OCtober Day 21: Karoline Wollen

There was a brief period when I used to work at a little bar in some British town I forgot. I worked for one Sylvester, who was an interesting fellow. It would’ve been a fairly uneventful gig, if it weren’t for him and the little group of friends he used to bring in. They were supernatural conspiracy fans, all of them. The group consisted of four other people. The first was an older gentleman in a wheelchair, who taught history at the university. A young goth woman, who seemed to be his student, usually showed up still donning her lanyard and professional clothes, makeup half done. The other two were an eccentric Indian man, and you stereotypical paranoid mechanic. A colourful bunch to be sure. On a quiet night I could overhear their conversations from the bar. I would quietly chuckle at a few, knowing all too well how close to right they were. One summer though, they all went their separate ways. Sylvester himself vanished too. They never did return, and thus my time at the bar quickly came to end.

Another six years would pass before I saw one of them again. 

It merits saying that I was fully aware of the existence of vampires by this point in the timeline, and other fantastical creatures by now. Seems I managed to masquerade my own existence by claiming the heritage of changeling. Those who perceived my aura found it to be as strange as one after all. Thus, it did not necessarily surprise me when I came to learn the fate of this little crew. What did surprise me was exactly what I came to witness.

Just a simple walk in the countryside, that’s all it was. Late at night, hidden deep within a vast forest. Since I’d likely be called out by a ranger for going off the path during the day, I waited for the sun to go down to go forth with my exploration, I’d done this a couple times before. Though, nothing would be quite as memorable.

It began with the echoes of a gentle tide. Strange, I thought, considering I was nowhere near the coast. Neither was it particularly windy. So, I wondered what was causing it. Curiosity compelled me, as torch in hand I followed the noise through the trees, until eventually I came upon a lake. The size of it wasn’t especially large. Water rippled across the surface in little waves, pushing from some force on the other side. Peering across, I could just about make out the shape of two people. Something felt familiar about one of them. Treading carefully I circled round the lake, staying behind the trees. The closer I got, the clearer their images grew in the moonlight. That was when my suspicions had been proven correct. 

Two women were now within my sight, along with a stone grey cat curled up by their feet. The younger looking one was most certainly the one from the conspiracy group. Karoline, I believe her name was. She was as tall as ever. I remember how she used to match most of the men with her height. Platinum blonde hair was brushed so that the waves all bunched up on the right. Seeing her in a full face of makeup was quite astonishing. Blue eyes, adorned with dark eyeshadow, shimmered in the moonlight. Dark blue lipstick glossed over the confident smirk. A little blush on the cheeks vaguely masked the cold, dead skin. Her nails were sharp, painted black. She was clothed in a gothic number, a black and blue button up dress, complemented by black fishnets, heels and a choker. With her arms exposed, they revealed a full sleeve tattoo depicting some kind of sea creature. 

The elder woman looked quite similar to Karoline. Blue eyes, blonde hair and pale skin, though a little taller. One could assume they were related when stood side by side. She dressed more conservatively. Just a long, black skirt and shirt combo, covered by a velvet blue cloak.  

She says something in Norwegian to her assumed daughter. Karoline nods, eyes focused on the water again. Taking a deep breath, she holds out her hands. The rippling waves grow stronger, sloshing hard against the sides of the lake until they suddenly pool into a towering tsunami wave. I anticipate the crash. It doesn’t come. Instead, it appears to have solidified into a wall  of water. The moonlight sparkles through it quite beautifully. Magic, I assumed. Perhaps they were mages?

In my distracted state I step on a twig, snapping it and alerting the duo. The wall crashes down and they both stare at me. 

“Uh...hello” I say awkwardly.

My arm hairs stand on end. We stand off for a tense moment.

“Hey!” someone else yells. 

The swirling water settles itself. We all freeze, seeking out the new intruder. From within the trees a man emerges, wearing a police uniform. 

“Someone must have spotted one of us” the older woman whispers. She tenses, ready for a fight, when her daughter intervenes.

“Don’t worry mother, I’ve got this” Karoline interjects, winking. Putting on her sweetest face, she approaches the officer. “Something wrong sir?”

“We got a complaint about a couple of women trespassing after hours. I’m going to either have to ask you to leave or take you in-”

He trips over as quite suddenly the grey cat runs into his path. At that vulnerable moment, Karoline pounces, nails clamping him down as her mouth sinks into his neck.  

“Ah. Vampires. Not mages. I was slightly wrong then” I state, blankly.

Removing her fangs and satisfied from the feed, Karoline looks up at me

“Yeah. Not going to lie, I was thinking of drinking from you instead, but this was probably a better idea. Name’s Karoline by the way”

She settles down, cross legged on the grass.

“Manners, Karoline” the other woman scolds.

Her daughter rolls her eyes, stretching her legs out straight. The mother looks at me.

“Marja Wollen, charmed“

“No harm done. I won’t lie either, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard that” I laugh, making light of the situation.

I sit down beside her whilst her mother deals with the policeman’s body. The cat from before comes up and curls up my lap. I give him a good scratch, to which he mewls. 

“You should be honoured. Since I ghouled my baby Gargoyle, he doesn’t usually like anyone but other vampires”

“Interesting, considering this person clearly isn’t one. Turn on your auspex dear” Marja comments. Karoline squints her eyes, then looks flabbergasted.

“So shimmery, what are you? Who are you?” 

“I’m M, I know this may seem odd, but I remember you and your friends from several years ago. Whatever happened to the rest of them”

“Oh strap yourself in, this is a real fun story”

From there, she proceeds to tell me the tale of what happened to the rest of her friends. A tale of stolen diaries, flesh tables and reuniting bonds of blood, told until the dawn begins to crack over the horizon.