dreos, yes?” Celestine inquired back. She was holding back the anger contained still under a bubbling top. She pulled her lips back into a warm, friendly smile.

Showcasing her pearly whites again. She was going to approach the girl with a peaceful resolution. Tensions between her kind and the dogs were already tight as a rubber band being snapped back—anything could topple over the thinly veiled niceties. Celestine had nearly forgotten about the sunglasses she wore. Perhaps taking them off will reveal she meant business.

And as planned, she took her sunglasses off, revealing a normal pair of blue eyes. Celestine tucked them into her front pocket. The sun wasn’t spilling that far into this dark corner of the corridor. Although she appeared human, the young girl likely knew her true nature. If she hadn’t guessed it yet, then her instincts would’ve tipped her off.

“Personally, I wouldn’t have come here if I knew it would bring me to...this place.” Celestine’s words were of little insult, rather a fact. “I want to bring to your attention—and inquire—your name has popped up on several documents that shouldn’t be there. As there are no others who have the ability to steal several hundreds of thousands of dollars under my nose. Brings me to the question, who is your accomplice? Where do they live? And most importantly, where’s my money?”

While she was carefully explaining—more like accusing—the situation, Celestine brought out several documents from the confines of her bag. A vanilla folder with several pages inside. She opened it to turn it around. It showed bank details for the Valerius Clan and Holly’s name being as the one who withdrew over $300K into several off-shore accounts. Celestine had presented them closer for Holly to look at.

“I’d say I have patience for your explanation but my patience is beginning to wear thin, Ms Dreos. I have important matters to tend to. And I’m trying the nice guy approach here.” She concluded, waiting for her response.

 

[Jannistory19]

There was something about this woman that set Holly off. Was it her stance? Her tone of voice? She asked if her name was in fact true, and Holly slowly nodded. What was all this about?

The woman then smiled - Holly may have looked at things at face-value, but she had the overwhelming sense that the smile was forced. The hissing and rattling didn’t go away that easily, but she probably was overthinking it. And of course, the suspicious woman took off glasses. Probably to make herself more friendly or something. Holly inched back so slightly.

The fact that the woman made a remark about her place made Holly narrow her eyes with indignance. While she figured that she shouldn’t be insulted about her place, she still felt she should feel so. Why not? It just felt appropriate in the moment.

She started to make a remark about it until the woman asked about… wait a minute… What accomplice? What money? As Holly’s brain tried to recall the questions, her eyes caught the movement of some pieces of paper. Bank statements - and they looked official. The statements had various withdrawals, symbols, and other gibberish that she most likely didn’t know, and alongside some of them were very large sums of money - as well as her name as clear as day. What the hell was she looking at?!

Holly shook her head with astonishment. Fear and panic began to swarm her mind - what the hell was going on? Why was she being blamed for something like this? Was this a joke?

… Wait. A joke. That’s what this was. That conniving bitch down the hall and around the corner. That teenage miscreant that always found the time to prank her with elaborate schemes.

At this idea, the young shifter scoffed with a smirk. She looked at the woman in her blue eyes and crossed her hands. Bitch was good if this was her idea.


“Ohhh I see - I see what this is. This is very clever. I have apparently given that broad less credit than she deserves. You and CB aren’t going to trick me. Did that insufferable imp set you up for this? Are you friends with CB? Well, tell that fiend that I am onto her tricks, and this whole thing is a no go. I applaud y’all for the attempt, I really do, but you are gonna have to move yourself off my doorway. Have a good day,” Holly nodded as she began to close the door.

 

[Dan]

Celestine’s smile fell. She had to blink several times to make sure that she wasn’t playing a joke on her. Frankly, she didn’t know who this ‘CB’ was, nor had she cared for this person. When the dog started to close the door on her, Celestine shoved her boot in between the door and door frame. ‘Fuck the nice guy approach.’ Like a rubber band being snapped back. Her patience was gone once it hit her.

Caring little if she was unsuspecting, the door to suddenly be shoved inward with enough force to shove the girl back into the apartment. Celestine stepped in, putting her sunglasses back on. She wandered over to crouch at the girl’s height. “Well, now I don’t care for what dogs do in their free time, but I assure you that I don’t know any...CB. So, I suggest you give me the info I came for or suffer. Your choice.” She warned again. And this was the last warning she would give.

She had produced the papers once more, practically shoving them in the girl’s face again. “Usually I don’t care to make introductions, but to jog your memory – you poor thing. I am Celestine Valerius and frankly, I don’t want to kill another one of your kind, yet you make it too easy to.” She stood and slid off her gloves. “Names. Now.” She demanded.

 

[Jannistory19]

Just as Holly closed the door, it was stopped abruptly by a foot. She gasped at the notion - this woman apparently wasn't taking no for an answer. Holly was then forced back into her home, the door slamming against the wall as the stranger barged through. How dare she?

And the glasses were put back on. Holly's eyes narrowed - she knew the whole glasses thing was a ruse.

As the woman spoke, Holly began to have the overwhelming hunch that this whole thing wasn't a prank anymore. A growl sounded out of Holly's throat at the intruder's words. The woman being in her face made her clench her fists - oh she wanted to smash the hell out of her face so badly.

Threat or not, she refused to be framed for something she didn't do, and then be tortured for information she didn't have.

And fuck anyone that thought otherwise.

The woman then shoved the papers in her face. The shifter hissed as her fists grew tighter until they hurt. A name flew into the air as she strained to keep her anger in check. Celestine? That's this bitch's name? Humph. Holly couldn't recall this name. Which was probably a bad thing, but she didn't care.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'bitch', bitch," Holly snapped as she slapped the papers from Celestine's hands. "Fuck you for thinking that I would be stupid enough to be this obvious in such a crime; and even if I was, you wouldn't get a name or a place out of me." Holly snarled.

She backed away several feet before she bared her fangs. "I don't know who you think you are, and I don't know what you think I am, but you can't just barge in here and demand shit from me. Fuck out of my home or you will regret it!"

 

[Dan]

‘Oh, please.’ Celestine thought, watching the girl as she stuffed her gloves into the pockets of her coat. The papers flying from her grasp, she raised an eyebrow at that – finding it childish. With a quick blur, she had them gathered back in her hands once more. Gone from her former position, she was stacking them in order against the flimsy table that had uneaten food on it. She wrinkled her nose as the stench overwhelming her nostrils. After tucking them back into the folder, she stepped from behind the girl.

“Oh, I know you’re a werewolf, you reek of it.” Celestine retorts, resorting to stand closer to the door, even shutting it close behind her. Making it clear she wasn’t finished talking with her yet.

“I don’t care for petty crimes, Ms Dreos, but your name is obvious on the statement.” She states, “Now, I can come in here and demand ‘shit’ from you. You’re lucky you dogs even have homes to live in.” She adds, a smirk coming on to reveal her own fangs. “What? Did you really think you dogs could live freely? Please. I own this building. I own this entire block, in fact I own your life.” She matter-of-factually states.

Celestine thumps her index finger against her bottom lip, feigning to think of a resolution for their problem. “I will give you 24hours, Holly Dreos.” She puts the folder on the couch. “Don’t worry, I’ll know how to contact you now that I know where you live and your name.” She pretends to yawn. “Fighting you would be an insult to your kind. Frankly, I could put you down with a paper clip. Now, think it over real hard because I’ll be back tomorrow. Don’t bother running.” She warned.

In a flash, she blurred out of the room, leaving the room with a silent thud. Before anyone could see out the hall, she’d already be outside, entering her vehicle. Celestine started her baby back up and was already driving away from the doghouse.

 

[Jannistory19]

Holly's senses were going haywire. This woman was something very familiar. Something she often sensed, but tried to ignore for a long while. This encounter might be enough to make her crazy. Her body might not hold itself back.

The woman suddenly moved to pick up the papers she slapped to the floor, but with such a speed that Holly almost couldn't catch. She gasped as she stumbled back a few inches, stunned at what she was witnessing. Disbelief crept in her mind - did she really see that right?

Was this woman... a vampire? The one being that she hated the most?

Holly’s stance shifted when… Celestine closed the door. Trapped, Holly thought. Was she really about to be attacked? A small hiss came out when the woman came from behind, her body on edge the entire time. What could she do? Nothing she could do would’ve taken the broad by surprise. The best option would be to keep still.

But then the woman said the magic word - werewolf. Now wait a minute… A what? Her head automatically tilted to the side in confusion at the accusation - where did that idea come from? And why was she so dead set on the names on the bank statements? She backed away when Celestine began talking again.

All of it led to the vampire talking about owning everything; the building, the block, even her life. A swirl of despair showed itself - what was that supposed to mean? What was the meaning of this? She refused to be owned by anyone, and especially not by some walking death doll. The taller woman showed her own fangs, which served to confirm the dreadful idea of what Holly already knew. A whimper came forth within her head - where was this going? This whole encounter?

The woman then gave Holly a deadline to come up with her money. What money?! Soon, she left Holly’s doorstep as quickly as she came in, leaving Holly to stand violated in her own home. A deadline… 24 hours…. Tomorrow. Holly looked at the clock on her microwave - it showed 5:30. A shaky breath exited her mouth, and she even noticed her body still shaking from the ordeal. With her arms to her side, Holly walked over to the door and closed it, locking it to make sure she was safe inside. Safe… Was that even a thing she could enjoy anymore? Her eyes glance upwards towards the stack of papers - the papers with the bank statements that had her name on it…. The pieces of paper that held her freedom. Stolen from her with no explanation of why.

Holly whimpered as she walked to the couch. What was she to do? Why was this happening? Why her? What did she do to deserve this?

“Fuck me…. What is this shit? Fucking bitch!” Holly shouted as she threw a book at the wall. Then a notebook. Then a chair. Holly roared in frustration before shaking her head. No, too much. It was too much thinking. A heavy sigh went out of the young shifter’s mouth as she shuffled to her room. Taking off the hotter pieces of clothing, the woman willed herself to get some sleep.

She had a lot of walking to do tomorrow.

 

[Dan]

The Vampire feels her teeth just retracting, the grip on the wheel loosening, and her eyes returning to a normal blue. She hadn’t realised she was that worked up about the...thief. A delicate word to describe this ‘Dreos.’ ‘If that’s even her real name.’ Celestine looks in the rear-view mirror to find one of her clan’s undercover vehicles tailing her. Adelaide must’ve told Victor, after all. Can’t have the newly name heir be reduced to ash, now, would he?

Almost like a second instinct, Celestine’s gaze shifted to the phone on the passenger’s side, where she quickly picked up the phone. Victor’s name showing on the screen. She quickly accepts and presses the mobile to her ear.

“Victor.” She greets flatly. Before an onslaught of enraged curses is flung straight into her ear, the telling makes her wince, and to pull the phone several inches away from her ear. The slight ringing in her ear causing her hearing to die. After what feels more than an eternity of what she lived on this earth, Victor finally calms himself down enough to order her back to the estate.

“No can do.” She sharply retorts. “I have some important business to do in the city. I’ll be back before dinner.” Then she hangs up, fully knowing the repercussions that would wait for her back at home. Turning the phone off, she tosses it into the backseat, not wanting to be disturbed by the politics of the vampire world just waiting to bite her a second time.

Celestine set a timer on her watch, 24 hours. This was such a failure on her part, one that was right under her nose the entire time. If luck was on her side, she’d be feasting on dog tomorrow night. Just the thought of it makes her wrinkle her nose again. Werewolf blood always tasted like copper and badly aged milk left in the scorching sun. Perhaps she’d wait a little longer before tearing the girl’s throat open to be bled out and hung up as a warning for the others.

—​

As night settled back over the estate, Victor was pacing in front of the door. Adelaide sat among one of the couches just in front of the fire. It was no use for the Clan Head to be worried about Celestine, it’s not like she ever came back to the estate in a disorderly fashion. But dinner was hours ago and Victor hadn’t heard from his people; the ones tasked with monitoring the heir of Valerius Clan.

Soon as the front doors slammed open, he blurred past the strawberry blonde vampire to find Celestine dragging in several of their members. More of the younger members, all bloodied and beat-up with his small task force helping her drag in others.

“Where the hell have you been?!” He demanded.

Celestine shoots a glare his way, turning to flash out the door and drag in the remaining vampires. Others from the infirmary could be seen entering to help drag a small group of ten down toward the left hall to get proper treatment.

“Cleaning up after Julian. Again.” She retorts, narrowing her gaze at the mentioned Julian who was leaning against the wall.

However, Victor doesn’t care because she left without telling him. Instead, he had to learn from Adelaide that she left and hadn’t attended her own party just in the ballroom. “I’ll deal with you later, Julian. As for you…” Victor closes the distance between the two, to glare down at his named heir, Celestine. “You will come with me to face punishment...in the hold.”

‘A fight...with Victor?’ Celestine whirled around as Victor pushed past her and stopped, expecting her to follow. Her eyes widened in disbelief before composing herself to follow after him. Hands in fists, and her jaw clenched.

For she hadn’t fought him in three centuries. Celestine would be made an example of whether or not she liked it.

 

[Jannistory19]

“You have 24 hours…. You have 24 hours….. You can’t run…. Can’t hide…. Your life is mine…

Mine…”

Eyes filled with fear opened wide as Holly woke up. She suddenly felt this foreboding presence come over her, and she snapped onto her feet with threatening hiss.

“Who was there?!” Holly demanded. Her eyes narrowed as she scoured her room, senses on high alert for intruders. After what felt like hours, nothing happened. A shaky breath of relief flew out of her mouth as her arms and hands slowly sank to their sides. But then, she remembered something, pumping her anxiety and adrenaline up again.

“Oh shit, shit, shit! What time is it?!” Holly exclaimed. The frightened woman scrambled to her phone and pushed a button to show the screen.

9:30 pm. Monday. Oh thank god - it was the same day still. A larger breath of relief flew out her mouth. Holly sat back down on her bed, thinking about her overwhelming predicament. Groaning, the young shifter sighed and put her head in her hand. Stress was getting the best of her already, and she was beginning to have a headache. This was too much to think about; she didn’t do anything wrong this time. Well, not anything to the Vampires at least. She did her best to pester anyone but them. It didn’t make sense at all. But she couldn’t afford to sleep anymore, not that she was going to be able to anyway. No, she had to go out tonight and get some answers about this.

She washed up and changed into some darkened clothes. A hoodie and some running shoes, for she was sure that she would need to run away from something at some point. And to store things, she picked up her backpack. It was basically her purse, as the actual thing felt too restricting for her. She packed important things, including money, her phone, her keys, and….

Holly sighed as she turned to the stack of papers on the table - the papers that held her future. The woman’s eyes narrowed as she walked towards the white sheets of information that she couldn’t understand, and with a growl, she grabbed them. Restraining herself from tearing them to pieces and throwing them away, Holly neatly packed the papers in her backpack and walked towards the door. Looking back for a few moments to make a mental tally of her belongings, Holly closed the door, locked it, and made her way outside.

She had to find answers.

~~~~~~~~~~~​

Walking down the streets late at night wasn’t generally a good idea, but in her town, things were relatively safe. Sure there was the occasional gunfight or fist fight, but otherwise, it wasn’t too bad at night. Where Holly was going was a long walk, but she had confidence that she’d be alright. And after nearly forty minutes, she made it downtown; during this time, there were a lot of adults having their adult plans. Eating, partying, talking outside with drinks. While it had all the fun vibes that would usually tempt her, Holly was focused on going to a place that might hold the answers to her problems. Walking to a club towards the right side of the street, Holly veered towards the back of the establishment, away from all the humans who were lined up and chattering in the front. She looked up at the sign of the club - “ShadowRealm” was its name. How ironic.

A steel door with a small sliding door for the eyes was the only thing between herself and the interior. She knocked on the door three times, and as soon as she was done knocking, a pair of gruff eyes glared down at the young shifter.

Holly huffed and spoke softly - “I would like to go to the Shadow Realm, please,” Holly said with a straight face. The man nodded, but before he did anything he raised his face a little.

“Trinide Tenebris -'' the man stated with an air of mystery and intrigue.

Janine nodded, knowing what to say in response. She looked to either side of her before looking towards the man again and spoke up.

“Tenebris Unitatis,” Holly finished with confidence.

The man nodded before shutting the door and unlocking multiple locks. Upon hearing the door open, the man ushered Holly to the inside before closing the door again. Holly walked towards a large trapdoor, in which a couple more guards took the liberty of opening it and letting her go downstairs. The moment they opened it, she was bombarded with the sounds of partying individuals, music, and overall club noises in general. She inhaled sharply as she walked into a most unique party scene.

An underground club that was filled with the various races of the supernatural - Werewolves, Shifters, and even Vampires came here to set aside differences and have fun as the loud music blared away the problems of the outside world. It was a neutral establishment - no aggression, no slurs or discriminatory notions were allowed here; but at the same time, almost all of the people here were under the ideal of being together as a people - a people that didn’t see the differences of each race and take them into harsh consideration. As it stood, this ideal didn’t extend towards humans, but time would tell in the future.

Club members danced their hearts out as the music vibrated the walls and floors. As fun as this scene usually was, Holly wasn’t very into such a scene. While there were times where she yearned to be inside these clubs, there was always something holding her back. But she couldn’t even enjoy the music, not with all this on her mind.

She sighed as she walked to the main bar, and waited for the bartender to see her. What drink should she ask for? Ugh should she even ask for -

“No way! Holly?” a voice asked. Holly jumped as she looked upwards and saw the bartender standing in front of her with a glass in his hands. Then a light of recognition hit her eyes as she gave a smile. A fair skinned man with black hair hanging in front of his eyes with bangs.

“Wow, Keta! Long time no see. How’s work?” Holly asked as she brought her backpack up against her abdomen. She saw Keta whenever she came here, which wasn’t much, but she was happy to see him whenever she got the chance.

“Oh nothing much, just serving the drunken masses. So, do you want anything to drink? Perhaps something with alcohol in it?” Keta asked.

“Nope. I’ll settle with a Shirley Temple. Virgin,” Holly said as she glanced at her surroundings.

“Kinda like you?” Keta shot out. Holly hissed as she turned to glare at him, eyes narrowing with irritation. “Fuck you, Keta! Give me my drink before I snatch you up and file your weak ass fangs down to useless stubs,” Holly said as she flipped the vampire off - one of the very few vampires that she'd ever be happy to see. While she harbored negative feelings towards most vampires, Keta, being a worker in the club, was the first Vampire that she tolerated, once she got used to him and the ideals of the club itself. And as riled as she would get over his smart ass comments, she didn’t mind talking to him. Keta chuckled as he poured her drink into a cup and slid it over to her.

“Hey, I need to talk to Daggon. You know where he is?” Holly asked as she received her drink.

 

[Dan]

Celestine went down long, linear stairs made of marble. The dim-lights pooled in the middle of the ceiling as she followed Victor. Being made an example of was something not to make light of. Despite her abrupt leaving to deal with a threat far-greater to their funds, on top of taking care of Sebastian’s mess, she was the one being punished. In her mind, it made no sense for her to be punished when it should be Sebastian in her place.

‘The Hole’ as Victor called it, was a sparring arena where her clan could hash out problems with one another or train any new members. There was no padding, it was all made out of the stone their very house stood upon, carved out by architects that were sworn to secrecy. It was a circular dome, four large pillars made up the inner circle with a single hole in the ceiling for light to filter through. Nothing else was needed. Their vision already adjusted to the dimly lit arena, tittering in total darkness.

Approaching the final steps, Victor ahead of her pushed open double-stone doors that swung open efficiently without noise. Once she entered, there were already small crowds forming in front of the window boxes that were a viewer’s way of seeing any of the sparring. In this case, almost the entire clan were there to see something so rare, it might’ve even be written in vampiric history,

In a blink of an eye, Victor was already on the other end of the arena. Celestine copied his actions, blurring to fix her spot on the spot just in front of the doors. Once she settled, the doors shut behind her with a light thud. Apart from the usual rules being stated, everything would be shrouded in pure darkness. The light in the ceiling was shut off entirely. Whilst it would be the void to a human’s eye, all vampires could see as clear as day in the night time.

However ancient Victor was, Celestine couldn’t recall when the centuries-old vampire last fought. He almost never left the estate and the last time they both fought was during the American Civil War. Even then, time had passed long enough for them to rarely fight, at all. Or at least it was for Victor. As for her? Sometimes she helped with increasing the clan member’s fighting, sharpening their instincts, and boosting their familiar individual power. Even then, Celestine kept up-to-date with modern fighting-styles.

She stood in her usual stance, neutral in her opinion about how good either of them were now.

“Vado.” A voice spoke over the built-in speakers above them.

Celestine’s first mistake was taking her eyes off Victor for a second, the head vampire gone. She quickly whirled around, finding him already there, and with a curt slap, had her sailing across the room, leaving a dent in the wall.

It was beginning.

 

[Jannistory19]

Keta cocked his head to the side as he thought about the whereabouts of this Daggon. Wiping away another cup, he seemed to not know where this person was.

“Oh yeah, I know where he is! He’s in the back, but I can get him,” Keta said as he gestured towards the door to the far side of the club. He moved to go get the requested person, but was soon beckoned to do some task. He sighed and turned to Holly with a shrug. He had work to do after all. “Sorry Holly. I have to do this thing real quick, and then I’ll get Daggon, alright?” he apologized before moving off to answer a waiting customer.

Holly nodded and grumbled, understanding, but a bit irritated nonetheless. She wanted to hurry up and ask her question so she could have answers, not linger in a bar as literally the only one who didn’t have anyone to dance with. If there was anything that she knew about club settings, it’s that being alone was never a thing. Sooner or later, someone will be accompanied by someone. You can start out sitting alone, but eventually, some half drunk bastard is going to want to get in your bubble. She hugged her backpack tightly to her chest, trying her hardest to be unseen in the giant sea of carelessness and music.

"Hey, are you here alone?" A man's voice made itself known as an arm came into her view. A man, who seemed to be a little older than Holly, sat down on the seat closest to her. Great. Fucking great. Just what she had feared.

"I'm not interested in whatever you're trying to sell me, so please go away," Holly said as she sipped her drink. The young man raised a hand and looked at Holly up and down as if he didn't mean to offend her.

"Hey hold up, I wasn't trying to do anything. I was just making conversation," he responded.

"Well, I don't want to talk to anyone, so go away," Holly barked. She was beginning to get annoyed, but there was a twinge of nervousness that crept behind her as well. She didn't know what this encounter would lead to, but she didn't want to find out.

"Come on, just have a drink with me. Just one," the man suggested as he looked into her eyes. Holly narrowed her eyes and hissed, but it was drowned out by the overwhelming noises banging through the air.

"No thanks, I have a drink, and I haven't finished it."

"It's just one drink, what's the worst that can happen?"

"She said 'no'. I suggest you take yourself somewhere else, before you get hurt," an older man said from behind the younger one. Holly gasped, for she knew who it was: Daggon. She looked over with a blink - she never saw the man approach them at all. The younger man turned and shouted at Daggon, but stopped when his eyes began glowing red. Startled, the young man quickly got on his feet and backed off, soon to disappear within the club chaos.

Holly sighed with relief as she turned to her savior. "Daggon! I'm so happy you were there. I didn't know what to do."

The older vampire smiled back and extended an arm out. "Haha, don't worry about it. I never tolerated that stuff anyways. So, I hear you wanted to speak with me?" The vampire inquired.

Holly nodded. "Yes, but it's hard to hear out here. Could we…?"

"Of course, Holly. Come on, grab your bag and let's go," Daggon insisted with an extended arm. Holly quickly put her backpack on and swigged the rest of her drink down before moving towards the waiting vampire; he ushered her into the room in the far corner of the club - his office she assumed. When they went inside, it was quiet, and rather roomy, but it was an office.

"So, what have you been up to?" Daggon asked as he sipped something from his cup.

Holly sighed as she tried to recall the last 8 hours. She then told him everything that had happened, from the moment she got to her apartment, to the moment that damn female vampire left it. She then gave him the papers that were given to her, worry emanating from her as they left her hands.

"Could you tell me what this means? Or decipher it or something?" Holly asked.

 

[Dan]

Daggon searched the woman’s eyes, worry ebbing itself into his own. When she finished retelling her story of what happened, that worry soon grew to dread. He took the papers from her grasp, looking over the details on each. The crease in his brow grew deeper with each page his eyes run over.

“My, oh my, Holly.” He looked up at her, “What have you got yourself into?” A small smile on his lips. “Seems you always find yourself in trouble even when you’re not the one causing it.” He mused before shutting the folder to move away from her toward his desk. Daggon took a seat in his plush chair, sipping from his drink as he settled the folder on his desk.

“Dear girl, I could help you, but it’ll cost you.” He begins, his gaze went over the Valerius’s name stamped on it—the records were official. “Because what you’ve brought me...goes beyond my influence, but it can be done.” He leans forth on his desk, setting his drink aside. Looking up to her gaze, Daggon folded his hands together to rest his chin on. “So, I’m guessing you don’t know who the Valerius Clan is, no?” He presumed since she brought in something far more than what he could capably handle.

“To give you a summary of supernatural politics, Valerius Clan are the oldest and strongest vampiric clan in North America. Its current head is Alaric Valerius, he’s one few direct descendents of the Night Mother—the one who started the Vampire species. And Valerius Clan are frankly the backbone of the supernatural world, least in the states they are.” Daggon stops resting his chin to shift back in his chair to yank open one of his bottom drawers on his desk, pulling out a thick book to set on top his desk. He slid it over to the edge. “This is just a copy. You can have it. Politics aside, you said the woman who brought you these papers was Celestine? Well, this might complicate matters for me, but if payment isn’t an option, at least do me a favour. If you do this favour, I can help clear up your little problem. Celestine is… a callous woman, no?” He chuckles, “But she’s also next in line to become the head of the Valerius Clan, so… this might paint a target on my back, but I’ll do anything for a friend—given this friend can also do me this one favour?” He smiles at her.

—​

Celestine’s kick connected to Alaric’s back, shoving the head vampire across the room. The impact rock the entire place before he disappeared from the very indent. She moved her own head to the side, seeing a fist sail over her right shoulder. She grabbed his wrist and slammed him into the ground. It wasn’t long before she was kicked into the wall again. The boisterous cheering muffled behind the glass. In her peripheral she noticed how the crowds had grown in size. Apparently, word of their fight made more news down the vine than she’d hope.

They were both unyielding, motions of fast blurring left major dents in the arena. Alaric had even left a deep crack in one of the windows. Despite how quick they both were, others were able to see the play-by-play in motion on the tvs stationed above the windows. With how technology was these days, it was easier to see their motions. They were both equally too fast for an average vampire to see, their clan even had a difficult time understanding how the sparring was going.

Alaric’s next move had hit with so much force that Celestine went flying through the double-doors, the same ones they came through in the first place. She went sailing through the air, into the staircase where she crumpled into the dent of the stone. The sheer force of it knocked about five steps a part from the dent she made. Before she could shift out of the stone, Alaric hovered above her, sending another kick into the woman’s abdomen. Soon he rendered her into unconsciousness, something that was rare for Celestine to be a state in. When she had blood painting her clothes a deep black was when Alaric had stopped.

The next time she woke up was in the infirmary. It was made clear who had won the sparring match - Alaric. The same vampire who sat in a chair at her bedside. Apparently, Alaric had given her a serious injury, which would render her a vegetable for at least a week. Groaning, Celestine tried to move, but was stopped by Alaric’s hold.

“Rest, darling. You’ve sustained far more than what you can handle.” He spoke.

“Whose fault is that…” She murmured, feeling her body groan in pain. Her eyes wandered over her own form, seeing tubes of blood being pumped into her with various machines around her.

Alaric chuckled, “Adelaide will be taking over your station until you get better.”

Celestine sighed, mumbling something in French before speaking again, “I have a problem that I need to resolve.”

“The only problem you need to focus on is resting- getting better.” Alaric adds.

“No, I mean… there’s an actual problem.” She gives him a hardened look. “Someone’s been funnelling money out of the vault for months. I finally found the person responsible and-”

“What’s their name? Maybe I’ll send Julian?”

“Holly. Holly Dreos. The papers are in my office, someone on the desk. I didn’t want to bother you with-”

“Shhh…” Alaric strokes her cheek, “I’ll have it handled.”

“But- I gave her a 24 hours notice. Figured she deserved some freedom before-”

“24 hours?” Alaric interjects again. “Adelaide or Julian will take care of the problem. You just rest.” He ends the conversation by giving her a gentle kiss on the head. Despite being a vampire, Celestine is able to head back into a deep slumber once more by the aid of medicine.